Lake Taneycomo, the ever unpredictable tailwater of Table Rock Lake was our September 2011 destination. The weekend looked promising; the weather was cool with a little wind. Moderate power generation allowed for some wading. Spring flooding caused some changes in the lake’s waterscape that challenged trip new comers, as well as the old pros. I for one was glad to have a wading staff on my belt. Some attendees opted to hire a guide or rent a boat from Lilley’s, so they were able to partake in the best of both worlds -- wade in the shallows and cast from the boat in the deep. The general consensus was fishing was slower than in past years, but the fish that were caught were larger with beautiful markings.
Thursday was an “everyman for himself” day allowing a chance to get our feet wet so to speak. On Friday night, we had what has now become a Taney outing tradition, a talk by Phil Lilley regarding all things fishing. This year he gave us a new map of the lake and talked about the many changes caused by the spring flood.
Saturday the weather gods decided not to shine upon us, literally –
it rained, rained some
more, rained harder, thundered, lightening flashed, and did I say it
rained? Needless to
say we were driven off the lake and our planned barbecue, catered by
Phil and Marsha
Lilley, was quickly moved back to the covered patio at Lilley’s Landing.
Meanwhile, Al
Bourisaw and Larry Hurt, who arrived at the dam pavilion, by way of a
Lilley’s boat, found
that lunch had been moved. The lightening prompted them to wait before
heading back
to Lilley’s, but not too long, as we later found out that while we were
anxiously waiting
for them to boat-back they had decided they had time to make one more
drift down from
the dam. Not nice guys!!! The highlight of the day was …..Phil & Marsha
Lilley surprised us and instead of a barbecue
lunch they had an Alaskan Halibut fish fry, with all of the fix’uns. It
was – AWESOME!!!
The annual Big Fish contest was held after lunch but it had a new twist. A traveling trophy that was designed and crafted by a local artisan was awarded to the #1 and #2 winners; the trophy has the names of all the winners of the Big Fish contest inscribed on the back. Our intent is to reuse the same trophy in the coming years, kind of like our very own Stanley Cup. The 2011 winners are – Big Fish #1 Earl Schenberg and Big Fish #2 Larry Hummel. Good fishing guys.
We topped off the weekend with everyone gathering for dinner at Famous Dave’s Barbecue on the Branson Landing. A good time was had by all, but the evening was not done. The rain had finally stopped so several members decided to join Malcolm down at outlet 1 and do some night fishing. Jerry, Bill, and Paul gave it a try while Mark went along for moral support and to call for help if anyone fell in. They all came back dry and we’ll just say fish were caught.
Rooms are already reserved for next year, same time, same place. Be sure to mark your calendar, if you’ve never attended, you need to strongly consider it. Announcements will be made at the appropriate time next year. Rooms fill up fast, so don’t delay. OFF members definitely know how to have a good time…….. rain, or shine.