subscribesubscriber servicescontact usabout ussite map
Fri, Nov 27 2009 

Published October 10, 2008 01:19 am - I arrived at the pavilion near the hatchery several minutes early and began preparing my equipment.
Leonard Keeney and I were meeting at 9 p.m. for a night of trout fishing on the upper end of Lake Taneycomo at the tail waters of Table Rock Lake.
Leonard is a friend of mine who operates a fishing guide service called Taneycomo Nights. He recently sent an e-mail bragging about the fishing and saying that I should join him soon for a warm weather night trip. The last time we’d fished together it had been 15 degrees.


Night fishing yields keeper-sized trout



By Silas Gray

sports@joplinglobe.com

I arrived at the pavilion near the hatchery several minutes early and began preparing my equipment.

Leonard Keeney and I were meeting at 9 p.m. for a night of trout fishing on the upper end of Lake Taneycomo at the tail waters of Table Rock Lake.

Leonard is a friend of mine who operates a fishing guide service called Taneycomo Nights. He recently sent an e-mail bragging about the fishing and saying that I should join him soon for a warm weather night trip. The last time we’d fished together it had been 15 degrees.

It wasn’t long before Leonard pulled in right beside me. He was grinning as he climbed from the truck waving a foil-lined cottage cheese carton and a box of toothpicks.

“You are in for a treat,” he said as he thrust a pick into my hand and peeled back the foil on the container. This was my first chance to try his famous bacon-wrapped jalapeno walleye chunks. I put my equipment aside while we sampled the dish along with some of his special coffee. After all, it takes awhile for the fish to begin biting after the sun goes down.

The Table Rock dam flood gates were open, so the water was high and running fast. There are only two spots that can be easily fished while wading in high water, and both are water releases from the hatchery called outlet No. 1 and outlet No. 2.

After finishing off a good portion of the walleye snacks, we tied a scud-patterned fly beneath a large float with an activated glow stick in it, followed by an egg pattern a few inches below. We walked the few yards over to outlet No. 2.

It was dark as we peered over the bank, and we could see the bright green glow of the float of another angler as he made his next cast. At night and with the water so high, there’s only room for one person to safely fish, or two if they’re chummy.

So we got comfortable and watched as the other angler caught several fish. He soon declared that he was ready for a break and invited us to take over the spot.

We had used our headlamps to get into position, and it took a minute for my eyes to adjust before I made my first cast into the rush of water pouring in from the hatchery. My cast was long and the bobber swung wide and ended up too far out into the current. Leonard used a red lamp and pointed out that the fish were just inches from the shore.

My next cast was much better. The flies dropped in just at the inside edge of the moving water and moved slowly, staying near the shore. The glowing bobber soon went under, and I had my first fish of the night, a nice little rainbow trout.

In less than two hours I’d landed 25 fish, all without moving more than a few feet from our original spot. The area was stacked with fish. It was a nice little warm-up, but we were ready for more of a challenge, so we moved on to outlet No. 1.

Leonard wanted me to try the Hibernator, a pine squirrel streamer fly of his own creation.



print this story    email this story    comment on this story   

Click to discuss this story with other readers on our forums.


Add a comment on this story







autoconx
Premier Guide
Find a business

Walking Fingers
Maps, Menus, Store hours, Coupons, and more...
Premier Guide

Announcements


Click here to VOTE!!

Click here!!

: Special Offer For New Subscribers : 32 buy 1 get 1 free offers

Click Here!


Featured Jobs

TRUCK DRIVERS NEEDED

for local construction project, must have CDL and experience on construction site belly dumps. 417-206-0930.
...>MORE

See all ads

Featured Transportation

1979 SATURN
GOOD Economical car, 1979 Saturn, $2000 firm, cash only. (620)783-1751....>MORE

1999 PONTIAC GRAND AM
2 door, spoiler, sharp, loaded, automatic, air, CD, extra nice, $2600. 1317 Schifferdecker, Joplin....>MORE

1993 CHEVROLET LONG BED
runs good, 4.3 V6, new transmission, needs body parts, $400. (417)438-2508...>MORE

1989 CHEVROLET STEPSIDE
350, V8, custom flames, runs great, $2500. 417-208-6717...>MORE

FORD, 1997 F150
V8, automatic, extended cab, high miles, $2600. (417)214-0145....>MORE

2001 FORD WINDSTAR SE
Sport, loaded, all options, great looking van, extra nice, $3200. 1317 Schifferdecker, Joplin....>MORE

1998 CHEVROLET S10
4 cylinder, 5 speed, high miles, $1750. 417-214-0022....>MORE

YAMAHA PSR-GX76
76 key keyboard, new in box, sustain petal and music stand, paid $324, sell for $175. 417-434-0925...>MORE

TOYOTA 2004 TACOMA PRERUNNER
Toyota, 2004 Tacoma Prerunner, TRD off road, double cab, V6, new tires, CD, bed liner, lid cover, 100,000 miles, excelle...>MORE

HONDA, 2007 FIT SPORT,
customized interior package, automatic, air, AM/FM/CD, cruise, great mpg, low miles, excellent condition, $11,800. (417)...>MORE

See all ads

Featured Homes

NEWER 3 BR/2 BA
Lots of upgrades and great location. $149,000 but all offers considered. 903 Katlin, Carl Junction. Pictures www.fsboloc...>MORE

525 E. 41ST, JOPLIN, MO

to be sold at auction December 5th or before. Lovely all red brick home on large corner. 4 bedroom, 2 bath, double
...>MORE

Deerfield Estates
in Carl Junction, prime building sites, reduced $10,000 each. 417-825-0052...>MORE

3 ACRES
3 ACRES more/less with pond. Nice park-like setting, just minutes from Range Line. Close to area of newer homes. $19,900...>MORE

See all ads

Other Cool Stuff

POODLES
POODLES, standard pups, born 10/10, registered, shots, wormed, family raised. Adorable personalities! 417-673-3892....>MORE

5TH WHEEL
5TH WHEEL, 2004 Prowler Regal, 26’, 2 slides, loaded, nice. (620)674-2127....>MORE

DIAMOND SOLITAIRE
Pear-shaped, one carat, diamond solitaire in gold setting. $2,000. Please call 417-825-3238...>MORE

GREAT CHRISTMAS GIFT!
1000 thread 100% Egyptian cotton bed sheets, all sizes, 10 colors, $35/set. (417)782-6639....>MORE

ENGLISH BULLDOG PUPPY
male, AKC, fawn/white, champion bloodlines, $900 or best offer. (417)396-3340...>MORE

NEW IN BOX
New in box, Lucchese cowboy boots, black, size 9D, $200. (620)231-9256...>MORE

REWARD $50,000 REWARD

Offered for any information leading to conviction of any person or persons known to have been involved in alleged
...>MORE

MALTESE PUPPIES
2 gorgeous AKC males, 8 weeks on 11/30, all shots/vaccines, $200 each. 417-325-4340 ...>MORE

POODLE, FULL BLOODED
POODLE, full blooded, $75 or best offer. (417)385-8710 after 4:30 p.m....>MORE

I WANT TO BUY
6’ t-post, 5’ wire. Call for details. (417)396-1339...>MORE

See all ads


 

Community Newspaper Holdings, Inc.CNHI Classified Advertising NetworkCNHI News Service
Associated Press content © 2009. All rights reserved. AP content may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Our site is powered by Zope and our Internet Yellow Pages site is powered by PremierGuide.
Some parts of our site may require you to download the Flash Player Plugin.
View our Privacy Policy
Advertiser index

 

 

The Joplin Globe Electronic Edition