3/26/2007

Taneycomo Trout Respond To New Management

Regulation changes have restored this southwest Missouri lake's reputation for big rainbow trout.

BRANSON, Mo.- March is always a good month to talk about trout in Missouri. Usually the discussion focuses on the March 1 trout opener that draws thousands of anglers to the state's four trout parks. This year, March has special significance for another trout hot spot with equal trout renown - Lake Taneycomo.

This month marks the 10th anniversary of special management regulations on this White River reservoir near Branson. A decade's worth of sampling data and angler observations shows these regulations have played a vital role in increasing the number of large rainbow trout lurking in the lake.

Taneycomo's special management regulations went into effect March 1, 1997. They apply to a three-mile stretch extending from Table Rock Dam to the mouth of Fall Creek. Within this area on the upstream end of the lake, all rainbow trout between 12 and 20 inches must be released immediately. Only flies and artificial lures can be used in the special management area. On the remainder of the 22-mile lake, there is no length limit or bait or lure restrictions.

These days, this special management area is little more than a footnote for many of the thousands of anglers who fish Taneycomo. Everyone knows it is there, but many people don't understand its significance.

To comprehend this area's importance, you have to understand the reservoir's history, how the lake is managed, and the angling conditions that existed there 10 years ago.

Lake Taneycomo is owned by Empire District Electric Company. It gained renown for its bass fishing following its impoundment in 1913. When the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers built Table Rock Dam in 1959, the cold-water discharge from that dam's depths created excellent conditions for trout in the old river channel between Table Rock Dam, near Branson, and Powersite Dam, near the community of Ozark Beach. Lake Taneycomo's trout fishery quickly rose to prominence under the management of the Missouri Department of Conservation.

Sustaining the lake's trout population is the Department of Conservation's Shepherd of the Hills Hatchery, located on the west end of Taneycomo, and the Neosho National Fish Hatchery. The lake receives approximately 700,000 rainbow trout and 10,000 brown trout each year. These trout generally range from 10 to 11 inches long when they are stocked.

Those fish attracted heavy fishing pressure. By the early 1990s, studies showed many trout were caught almost as soon as they were stocked. As a result of this and related factors, the number of large fish in the lake was declining. In 1991, Department of Conservation surveys showed only 1 percent of the rainbow trout in Taneycomo measured 13 inches or greater. The next year's surveys produced an equally slim number of 8 percent in the 13-inch-or-larger category.

Surveys such as these spawned a number of public meetings and studies focused on putting size back into Taneycomo's rainbow trout population and creating some form of trout retention that would allow overall numbers to increase, as well. The result was the formation of the special management area. The key to the area's success lay in the slot-length stipulation and the lure restriction. Creating a catch-and-release slot-length range of 12-20 inches would give trout time to feed on the lake's abundant invertebrate populations and grow. Allowing only flies and artificial lures in the area would also increase trout survival. Studies show the survival rate of trout released after being caught with flies and artificial lures is higher than those caught on natural bait because they aren't usually hooked as deep.

Since the institution of these special regulations, data shows the percentage of large fish is increasing. Contrast the above numbers to the 2006 electrofishing data, which indicated 53 percent of the rainbows in the lake were in the 13-inch-and-over range.

The density of trout has also improved, particularly in the special regulations area. Although trout are no longer stocked above Fall Creek (all trout are now stocked below that point), the management area has become a rainbow congregating area. In 1996, before the regulation change, electrofishing sampling data showed a capture rate of 27 trout per hour above Fall Creek. In 2006, the capture rate in the same area was 226 (and that was down from several previous years when the hourly catch rate exceeded 300).

"Recent trout population sampling at Taneycomo reveals a tremendous fishery which provides diverse fishing opportunities for all ages and skill levels," said Matt Mauck, a Department of Conservation fisheries management biologist who oversees the fisheries management of Taneycomo. "The special management area has created an environment where anglers catch more and larger trout with the potential for selective harvest of fish over 20 inches and less than 12 inches."

Department of Conservation Southwest Regional Fisheries Supervisor Chris Vitello, who was involved in implementing the regulation changes, echoes Mauck's comments.

"We really didn't set specific objectives for trout size and numbers when we were developing the special management area, but I think it's safe to say that increases of 10 times and more in rainbow trout electrofishing catch rates and the improvements we have seen in size structure have exceeded the most liberal expectations," he said.

Vitello and Mauck stress that the current high tide of angler satisfaction at Taneycomo doesn't mean management challenges at the reservoir are finished.

"Contending with low-flow conditions and sub-optimal dissolved oxygen concentrations are significant challenges that currently face Taneycomo's fishery," Vitello said. "Furthermore, as the Ozarks continue to develop, a balance between urban expansion, increased angling pressure and resource conservation will become increasingly important."

-Francis Skalicky-