There’s a few great trout fisheries in the Ozarks by me. Some of them are small spring creeks that hold wild trout that are extremely spooky but love small streamers. Another is Lake Taneycomo. Taneycomo is a renowned fishery that draws trout fishermen in from all over to Branson, Missouri to chase big rainbow and brown trout.
A lot of people don’t fish streamers on Taneycomo, apart from some sculpin patterns or maybe a woolly bugger. I haven’t really talked to people about why, but I assume it’s the same attitude that many have toward fishing dry flies down there. Why risk it when you can fish a scud and San Juan worm and guarantee success? I like to challenge myself as a fisherman and a fly tyer. I like to try new methods to see if something works better that I just haven’t given a chance yet. So I took a game changer and made it micro.
Hook/shanks: One 9mm shank, one 10mm shank, size 12 Gamakatsu B10S
Thread: UTC Ultra 140D
Tail: Marabou
Body: Montana Fly Company Senyo’s Super Satin Chenille
Head: Montana Fly Company Bunny Brush
I tested it night fishing at Lake Taneycomo the day I tied it. Needless to say, it worked. I caught a nice rainbow first cast.
After a few other fish on the tan color I originally tied up, the B10S surprisingly broke at the hook bend after netting a nice rainbow trout.
I tied on a white version of the micro changer and immediately hooked into the biggest rainbow of the night. Not a monster, but a real solid Taneycomo rainbow.
I brought my buddy, Caleb, along with me. He’s new to fly fishing but caught his biggest rainbow on the fly yet.
I think this is a good reminder to try new things. You can hear from a few people that something doesn’t work, but have you tried it yourself? I could listen to the “long timers” at Lake Taneycomo and never fish dry flies or streamers but I would be missing out on a ton of good fish, because both of those methods work incredibly well down there. If you’re visiting, try some small streamers or a hopper. You might be pleasantly surprised by giving the trout an offering they aren’t used to seeing.
Next up: Trying the micro changer on a blue ribbon trout stream once the weather cools down.
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