Reel in success: Discover Lake Taneycomo’s best fishing strategies with guide Blake Wilson

BY GARY J. GROMAN, Independent Journalist

Lake Taneycomo is widely recognized as a premier trout fishing destination for both the numbers and the size of its Rainbow and Brown Trout. It draws anglers from all over the country, eager to land a “trophy” as well as families and those who want to experience the unique, simple joy of trout fishing for the first time. However, anglers of all levels fishing this “tailwater” face a complex environment that can challenge even experienced fishermen.

Guide, Captain Blake Wilson, on the water doing what he does best. (Photo courtesy of Blake Wilson)

Meet guide Blake Wilson, who is going to give some tips to help anglers on Lake Taneycomo meet that challenge, avoid frustration and catch more fish. You might know Blake from his gig on “Lilley’s One Cast,” a daily fishing show filmed right on Lake Taneycomo through Lilley’s Landing Resort & Marina. He’s all about the details. With over 20 years of experience, thousands of casts under his belt and way too many fish to count, Blake’s turned his passion into a way to help others. He says, “Helping others catch fish is my joy and pleasure.” Blake’s tips can help make your first trip to Taneycomo a success.

Blake points out that one of the biggest hurdles for a newcomer is the constantly changing water flow. On a typical lake, you might find a spot and stay there all day. Lake Taneycomo is not a stagnant body of water; it is a dynamic river system managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, with one of its primary purposes being the generation of electricity by releasing water from Table Rock Lake through the generators in Lake Taneycomo.

This can cause water levels and current speeds to change dramatically at a moment’s notice, impacting fishing methods, baits and tactics. For anyone visiting for the first time, these unpredictable conditions can be overwhelming. This is where the actual value of hiring a fishing guide becomes clear, especially for anglers fishing Lake Taneycomo for the first time.

Without a guide, many anglers fail to realize that the techniques and “baits” they were using a day or even minutes earlier, when there was no water generating, are no longer effective. A guide understands that when the water moves faster, you cannot simply keep doing the same thing. For example, a 1/100 jig working perfectly in slow water will float continuously in the current, never reaching the bottom where the fish are holding. For bait, flies and lures, a guide will not only know the appropriate bait to use but also the weight and presentation that will get it down to where the fish are feeding and hopefully entice them to hit.

As an example, the day this writer was fishing with Blake, we started out with about one generator using scuds with a Provo Rig. A couple of hours later, the water slowed, and we switched to 1/25 sculpin jigs with orange heads. Over about three hours on the water, we caught and released over 45 trout.

When the current slowed, Blake made the call to switch to the jigs, choosing the correct pattern, weight and color to match the light, wind and water conditions, but he did not stop there. He shared his method of presentation, cast, countdown and a particular retrieve, all the while telling me when to vary my countdown based on the depth and other water conditions we were drifting by to keep the jig falling at about a foot per second into the feeding zone and prevent snagging on the bottom.

And that’s what makes a guide trip with Blake such an enjoyable experience: his willingness to share and teach. He has a lot to offer in that regard. His mentor is Dwane Dody, in this writer’s opinion, one of the very best guides Lake Taneycomo has ever seen, not only for his technical knowledge of fishing the lake but also for his willingness and ability to share that knowledge with others. That same skill and philosophy are seen in Blake.

He does not just tie on a lure and tell you where to cast; he explains the “why” behind his decisions. If he changes a weight or a color, he explains the reasoning for doing so. He explained how changing winds and currents affect fishing. This approach ensures that you don’t just catch fish on the day of the trip, but you walk away with the knowledge to be a better angler in the future.

Blake resides near Lake Taneycomo in Hollister, MO, with his lovely wife, Kara. For information on fishing Lake Taneycomo or to book a trip, please get in touch with Captain Blake through his website https://www.taneycomotroutguide.com/ or by calling 573-864-0544. If this writer’s experience is any indication, you will have one of the best fishing experiences of your life.