Rural Missouri - December 2022 - 22

THE TROUT OF TANEYCOMO
by Kenneth L. Kieser |
F
Running Ozark lunkers with guide and artist Duane Doty
info@ruralmissouri.coop
photos by Zach Smith | zsmith@ruralmissouri.coop
ew challenges match guiding on Lake Taneycomo.
The problem is, a fishing guide is constantly at the
mercy of rising or falling water levels caused by
water released from Table Rock Dam that affects
fishing tactics. Many guides make a living showing families
how to catch pan-sized trout. Duane Doty of Lilley's
Landing Trout Resort prefers to put
clients on big rainbow and brown
trout that lurk in Lake Taneycomo's
shadows.
Duane is one of the top fishing
guides on Lake Taneycomo, located
by Branson. Legendary catches
on lures he built are a big part of
Taneycomo's legend.
State or world record trout are
always possible on Taneycomo. A
Missouri state record 34-pound,
10-ounce brown trout was caught
and released on Taneycomo by Paul
Crews on Feb. 23, 2019. Bill Babler
caught the next state record here on
Sept. 4 the same year: a 40-pound,
6-ounce brown trout.
Duane loves to fish for lunkers at
night. A recent catch came from a
cast made near a dark shore where
the moonlight was shadowed by a
towering, tree-covered bluff. Something
in the darkness attacked his
lure. " This one is stripping drag and
running hard, " Duane says. " Better
get the net. "
The big trout made several good runs and dives while
Duane managed to hang on, and a few minutes later he
slipped the net under a 7-pound rainbow trout, about
24 inches long. The beautiful fish was photographed and
released to fight another day.
Duane took note of the forage which make the lake a
world-class fishery and found commercial lures did not
match baitfish found in Taneycomo. So, he decided to create
his own versions.
" The Signature Series Lures evolved over time to have
a better tool for targeting large trout, " Duane says. " It all
started with developing and fine-tuning a technique that
increased the chances of triggering a predatory reaction
strike. I discovered that suspending lures triggered
Opposite page: Duane Doty makes an early morning cast on Lake
Taneycomo. Above: Duane's other passion, woodworking, celebrates
catches of a lifetime in a unique style.
22 RURAL MISSOURI | DECEMBER 2022
a higher percentage of strikes from larger trout. " Duane
considered the color and patterns to match the forage as
well as color schemes that worked when stripping streamers
while fly fishing.
His first pattern was a suspending juvenile rainbow
trout, created through an 18-step process involving nine
different colors applied both with an airbrush and by
hand. The sculpin pattern became his biggest challenge.
" There was nothing on the market painted like a sculpin
minnow, " Duane says. " The pattern
features layers and layers of different
colored dots of paint that build depth
and realism to the lure. Each sculpin
has about 28,000 dots on it. "
Narrowing the body style down to
what worked best under Lake Taneycomo's
ever-changing conditions
meant many hours on the lake testing
different blanks. Determining the best
hooks and split rings that correctly
suspended each lure became the next
step. This process lasted more than a
year before he found four blanks that
make up his lures.
Duane next decided to create
angler's portraits that would freeze
special moments on wood. Using a
CNC router, Duane carves a 3D model
of a high-resolution photo into 20-by30-inch
boards. He spray-paints the
panel and rubs parts of it with steel
wool in order to bring out the details.
He paints the fish in layers from light
to dark, adding the finishing touches
by hand.
" My carved and painted wooden panels combine my
love of woodwork, art and the outdoors, " Duane says.
" What I really like about these panels is they not only
provide an accurate reproduction of your fish, but they
capture a moment in time. "
Creating masterpieces is just a sideline for Duane. His
true passion is fishing for trophy trout with his lures.
" I recently caught a brown well over 10 pounds, "
Duane says. " I slipped it back in the lake and a young
man watching nearby on the shore asked why I released
that big fish? 'So, you will have
a chance to catch it someday.' I
think he liked that answer. "
Follow Ozark Trout Runners on
Facebook or call Duane at 417-2948672.
Kieser
is a freelance writer from
Kansas City.
Lake Taneycomo
Rural Missouri - December 2022

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