June 18, 2026 | Beaver Tailwater Fishing Report
The summer solstice is fast approching and the weather and water are showing it too. The fishing has been still been good, but we are having to slow down and change a few things up. Give it a read below to get the scoop on what's happening out there.
I also wanted to make a quick note to everyone who reads this regularly and say thank you! Unfortunately, I won't have a report out next week, as I'm taking a little time off the water for some off the grid family time. I'll be back at it and out on the water the 29th and will be back to regularly scheduled reports then!
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Beaver Tailwater Levels & Conditions
Right now, Beaver Lake is sitting at 1124.3 feet, up about a foot from last week. and creeping further up from our target of 1121.43. Same story with the generators - still down and we are seeing two days/week of combination flood gate and conduit releases. These releases are big water, coming in around 8,500 cfs. On the plus side - the water is clear, although getting a bit warmer than I'd like to see, particularly on warm sunny days. If you have the ability, try to pick your fishing days around cloudy conditions.
The tailwater level has been creeping up as well. It is holding a couple feet higher than the "normal" low water level due to Table Rock Lake rising downstream of us after some of the big rain events we have seen. Table Rock has begun releasing steady water into Taneycomo, and the lake level is beginning to drop out a bit. This should show up on Beaver Tailwater in a couple days and our level with the generators off should begin to drop a bit. The level right now has probably changed up the wading game a bit, but nothing too major.
What's Working
With the varying water levels we have seen, I'm going to break things up based on low vs high water.
Low Water Conditions:
Small streamers like Beaver Buggers continue to be lots of fun and one of my favorite ways to fish lately. I love anything visual when it comes to fishing, and watching fish chase streamers never gets old.
Hopper fishing tapered off a bit this week for me, but I'm sure it will come right back. Some days the fish just don't want to come up to eat. You'll never know if you don't throw some, so it never hurts to toss one around for a few minutes and see what happens.
The bread and butter of double nymph rigs continues to produce, but I'm changing a few things up. With our water up a little I'm fishing slightly bigger and/or heavier flies. I'm catching the on the Beaver Blowtorch in size 14 as my point fly with a 16 or 18 Rootbeer or Ruby midge behind it. I've also had some success fishing Jumbo Worms in Chartreuse as a point fly with a midge trailed behind it. When fishing this rig I am having to use split shot above the worm since it is unweighted.
I'm also fishing more and more leech patterns under indicators, and looking to add some to the website soon. I've been playing around with a new pattern and have been making a few tweaks to it that I want to fish for a bit and test, but they are catching fish well. I would also include the Micro Jigs in the leech category and they continue to produce well.
Make sure you are adjusting your depth to the water you are fishing. I've had to lengthen my rigs up and I'm often fishing about 6' down from an indicator right now.
High Water Conditions:
If you are out there when the big water is running, think big and bright for your fly selection. The Jumbo Worm in Chartreuse has been getting the job done, and I'm trailing it with a variety of flies like sowbugs, girdle bugs, and larger midges (14 and 16). Essentialy you want something big and bright that trout can find in all that water and get them looking in the direction of your flies. They'll often move over to look at the big and bright fly, but eat the smaller or more natural looking bug.
I'd start out deep and heavy and remove weight if you are getting on bottom too much. It's alot easier to find bottom fast and then back off on the weight a bit than it is to spend lots of time wondering if you are getting down there. When in doubt - go heavy.
Check out the store portion of our website for flies, and if you need something you don't see there...don't hesitate to reach out! I can make it happen.
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