Lake Taneycomo, Reservoir in Taney County, Missouri
Lake Taneycomo is a reservoir in Taney County, Missouri, stretching roughly 22 miles (35 kilometers) through the Ozark region below Table Rock Dam. The water comes from deep layers of the upstream reservoir, keeping it cold and transparent throughout the year.
The reservoir formed in 1913 after Powersite Dam was completed near Forsyth, originally holding warmer water. When Table Rock Dam opened in 1958, cold water began flowing downstream, turning it into trout habitat.
The Missouri Department of Conservation established the Shepherd of the Hills Trout Hatchery in 1957 to support the growing fishing community on the lake.
Water near the dam stays around 48 degrees Fahrenheit (9 degrees Celsius), making fly fishing or artificial lures effective for catching trout. Flow and depth shift when the dam releases power, so conditions change during the day.
The Missouri Department of Conservation opened Shepherd of the Hills Trout Hatchery in 1957 to stock the newly cold waters with fish. Visitors can watch trout grow in large outdoor tanks before they are released into the lake.
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