The Saving of the Rock Buoy

The Buoy Rescue

The Springtime came, the Springtime went
The river's energy, completely spent
Twas the flood of twenty seventeen
The rockpile's buoy anchor rent

The buoy's task is very clear
To keep the boats from coming near
Now positioned down the lake
The rocky danger was unclear

To the rescue, three men came
Martin, Craig and Tom by name
The three were fearless, brave and true
They were not there to play a game

With motor boat and ropes and hooks
This was an effort for the books
An awkward struggle did ensue
That drew a crowd of cautious looks

The ropes were tangled in the trees
We thought that this would be a breeze
The boat was hardly any help
The struggle made us gasp and wheeze

Tom was hanging off the boat
Craig was pulling on the float
The trolling motor then turned on
Going home would get my vote

By now we'd put on quite  show
The island crowd......They let us know
All were wet and muddy too
We finally had the buoy in tow

Back upstream to guard it's post
The rocks reclaimed their watchful host
Warning those who all go near
Here's the place you watch for most

Our story finished, the saga done
We thought at first it might be fun
Our effort epic, t'was quite a feat
Our cuts and our bruises are second to none!


Not too sure that I'll do that again (move the buoy or write poetry) but both were an experience!

See You at the Dock!

The Point of Not Catching Fish

A couple days ago I had a BRILLIANT revelation. It had to do with "not catching fish". Obviously the point of going on a fishing trip is to catch fish. Even if the point of the trip is being on vacation but fishing is part of the plan, you still want to catch a few. Throughout the summer, we've hosted hundreds of groups, families and fishermen alike. Guess what occasionally happens........No Fish!

I'm probably as much or more disappointed when that happens than our guests seem to be. When you live at a lake and run a lake resort, you want your guests to catch fish when they go out to catch fish!

Alas......It doesn't always work that way. BUT, while I was sitting on the deck of our office the other day after some guests had a tough day trying to fish, it hit me! This day, the fishing was bad, but coming up from the pool was laughter, splashing of water, squirt gun fights, story telling, more laughter and so on. Then I noticed the group out by the fire pit tossing bean bags, laughing and taunting each other. Then the fire pit itself had a circle of friends exchanging stories and experiences along with more laughter.

........... Then the revelation!

I remember my own experiences on vacation and not catching fish. You know what I remember most? It wasn't the "not catching fish" part. I remember the fun of being on vacation. I remember the cabins, the cook-outs, the campfires, the games, the pool, the fish when we caught them, the magic of sitting out at evening, card games in the cabin when it was raining outside. I don't really remember all the times we didn't catch fish. I don't remember watching TV. In fact, I don't remember if any of the cabins even had TV.

As I though about this I realized that all of the good memories far out-weighed the "not catching fish" memories. It's not just a "consolation prize" when the fishing doesn't work out. It's the reality of thinking back 40 plus years and honestly not really remembering the disappointment of not catching fish.

Catching fish is great, but the other stuff is pretty good too. And sticks with you just as long!

Come and see us sometime. Do some fishing, do some boating, sit by a fire, jump in the pool, eat some barbecue, EAT SOME S'MORES, throw a water balloon at an unsuspecting family member, laugh and tell stories! You will take home memories that last a lifetime. You may even take home some fishing pictures and stories. But whatever you do, take home GREAT memories!

When you get ready to start making your next batch of lake resort memories, Give us a call to book in a room or cabin at Rainbow Haven Resort or Cross Timbers Cabins at 417-234-4394 or 417-561-4179

ALSO.....Don't forget to subscribe to our updates and specials on the right side of this page!

Evening at the Dock

I think that I've been very negligent in bringing awareness to the amazing fishing on Lake Taneycomo. This lake is the "Little Brother" in the chain of Lakes that make up the White River system in Southwest Missouri. It's 22 miles long which makes it the shortest lake by far and It has the oldest dam holding it back than any others on the system. This gives the lake a "river" feel and look, even though it is a reservoir. It also has something that a typical lake does not, which is a noticeable current however slight it may be most of the time. What all does that mean exactly??? What it means is that it's a PERFECT combination for fishing. And notice that I didn't restrict the "fishing" to just trout fishing.

Lake Taneycomo was the first "Lake" produced by a dam on the White River over 100 years ago. It was followed by the "Big 3" which is Table Rock, Beaver and Bull Shoals. Technically, everything that ever swam in the White River is still in the White River system including Bass, Crappie, Walleye, Catfish and every other native species present in all of the lakes in the region. However, the creation of Table Rock Dam added an element particularly suitable for trout and that was colder water. Now, Lake Taneycomo is very well know for being a world class trout fishery.

BUT...........Enough of the history!

On to the FISH........ Our Rainbow Haven Resort and Cross Timbers Cabins housekeepers, Tom and Janice, sneak away whenever they can and do a little fishing. Just last night, they journeyed up the lake about a half mile to the twin islands to give it a go! About 2 hours later they returned with their catch for the night which included some very respectable Rainbows! Yes, these are the actual ones and not just a spare photo floating around in my pic folders on the computer. As you can tell from the look on Janice's face, they had a fulfilling evening at the lake that culminated with a stop at the fish cleaning station at the Dock!

When YOU decide you're ready to take on "Lake T".......Make sure you give us a call. We offer two different resort experiences. We have boat and kayak rentals for the adventurous. We have a nicely outfitted tackle shop, boat slips which are no charge to our guests, a public boat ramp just past our parking lot, a public fishing island and floating fishing dock just a minute's walk away.

You don't have to go far from here to get to the best that Taneycomo has to offer!

See You at the Dock!



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Morning at the Dock

It's August 2nd and even though there are plenty of things to do around the resorts, a little fishing seemed the right way to start the day. No, I didn't end up with a stringer of fish this morning. What I did end up with was several pictures of the sunrise and several greetings from fishermen passing by in their boats on the way to ply the waters for fish. (Is "ply" the right word?) I looked it up.....It means to "work diligently". I suppose it is the right word.

There were plenty of fish at the dock this morning. They made their presence known all around as they broke the surface, presumably feeding on something too small for my eyes to detect. My bobber dipped beneath the surface a time or two but appeared to be nothing more than a "taste test" in the fish world.

Morning at the Dock.... I probably need to spend more time there!