Rural Missouri - February 2020 - 41

RM | OUTDOORS

Tandem Fly Outfitters
takes fishing to the limit
by Zach Smith | zsmith@ruralmissouri.coop

ALL
IN A
DAY'S
CATCH

K

ris Nelson's life has been an interesting journey.
His fervor for fishing has charted a course from
one side of the country to the other, but it's always
led home to southwest Missouri. Since 2010 his
guide service, Tandem Fly Outfitters, has passed that passion on to numerous anglers at Table Rock Lake and Lake
Taneycomo. Now based in Stockton, Kris and his wife,
Amanda, are building the company's reputation for happy
clients by putting them on stringers full of fish.
"I know there's nothing else I'll ever do with my life
because this is my purpose," Kris says. "It's a peaceful
place to be."
Winter fishing, particularly for crappie, comes at a perfect time of year for folks stuck in limbo between deer and
turkey seasons. Dense schools of hundreds and sometimes
thousands of crappie collect in the original river channel,
filling 15 to 20 feet of the lake's water column. Other fish,
which haven't transitioned to winter patterns, remain in
huge brush piles called crappie beds.
Identifying the right spot and the forage bait that these
massive schools of crappie form underneath are the first
steps to filling the boat's live well. The second is rigging the
right tackle. In these conditions, Kris prefers a 16th-ounce
jig and light, high-visibility line, which makes it easier to
see when the fish is taking the bait. Finally, comes the presentation. If horizontal casts and slow retrieves don't bring
any bites, Kris positions his boat over the schools and
drops several lengths of line down, slowing reeling the jig
up through the swarm of fish. At this point, even a beginner can dip slab after slab - as they are affectionately
known by anglers - from the chilly depths.
In nearly every way, the experience anglers have with
Kris is merely the 2020 version of the days the Willard
native spent fishing with his grandfather. John Nelson
grew up fishing the White River before it was dammed to
create the well-known lakes around Branson, so he knew
the location of the original river channel and more importantly the towering old oaks that, once submerged, provided shelter for all of the fish.
"What he taught me at a really young age was not to
look at a body of water but to think about what it was
before the water was there," Kris says. "That will help you
understand where the fish are at."
John's old Lowrance Fish Lo-K-Tor has given way to
more advanced equipment, but the premise is the same:
know your fish, know your topography and know your tactics. It's that same trifecta Kris applies today when taking
clients out on Stockton and Pomme de Terre lakes.
"You have to be on the water every day," Kris says of
guiding. "Even if I'm off the water for a week, before I take
somebody fishing, I'm going out fishing to know where
we're stacked for success."

Nothing satisfies quite like a stringer full of fish. Tandem Fly Outfitters
specializes in putting anglers on crappie, walleye and bass.



Rural Missouri - February 2020

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