 Fish and Freaks, welcome to a new year of outdoor greatness with me here on the Lake Fort Guy Channel. If you haven't yet, subscribe and stick around as we explore fishing throughout the seasons from all over the country. And speaking of new, if you haven't seen the all new Slurping Spoons and Chadwagons, they are available at Gugansquad.com, two key lures for winter fishing. Gugansquad.com, that's linked down below and you can use my promo code LFG at any time and save a check out. In today's video, the family and I are headed to the Ozarks, where we typically make at least one family chirp a year. But me and LFD have positioned ourselves for the trout dangle opportunity with a cabin right on the river so we can sneak out and fish between family engagements. I originally discovered this area from fishing bass tournaments on Table Rock Lake over a decade ago, but I quickly became a big fan of Table Rock for its abundance of all three major species of bass and the Big Cedar Lodge, where the bass and deer species are enshrined as national treasures and literally ingrained into long structures like St. Peter's Basilica. But it wasn't until last spring that I learned about the trout that were living in the tailwaters of Table Rock Lake known as the Tani Como River. The water near the dam on Table Rock Lake is very deep, so the water that comes out below the dam is cold and it is perfect for chunky rainbow trout. It even has a hatchery right on the riverbank and even though it gets fished heavily, there are thousands of trout in the tailwaters due to the stocking program and strict fishing regulations for size and the types of lures that you can use. Sometimes half the battle with winter trout fishing is just staying warm enough to hold on to your fishing rod, but since trout thrive in the oxygen-wrenched cold water, they stay just as active as a springtime bass. First attempt out here on the river, just seeing tons of boats not seeing anybody in the water. The water is just surging right now. I'm just trying with a little spinning rod set up and a jerk bait. I'm sure it's going to be an evolving experience, but this is what we're starting with. This is difficult fishing, I could already tell you. My hands are freezing. I've got a little bit of ice on the end of my rod tip, but there wouldn't be seven or eight boats on the river right now if there wasn't some brown trout moving around in here and probably some rainbows, too, but it is just ripping, absolutely ripping. So I'm having to cast way up, and then I'm working my bait. By the time I engage my reel, my bait's already moved like 15 feet. I saw another boat drifting down this bank throwing jerk bait, so I thought, might as well start with that. That's something I can do from the bank. Give this about 10 minutes, see if anything latches on. If not, we're going to have to change tactics. Number two, I got a tangle, so I had to go back and reduce some things. Put on a spoon, LPD is going to join me. Trying to get down there deeper, I just don't think the jerk bait is going to get down to where these fish really are, but we're at high current right now when this starts to die down. We're probably going to switch to some fly tactics, but right now we've got a chance at a big brown, water's flowing. We're close to the cabin. It's easy to make these little switches, just come back down here, give it a shot, and keep grinding. I'm not even hooked up, yeah it's hooked up, yeah baby, yeah here we go, here we go, hooked up on the slurping spoon, yeah, how you going to land him, that's a good quest, I might need to help you here. Dad, that's all, it's a brown, look at it, I think no it might be a good rainbow. That's a nice rainbow, that's a good rainbow, here let's see if we can find a spot, what pound line you got on, four pound test, four pound test, oh man I don't want to get my hands wet, oh almost, almost, that was a good spot, he's doing the backwards on me, there we go, look at that beautiful trout on the slurping spoon, dad that's awesome, that's a good rainbow. Beautiful fish, look at him he's starting to get teeth, oh god he does have teeth, he's creaming all over you, oh yeah he's so excited, dad that's awesome, yeah good job, you don't want me to release him, there you go, that's awesome, hey man, nice fish, on the slurping spoon, yeah nailed it when it came over the rocks, so cool, yeah let's let him go, alright toss him back, hey I wasn't expecting that, check that out, gave dad some slurping spoons for Christmas, what was that, no that's a half ounce, perfect, perfect getting down there a little bit with that one, yeah on four pound test I wasn't sure I was going to get him in, yeah we really need our nap, we're just experimenting and everything, but hey that's killer, that's awesome, sign of life, dad's hooked up again, holy cow, slurping spoons killing it, let me try to get, let me try to get in the same spot, oh that's a pretty one too, there we go, I'm trying not to fall in, ah it's a fat one, oh yeah look at that, these are awesome trout dad, they call this trophy, trophy, yeah we're gonna have to tag team him, seems like with trout you got to get the tail, just the head thing doesn't work the best, yeah teeth are a lot smaller, got no pliers, got no net, just out your red neck in it, unpaired, fat trout, they got to be over 20 I think to keep which that's probably like an 18, yeah 17-18, that's awesome, nicely done LFD, okay, not the most graceful, but he's just kicking, it works that was back to back cast, I'm gonna leave the camera on you, stay hot, stay hot, there we go, I think that that half, yeah remember that spot is probably a little break or something right there, you got another one? yeah, oh my gosh, dad's got another one, dad's hooked up, dad's hooked up three casts in a row, three casts in a row catching jumbos, that's a brown, that's a brown, that's a small brown, look at this, look at this, slurping spin absolutely crushing it, I don't know if it's a color or just think you're just in the zone, man, just the presentation, there we go, spoon out, yes, beautiful brown trout, let's go, okay go see papa, go tell him we're coming, there we go, keep slurping, keep slurping guys, half ounce spoon, if I was trapped on an island somewhere, that's what I'd take with me, catch this fish, sure does, all kinds, every species, every depth, all right I'm gonna attempt to catch one or just hold the camera for dad, because he is on fire, round one, day one, we have come back to the cabin, it's time to regroup and this is the transition time in this water right now where it's receding and it should go down, believe it or not, about six feet, so that's gonna be a huge difference as far as the trout go, keeping those lures close to the bottom of the spoon was key and my dad just got on an absolute hot streak, I think he hit a group of fish that was kind of moving down the river, got on a little high spot, it was just feeding and it was just boom, boom, boom, well you really had to throw it up current and it was getting towards the bottom, almost kind of hitting the bottom, getting snagged with that that layer where you're not getting snagged and where the fish are sitting close to the bottom waiting for something, that was the key, I just got a lot of snags, my dad ended up breaking off eventually, so I always have some spoons in my trout pan fish, chocolate box here, but I just have a lot of small ones, I didn't think to bring any big heavy ones, like some half ounce and three quarters when that current's really running, now that the water is going down we're gonna try something different, we're gonna get the waders on, we're gonna get the long poles and we're gonna try doing a little drifting with some indicators, just make a lot of little short, precise casts in these little riffles and current changes, I think that'll do something. Got one, first cast, first cast with the fly, there we go guys, that was on a skud, wow, look at me go, oh that is pretty, that is pretty, that's a nice one, whoa, man that drag is smooth on that reel, that's a sage, hey first cast dad, he was close, he was close, I got one, I didn't even have to get wet, I just got to find a good little landing zone without falling in, come here buddy, he's to the tippet, just got to get him to come up current with me, oh here he goes, that was sweet, oh my gosh look at the size of that one, look at the size of that, I think that one's 20 inches, he's folded up in the net, guys that is that is no kidding one of my biggest rainbow trout of my life, holy cow, first cast too, that is awesome, made putting on all the fly gear, setting up worth it, get him unpegged, pop goes the fly, no barb, no barb, look at this trout, see if I can get him out and show you guys, that is just an amazing, amazing fish right there, look at that, that's so cool, all right we'll let this guy go, heck yeah, smash the like button, that was cool, if I don't catch another fish today I don't even care, that was awesome, right there that little scud, that's what did it, I think the first time I went trout fishing I broke every single fish off because I was just used to setting the hook like a jig hooks that for a bass, and I quickly learned how challenging it is, but over the years of fishing all over the place I've learned to appreciate all species and the difficulties in catching each type of fish, but there's this thing about fly fishing in a river or a stream, it is different, I've watched people go out and fly fish for hours and not catch a thing, and completely enjoy themselves, why is that different from other species fishing, I think it has to do with the river, there's some sort of mojo going on with the flow and the sound, and just watching and listening to that water go by, it soothes the soul, and every once in a while when your lure is presented just right in front of a trout and they latch on, that's just icing on the cake, oh there we go, oh come on, coming right at me, there it goes, he came right at me jumping, not much fight to this guy, trout number two, not very big, fly just flew out, he's probably just a hair over 12, if I had to guess, nice fish, return you to the waters buddy, rainbow, the rainbow, having to adjust the waters gone down even farther, and I just lengthened up my leader to about, I'm gonna say three feet, three feet and I added a little split shot, tiny little split shot right there, now I can kind of read this current a little bit better, he just popped it, it's really hard to tell when you're just hitting a rock sometimes, or you're getting a bite, and they really want to take it, it just goes under, that's the ones I need, easy to tell, there he is, got him, got him, right on that point, yes sir, baby, there he goes, there he goes, oh that's a good one, that's a nice one, he's not as big as I thought but he's nice, I'll take him, little fly switch, little spot switch, that's what it's all about right there y'all, oh my gosh what a beautiful trout, perfectly hooked on the top of the shnout, get you unhooked here buddy, no barb just pops right out, look at this y'all, just a gorgeous, gorgeous trout, let's let him go right here in the shallow water, watch him swim off, oh there we go, oh I've watched him hit it, watched him kind of tap it, then came back, that one feels like it's got some girth, is this a rainbow, that is awesome, that is, it's a good rainbow, it's better, better than the last one, oh my gosh this is amazing, come here my dude, come here my dude, yes just a chunk, a little short chunk, that was an awesome hit, I kind of saw my my indicator go down for just a second, just a millisecond and it's almost like he hit it again, ah sometimes I don't know how they don't come unhooked, that little barbless, that's a nice fish, that's a really nice fish right there guys, let this beautiful trout go right below my feet, look at that, well if you thought bass fishing lures were complicated, wait till you go down the rabbit hole of trout flies, now all the flies that I'm using here are called nymphs and these are different from dry flies because they sink and some of the small bugs that they like to eat in this river are called scuds and midges and they're a little larva that live up under the rocks, I'm using a couple of different kinds of scuds and then a quick sinking nymph called a pertigone and I like this one because it gets down there in the water pretty quick and I don't have to add much weight to it and the whole go with these is to get the right drift speed and get it just off the bottom where it's just barely ticking the rocks and goes right in front of the fish's face, for my line I'm using a 9 foot 5 weight tippet and I'll occasionally add some four and a half pound fluorocarbon to that, there's a lot of different styles and brands of indicators out there but these are just a couple that I like to use that I found don't slip off your line, hey and a new river it is frosty this morning guys it's in the 20s and last night you know I had some success in the afternoon with the fly it was I felt really good and then it just kind of got flat where there was no current and then I heard the siren go off and the siren means they're about to open the gates again and it was just wild to see how fast this river fills up and just changes the fishery just changes it changes by the hour and that's what makes this a challenge fly fishing trout fishing it's different and it's challenging for me and I like that I like to try to figure that out but the whole river changing with the different currents by the hour basically is that makes it an extra challenge as well so every trout that that we're catching is rewarding ah here we go walking through the woods under the water there's something just beautiful about that trout fishing walking through the woods get to the water little birds chirping flying in vibes are good love it I try moving upstream in this little shallow area I like this overcast I think it's good for a big one be just hanging in the shallows was a bite that's a rock there we go oh yeah good one right there in that current man there you go baby nice it's a good trout good trout right here guys sweet just kind of mending my line get the right the right drift speed that just digging just digging fight these things too long they come off hope there's another one just fed in front of me got a group coming in all right we'll go ahead and get to our tippet and net this guy nice trout very nice trout there we go oh yeah that is awesome that right there just shivers my timbers got on that big paragon big boy right there kind of a pink head just wanted something that would sink pretty fast right yeah first fish of the day LSD just in time just in time to join me hey they were pretty close a couple feet of water dad had to go shopping this morning with the lady gotta do what you gotta do what you gotta do I got lucky stuff's taking the kids so the wives are off shopping right now me and dad we got an opportunity so we're gonna take it that was a nice one that was probably a 16 incher I'm looking for that 20 incher hooked up shallow water guys shallow I'm talking maybe a foot deep yeah not a giant but I'll take it first fish in a new spot had to totally change my tactics there show you guys what we're working with rivers always changing look at that little fly little nymph decent drop put it back there he goes look at my net how deep it is so I just had to switch switch up into a tiny fly I noticed some fish up here in the shallow swimming off so I came up here a little bit and that is about an 18 inch leader so cut it down to about half another one just moved out right there right there guys so shallow almost feel like I have to whisper got him don't disturb your friends oh we got a brown shallow water see buddy I mean they just blend right in crazy hooked up it's twice it's happened where I've thrown out there I've missed it throw back gonna catch a better fish right here oh yeah baby stream is calm looking beautiful oh there he goes right at the end just popped out quick release ripping them about the same size gosh this is just so much fun on a fly Rodio beautiful trout look just popped out just popped out look at that gorgeous rainbow man there you go you're back in the water buddy okay I think that is for for the day so we're already better than yesterday I'm just looking for a hog jammer it's so hard to get a bite I'm getting bites so I don't want to switch but I don't know if I need to do something else for a big one this fish may be able to see this indicator there's one slamming the little guys here let's say we're good bites we might as well just keep dangling that's pretty small though you would make good table fare gorgeous dark trout extremely well got bit my hook out just that little fish bit my hook out crushing five trout on the river I think this calls for a little something special you guys haven't heard old elk now yeah oh hang on dad's hooked up perfect moment did you have him you had a big one you lost him well dad I was gonna I was I was getting this out because you're you're about to catch your first fish the old elk infinity blend just a little warm up my fingers are frozen and I was gonna celebrate because I've caught five so far and I thought we could you know get a little double but you know the rules can't can't have a sip till you get one till you touch one so I think I need one not until you get one I'll give you another fly don't worry we'll get a little sampling here the sacrament see what we got a little river sip here like a fly please oh god it's good that's actually fantastic yeah well maybe I'll catch a fish yeah when you get one you can have a sip of this right here you got to be a full grown adult land of fish that's the rules oh man too big ones in the shallows there's some there's some hoggamers look around here some of them are just around our feet which is crazy all right we're about to see how smart these trout are switching up to a mega worm bright orange cheeto basically see how sophisticated it really are under your feet wow dad says he's got trout under his feet right now haven't even really looked on the mega worm I want a big worm on them supposed to be a big one though supposed to be a big gnarly one look at that big orange thing in its face goes the mega see my dude thank you I threw in that spot probably 70 times with the other fly that just needed a little something different just had another bite oh my gosh he took my he took my worm he broke me off you guys just saw him jump the only orange mega worm that I had just got broke off yeah I just broke off I don't know how big it was but as soon as I got a bit just broke my line you know four pound test should have retired that was my only orange mega worm my buddy Lance gave it to me had a tungsten head orange head or it's a piece of yarn it's a piece of yarn it's what it is and you would think throwing all this tiny stuff that that would not be the deal but I think it's just something different anyway throwing that spot a hundred times I've caught so many shroud on these right here just fishing back home around some of the rivers around me but the problem is they just bite the end of that thing you know there's a lot of body and not much hook with those other tiny ones as soon as they eat it you got them hooked up on a mega mega worm not a mega fish there was a guy that just rode a boat through here and kicked up a bunch of scuds and I think that helped pretty decent one right here do not like my hook see the worm so it's not much of it in its mouth come on baby I'm hooked up there you big cold fish that and healthy that one is wow definitely one of the better ones of the day let's get a little better look at you there you are nice male right there let him go see you my guy left us a little treat right there a little good luck treat as big see you my guy let him swim downstream to me we'll take care of it work so hard all day long all day long two bites and both of them mr. I don't know if you guys can see this but there are just fish swimming all around my feet like I can literally just stick this net down here and catch like this 18 inches it's crazy but to get one on a rod reel is tough they're so educated and with one more in the net and one more that got away that is how we end our fishing adventure in the Ozarks as I watched the Tani Como rise and fall for one more day I just took a break from the dangle and I sit my coffee and watch the other anglers enjoy the river I'm blessed to have a family that loves the outdoors like I do I'm lucky to still be fishing with a guy that got me into fishing in the first place and I couldn't help but look on at my son and think about all three of us fishing on that river one day and no I didn't catch that monster brown or rainbow but that's what keeps you coming back and I learned something every time I'm going out fishing and hopefully you did too I hope you guys like this video let me know in the comments down below and I'll see you back in the great outdoors for another adventure