Stocker Trout Fishing News

Latest iFishNews is posted. Do check it out, lots of fishing thing… in this case, kayak fishing!

Fished the pond by Allen Cinemark Theater… officially called Cottonwood Creek Trail Pond, but Allen Theater Pond sounds better! Fished Tuesday using a 7-1/2′ 4wt fly rod and 4wt fly line and a Foam Grasshopper and caught Bass and Bluegill. Traditional fly line required false casting to get the fishing fly past the vegetation that clobbered the shallows along the bank. Action was steady but had to leave them biting and call the trip short. Interested in how the Rio Trout Max shooting head and one-handed spey casting would do, came back Saturday and enjoyed more fishing on the fly for Bluegill and Sunfish. No Bass but still lots of fun, especially spending less time casting/false casting and more time fishing and catching!

Struck out the other day fishing the pond behind In-N-Out Burger. Decided to give it another try Monday. Things started slow but did pick up with Bluegill. No Bass but the Near Deere fished 2.5 feet under a strike indicator were the key! Did have make a few mistakes as well left them biting because we had to get back home to feed the dog. Fun stuff!  

[UPDATE: Added the video of the evening round below and a link to google maps. Pond is in Fairview on Fairview Parkway.] Started Sunday morning with a swing and miss at the “Pond Behind In-N-Out Burger”. Tried the usual spots without a strike, but did see a nice Bass along the bank… that is, did spook a nice Bass! Windy and cold but not ready to call it a morning, decided to move to another spot just down the road… it’s the pond along Angel Parkway. Forgot its name; calling Angel Parkway Pond for ease of reference. Windy and cold still, did not plan to fish for long. But, then got a bite on the PMOT… turned out to be a nice Bluegill! Stuck it out for longer, even after losing the PMOT… snapped it off while casting. Switched to a Muddler Minnow, hoping for a repeat like yesterday where a Bass took it as it was “sputtering” just under the water’s surface. No luck! Was about ready to head home, but decided on “one more cast...

Here is another quick tie fly tying demo but with a twist. This is a pattern that uses foil wrappers used for Bevita Cookies, Frito Lays Chips, etc. It’s a simple tie and is rigged sabiki style. We have used it using surf casting gear on our local lake for White Bass.We have also used it trolling with our fly rods while kayak fishing. For more details on the sabiki rig, check out “ Making a Sabiki Rig for White Bass “. Also, for a more detailed (and slowed down fly tying demo), go to “ Sabiki Fly Tying Demo “. It’s longer but also demos how to make the Sabiki Rig.

Rain in the forecast today. Decided to fish Bethany Creek Pond before the rain clouds moved in. Pond was clear; could see the bottom as well as see a few Bass moving about. Polarized glasses were key at times, save for the Feeder Creek and Canal area where you could clearly see the Bass. Able to catch two Bass, no Bruisers but still fun… plus, did get some video of a couple of nice Bass in the Canal area.

It’s another TGIF that could not have come sooner. Really needing the weekend break from the work week to recharge the batteries. Had planned on more fly fishing the local ponds this weekend, but Saturday may be wet. So, will come up with something indoors to do that is still related to fishing! Till then, here is your’s truly with a Quick Update from the Team! PS: Here are the links to the articles mentioned in the update… The PMOT and COAF Damsel Fly ! https://www.facebook.com/FieldTeamFishingLog/videos/1851074104911586/

Quick update this evening… past weekend was busy but no fishing. Did have fun wine tasting and picking out a bottle of sweet red wine for later enjoyment. Also, posted the article – Fly Tying – The PMOT , pattern we have been using to replace the Damsel Fly. Seems to illicit more strikes when the fishing fly is sinking slowly or resting on the bottom compared to the Damsel Fly. Finally, had a bite at Rudy’s Barbecue and Country Store in Allen… next to Cabelas. Tasty meal! For the remainder of the week, work will sidetrack things but at least the lawn is trimmed, edged, and mowed… so, if an opening during the week to fish a pond or two shows, will go fishing!    

Getting questions for more details on tying the Purple Marabou and Orange Thing or “PMOT” for short… decided to publish an article. Do check it out… “Fly Tying – The PMOT”.

Here is a quick tie fly tying demo of a fly we have not named… for now, it’s the Purple Marabou and Orange Thing. Simple pattern, simple tie to the music of the Dead South! Uses a size 2 streamer, orange dacron tying thread, beadchain eyes, and two purple marabou plumes. Nothing special… just tied it to ride with the plumes floating upward with the hook’s bend and the beadchain eye rest on the bottom! Works on at least one bass that went for it after we tied it!  

Video that shows the fly rod/reels we used, and what led us to using a Switch Rod and a Trout Rod for most of our fly fishing trips now. We learned about spey lines and Switch Rods after injuring a shoulder. Normal overhead and side casts was painful. We were doomed to waiting for the shoulder to heal. Then, we tried a Switch Rod and discovered several casting techniques that allowed the rod hand to stay below the shoulder and felt no pain when casting. Later, we saw a video of a fly fisherman using the OPST Commando Head with only 1/2 of a 9′ 5wt Fly Rod. In the video, he was getting incredible casts with only a “four and a half” foot rod! With that we decided to try the OPST Commando Head on our favorite fly rod… a 9′ 5wt Redington Classic Trout fly rod. This combination provided the same benefits as the Switch Rod but in a more compact package! Subsequently, we primarily use the 6wt Switch Rod and the 5wt Fly Rod for our fly fishing trips. Do check out t...

Tough time getting out this week but did make a quick trip today to Celebration Park and had fun catching Bluegill and Sunfish using the Telescoping Micro Fly Rod. It’s the one we keep in our backpack that we take to work. We replaced the rod guides with larger size ones; the fly line shoots through them with less friction compared to the original rod guides. Tried various fishing flies before settling on a GRHEN fished with a slow retrieve. Overall, fun time getting out before the next cold front arrives!  

Still working on a one-handed spey casting video… but did come across this one! Liking this video from Ed Ward at OPST! Going to use it next chance, should make a difference in keeping the mono running line tangle free when casting the OPST Commando Head!