Stocker Trout Fishing News

Fished Bethany Lakes Saturday morning. Able to get a round in before it rained. Planned to fish with the Tube Popper Fly; gave it about an hour with only three missed strikes to show for it. Then, put the Guadalupana on and caught fish – Bluegill, Sunfish, and Bass. Fished the Back Pond and left them biting. Went to the Lower Pond by the Waterfall and caught a Sunfish, then on to the Canal and fished Bluegill and Sunfish using a short cast – 10′ of line. Fish went for the Guadalupana consistently. But, Murphy’s Law struck; lost the fishing fly to a snag. Tied on the Marilyn Monroe Tenkara Fly; missed a few and hooked a few before losing it. Good thing… one more cast lasted another 30 casts and probably would have kept going if it weren’t for losing the fly. Bummer but did miss the rain storm! PS: Do check back on Monday for the Randomly Selected Winner of our Guadalupana Fishing Fly Give Away!

For this round, we are switching it up and giving away two Guadalupana Fishing Flies – a variant of the original pattern. This one is tied smaller than the original and use two peacock herls instead of three. It has been effective on stocked trout when we fished local ponds during the TPWD Trout Stocking Season as well as the year round fishery on the Guadalupe River where the pattern originated. Do join us in this Fishing Fly Give Away! Simple Rules: Post a comment to this video US Mailing Address Valid Email to verify the winner Start: August 26, 2019 @8PM Central End: September 2, 2019 @8PM Central Winner to be announced September 2, randomly selected by the TubeBuddy random selection tool! Good Luck and Good Fishing!

Tied Guadalupana Fishing Flies for the upcoming Fishing Fly Give Away. Giving two away and tied an extra one to “test” at the local pond. Caught one Sunfish, then lost it… user error, should have made sure the knot was secure. Fished a Foam Damsel Fly and caught more little Bluegill, then broke off on a fish… line was frayed. While looking for another fishing fly in the fly box, found another Guadalupana. Tied it on in short order and caught more Bluegill and a little Bass.

Here is an interesting infographic that may add more debate to the effectiveness of circle hooks versus j-hooks. As quoted by Lenny Rudow, “Using Circle Hooks versus J-Hooks isn’t an either-or proposition—both types belong in your tacklebox. Choose which to use wisely, and you’ll end up with more fish in the cooler.“ Retrieved from https://www.boats.com/on-the-water/fishing-friday-circle-hook-vs-j-hook/

Had some time to burn, so off for a quick get away “mini-vacation” to Broken Bow, Oklahoma for some wine tasting, fishing… and overall chillin and grillin! Stayed at a really nice cabin in the Hochatown area, able to try a few wines and pick up a bottle or two at three wineries, grilled some tasty sausage and steaks, and even wet a line and caught a Bluegill. No trout this round but no worries… learned a few things this round. Of note, the Cold Hole Bridge is repaired and there is a parking lot now! Key items this trip…

Impromptu live session to answer a Viewer’s question on a starter kit for fly tying. Unedited video with key items noted below. Also, includes details of recent trip fishing Denison Dam for Stripers! Key Items: Starter kits in the $30.00 range are available 1a. Cabelas and Bass Pro 1b. Can go more expensive but may also gather dust if become frustrated 1c. If you move on to more expensive, than can use it still – travel vice, tube fly vice conversion Amazon Starter Kit: https://amzn.to/2TiAGqa Best to learn to tie one fishing fly that you use often 2a. Save money and will fish aggressively, less worry about losing it 2b. Get proficient at tying it sooner than later Simple but effective patterns… 3a. Olive Wooley Buggers 3b. Near Deere 3c. Clousers Must haves… 4a. Bobbin 4b. Hackle Pliers 4c. Sharp scissors Really nice to have… 5a. Bobbin Threader 5b. Whip Finish Tool

Fished Denison Dam early AM Sunday. Was non-Stop action. Lost count of how many were caught and released. Estimated over fifty striped bass after we quit counting! All were caught and released between 6AM to 10AM till alarm sounded warning us power plant would be generating soon. Do join us this round for Denison Dam Fishing – Five Tips for Fly Fishing and learn to fish by our trials and errors! Tip #1. Before you go… determine the Water Flow Pattern Tip #2. Get a OK License and wade the river Tip #3. Wading boots and wading stick! Tip #4. Adjust retrieve… Movement, lots of movement this time! Tip #5. Match the hatch! Size Mattered! Bring 2″-3″ as well as larger 4″+ fishing flies!