Stocker Trout Fishing News

Lost our Betts Bream Getter to a snag. Luckily had a Wapsi Foam Spider Fly Tying Kit. Able to tie another one in short order. Did well but lost it to another snag… bummer. No worries though… able tie another one and fished local ponds for a couple of weeks. Then, lost it today to a break off! Good thing we have the fly tying kit handy… another Foam Spider in the fly box ready to go!

Lots of fun catching bass and bluegill using the Wapsi Foam Spider aka Betts Bream Getter. Lost count of the fish caught and released. Was steady action with the fish striking the fishing fly on a stop and go retrieve, later a long pull and pause, and then later a fast retrieve. Largest Bass went ~14″ but did lose a bigger one that threw the hook, and another that broke the line. Bummer… gotta tie more Wapsi Foam Spider. Good thing the kits makes more than one fishing fly!

Lotta fun fishing the 4wt on the commute of the day job! Back to Richardson at Crowley Park for pond fishing. This round it’s a Bass and two Bluegill using the Wapsi Foam Spider that is similar to the Betts Bream Getter!

Juglining today at Lake Lavon. Learned Bratonia Park is open. Low water but able launch the jon boat. Put out jug lines. Only one Catfish. Released it, made it back home no problem… chilled with some ukulele time… The Weight.

On the commute, did a little pond hopping the past few days. Was a tough go but did manage to catch a fish or two! First pond was Crowley Park Pond in Richardson. Fished the Redington Pursuit 4wt 8ft Fly Rod and the Ross Flystart2 Reel. Lost the Betts Bream Getter but did make one using Waspi’s Foam Spider Tying Kit! Landed a Bluegill and caught but lost a Bass while bringing it to shore. 4lbs tippet broke but luckily did not lose the fishing fly! Second pond was Plano Downtown Center Pond… not sure about the formal name for it, but this one works for ease of reference. Started fishing the Waspi Betts Bream Getter but without luck. Then, noticed a ball of little fish, actually several of them, moving about in the pond. Thought they were minnows. Turned out to be fingerling catfish. Switched to a PMC Emerger…. smallest fishing fly in the fly box. Had a few follow it but none struck. Next, went with a Corq strike indicator and a Near Deere. Able to catch a Bullhead on the fly! Next ...

Had a great time kayak fishing Saturday. Brought the Lowrance Hook 3x DSI depth finder to locate bait fish, structure, and changes in depth! Was the key to hooking up with White Bass, Yellow Bass, Crappie, and Catfish. Back Paddling to bounce the slab and jig rig worked as well as casting to passing schools. Sure hope to do more in the upcoming weeks

TBT time Friday evening fishing an old favorite of ours… the Betts Bream Getter. It’s the fishing fly we derived the Foam Spider pattern we tie. This one we picked up at Cabelas but unfourtunately lost it to a snag. Will have to either buy another or tie one using the kit we bought last year from Waspi! No worries though had a great time fishing it for Bass and Bluegill. Key tips this round when fishing the Betts Bream Getter: First, stand-off from the bank about 5 to 10 yards and work the area near the bank. Anticipate a strike. If none, then proceed closer and work the pond casting out as well as along the bank. Second, wait to start the retrieve 5 to 10 counts, letting the fishing fly sit motionless. Oftentimes, a strike will happen. Next, start the retrieve with short pulls on the fly line to create a stop and go motion. Do pause between pulls, and do watch for a fish trailing behind it. If a fish is trailing but does not want to commit to striking, even when the fishing fly i...

Fished Stoney Hollow Pond and managed two fish only. Was a tough go. Next day fished two ponds – Sonic Pond and Bethany Creek Pond. Struck out at Sonic Pond. Did catch several fish at Bethany Creek Pond!

Made it to Kroger Park on the commute home. Always good to have a fishing rod handy in the little pickup for times when traffic is slow and yours truly prefers to fish rather than drive in stop and go traffic. This round used the Foam Grasshopper with the TFO 6wt Flyrod coupled with the Echo Ion 6/7wt flyreel. Reel has the OPST Commando Head and the coated monofilament running line. Made for ease of casting and distance when needed. Pond was clobbered with lots of green stuff but did catch a few bluegill and bass. Fun stuff!

Lucked out catching a few fish with the PMC Emerger! While out on the local pond, decided to demo the Redington Pursuit 4wt – an 8 foot rod we picked up several years ago. Noticed on the Texas Fishing Forum a question about casting 50 feet or so with a 5wt 8 foot fly rod. Did not have an 8 foot in a 5 weight. But, did have this one in a 4 weight. Able to get 50 feet plus with a double haul cast,… even caught a fish while doing the demo! Fun stuff!

Fun time fishing the 4wt Redington Pursuit Fly Rod. Not used it for some time. Dusted it off along with the Ross Flystart 2 Reel that we picked up from Amazon several years ago. Reel came with backing and a Weight Forward 4wt line.

Normally we troll Slab and Jig Rigs when kayak fishing. Works well for fish holding in the upper water column. But, when fish are holding deep, near bottom… what to do, what to do. We try the Back Paddling Technique! This round in keeping with our motto, “Learn to Fish by our Trial and Errors”…. Watch how we use a technique that we discovered by accident. And, do stay till end for the Bonus! Back Paddling allows the bounce and twitch of the slab and jig rig we are using It’s fished near bottom where the fish are holding… will cast and try jigging once it hits bottom. Then… back paddle, keeping sight of the rod. When done right… rod twitches. When snagged or bit… rod bends hard. If snagged, paddle toward it and will come loose. If bit, reel the fish in! Do see the full length video of Sunday’s Trip! Lot’s of “learn to fish by our trials and errors” action to watch. Plus, watch how we change our fishing tactics as conditions change!

In this video, we randomly select the Fishing Fly Give Away Winner… winner gets two Guadalupana Fishing Flies tied on Size 8 Streamer Hooks. Also, went fishing yesterday on the local lake – Lake Lavon. Took the kayak out and caught and released a number of undersized White Bass. Did get four keepers – three White Bass and one Crappie. Do check back… will get a video out that shows the Back Paddling Technique we used to catch them this round! Fishing Fly Give Away – Guadalupana… plus Kayak Fishing Preview