Stocker Trout Fishing News

Another round of pond fishing at the local pond. Had a Bass take a Foam Grasshopper, then spent most of the time working Bluegill on their nest. Had a few missed strikes while trying a number of fishing flies. Did have several little Bass show interest as well as little Sunfish readily taking a Foam Grasshopper by the Waterfall. That said, cannot catch them all… that’s fishing!

Fished Bethany Lakes Friday morning with the MaxCatch Discount Switch Rod and the Foam Grasshopper. Caught a Bass and lost a Bass. Returned in the evening and caught Bluegill and a Bass using a Damsel Fly as well as a Foam Grasshopper! Opted for the Tenkara Rod for the evening fishing round. Fun Stuff!

Another stop on the commute this morning. Back to Duck Creek with the Foam Grasshopper Beavertail variant. Saw several Bass but no takers. Luckily, the Sunfish were active! One was a nice sized one that put a bend in the Discount Switch Rod!

Stopped at Crowley Park in Richardson on the commute. Fished the 2wt Discount Switch Rod and a Foam Grasshopper to catch a Bass or two! Lotta fun… Bass tended to strike when the hopper was sitting still. Slow stop and go was the key! Fum stuff!

Another iFishNews Fishing Podcast is posted. This round brings more questions and answers in a follow-up Q&A session with YouTube Viewer and Facebook Follower! Lots of info that may be of interest to those thinking about juglining and striped bass fishing! Do check it out… video audio versions are posted!

Tough round this go… a little Bass and a Bluegill after spending most of the time trying to get Bass protecting their bed to strike. Had one strike but missed it; else, the Bass were definitely wary! Overall, have been pleasantly surprised at the convenience of Tenkara and its simplicity. Definitely makes it easier for quick trips to fish local ponds while out and about and/or on a whim!

Lotta fun catching these Sunfish on the MaxCatch Fly Rod and Orvis Hydros Reel. 2wt makes for a fun fight of these feisty fish! Tried the size 8 Foam Grasshopper and caught several. Upsized to the size 4 and had some strike but only managed one on the larger pattern. Great way to start a TGIF and roll into the Memorial Day Weekend!

Another quick trip to Duck Creek before starting the day job. Sunfish were biting on a size 8 foam grasshopper. Caught several in short order, then the bite stopped unexpectedly. No worries… good reason to stop and head to work!

Quick trip or more like a quick stop on the day job commute… able to wet a line at Duck Creek Park to do a little fly fishing with the Maxcatch Discount Switch Rod. Started with a Rubber Legged Near Deere but no takers. Switched to size 4 Foam Grasshopper and caught a Bass, then was a little slow while I worked others spots. Ended with some nice sized Sunfish. Water was clear, polarized glasses made a difference… could see the fish reacting to the fly and their strikes! Fun stuff!

Answering the mail this round from a YouTube Viewer.  Questions on the jug lines we use and other details that may be of interest to listeners interested in Jugline Fishing for Catfish.  PS… do check back on YouTube, hope to have the video version posted in the next few days! See the podcast at iFishNews Fishing Podcast.

Finally got a much needed haircut after two months! Feel much better now, what to do to celebrate… GO FISHING. Since the Tenkara Iwana Rod from Tenkara USA is at the ready in the little pickup truck, hit the closest pond from the barber… Kroger Park. Water was clear and the Bass and Bluegill were there. Caught a few, missed a few, had a great time! Fished a “beat up Foam Grasshopper” where the tail was missing, the Beavertail Variant, and then another variant that uses a different foam cutter… cannot recall the name – stonefly, damsel fly… regardless, fish were biting!

Wind was minimal on Mother’s Day, finally able to try out the OPST Commando Head sitting in a kayak placed in a grassy area. Wanted to play around with the one-handed spey fly line and compare it with the weight forward fly line… fun time, do like the OPST Commando Head because it makes a for ease of casting when the back cast is limited. Main item is to use a coated running line instead of mono running line, tangle less and unravels while still able to shoot line when needed. All for now, and Good Luck and Good Fishing!

Had a fun time fishing with jug lines this past Saturday. Posted the video on our YouTube Channel – COAF Field Team. Here is an accompanying iFishNews Fishing Podcast to point out a few lessons learned this round! Key Take Aways: Have a backup plan for bait. Cooler temps and windy conditions, changed the pattern. No Shad at first. Luckily, able to pickup Nightcrawlers at a bait shop / convenience store. Adjust for wind, if too windy… move to calmer waters. In our case, across the cove to a leeward shoreline. Don’t wind the jugline’s line. The up and down motion resuls in a slack in the line, giving the chance for the Catfish to twist off the hook Instead, retrieve the line, keeping a steady strain on the line to keep the fish from throwing the hook. Circle Hooks tended to work better when the Catfish were slowly taking the bait and setting the hooks themselves. J-Hooks tended to work better when the Catfish struck hard on the first bite and then started to run. Best to...

Was a tough start Saturday… windy and a little chilly, plus no shad at the boat ramp at Highland Park. Made the quick adjustment, and decided to head to calmer waters… Bratonia Park, and to the Branch Convenience Store for bait. No shad but they did have Nightcrawlers. Enough for us to get started setting out juglines. Luckily, did catch a few shad in the shallows as well. In short order, had our lines deployed. But, took almost two hours before the first bite… a Blue Catfish that went for Shad. After the first one was caught, bite stayed steady with several undersized caught and released; and then, we caught six Catfish – five Blue Catfish and one Channel Catfish, for the stringer for Dinner… Blackened Catfish and Shrimp Etouffee!

Able to fish the point at Brockdale Park on Lake Lavon Sunday. Was a tough go with lots of wind to deal with. No worries… White Bass and Yellow Bass were on the point. Planned to sight cast to boiling fish with the fly rod but it turned out the fish were staying down below. Good thing we had the EmmRod and Slab and Jigs Rigs as a backup… ended with four keepers! Fun stuff… Shout out to the Gentleman who hooked us up with two Crappie! Made tasty dinner… pan fried fillets in garlic, butter, and olive oil!

Made the run to the local lake for some fun fly fishing fun for White Bass. Took the kayak and made it to a fishing area that had lots of opportunity to catch a fish or two. From past trips, made a few adjustments to make this trip go much smoother when fishing from a kayak in a seated position. Here are five tips for fly fishing in a kayak: OPST Commando Head and Coated Running Line made for ease of casting from the sitting position. Much easier compared to the traditional weight forward setup we were using. Minimize Clutter in the Kayak Cockpit. Lots of chances to foul your line; keep things stored in your lifejacket or tucked under it like your nippers and forceps will reduce line fouling while still at the ready when needed. Line Management. May need to take up line and fight the fish on the reel, else allow the line to float on one side of the kayak. Do risk the chance of the fish running into the line. Be prepared to fight on the reel. Railblaza Rod Holder or other rod holder tha...