Stocker Trout Fishing News

Warm temps had us setting out the kayaks for a go at the Striped Bass at Lake Texoma. Our Texoma Licences were good till 12/31/21 and the Annual COE Permit was good to go till August 2022. Foggy trip up the road from Allen but things cleared and we put in at East Burns Run with the plan to dead drift flukes and shad for the Striped Bass. Water was chilly, wind was not too bad at all, and waves were not an issue. The only issue we had were no Stripers. Not wanting to closeout 2021 on a strikeout headed to Denison Dam to fish the tailrace. Fishing Buddy hooked up with one Striped Bass and yours truly although did not catch a fish, did get some video footage of what was lurking below. What a difference a day makes,… or in this case months. Earlier in the year, we fished Denison Dam and put in the GoFish Cam. There were fish everywhere… this round, saw two fish only – looked like Carp or Buffalo. Here’s to 2022 and more fishing fun and more “Learn to Fish by our Trials and Errors”! Happy N

Decided to run down the road to the local pond (Bethany Lakes) and see what was biting. Brought the KastKing Zephyr BFS Reel and Ultralight Lures and left the fly rod at home. Plan was to fish Roostertails but switched to a Mepps Inline Spinner since the Trout seemed to be interested in them – specifically, a copper bladed Mepps Inline Spinner. Trout were following the spinner but not striking which was promising given they ignored gold, silver, and black. For fun and games, fished only the copper bladed Mepps Inline Spinner to see how many fish I could catch. Worked the banks of two of the four ponds at Bethany Lakes… “Main Pond” and “Back Pond”. Caught a number of fish – Bass and Bluegill. Check out the video, and do guess how many I caught…? bfsfishing #kastkingzephyr #pondfishing

Planned to fish the Lower Illinois River in Oklahoma by the Power Plant. When we arrived, we noted the river was high and the current was strong. They were generating power, so we went to our backup plan… fishing for trout at a place we never been to before… Marval RV Resort. Since it is further downriver, we hoped the current would be slower and wadeable. It was still flowing fast and wading would be a hazard other than protected areas near the bank. No worries… learned a few things about the area, caught a fish or two as well as one trout by our Fishing Buddy. Check out the video as we fish a new place by trial and error!

Fished Bethany Lakes Friday morning for a chance at the trout. Trout were there actively feeding. Bait seemed to be catching them fished under a float. The winner hands down was a homemade dough bait that one fisherman was using. Yours truly caught three trout fly fishing, caught three Bass as well but his mojo was off losing a lot more trout that stuck the fishing fly. Did notice the trout wanted movement. Did get strikes using a Black Midge, Rainbow Warrior, and a Griffith’s Gnat. As the morning progressed, noticed it was best to recast if no strike after counting to 10 when fishing dry flies. There were a number of Bass near the pier with three caught using a White Producer – fishing fly we bought at Scotty’s One Stop on a trip to the Blue River in Oklahoma. Fun stuff! See our suggested fishing flies at our COAF Field Team Shop .

The Team is on a roll with answering questions about the gear we use. In this round, we listed the kayak fishing gear that we like to use. Included in the list are gloves, rod holders, kayak anchors, and lures. Do check it out – Kayak Fishing Suggestions.

YouTube Shorts video of yours truly cooking the trout we caught this last trip. Decided to season with just Slap Ya Mama Seasoning. Cook ten minutes on high heat each side. When done, use a fork to scrape the meat of the bones. Tasty! Used only one seasoning – Slap Ya Mama Cajun Seasoning available at Walmart Online . Slap Ya Mama’s hot mix of spicy seasonings is sure to set your mouth on fire, delivering an intense blast of delicious cajun.All Natural – This product is natural, MSG-free, and kosher.Versatile and Easy to Use – Can be used as a brush for grilling, smoking or frying. Add cajun flavor to jambalaya, gumbo, etouffee, shrimp, and crab. Even add some spice to your Bloody Mary or beer.Authentic Louisiana Flavor – The blend has that true cajun flavor that everyone loves, which Slap Ya Mama is famous for all over the world.From our family to yours: Slap Ya Mama has been crafting high-quality condiments and recipes from the Ville Platte, Louisiana line of Cajun for decades. Slap

Here are a few things we like to have when fishing the tailrace at our local reservoir – Texoma lake and its tailrace referred to as Denison Dam. See details at COAF Field Team – Denison Dam Tailrace Fishing . As for the casting float we like to use, this is our favorite one. It is made by Flex Coat and when available you can get them at Walmart Online . This float can launch small baits and lures up to 100 yards away. On top of offering extreme distance, the Launcher has a unique flat top design that gives special lure action on the retrieve. Its splashdown and action attracts fish as it resembles the movement of schooling or feeding bait. The Launcher is guaranteed to expand the use of all lightweight baits and lures without needing special skills to do so. Look for it in a variety of sizes to suit all of your fishing needs. Flex Coat

Checked out the local pond yesterday; noticed the trout were active, feeding on something hatching. Turned out Murphy’s Law of Fishing 101 was in effect… specifically, the one lure, bait, or fishing fly they are biting on is the one you do not have!

Decided to fish Pottsboro Lake in Pottsboro Texas this past Saturday. After a little rain in the morning, made it to the pond just as a cold front rolled in. Cold and windy, did manage three trout. Planned to catch trout using ultralight lures and a BFS Rod/Reel, but trout wanted PowerWorms. Good thing I had the Bubble and Fly Rig handy, just swapped the fishing fly for a PowerWorm. Bite was steady, just kept missing the hookset. Did get a few Bluegill and a Bass on the PowerWorms. Plus got some underwater video of what was lurking in the pond! Do check out the video! Spiderwire 10lbs EZ Braid

Product review of the Kastking Zephyr BFS Reel where yours truly details why he likes the reel noting pros, cons, and tips… more like suggestions for those interested in trying BFS fishing but at a entry price point that is much easier on the wallet compared to other reels! Also, here is the Spiderwire EZ Braid we used for the Kastking Zephyr BFS Reel. Used 10lbs test which has an equivalent 2lbs mono diameter. Also, only put about 120-130 feet on the spool – about 30 turns of the handle. Much easier to undo backlashes and not too concerned about the amount of line as I am targeting stocker size trout. Can easily cast to the Arbor knot attaching the line to the spool. EZ Braid Spderwire See more gear on our COAF Field Team Amazon Page: https://www.amazon.com/shop/coaffieldteam

Been keeping an eye out on the Zebco Slingshot Spinning Rod and Reel Combo. It is still available for under $10 at Walmart as of today. We have a fondness for this combo because the older version has a handle that keeps the rod afloat even if it falls overboard. And, in our case, we lost two rods while kayaking a few years back. Those rods cost much more than $10 and since funds can be low at times, we jumped on the Zebco Slingshot while grocery shopping at the local Walmart. We bought two more this year even though the rod no longer floats… the new version has a “skeleton handle” so it is no longer as buoyant compared to the older model. No worries, we still like the rods! And, as noted in the title of this post, it is still under $10! “Cool colors. Hot spinning performance. All at a great price. These custom-matched Combos are great for all ages with long-casting Slingshot spinning reels and durable 2-piece Z-Glass rods.” – Walmart See latest price at Walmart online.

YouTube Shorts Video of underwater action shots of a Trout really liking a Berkley PowerWorm! Ended up catching three trout today but missed a lot more. Fished using the Kastking Zephyr BFS reel and a bubble fly rig but used a PowerWorm instead of a fishing fly. Windy and cold, still had lots of fun!

Question from a Viewer on the Tie-Fast Knot Tyer Tool and how I used it to make a line strike indicator. Made a short video that explains it. May be of interest to others. Click on the picture or go to this link – Tie-Fast Knot Tying Tool. The Tie-Fast Knot Tying Tool is what we use to make a line strike indicator for fly fishing as well as a variation of a loop to loop connection for our fly line to leader when our fly line does not come with a pre-formed loop. Tie-Fast Knot Tying Tool

YouTube Shorts video of a #TBT to Charlie the Maltese Puppy back then on his first kayaking trip, or maybe swimming trip! He did well after the initial dunking. Once dried, he did not want to leave. Oh well, next time Charlie!

Do check out our Amazon Page where we have collated products we have used in our past fishing trips. We started the page for ease of reference when answering Readers questions. It is still a work in progress as there are a number of items that we have been asked about. Do check back and/or follow the page use the [Follow+] button to get notifications as we post them. COAF Field Team Amazon Page

YouTube Shorts video where I practice casting ultralight lures using a Kastking Zephyr BFS reel lined with 10lbs Spiderwire which has an equivalent diameter to 2lbs monofilament. 1/16oz Roostertail gets one trout to strike! Still educating my thumb. As a workaround while I train my thumb, I will line the reel with about 100 plus feet of braided line. This allows me to cast all line on the spool, and if I do get a backlash, I can quickly untangle the line and get back to casting. This round was a little more tricky to get dialed in due to the windy conditions and the thin diameter of the line which tended to hang up on the arbor knot I used to attach the line to the spool. Do check back, plan to try more BFS fishing for trout in the next few weeks. Dual BFS Fly Rod Suggestions

YouTube Shorts video of Charlie the Maltese Doggy out and about fishing with us in the old jon boat at the local lake!

YouTube Shorts video of yours truly trout fishing using a Kastking Zephyr BFS reel and a Fire Tiger Roostertail, and then a Penn Pursuit spinning reel and a Black Roostertail. Steady but fast retrieve was key!

Back to the local pond for more trout fishing. Cold temps with frost had changed the pattern. Eventually found a lure and a retrieve that worked. Limited out casting to passing schools of trout. Do check out the video to see how I found pattern.

Our local pond – Bethany Lakes, gets its trout stocking tomorrow – December 9, 2021. We have always enjoyed fishing for stocker trout; we even created a website – StockerTroutFishing.com ( http://stockertroutfishing.com/ ), to collate notes and tips from past trips into a central repository. The site has been helpful over the years and partners well with our YouTube Channel – COAF Field Team ( https://www.youtube.com/channel/coaffieldteam ). To kick-off the Texas Trout Stocking Season, we posted a video that describes places we like to fish for the 2021-2022 Season. Specifically, three counties near the DFW Metroplex and then the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center. Do check out the video, and do let us know how this Season is going for you… “are you catching a trout or two, or more?” texastroutstocking #texastroutfishing #dfwfishing

Answering the mail concerning one of Oklahoma’s fishing regulations that some may not be aware of… check out the video! Related links: https://www.eregulations.com/oklahoma/fishing/general-fishing-regulations Reference to… “Possess fish in a tailwater without keeping their fish separate, marked with their customer ID number. See Tailwaters section in the “Public Fishing Waters” special regulations.” https://www.eregulations.com/oklahoma/fishing/public-fishing-areas-special-regulations-s-z Reference to… Each angler must keep their fish separate, marked with their name and customer ID number or lifetime license number when fishing in tailwaters, except at Wister,… https://www.eregulations.com/oklahoma/fishing/trout-regulations Reference to…”All trout in possession must be kept on a stringer marked with that angler’s name and customer ID number. All anglers must have their own stringer.”

Day after Thanksgiving decided to fish Denison Dam on the Oklahoma side for a go at the Striped Bass that tend to lurk near the drainage pipe that flows even though they are not generating power or releasing water. Brought medium spinning gear and the pier rods with the Penn Squall 15 reels that worked well on our trip to Galveston earlier in the year. Bite was slow but then picked up later once our fishing partner fund them lurking near the far wall. No Bruisers but still had a great time!