Stocker Trout Fishing News

Latest copy of iFishNews ( June 22, 2016 ) is posted. Do check it out when you get a chance!

Posted a new article online – “Simple Tenkara Fly” , that demos how we tie the Tenkara Fly. It’s the pattern we have been using lately. Have tied it in Olive/White and Orange/White variations and have had god success! Really like the pulsing action imparted by the reverse hackle; keeps things looking lively!

To all the Dads out there, the Team wishes you a Happy Father’s Day. Here is an online article we posted back in 2014 for Father’s Day . We believe it still applies in 2016.

Was able to get a round of fishing in today. No Bruisers but had lots of fun catching them using the two weight fiberglass rod. Fish went for tenkara flies initially, but shifted to striking “flying insects” landing on the water. So, put on the foam grasshopper and started catching them with it!

This past Saturday we were able to test our Kayak Fishing Stringer Prototype that used paracord, weed eater trimmer line, a bobber, and a nail. It worked well but User error like making sure the stringer is secured to the bracket or keeping hold of the stringer… see video clip below of User errors made. Luckily, one of our Readers sent a picture and details on a stringer he uses. It’s a simple concept, uses minimal material, and does not require detaching the stringer from the kayak to add a fish to it! We included a picture in this post; will post a video on our YouTube Channel as well as a field test next time we go out kayak fishing! Please stay tuned!    

Fished Bethany Creek Park pond yesterday and caught a number of Bluegill using a Foam Grasshopper, and then later using an Orange/White Tenkara Fly. Went with the Four Weight and had a blast catching them. Today, went kayak fishing at Brockdale Park (Lake Lavon). Windy with waves to deal with but the action was fast paced initially when the White Bass were feeding on shad in the shallows. Lost count of how many were caught but did get five Keepers. Would have been six but lost one while putting it on the stringer. Got lots of video to edit but below is a short clip that gives an idea about today’s action! Fun stuff!

Was not certain about the weather as rain and scattered thunderstorms were noted in the forecast. Decided to stay on shore instead of kayak fishing and continue fishing with the same setup used yesterday – 2-Weight Fly Rod and an Orange/White Tenkara Fly. On a whim fished the pond by Davis Library in Plano Saturday morning. Was hoping to get some action shots fishing the clear water found in the feeder creek. Had to make adjustments and fish the main pond soon after arriving. Turned out the feeder creek was overgrown with brush. After blind casting while walking the pond’s bank, found schools of bluegill and what looked like shellcracker (or a hybrid mix of bluegill and shellcracker). Fished the area for about an hour and caught and released a number of them. After deciding on “one more cast” to call it a trip, caught some nice size bluegill by the bridge on the main pond side. Caught several more, then fished the other side of the bridge where the feeder creek e...

Finished the tail mount from last year’s Striped Bass caught at Denison Dam. Great fight on a 5-Wt! Tail ,mount to capture the moment, adding to the video of the action we posted back on November last year – November 1, 2015 !

From Steve in Australia who is enjoying the good life fishing at a nearby creek – near as in his backyard, pictures of the first trout caught since moving to the new homestead, the creek at the end of the garden, and some cool looking plant life! Thanks for the pictures. We look forward to more updates from Oz! Living the Good Life!

Liked the Olive/White Tenkara Fly; decided to try Red for the body and White for the Wing… end result is another simple but effective fishing fly pattern. Tested the pattern at Bethany Lakes this evening. Really windy day but did get enough casts to catch 12 fish this round  – two Bass and ten Bluegill! May need to tie more of these guys!  

Made it out to Bethany Lakes today for more testing of the Olive/White Tenkara Fly. So far, liking the results – 20 fish this round! 1 Bass, 1 Rainbow Trout, and 18 Bluegill! Go figure a Rainbow Trout in May! Today’s Catch! Rainbow Trout in May!  

Fished Russell Creek and tested the Tenkara Fly. Caught one with it, then caught the remainder on a Foam Grasshopper. Green stuff clobbering the area made it tough to use the Tenkara Fly. Fun stuff catching Bluegill on their beds!

Tried a new pond this round. Had passed by this little pond in the past but never stopped to fish it. On a whim decided to give it a try. Tough casting with a fly rod due to the trees and bank access is limited. Regardless, managed to find a couple of open areas that we could cast between the trees and overhanging branches. Caught little Bass and Bluegill using the scaled down Foam Grasshopper. No Bruiser but still lots of fun!

Had fun catching fish at Kroger Park using the two weight fiberglass rod – same one we used yesterday. Caught several like the one pictured below. Of the Bluegill, posted this one on the Fishing Bulletin Board ! Fun stuff!

Day started out cool but things warmed up including the fishing. Caught about 20+ fish. Largest fish was a Bass that went about 14″. Used a variant of the Foam Grasshopper and a Saddle Hackle Streamer. Caught all but one fish on the Foam Grasshopper! Lotta fun on a 2WT Fiberglass Rod! Pics of some of the fish caught today; ran out of battery, was not able to get pictures of all the fish.  

Another round at the local pond, caught more Bluegill and Sunfish. Not as big as yesterday but did get a nice Bruiser Bass that went 19″ in size. Posted pictures on the Fishing Bulletin Board and got some action shots posted in the YouTube video posted below. Bluegill went for a Grasshopper, Bass went for the Bluegill like yesterday but this time, we were able to bring the Bass in! Fun stuff on a 4 weight!      

Fished a local pond that we had not fished in a ling time. Good to see the Bass and Bluegill are still there! Caught some nice Bruiser Bluegill and lost a couple of nice Bass. One went for the Grasshopper we used, another took the Bluegill on the line and stayed until it decided to let the Bluegill go. Did have a couple of others go for Bluegill on the line but they chased the fish instead of eating it. Did get some video of one of the Bass “looking” at a Bluegill on the line. Did not have a polarized filter but in the video you can get a glimpse of the Bass… nice one; moreover, it was one of the smaller ones! PS: Posted the picture on the Fishing Bulletin Board.

Rain today, no fishing…. decided to take a broken rod – the old 8-Weight that broke when closing the car door, and convert it to a two-piece Micro Fly Rod. In short order, it worked. Now, just gotta go “test” it out somewhere. Broken 8wt, converted it to a 2pc #microflyrod . Top is telescoping, mid is wine cork handle 1pc, bottom is the 2pc! pic.twitter.com/ljRtqaFwcj — StockerTroutFishing (@iFishRadio) April 13, 2016

Latest issue of iFishNews is available. Do check it out – April 13, 2016 ! Current trends in our area, don’t forget about Crappie, do prepare for kayak fishing soon, and check out how we tied the Damsel Fly Variant we call the “Look Ma No Hands”! April 13, 2016

Been having fun catching fish these past few outings. One pattern in particular seems to be doing well on top water action for Bluegill and Bass. We started using the Simple Foam Damsel Fly pattern we have used for many years. It has done well for us, but always on the lookout for other patterns to “test”, we began a search for other damsel fly patterns. We settled on one that called for mono eyes, a tail made of flexible material, hackle, and closed instead of open wings. Not sure what material was used for the tail, we settled on Sparkle Braid and apply Hard As Nails fingernail polish to shape it We liked the hackle concept and the little bit of foam used for the body but had a hard time with the closed wing made out of a clear material. So, dropping the wing, we created our variant of a Damsel Fly… this one for want of a better name is called “Look Ma No Wings”. Do give it a try when you get a chance – “Fly Tying – Damsel Fly Variant...