Stocker Trout Fishing News

Setup the surf casting rod and made the run to Brockdale Park (Lavon). Thought the park was closed, planned to walk down from the gate. Arrived and found out it was open. Drove down to the parking area. Lake level is up. Able to get some great surf casting practice in. No fish but did have a few boats come close to the point where we were casting. Was casting well past the wakes they left. Next round… hopefully Denison Dam!

Struck out today but did get a good workout in kayak fishing. Tried Brockdale Park on Lake Lavon without a strike. Should have taken the hint when we did not see any Shad moving about. Used the fish finder to locate submerged structure but did not see any fish hanging out in the spots we found. No worries though, did take the opportunity to answer a Reader’s question on how we load our kayak. Since we have a little pickup truck, loading and unloading the 38lbs kayak can be done one handed by one person! Can’t catch them all, till next round… Good luck and good fishing!  

Question: “Where is the “Point” referenced in our videos for Brockdale Park? Answer: Just to the right of the boat ramp as you face the water. See picture.

Made it to Brockdale (Lake Lavon) Saturday. Put in the kayak and rigged up with a Crappie Jig and Slab Rig. Lots of wind and waves making the water visibility tough for the Water Wolf Camera. Luckily, did get a glimpse of a little gar! Will have to try again once the water clears up!  

Video of the action Thursday (June 9, 2016) at Brockdale Park is posted below. Bite was on with the White Bass going for the Sabiki and Slab Rig. Caught over 30+ but only five were Keepers. Did have a sixth Keeper but lost it while putting it on the stringer. Decided to make a better stringer for future use – see Kayak Fishing Stringer Prototype posted in an earlier video. Was hoping to test it this weekend while kayak fishing but injured wrist. Luckily, NucLaroche was down from Oklahoma, and we were able to take the jon boat out and do some jug lining for Catfish Saturday. The Stringer worked well, just gotta keep a steady hold on it as the Weed Eater Trimmer Line is slippery! Will get a video of Saturday’s action posted later.

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!

Late start of the three day weekend. Had to tie up some loose ends before starting the Labor Day Weekend. Did make it to Brockdale this round. Used a Switch Rod and a Crappie Jig and caught nothing after an hour. Then as is got dark,had a little White Bass strike. Fun stuff…! Only one just as it got dark!

White Bass were scarce this evening at Brockdale. Saw a few schools rising but no hook ups. Did see a few fish caught by others but they were undersized. Oh well, cannot catch them all! Still fun, still beats work, even got some good casting practice in. Had several backlashes to remind us that we still need to practice!

Put in at Brockdale Park Saturday afternoon and went kayak fishing. Was a late start but almost immediately after launching noticed lots of fish activity on the surface. Used Sabiki Rigged Tube Fishing Flies and a Slab initially; had no takers, so removed the Slab and switched to Tube Fishing Flies and Crappie Jigs. Soon after, hooked up with a fish! As it was a hot day, decided to take a water break. While doing so, set the rod down and let the lures bob up and down in the water as we drifted. Have done this often in the past. And, on occasion will get a fish to bite. Turned out, one did this time. So, just in case, tried it again and got another strike. Did this several more times with similar results – basically we were vertically jigging! Switched back to trolling and caught more undersized fish. Also, did some sight casting to boils that were happening frequently as well as more vertical jigging. Lost count of the number of fish caught and released. Did have one breakoff that felt...

Found the break in the week that we were looking for and made a run to Lake Lavon’s Brockdale Park. Gate remains closed but walk-in access is still available. Was able to use the kayak cart and make an easier portage from the parking area to the boat ramp. While on the way, noticed a Park Ranger was examining the boat ramp and taking notes. Talked briefly with the Park Ranger; he noted the boat ramp is looking good but the pavement area may need fixing. As for when the boat ramp will be opened, still remains uncertain. Good thing we made the kayak cart! After making a few tweaks here and there in how best to secure it to the kayak, the cart worked as designed! In short order, was able to put in at the boat ramp, paddle out a few yards, and then casted a line and started trolling. Caught a number of White Bass and Largemouth Bass (all small) and a few Yellow Bass! Most went for a Chartreuse/White Crappie Jig; several went for a Red/White Tube Fishing Fly! Will need to make another trip ...

Below is a map that shows the Group Camping Area, Equestrian Parking Area, Gate, and Brockdale Park. Since the gate is closed due to high water conditions, park in the Equestrian Parking Area, and then walk down to the Park. When you near the Group Camping Area (currently being used for a Girl Scout Camp), follow the road to the right and continue to the Equestrian Parking Area. The gate is closed to the Park due to high water conditions – the boat ramp is underwater, but you can still walk down the road to the Park.  

Only one White Bass this round at Brockdale Park. Caught it using the Daiwa Sealine Surf Casting Rod and Penn Squall 15 Reel. It struck a multi-rigged Marabou Fishing Fly that simulated a school of bait fish (at least a school of three that is). Did have some fun sight casting to two schools of White Bass that passed but only had the one hookup. Then, switched to a 2oz lead weight to practice casting. Had fun doing that, and then decided to put the Tennis Ball Fishing Float on the line. Once the Tennis Ball was wet, was able to cast as far (possibly) further than the lead weight! Fun stuff! Multi-Rig Fishing Fly Tennis Ball Fishing Float

Headed to Brockdale Park after work this evening. More casting practice with the Daiwa Sealine Surf Casting Rod and Penn Squall 15 Reel. No bites for a while and then caught two White Bass using a White Tube Fly. Wind was up, so it was difficult to see rising schools. Mainly blind casted. Next step… spool up the other Penn Squall 15 Reel, mount it on to the other Daiwa Sealine Surf Casting Rod, and then make a run to Denison Dam. Hopefully, this weekend! Point at Brockdale Park at normal lake level!

Fished the point at Brockdale Park this evening. Last time we caught one White Bass. This time we doubled our catch and caught two White Bass. Used the same rig as last time – a Float and Jig Rig with a Purple Marabou Crappie Jig for the jig. Casted for a while and then finally started seeing surface activity as a school of White Bass passed by. Good thing the Daiwa Sealine Surf Casting Rod and Penn Squall 15 Reel was able to cast for distance as some schools were past the 100+ yard mark. Was doing good with minimal backlash, and then had three in a row. After a quick check of the reel, noticed the Launcher Float lost its lead weight, explaining the backlashes. Made an adjustment to the magnetic brake; no more backlashes. Overall, was a slow day but had lots of fun sight casting to passing schools even though it lasted about 30″. No worries… still lots of fun! Surf Casting Without the Surf!  

Checked out Brockdale Park (Lake Lavon). Has been closed for a while. With water levels up, hoped it would be open. Turned out the gate is locked. Now there is too much water. Boat ramp is underwater and half the parking lot, too. No problem. Parked the car in the equestrian parking area and walked to where we normally fished – that is, as close to the point as we could. Action was slow but something kept stealing the Nightcrawlers we were using for bait. Really nice evening on the lake; mainly practiced casting with the Penn Squall 15 and Daiwa Sealine Surf Casting Rod. Made some really good casts that went far; even managed to get a White Bass to strike on a Float and Jig Rig. Jig used was a Purple Marabou Jig. Fun stuff!