Stocker Trout Fishing News

Made it to Lavon for a chance at an evening round of kayak fishing the point at Brockdale Park. Another hot day but luckily not too hot to stop us from fishing! Arrived at the boat ramp with only one other boat at the park. Quick launch and was on the lake trolling shortly after. Fished a couple of hours without a strike, then shifted to the back paddling technique where we paddle the kayak backwards, and let the slab and jig rig bounce bottom. Managed to avoid a strikeout by getting one Yellow Bass. No worries… best thing about kayak fishing, can always get a workout in at least! Posted video of the trip, and then added past video from a trip last year that shows more details on the back paddling technique. Do check it out!

Windy day but managed to catch three fish this round – a White Bass, a Carp, and a Crappie. Fun stuff, plus got a great workout in! Started out at Clear Lake Park on Lake Lavon, then tried Avalon but it was closed. Stopped by the Lavonia South Ramp but decided to go on to Lavonia North Ramp. Wind was brutal with no strikes. Did see some structure with the fish finder but could not put the lures in the money zone due to the windy conditions. Did get some video that showed the fish caught today, the windy conditions, and how we set up the fish finder in the kayak. Do check it out, and do be careful out there!  

Decided to give it another try at Little Ridge this morning. More rough conditions but things calmed down later. Bite was slower compared to yesterday but then found them (White Bass) lurking in a cove. Calm water, out of the wind, and lots of feeding fish… multiple hook ups on the Sabiki Rig for White Bass ! Although undersized, the action was good with lots of fish chasing those that were already hooked! Did this for most of the morning, and then headed to the Power Plant and started working the area. No anchoring this time; instead, paddle to the boundary, cast the rig, then back paddle to remain out of the restricted area, and then set the hook when they strike. Caught more undersized White Bass this way. However, we did get one Keeper and a Catfish that went for the Slab! Fun stuff and a great workout, too! More White Bass on the Sabiki Rig!

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 ...