Stocker Trout Fishing News

In preparation for the approaching Trout Stocking Season, put a video together about three Oklahoma rivers – two that offer year round trout fishing and one seasonal fishery. Do check it out; we also included some key items to be aware of in the the Trout Area Regulations and General Trout Regulations posted by Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation online at https://www.eregulations.com/oklahoma/fishing/trout-area-information. May be useful to first timers thinking about fishing this Season! Good Luck and Good Fishing! PS: Added a bonus tip at the end that my be for interest to some!

Another fun trip and a good one to remind us cool weather is coming soon and so is trout stocking season! See video at https://youtu.be/rO1GSkrhwPo

A Year Round Trout Fishery! The Lower Illinois River is one of two year round trout fisheries in Oklahoma. It is stocked with Rainbow and Brown Trout by the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation (ODWC) as water conditions allow. To help fishermen interested in fishing the Lower Illinois River, we created an infographic and posted a YouTube Video that steps through the information. Also, we published a HubPages Article – Lower Illinois River River Trout Fishing , that adds lessons learned from past trips to the river. So check the infographic, video, and article out in preparation for a trip to the Lower Illinois River!

Last weekend we made the run across the border from Texas to Oklahoma. Friday we hung out in Norman and had dinner at Torchy’s Tacos for tasty tacos and margaritas. Later, we stopped at the Guitar Center Store to checkout the ukuleles – big sale going on until 31 October on guitars and ukuleles. Always had a weakness for stringed “things” like fishing rods and reels, guitars and ukuleles, etc! Ended Friday, “chillin” on the sofa while watching several seasons of “Always Sunny in Philadelphia” in preparation for a round of fishing on the Lower Illinois River the next day. Saturday morning we headed west from Oklahoma City to Gore, Oklahoma to fish the Lower Illinois River – specifically, the tail race section below Lake Tenkiller. It was a nice day with temps in the 50s to 60s; because we prefer to stay dry when the temps are below the 70s, we opted for waders instead wet wading like we do in the summer. Overall, it was a nice day fis...

Had a fun time on the Lower Illinois River Saturday! Still working on the video of the trip; will post soon as able. For now, here is a snippet of our Fishing Partner catching the First and Last Trout of the day….! Also, here is the link to the article that details the Bubble Fly Rigs we use including the Ajusta Bubble one used by our Fishing Partner this trip… How To Set Up Bubble Fly Rigs.     View this post on Instagram   #video snippet of the action yesterday #fishing the #lowerillinoisriver …fun times! yes, #mylifeisgood❤️ still!! A post shared by COAF Field Team (@coaf.field.team) on Oct 21, 2018 at 1:45pm PDT

Had a fun weekend making the run across the border from Texas to Oklahoma to have a little non-work time… Minor League Baseball, good food and drinks, fishing a river for trout and striped bass, and even a little catch and cook time! Had a great time… here is a quick recap of the fun. Do stay tuned… will post video of the fishing action later this week! PS: Added a little ukulele time and a glass of wine to close out the weekend!

Made it to the Lower Illinois River earlier this month – June 2, 2018. Had a fun time wet wading the river for a chance at trout and other fish! Went with the 5 weight fly rod and one-handed spey casting with the OPST Commando Head. Used an olive Near Deere for the fishing fly. Fishing partner opted for ultralight spinning gear and Power Bait Trout Worms. Tip broke on the rod but he did manage to catch trout using a bubble fly rig! Your’s truly only caught one trout but did miss several more. Did catch a White Bass and a Striped Bass (little one), too. Hot day but the water was cold. And, even though the water was murky, the fish were biting. Ended up calling the trip short because they started generating power. No worries… made it to OKC early and checked out Bricktown… cool place!  

Been a brutal work week so far, making us miss the Lower Illinois River and the trout fishing to be had even more. That said, here is a quick video snippet of some things to note for Readers interested in fishing the Lower Illinois River in Oklahoma!   Short snippet on Saturday’s #fishing on the #lowerillinoisriver …great place, great time. Already want to go back for more #rainbowtrout A post shared by COAF Field Team (@coaf.field.team) on Apr 4, 2017 at 5:05pm PDT

Made it back to the Lower Illinois River Saturday morning for another round with the trout. Managed to catch two using fishing flies, else it was chartreuse Power Bait Trout Worms. Two of us fished; two of us limited out! Great time on a really nice day. Glad to have spent it fishing for trout on a river! PS: Shout out to Donavan; best place to meet a Facebook friend for the first time – on a river fishing!     Log Book Entry: 4/01/17 Location: Lower Illinois River (Gore, OK) Time: 09:30 – 14:00 Weax: Sunny, Long Sleeve but later Short Sleeve, Windy Rod: Redington Classic Trout 5wt – 9′ Reel: Echo Ion 4/5 – 6wt Flyline Comments: Trout were actively feeding but had a hard time catching them with fishing flies. Did get two to take a Near Guad. One struck while recasting it in a run downriver from the Waterfall. The other struck a Near Guad drifted in the fast water by the Waterfall; used a strike indicator and set it three feet from the fishing fly. Fishing bud...

Here is the follow-up video from yesterday’s trip to the Lower Illinois River. No action shots of the hook set as it was a tough go catching them on a fly rod. Fishing buddy did well with Ultralight Spinning Gear and Power Bait Trout Worms to get a limit! Did take the opportunity to talk briefly about the switch rod we used as a one-handed fly rod. Cold temps that day but did learn others were able to wet wade the day prior… even better, they were able to catch a number of them on the fly! Classic “they were biting yesterday” syndrome!

Made the run north across the border to the Lower Illinois River. Had a great time! One of us limited out (not yours truly) with six Rainbow Trout; the other one caught only two! Still working on the video; not sure if we got enough footage but will piece something together and get it posted!  For now, here is today’s catch!   Today’s catch #trout #fishing on the #lowerillinoisriver …one of us limited out. The other only got two. No worries, still a great time! A post shared by COAF Field Team (@coaf.field.team) on Mar 25, 2017 at 1:49pm PDT

Finally made it to the Lower Illinois River for some Rainbow Trout Fishing. Had a great time scouting the river and seeing new places! Although it was tough fishing, we did manage to catch a fish or  two. First Rainbow Trout was in the Special Regulation Zone (also referred to the “Watts” area); it went about 12″ so we had to let it go. Next fish was a White Bass that we let go. Then, after a few missed hook sets, caught a Rainbow Trout that went about 11″ and another that went 14″. We were able to keep them for dinner since we were no longer in the “Watts” area. Dave’s Bait and Tackle (Gore, OK) Also, did see a couple of nice looking trout but neither were willing to strike. And then, later in the day – late afternoon/early evening, did see others doing well catching them with fishing flies! Do hope to fish the area again. PS: Did get some video and posted it below. Will plan to host a Q&A Live Stream for Readers to join and ask...