Stocker Trout Fishing News

Received a request to post information on how we tie the Olive/Brown Near Deere - the fishing fly we used recently at Murphy City Hall Pond for Rainbow Trout. In reply, we posted a video below that demonstrates how we tie the fishing fly. Do check it out when you get a chance! Other key points: For the fishing fly we tie, it is a variation of the fishing fly that Texas Fishing Forum's Tarpon Fly posted several years ago. He described the pattern and noted its simplicity and effectiveness. When we tie the Olive/Brown Near Deere, we use Olive Marabou for the tail and Brown Flash Chenille for the body. However, the pattern allows for ease of mixing and matching colors with our favorites being Olive Marabou/Olive Flash Chenille and Olive Marabou/White Flash Chenille. It can be fished with or without a strike indicator as well as fished as a tandem rig with a GRHEN, Soft Hackle, or Nymphs. It is a consistent producer of Trout as well as other fish like Bass and Catfish in our are...

Fished Murphy City Hall Pond this evening. Was cold but it was great to get a round of fishing in during the work week! Even better that we managed to limit out on Rainbow Trout. Used the Four Weight Fly Rod and the Olive/Brown Near Deere that worked the other day. Change in the retrieve compared to last time; long pulls and allow time for the fishing fly to sink instead of the faster retrieve we used on Sunday. Only fished for about an hour but it was enough time to catch and keep five, catch and release one more, and miss a lot more due to missed hook sets or thrown hooks. That said, looks like more cold temps and snow are in the forecast which may be a good thing to keep us focused on our day jobs! PS: Pictures of the Olive/Brown Near Deere and Today's Catch as well as Today's Video are posted below!

Made it back to Murphy City Hall Pond before the front arrived. Used an Olive/Brown Near Deere, PowerBait, and a Super Duper to limit out! Fishing Buddy hooked up with three on PowerBait, one on a Black Super Duper, and one on an Olive/Brown Near Deere. I took a limit on the fly with an Olive/Brown Near Deere. Saw others hooking up as well! Not sure what they were using but the Trout were biting! Now it's time to bundle up and prepare for the colder temps and freezing conditions.

Happy Sunday Readers! It was a lot of fun fishing the Blue yesterday. Today, I had to work the early morning. Luckily, I was able to break away afterwards for a quick trip to Bethany Lakes. Cold and windy conditions put a chill in the air... decided to go with a light weight jacket to stay comfortable. Glad that I did not need the layered clothing like yesterday morning! Using the same Near Deere under a Strike Indicator setup from yesterday, managed to catch five Bass. No Bruisers but was good practice (or more an excuse to go fishing). The Bass were holding in a deeper hole in the Main Pond and were just barely striking the Near Deere. It was almost like they were bumping it instead of striking the fishing fly. Also, every so often would twitch the rod to add a little action, else letting the wind/waves "bob" the Near Deere up and down was enough to trigger a strike. Short trip but lots of fun!

Here is a video short of yours truly trying to catch a trout or two after figuring out the pattern. Trout were wanting no retrieve, minimal movement... or a long pull and then hold while the fly sank. Used a Pat's Near Deere, and then a Pat's Rubber Legs.

Field Team reported a limit of Trout caught at Waterloo Park Pond in Denison. One member struck out but did get a couple of strikes. Overall, cold temps slowed the action down but did pick up as the day warmed.  Key notes this round: Catfish were striking PowerBait BH GRHEN fished 2′-3′ under an indicator were getting strikes in the morning (overcast and cold) As the sun came out, bite turned off for the BH GRHEN Heard from others that Near Deere were getting bit later in the day Video clip below shows the action on the BH GRHEN:

Originally posted 2014/12/21 The Team confirmed one of our own graduated with an Engineering Degree from Texas A&M University! Now, it's back to fishing again! Bethany Lakes in Allen Reports from the Team indicated the action Saturday morning was steady for some while slow for others. In the Team's case, one Rainbow Trout fell for an Olive Wooley Bugger at Bethany Lakes in Allen.  Key notes from the morning round were: Slow retrieve and/or stop and go retrieve seemed to work Casting spoons like Super Dupers in Gold and Silver and Mini-Jigs were getting strikes Bubble Fly Rig cast to fish feeding near the surface were getting strikes Fish were also taking PowerBait and PowerWorms Action was steady initially but tapered off with the exception of the Bubble Fly Rig. Action remained steady for the rig (see the section titled Bubble Fly Rig in the article "Texas Rainbow Trout Fishing - Community Lakes" ) Waterloo Park Pond in Denison Saturday afternoon the action picke...

Halloween Day last weekend. Was not able to fish the Blue River in Oklahoma but did take the opportunity to practice fishing using the same setup I would use on the Blue River. Fished the local pond – Bethany Lakes in Allen, for whatever would bite. Opted for a tandem-rigged leading Near Deere and trailing Rainbow Warrior. This is the same rig I like to use when fishing for trout, changing out the fishing flies as the fish dictate. Caught a Bass and several Bluegill after switching to a single fishing fly and using a short pull, fast retrieve. Another presentation I like to use on the Blue River when the trout are actively feeding on minnows, nymphs, and other emergent. Do give it a try… especially liking the One Handed Spey setup: Redington Classic Trout 9ft 5wt, Echo Ion 4/5wt reel, and the OPST Commando Head with Lazarline Running Line!

Just over two weeks away from Trout Stocking Season in Oklahoma! In two Fridays, there will be Rainbow Trout swimming in the Blue River. While checking out past videos and blog posts, came across a video that recalled a fly tying session the night before I headed to the Blue several seasons ago. Tied Near Deere in Olive and Orange, and then a pattern I called the PMC Emerger that can be fished wet or dry. Check it out the YouTube Short Video below, and do give it a try on your next trip for Trout!  

Throw back Wednesday to celebrate “Hump Day” and get us through the midweek blues… how about a catch and cook of trout we caught last season? Froze the trout in ice, and they stayed as fresh as the day we caught them last Winter. Used a Rubber Legged Near Deere to get them to strike! For cooking, decided to try a new recipe – Pan Fried Habanero Trout! Ingredients: Salt Pepper Garlic Powder Chopped Habanero (with or without the seeds, proceed with caution) Stocker Sized Rainbow Trout fillets Directions: Season fillets with salt, pepper, and garlic powder Sprinkle chopped Habanero over fillets Let sit in the refrigerator for two hours or more Pan fry in oil on high heat for two minutes each side. Three minutes if crunchy fillets are desired

Fished a new pond that was recently stocked with rainbow trout. Located in Sherman, Tx is Pebblebrook Community Park Pond. Last weekend a Trout Derby was held at Pebblebrook; we were not able to make it but we anticipated lots of trout would be on the prowl Saturday morning. They were… water was murky but the Rubber Legged Near Deere had them striking. Add the Rio Trout Max One-Handed Spey line on an Orvis Hyrdos SL1 reel and 10′ MaxCatch Fly Rod in a 2wt – what we call the “Discount Switch Rod” made for easy casting and catching! Setting the hook in the time was another story though! No worries… was able to limit out. The Rubber Legged Near Deere and the Discount Switch Rod are fast becoming the Team’s favorite combo for trout fishing ponds! Why…? Ease of casting for distance with minimal false casting if any. Plus the 10′ Length provided added line control of the 200 grain shooting head Trout seem to strike the rubber legged variant more readily t...

Thanks for joining us today for updates and Q&A! This round we talk about TRWD Flyfest – an annual event held on he banks of the Trinity River by the Acme Brick Company where Bruiser Trout are stocked for participants to catch! For more details see: https://www.trwd.com/trwd-flyfest-2020/ Also, we talk about the Near Deere Giveaway where we will randomly pick a winner Monday, March 9, 2020 at 8PM. To enter, comment on this video, have a valid email address, and a US mailing address!

This video we mention two fishing flies… the Rubber Legged Near Deere and an Pearl Chenille Streamer. The Rubber Legged Near Deere worked well on stocked trout at two local ponds. The Pearl Chenille Streamer worked well on Striped Bass at Denison Dam as well White Bass on Lake Lavon Do check out the video and the demo on how we tie the Rubber Legged Near Deere!

Was not sure if we would make it to Frisco to fish the Commons Pond for stocked trout. Luckily, there was a break in the weekend events. Made the short run Saturday from Allen to Frisco and fished Frisco Commons Pond for rainbow trout. Recently stocked as well as the annual Trick-A-Trout Derby was held that morning, the pond was crowded. Luckily, the bite was on! Able to limit out fishing an Olive Near Deere set 3′ under a strike indicator. No need to retrieve the fishing fly after casting. Instead, let the wind and waves move the strike indicator and let your rig drift with the wind. Watch for the strike, and set the hook! Anticipating the crowd, swapped the Hydros Fly Reel with the Echo Ion Reel that was lined with the Rio Trout Max Skagit Head. Made for ease of casting for distance despite the wind and a shortened backcast due to people all around! Video shows the action on Saturday, and then summarizes Sunday’s action… was able to fish Sunday morning before it started r...

Rain and cold weather has us indoors but still able to do fishing related things. In this case a quick update from the Team and a fishing fly give away… two Olive Near Deere and a Tenkara Fly. Comment in this video, and next Wednesday 2/12/20… will randomly pick a winner. Valid email address to coordinate shipping and a US mailing address along with a comment to this video gets you in the Giveaway! Good Luck and Good Fishing!

Made the run to Pottsboro Sunday for another round of fly fishing for trout. Started late in the day due to the rain in the morning. Colder and windier than it was on Friday. Luckily, the trout were active and we were able to limit out. Since we knew the trout were there… decided to mix it up and fish different colored near deere – Olive, Pink, White… plus fished a Mop Fly, too. After changing fishing flies and trying different retrieves, this trip we noted: For fishing flies and color: The trout preferred Olive Near Deere over the other fishing flies. Mop Fly did get strikes but slowed when the trout wanted a “moving” fishing fly White Near Deere had a couple of strikes but not solid takes Pink Near Deere had a solid strikes but tended to get “bit” less frequently than the olive. For retrieves, When the wind was blowing strong consistently causing the bigger wind waves, drifting the fishing fly under a strike indicator did well. No need to add action to th...

Another winner randomly selected using our TubeBuddy tool to chose from comments posted on our video – “Trout Fishing at the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center” ! Simple rules… comment on the video, have a valid email address to validate the winner and coordinate shipping, and a US mailing address. Do checkout the video and some quick updates from recent trips to the field!

Happy Thanksgiving… Running out of Near Deere and Mop Flies… time to tie more. Ended up tying Olive, Pink, and White Near Deere, two variants of the Mop Fly, and some John Deere. All done… now just need to go fishing. Hoping sooner than later! PS: Lots of rain has our fishing plans on hold but see an opening in the weather this weekend.

Video of the action from Saturday morning, November 23, 2019 when we fished the Blue River in Oklahoma. Temps were in the 30s and the action was slow but steady. Able to limit out fishing the channel and undercut by the “Island” using Tandem Rigged Fishing Flies and Mop Flies. Tandem Rigged used was the Too Deere… Leading Near Deere with trailing John Deere to catch five trout.Then, fished a Mop Fly… no tandem rig, to catch and release several. Bite slowed, tried other fishing flies and got a strike or two. Finally, caught and kept number six to make a limit using a Tandem Rig… Lead Mop Fly and trailing John Deere.Most trout went for the John Deere or the Mop Fly. Also, had a stretch of missed strikes… bummer. As well as no strikes… bite turned off for some reason. Water was not as clear as last week but the fish were readily taking fishing flies.Also, after cleaning the fish noted a number of them had full bellies of Chartreuse PowerBait ! Thanks for stopping by and do lik...

Made it to the Blue River in Oklahoma Saturday. Had a great time. Water was clear and fish were active and once we figured out the pattern… able to get them on our stringer! Started with a Tandem Rigged Near Deere and John Deere; same setup that did well last Sunday. Unfortunately, was not the pattern this trip. Switched to a Streamer and Midge Tandem Rig with the John Deere and a trailing Rainbow Warrior. That was the ticket! Trout were taking the Rainbow Warrior. Did lose the rig, retied a Near Deere and Rainbow Warrior. Managed to catch one trout on the Neare Deere, else it was the Rainbow Warrior, again. Limited out with one nice trout (not on video) that we lost while landing it. Overall, nice day on the Blue… Tandem Rigged fishing flies were the key again!