Stocker Trout Fishing News

Fun time fishing the 4wt Redington Pursuit Fly Rod. Not used it for some time. Dusted it off along with the Ross Flystart 2 Reel that we picked up from Amazon several years ago. Reel came with backing and a Weight Forward 4wt line.

Had planned to fish Towne Lake in Mckinney but the stocking was postponed due to weather. Things cleared up and made the run to Frisco Commons and fished for trout. Like in years past, something was hatching. Managed to land four and miss several others using a Griffith’s Gnat and a PMC Emerger. See how to tie one at  PMC Emerger  

Was on the road Saturday. Travel was unrelated to fishing but was able to wet a line! Did some fly fishing with the little 2wt CGR Fiberglass Rod from Cabelas! Handy little rod that is easy to pack while traveling. Remembered Carl Young Park was listed in Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s Trout Stocking Schedule while passing through Abilene. Although it was too hot for trout, decided to check out the Park. Water was murky; did see Shad moving about as well a lots of turtles and several water snakes. Even better, did not strike out… caught a little Bluegill! Had several others strike but the fishing fly was way too big for the scrappy fish.   Video snippet while #flyfishing at Carl Young Park in #abilenetx …only one scrappy #bluegill but still had fun! A post shared by COAF Field Team (@coaf.field.team) on May 7, 2017 at 4:38am PDT Click on pictures to see more about Cabela’s CGR Rod/Reel Combo and deals they are offering!

Caught a Shellcracker Saturday morning on a PMC Emerger at Bethany Lakes, then got a call from our fishing buddy to load the jon boat and do some jug lining for Catfish. Hit Lavon and wound up catching four Catfish. Also found the Yellow Bass were lurking near the boat ramp. Went back Sunday with Ultralight Gear and Nightcrawlers and fun catching them, too. Videos in the works; more to come! Caught a nice #shellcracker Saturday #flyfishing at #bethanylakes then made a run to #lakelavon for #juglining and #catfish …video in the works. A post shared by COAF Field Team (@coaf.field.team) on Apr 16, 2017 at 6:46pm PDT

With the 2016-2017 Texas Rainbow Trout Stocking Season closing out in our area, decided to fish Waterloo Park Pond in Denison this morning. Bite was steady with a limit taken on PMC Emergers. That said, next week is TRWD Flyfest in Fort Worth; we plan to join the fun, learn more about fly fishing things, and maybe catch a trout! Afterwards, the Team will shift to warm water fishing to include kayak fishing once things get warmer. Do check back periodically for the latest post! Do checkout the video from today. It’s longer than our normal videos but we decided to leave some of the clips unedited as it gives Viewers an idea on the retrieves we used and the number of missed strikes we “enjoyed” today! PS: Article on tying the PMC Emerger for anyone interested in tying their own!   Log Book Entry: 3/04/17 Location: Waterloo Park Pond (Denison) Time: 08:00 – 09:30 Weax: Overcast, “Multi-Layered”, Breezy Rod: Redington Classic Trout 5wt – 9′ Reel: Echo Ion ...

Only one trout this morning at Frisco Commons Pond. Windy conditions and warm temps but others were hooking up with the stocker trout! For your’s truly, the one went for a PMC Emerger, but did lose several missed strikes. Fun time still! Only one #trout this round at #friscocommons …still good to get out. Went for a #pmcemerger #flyfishing A video posted by COAF Field Team (@coaf.field.team) on Feb 12, 2017 at 9:53am PST Log Book Entry: 2/12/17 Location: Frisco Commons Park Pond (Frisco) Time: 08:30 – 10:30 Weax: Clear, “Sweater”, Windy (wind advisory posted) Rod: Redington Classic Trout 5wt – 9′ Reel: Echo Ion 4/5 – 6wt Flyline   Comments: Had several strikes with the Black Near Deere but missed the hook set. Also, missed strikes with the PMC Emerger but finally landed one. Saw others doing well with silver colored lures, Power Bait, and Wooley Buggers. Crowded and windy conditions made things tough but fish were there and biting steadily. Landed: 1 Rainbow...

Yesterday while fishing Waterloo Park Pond, we mentioned in our earlier post that we ran out of the “go to” fishing fly that the trout were keying on. A hatch was in progress, there were bugs all around, and the trout wanted either a size 16 Griffith’s Gnat or a size 20 Black Midge. Not sure why other than the Griffith’s Gnat pattern mimics a cluster of things hatching. We did give the PMC Emerger a try, and managed to catch one trout and one bluegill with it although we did miss a number of strikes. But, for the most part, we were getting more strikes with the Griffith’s Gnat than the PMC Emerger. And, since we ran out of them, it took a little bit longer to limit out. Today, while doing other non-fishing related things, had an idea to try a variant of the two fishing flies, the end result is the PMC Griffith’s Gnat Emerger (aka PMC GNE). It has the bent hook shank, foam indicator, and midge lower half, and then instead of a grizzly hackle tied at th...

Fun time limiting out on trout at Waterloo Park Pond in Denison. Dry Flies were the key this round with the Griffith’s Gnat in size 16 being the “go to” fishing fly. But, as luck would have it, ran out of them. Did manage to get the trout to bite on other dry flies despite losing my mojo at one point!   Log Book Entry: 1/21/17 Time: 12:30 to 16:30 Weax: Overcast, Long-Sleeves, Breezy Rod: Redington Classic Trout 5wt – 9′ Reel: Echo Ion 4/5 – 6wt Flyline   Comments: On arrival noticed the trout were actively feeding on black midges; had several strikes and missed hook sets using the PMC Emerger in Sz 14. But, finally landed one using a Griffith’s Gnat on a Caddis Hook (aka the COAF Griffith’s Gnat). Trout seemed to prefer movement in the fishing fly; either twitches with the rod tip or a slow drag of the rod. COAF Griffith’s Gnat did well until Murphy’s Law showed up and we ran out of the pattern – lost one while opening the fly ...

Quick trip to the local pond yesterday for some fun with little Bluegill. Caught five that went for a PMC Emerger! No Bruisers but still lots of fun! Pictures at the end of the video are blurry; gotta work on the photography skills but the video action tells the story! PS: Really liking the new hat! Log Book Entry: 1/19/17 Time: 17:20 to 18:00 Weax: Clear, “Hoodie Jacket”, Calm Rod: Redington Classic Trout 5wt – 9′ Reel: Echo Ion 4/5 – 6wt Flyline Comments: Fished the Main Pond without success using a Purple Near Deere, and then switched to a PMC Emerger without a strike as well. Noticed the “black midges” on the water and an ongoing hatch. Remembered past seasons where the Bass and Bluegill were actively feeding on them. Used a Griffith’s Gnat on a caddis hook then; hoped the PMC Emerger would work this round. Moved on to the Back Pond, and observed little swirls in the water. Something was actively feeding on the hatching midges. Soon af...

Had a couple of Readers ask about the fishing fly we have been using to catch the trout feeding on and/or near the water’s surface. We have been using two patterns – the Griffith’s Gnat tied on a caddis hook and the PMC Emerger. Since we could not find instructions online on how to tie a PMC Emerger – short for Plain Mayfly Crooked Emerger, we decided to post an article and video on how we tie one. Do check it out – “Fly Tying – The PMC Emerger” , when you get a chance, and do give this pattern a try!

Short on time today but was able to make a quick trip to Bethany Lakes this evening for about 45″. Managed to catch one Rainbow Trout and missed several others. Used the 5wt fly rod and the PMC Emerger and sight cast to passing schools of trout! Fun time… and a great way to start 2017! 1st fish of the year is a #trout caught #flyfishing a #pmcemerger on the 5wt flyrod at #bethanylakes this evening! A photo posted by COAF Field Team (@coaf.field.team) on Jan 1, 2017 at 4:19pm PST Log Book Entry: 1/1/17 Bethany Lakes – Pond C (Allen) Time: 17:30 – 18:15 Weax: Clear, Short-Sleeve, Calm Rod: Redington Classic Trout 5wt – 9′ Reel: Echo Ion 4/5 – 6wt Flyline   Comments: Sight casting to passing schools of trout that were actively feeding on/near the surface. Tiny bugs were hatching. Observed black midges and cream midges. Estimated Sz 18 in size. Trout were striking at fishing flies that were sitting still on the surface. Trout were also striking/chasing fis...

Happy New Years! What better way to end the last day of the year then going fishing! Took a little time but did get three trout to stay on the hook at Bethany Lakes this morning. Two went for a PMC Emerger, and one went for a Griffith’s Gnat. Lost the last PMC Emerger to a snag; will have to tie more to refill the fly box. Looking forward to more fun fishing in 2017!

Trout were moving about and feeding on the surface at Bethany this morning. After working different parts of the pond, settled in on the “point” and was able to limit out sight casting to passing schools. Caught two on a Griffith’s Gnat, then ran out of the fishing fly… too many “tree fish” liking the fishing flies. Switched to a PMC Emerger – a fly we used on the Blue River in the past on trout actively feeding on/near the water surface. Was able to get three more to make a limit! The PMC Emerger is a variant that uses black tying thread, a small piece of white foam as an indicator, and grizzly hackle.  Add the hook, and that is all it takes to make one! Since the action shots were cut short when we ran out of battery, did add pictures on how we tie the PMC Emerger for anyone interested in tying their own. Simple fly, simple tie! #flytying tonight. Need to refill on #griffithsgnat & #pmcemerger for those stocker #trout A photo posted by COA...