Stocker Trout Fishing News

Question from the Texas Fishing Forum that we follow... "Now I have some questions on the Blue River in Oklahoma. I am a bit out of that loop. 1) That parking on the E side of the Catch and Release (off 7) - is that just for parking, and there is still a hike up to the high point of the C-n-R? 2) I think the C-n-R is barbless? Kind of silly if you ask me, but my memory banks are full! 3) Are the stockings good in the C-n-R area? Still a mystery easter egg hunt? Anybody been there lately?" Answering the mail, we provide the following: "1) That parking on the E side of the Catch and Release (off 7) - is that just for parking, and there is still a hike up to the high point of the C-n-R?" The parking on the East side off Hwy 7 is just for parking.  It is designated as a walk-in area only and no camping. Refer to Blue River Map below. It is a 2+ mile hike to the Catch and Release area from the parking area on the East side of Hwy 7. For a shorter hike - about 1.3 miles, ...

We like using Shad for bait but at times cannot purchase them because the local bait store is out of stock. This is why we like to catch our own plus it saves us money – cost of the cast net and time and effort to catch them, etc… However, due to restrictions related to aquatic invasive species and the transfer from one body of water to another, we have followed Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s (TPWD) regulations that limit using Shad for bait to the same body of water where they were caught. Our understanding was the same body of water limitation was for live, fresh, and frozen shad. For clarification, we contacted Texas Parks and Wildlife Department via their online “Submit a Question” form. The question we asked and the answer provided are shown in the picture below! Looks like we can catch Shad from one lake, remove any of the water with the fish, using a net to move the fish from one container to another so no water is transferred from lake to lake! PS: We did not ask about ...

Impromptu live session to answer a Viewer’s question on a starter kit for fly tying. Unedited video with key items noted below. Also, includes details of recent trip fishing Denison Dam for Stripers! Key Items: Starter kits in the $30.00 range are available 1a. Cabelas and Bass Pro 1b. Can go more expensive but may also gather dust if become frustrated 1c. If you move on to more expensive, than can use it still – travel vice, tube fly vice conversion Amazon Starter Kit: https://amzn.to/2TiAGqa Best to learn to tie one fishing fly that you use often 2a. Save money and will fish aggressively, less worry about losing it 2b. Get proficient at tying it sooner than later Simple but effective patterns… 3a. Olive Wooley Buggers 3b. Near Deere 3c. Clousers Must haves… 4a. Bobbin 4b. Hackle Pliers 4c. Sharp scissors Really nice to have… 5a. Bobbin Threader 5b. Whip Finish Tool

Answering the mail from a Reader’s question concerning Denison Dam Tailrace and Lake Texoma. Do check it out and do stay till the end for a bonus tip! Also, here is an outline of the info provided in the video for reference. Question 1: Daily limits for Texoma vs. Denison Dam (tailrace) Answer: TPWD 2019 Regulations and ODWC 2019 Regulations Texoma Striped Bass and Hybrid Striped Bass – No Minimum Length – 10 per day per person – Of which two can be 20″ or greater – Culling is not permitted White Bass – No Minimum Length – 25 per day per person Yellow Bass – No Minimum Length – No daily limit Denison Striped Bass and Hybrid Striped Bass – No Minimum Length – 5 per day per person – Culling is not permitted White Bass – 10″ Minimum Length – 25 per day per person Yellow Bass – No Minimum Length – No daily limit Question 2: Suggested Fishing Gear Answer: Varies based on water fl...

Great question from a Reader of the Texas Fishing Forum. Posted on the forum a thread titled, “Went Fishing”… it’s in the fly fishing section. Readers asks for a “friend” advice on purchasing echo ion fly reels from a local store in order to pay cash and avoid the significant other’s complaints on buying more fishing gear… although one can never have enough fishing gear, we can relate at times to this “friend’s” dilemma. To answer the mail, we posted our answer in this video… do check it out but we recuse ourselves in the event someone gets caught… Note: The information is provided for entertainment purposes only, and should not be taken as advice. Proceed at your own risk!

Having fun with learning how to use YouTube’s Live Session function. So far, the beta test worked. Here is our first attempt at going live… Live Session #1 is a Q&A session to answer one Reader’s question about the fishing rod we use when kayak fishing. Here is our answer… no video editing, just your’s truly answering the question.  

Yesterday, we finally hosted a YouTube Live Stream Session. We had tried hosting one several times in the past but had to end the sessions unexpectedly when we lost internet connection. This round we used an ethernet cable instead of a WiFi connection; we believe that made the difference! Going forward, we plan to host more Live Stream Sessions as Q&A forum for Readers to join and chat with us on YouTube! Embedded is the edited version of yesterday’s session. For best viewing, we suggest watching the video on a PC instead of a tablet or mobile device. We added links and comments using YouTube’s annotations feature which only works on PCs. Do check it out and if you have additional questions, let us know via the comments function of this post, or email us at COAF.Weblog@Live.com!

Not sure when we started doing this, but we tend to over-line (go up one line weight) on our 4-Wt and 5-Wt fly rods. I think we did this by accident when we used whatever fly line we had at the time we picked up a new fly reel. So far, have been good with the casting results by going up a weight. That said, was not aware of a debate about this, until I saw an article online by Field and Stream – “ Is Over-Lining Fly Rods Good or Bad? ” For the most part, would agree with Field and Stream that there are no set rules. Would go on to say, “whatever works best for you”!  

Question from one of our Readers asking how we attach our line to a Tenkara rod’s lillian. We use a loop to loop connection to attach our line. One loop is formed by the lillian; the other loop is from the braided line that we use when fishing with a Tenkara rod. When we use a level line, we attach a 10″-12″ piece of monofilament line to the level line with a nail knot, and then form a loop on the other end of the monofilament using a perfection loop knot. To better illustrate the loop to loop connection, we have posted a video below. Do check it out!    

Received two questions from a Reader in response to our post on “How we fish a Super Duper”: “What kind of spinning gear are you using (rod length & power, reel size & make)?” “Do you use a swivel with Super Dupers or Kastmasters?” Below are the answers to the questions and pictures added for ease of reference. Thanks again for your questions! Sincerely, The Field Team For the first question, “What kind of spinning gear are you using (rod length & power, reel size & make)?”, the spinning gear we use are: A 4′-8″ Ugly Stik Ultralight Rod with a Shakespeare 20 Ultralight Spinning Reel (USP225A) 6′-6″ Berkley Medium Light Lightning Rod with a Pinnacle Tiny Deadbolt Spinning Reel(DUL20). Lately, when using fluorocarbon, we have switched the reels between the two rods, and mainly been using the Berkley Medium Light Lightning Rod and the Shakespeare Spinning Reel. The Pinnacle Spinning Reel tends to uncoil while casting ultralight lures after 5-10 casts. Shakespeare ...

Question from one of our Readers asking, “How do we clean and cook trout?” In answer to the question, we provide a summary of the different ways we clean and cook trout! Depending on the size of the trout, we clean and cook them as follows: Stocker size trout (9″-13″ in size) : We cut their heads or remove the gills (“gilling”), and then we remove the guts. Not sure why we opt to cut the head off versus “gilling” them; just seems to go one way or the other from trip to trip. When cooking the Stockers, we season them with salt and pepper (sometimes add Season Salt), and then pan fry them in oil for about 5-8 minutes each side. For larger trout in the 14″ – 18″ range: We clean them like the Stockers but will split the fish (butterfly). We then cook them on a cedar plank (see Grilled Plank Trout Recipe ). For trout going 19″+ in size: We gill them and remove the guts, leaving the head in place. Then, we stuff with lemon slices, onions, butter, and sprinkle Rosemary in the body cavity. Nex...

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