Stocker Trout Fishing News

Lotta fun fishing Denison Dam Saturday for Striped Bass! Brought the Cabelas TLR 6wt Switch Rod with the Echo Ion 6/7 Wt Fly Reel and the OPST Skagit Head. Bite was good on small stripers hitting on the Denison Dam Dawber, Bennet’s Lunch, Bucktail and Craft Fur Clouser Minnows. Fast retrieves using short pulls and fast pulls worked, then they wanted a 10 count delay, later a 5 count delay, and then later no delay in the start of the retrieve. Also, did get better hook up rates by dipping the rod tip in the water while retrieving. And then… later had a high stick, sweep the rod style retrieve that seemed to work well. All of this before the started generating power. After they started generating, then it was cast upriver, let the fly drift downriver and swing the fly, and then twitch the fly as you retrieved in back upriver at an angle. Learned lots while there… bottomline: vary your retrieve, change fishing flies, and adjust to the fish as the pattern changes!

Stopped at Crowley Park in Richardson on the commute. Fished the 2wt Discount Switch Rod and a Foam Grasshopper to catch a Bass or two! Lotta fun… Bass tended to strike when the hopper was sitting still. Slow stop and go was the key! Fum stuff!

Decided to get the switch rod out in preparation for next Saturday’s TRWD Flyfest. Tend to use the switch rod while fishing for trout as longer cast are needed at times and like the ease of less and/or no false casting. Stopped at Towne Lake in McKinney and got a round of practice casts in. No trout but still good to bend the rod. Then, headed to City Complex Pond in Murphy and got lots of practice in… and even limited out on trout! Tandem-rigged Near Deere with a trailing nymph be it a GRHEN or Pheasant Tail Nymph worked this round. Fun times… hope to do a repeat next Saturday at TRWD Flyfest!

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...

Fun time yesterday fishing the Switch Rod and “testing” a new pattern – the Krystal Dub Minnow or KDM. Simple pattern made with UV pearl dubbing and saddle hackles; uses a dubbing loop to wrap the dubbing around the hook. Been a while since we used a dubbing loop, but quickly remembered how to use it. KDM cast well with the Switch Rod, and could be seen from a distance in the Frisco Commons Pond. Water was clear, could see a number of Bluegill chase the KDM. Also, had several Bass go for it as well. No Bruisers but did see some bigger then the ones we caught! Fun stuff… even got video of a Bass missing what looked like a butterfly hovering over the water’s surface!

Been revisiting different ponds we have fished previously but cannot recall when we last fished them lately. This afternoon decided to check out Anglers Cove the catch and release pond by Top Golf in Allen. Lots of construction has things clobbered and the water seems lifeless… did see some “fishy” activity but looked like bait fish and small Sunfish and Bluegill. Was able to take advantage of the Switch Rod to cast for distance when needed as the banks were extremely brushy, Also, past hot spots we fished were overgrown. Was able to position in spots that were cleared and fish. Fished the pond without a bite, then surveyed the area to see what adjustments were needed to fish it. Finally, made a last stand and cast a Foam Grasshopper and caught a Bluegill. While bringing it in something big struck, it spit the Bluegill out… cast out again, and waited about 10″ when something bigger struck. Lost it too and left them biting… had other non-fishing commit...

More casting practice with the Switch Rod!  Liking the Cabelas TLR 8wt Switch Rod combined with the Echo Ion 8/10 Fly Reel. Fished Sonic Pond with a Foam Grasshopper at first but only had a couple of missed strikes. Switched to a Pink Near Deere and started catching fish! Fun stuff!

Decided to try another pond that we have not fished for some time. This time went to the pond behind In-N-Out Burger in Allen. It’s formal name is Eagles Nest Catch and Release Pond but we like to call it In-N-Out Pond for ease of reference. Brought the six weight Switch Rod this time, and fished Damsel Flies and a Guadalupana to catch Bass and Bluegill. Would have kept fishing Damsel Flies but lost what we brought with us to snags. Fun time… also, added a short snippet of the ponds along the Village Trail that runs between Allen and Fairview. There are three and all hold fish, just no Bruisers caught by us for some time now. Gear used:  Lamson Liquid 4 Fly Reel ,  Rio Switch InTouch Chucker Line #5 , and Cabelas TLR Switch Rod (11′-4pc-6wt / Model TLR-1106-4)  

More practice with the Switch Rod. This time went to Plano East Senior High School to fish the catch and release ponds. Ongoing construction has limited access to one of the ponds but still managed to catch a fish or two! One was a Bass went for a Tube Popper Fishing Fly, another was a Bluegill went for a Near Deere, and then snagged a bobber that was floating in the pond… had a little Catfish attached to the hook and line.  

Made it to the Blue River today to check things out. Great day to go… only one little Bass this round but did get lots of casting practice in with the Switch Rod – 6 Weight Cabelas TLR combined with the Liquid Lamson 4 and the Rio Switch Chucker line is balancing well. Getting great casts and distance with the two-handed Switch Cast now. Plus… always good to be able to fall back to the cast we use when shoulder is hurting from a past injury. For want of a name for it, calling it the “hurt shoulder cast”. Here is a video snippet of some of the casts used today.

Cool temps has us itching for trout fishing. Not able to go, but did get a round of casting practice with the switch rod. Even managed to catch a bass. Went with different casts including the modified switch cast where we tuck the rod butt under in our armpit and don’t lift our shoulder to cast. Enables casting even when pain from an old shoulder injury decides to flare up.

Fun times last week on the coast, but we are back in the DFW Metroplex. Had some work and “honey do’s” to complete, so been out of pocket this week. This morning did make a quick trip to Sonic Pond fishing the Switch Rod. Caught our Bass on a White Foam Grasshopper, and one Bass on a Guadalupana! Missing the Coast but still having fun fishing wherever we can! Gear Used: Echo Ion Fly Reel 8/10 wt Lamson Liquid 4 Fly Reel Rio Switch InTouch Chucker Line #5 Cabelas TLR Switch Rod (11′-4pc-6wt / Model TLR-1106-4)  

Been using the excuse that I need to practice casting a Switch Rod to get in more fishing time! Here is a video clip of today’s “practice session”! Really like the 6wt Switch Rod for fishing rivers like the Blue, Lower Illinois, and Lower Mountain Fork in Oklahoma. Also, have used it on the Guadalupe River and the tailraces at Denison Dam and Lewisville Lake in Texas. But, a Switch Rod in the local ponds has worked well on many occasions over the years. Plus, always good with any opportunity to practice casting!   Switch Rod Used: Lamson Liquid 4 Fly Reel Rio Switch InTouch Chucker Line #5 Cabelas TLR Switch Rod (11′-4pc-6wt / Model TLR-1106-4)

Rain was pouring this morning, then we saw a break in the storm. Made the run to Bethany to see what was lurking by the Waterfall. Was working on another online article, hope to post sooner than later. But, when the rain stopped, got sidetracked and grabbed the first rod available – the 6wt Switch Rod that we used yesterday… LOL! In the past, we had good strikes using a Purple Damsel Fly under a strike indicator. Today was no different! Managed three Bass this round before having to cut the trip short… grocery store errand for the significant other. Doh!     Switch Rod Used: Lamson Liquid 4 Fly Reel Rio Switch InTouch Chucker Line #5 Cabelas TLR Switch Rod (11′-4pc-6wt / Model TLR-1106-4)  

Tied three more Green Foam Grasshopper to replace the one we lost yesterday. Then, made the run to Bethany for more fun fishing with the Switch Rod. Ended up with a Bluegill, Sunfish, and three Bass… and only one Grasshopper left. No worries… lots of fun still and luckily the pattern is simple and quick to tie!     Gear used: Lamson Liquid 4 Fly Reel Rio Switch InTouch Chucker Line #5 Cabelas TLR Switch Rod (11′-4pc-6wt / Model TLR-1106-4)

Mid-week hump day has us at Bethany Lakes for more Switch Rod casting practice. Started with a Clouser for the fishing fly, but switched to a Green Foam Grasshopper after seeing surface activity as we walked the Main Pond. Missed a couple before hooking one. Brought it to the bank and it managed to throw the hook. Got video of the “release”, so counting this one in today’s total – 5 Bass this round and a Sunfish. Did lose the Green Foam Grasshopper to a snag. Had one more in the fly box in the Yellow, so was able to keep getting strikes!

Decided to get a round of Switch Rod casting practice at Bethany Lakes this morning. Missed two Bass but did get two Bass. Lots of fun especially getting distance casts using the one-handed style we like. One Bass went for a Clouser Minnow; the other Bass went for an Olive Near Deere. The two Bass we missed went for the Clouser Minnow. For more on our setup, see below links: Cabelas TLR 6wt Switch Rod Echo Ion 8/10wt Fly Reel Rio Skagit Shooting Max Short – 400gr  shooting head Rio GripShooter 100′ 25lbs shooting line   #switchrod casting practice today. managed two #bass #flyfishing with #clouserminnow #neardeere A post shared by COAF Field Team (@coaf.field.team) on May 27, 2017 at 3:21pm PDT

Had a great time at TRWD Flyfest. Have some video to edit but here is a quick update! Had a great time watching the Big Trout Contest with a 21″ trout caught and released! Saw several others catch trout but overall it was a tough go for most. For yours truly, was not able to join the contest; heats that remained open were later in the day and had other pressing things that called for leaving the fun earlier than we liked. No worries though, did manage to fish the area further downriver from the Contest area. And after losing a few nice ones, got our mojo back and started landing them. Ended up limiting out with five that went 15″-16″ in size with one Albino (or is it Golden or Palamino Trout) in the mix! The San Juan Worm Balls and trailing Prince Nymph (without the white biots) were doing well. But, ended up running out due to some Bruisers breaking them off! Switched to a Near Guad and caught a one more as well as missed several others. Then, went with the Near Deere...

Checked out the Trout Derby at Towne Lake in Mckinney Saturday! Lots of fun …trophies were presented, prizes were won, and trout were caught. 6,000 trout were released in the sectioned off area, so the chance at catching a trout were high after the derby. Managed to get a limit plus some catch and release fishing with the Switch Rod! Went back this morning, and limited out again. Will get a video posted at a later date. For now, do check out Saturday’s action at Towne Lake! PS: Howdy to Fred; was great meeting one of our Readers while out in the field! Log Book Entry: 2/18/17 Location: Towne Lake (Mckinney) Time: 12:00 – 16:00 Weax: Clear, short sleeve, breezy Rod: Cabelas TLR Switch Rod 6wt – 11′ Reel: Lamson Liquid 4 – Rio Switch Chucker (#5 – 370gr) with Versitip Leader (Floating) Comments: Checked the trout derby out but did not fish; opted to wait till later once the crowd cleared to allow room for casting the switch rod. Previous years, trout te...

2017 has the Team back at their day jobs. That said, if you can’t go fishing, you can still do fishing related things. In our case, opted to respool the Echo Ion 8/10 reel with a Rio’s Skagit Max Short spey line and Gripshooter shooting line. Add a floating and a sinking Versileader, and we are ready to try it out next chance we get. Afterwards, did a little paracord handiwork and made a cord lanyard for the headset/microphone that we use with our digital recorder (Zume H1). Looks good and does not tangle with fly line like before! All for now, have a happy mid-week “Hump Day” and hope to be out again this weekend!   No #fishing today. But, new #rio line came in for the 6wt #switchrod from #cabelas …now just gotta put it on the #echo ion reel. A photo posted by COAF Field Team (@coaf.field.team) on Jan 3, 2017 at 5:48pm PST   Fixed the tangled cord issue with #paracord …works well with the headset and #zume H1 recorder! Hope to field test while #fishi...