Stocker Trout Fishing News

Kayak Fly Fishing is fun! Even better with an OPST Commando Head to make it easier to cast from a sitting position! See full video at https://youtu.be/qnjuabWu4AU Clouser Minnow Pack Left Deceiver Pack

Closing out the One-Handed Spey Fly Fishing series with a final product review of the OPST Commando Head 175grn that I used with a 4wt, 8ft fly rod. I describe the simple rating system to rate a fishing product and in the OPST Commando Head it rates high... "will purchase again" or better said, I have purchased again, and again, and again!

Out and about for a quick trip fly fishing a pond... One-Handed Spey Fly Fishing style! Using a 175grn OPST Commando Head on a 4wt, 8ft fly rod and fishing a Betts Hand Tied Popper. No need to cast far but was good to know a distance cast was at my fingertips! How many fish this round... three! One-Handed Spey Wish List OPST Pure Skagit Commando Head https://amzn.to/2X83dF0 OPST Commando Smooth (Integrated) Skagit Shooting Head https://amzn.to/2YQKM8L OPST Pure Skagit Commando Micro Tips https://amzn.to/3htb2fE OPST Pure Skagit Lazar Line https://amzn.to/3hmH2lG

  Quick trip to the local pond for Bass!

Ordered a 175 grain OPST Commando Head for my 8ft 4wt Redington Pursuit Fly Rod. Going to use it with the 4/5wt Echo Ion Fly Reel. Should deliver Saturday. In preparation, made a DIY Floating Tip. After a quick test, the floating tip is good to go. Do check back, hope to kickoff the next video series... One-Hand Spey Fly Fishing!

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!

Pond Fly Fishing fun with the foam grasshopper coupled with the One Handed Spey combo – Classic Trout Redington 9′ 5wt, Echo Ion 4/5wt reel, and the OPST Commando Head with Lazar Line running line. Caught Bluegill at first, then the Bass started biting using a fast retrieve! Fun stuff!

Fished the local pond with the TFO 6wt and OPST Commando Head. Started with a Popper Tube Fly and caught a little Bass. Switched to a Damsel Fly Variant and caught Bluegill and another Bass, too! Damsel Fly got beat up but still caught a fish or two despite losing the fishing fly’s tail!

Live stream update from the Team! OPST Commando Head keeps working well on Bass and more!

Having fun pond fly fishing for Bluegill and Bass with the OPST Commando Head on the Redington 4wt Rod. Caught one fish using a Foam Grasshopper but switched to a larger size Simple Foam Fly. Lost count of the fish caught, did have several throw the fly on us, but overall was a great morning fishing the local pond!

Video of yesterday’s pond fly fishing action on the 4wt Redington Fly Rod and Echo Ion Fly Reel. OPST Commando Head worked well for reaching out mid-pond but most strikes were nearer to shore.

Impromptu livestream providing fishing updates from the Team. This round I provide a quick update on our recent trip to Turner Falls, and then answer the mail concerning how I setup an OPST Commando Head for one-handed spey casting on a 5wt and 6wt reel. Main One-handed Spey Casting Setup (6wt Fly Rod) TFO Professional Series II 9′ 6wt Fly Rod: https://amzn.to/2D3n9LF Echo Ion 6/7wt Fly Reel: https://amzn.to/2WxKnm1 OPST Commando Head – 225 grain: https://amzn.to/2GjX26n M Maximumcatch .026″ 15lbs test coated running line: https://amzn.to/2MKS0kp Used to be our main One-handed Spey Casting but went to a 6wt this year (2019). Is our backup one now. (5wt Flyrod) Echo Ion Fly Reel 4/5 wt: http://amzn.to/2ql1EhN Redington Classic Trout Fly Rod (9′-4pc-5wt): http://amzn.to/2rENFHu OPST Commando Head (200 grain): http://amzn.to/2zftMuC OPST Lazarline Running Line: http://amzn.to/2gTrjOU

Fished the Blue River in Oklahoma this past Sunday for a chance at trout for dinner. Fishing was tough for yours truly. Managed a Longear Perch, and two Rainbow Trout. Used the 6wt TFO Fly Rod and caught the Perch on a Pink Near Deere with Rubber Legs, one Trout on a White Megaworm, and the other Trout on a Tandem Rigged White Megaworm with trailing PMC Emerger. Was hoping for a limit of trout to cook blackened fish style using a recipe from @30milesOut – see video at Blackened Redfish Recipe . Ended up adding two Catfish to the two Trout to make dinner… tasty, tasty. Do check out the video, and do note the clear water and trout moving about below and above the low water crossing!

Liking the newest fly rod (TFO Pro II 9′ 6wt) in the Team’s arsenal of fly fishing gear. Cast well with the Rio Trout Max Shooting Head. Cast well with a traditional fly line. But, really like the 200 grain OPST Commando Head that we use on our mojo 5wt combo – Redington Classic Trout 9′ 5wt and Echo Ion Fly Reel 4/5wt. After a quick check online on the OPST website, determined the 225 grain OPST Commando Head would work for the TFO fly rod. Put an order in but decided to forego the Lazarline Mono running line. Instead, found a coated running line that would feel more like a fly line than the mono one. The mono line makes for some distance casting but line management is key, else a tangle here and there may have to be dealt with while fishing. Going to try the coated running line and see how it casts and shoots… may lose on distance or not… will see! For the leader, went with a 5′ Airflo Extra Fast Sinking Tip and the 5′ of 4lbs tippet. S...

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!

Having fun pond hopping local ponds and getting lots of practice casting the OPST Commando Head that we like using on our 5wt Fly Rod. Able to demo different casts that we use while in the Field. Not sure if they are the traditional fly casts techniques… mainly go with variations of casts until we find one that works for us. Gear used: Echo Ion Fly Reel 4/5 wt: http://amzn.to/2ql1EhN Redington Classic Trout Fly Rod (9′-4pc-5wt): http://amzn.to/2rENFHu OPST Commando Head (200 grain): http://amzn.to/2zftMuC OPST Lazarline Running Line: http://amzn.to/2gTrjOU  

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!  

Video that shows the fly rod/reels we used, and what led us to using a Switch Rod and a Trout Rod for most of our fly fishing trips now. We learned about spey lines and Switch Rods after injuring a shoulder. Normal overhead and side casts was painful. We were doomed to waiting for the shoulder to heal. Then, we tried a Switch Rod and discovered several casting techniques that allowed the rod hand to stay below the shoulder and felt no pain when casting. Later, we saw a video of a fly fisherman using the OPST Commando Head with only 1/2 of a 9′ 5wt Fly Rod. In the video, he was getting incredible casts with only a “four and a half” foot rod! With that we decided to try the OPST Commando Head on our favorite fly rod… a 9′ 5wt Redington Classic Trout fly rod. This combination provided the same benefits as the Switch Rod but in a more compact package! Subsequently, we primarily use the 6wt Switch Rod and the 5wt Fly Rod for our fly fishing trips. Do check out t...

Still working on a one-handed spey casting video… but did come across this one! Liking this video from Ed Ward at OPST! Going to use it next chance, should make a difference in keeping the mono running line tangle free when casting the OPST Commando Head!

Slight rain delay in fishing but did note the OPST Commando Head demo is gaining interest from viewers! Liking the one-handed spey technique! Also, the broiled trout recipe is doing well… working another one… Pan Fried Trout with a little fortified buttery nipple cocktails to have while cooking! Hope to have it posted soon!