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, ...

Great report an pics from the Blue River!   Capt. Mac: Blue River camp Took last Friday off and spent a long weekend camped out at the Blue with a buddy of mine. The object was to celebrate my birthday and to shoot a video. Both were successful. Campfires were poked, whiskey was drank, cigars were smoked, stories were told and trout were caught. Spent Friday setting up camp, shooting video and cooking dinner. Pan fried pork chops, mashed potatoes, corn and ceaser salad. Got pretty chilly Friday night so we slept in a little Saturday morning. Cooked some breakfast and ate huddled next to the fire until it warmed up a little, then we hit the river. Fished mostly with olive wooly boogers. Lots of midges in the air and on the water but I didn't want to get to technical with it while trying to shoot. Besides, my fingers were too cold to tie many knots. Saturday night we sat around camp listening to rain, ea...

Winter Trout Stocking Season has begun on the Blue River. Was able to fish the river last Saturday – November 3, 2018. Mainly fished Hughes Crossing and managed to catch four for the skillet. Did lose others and missed more as your truly’s mojo was off. Regardless, had a great time fishing for trout. Went with the tried and true fly fishing combo… the 5wt Redington Classic Trout Fly Rod and Echo Ion 4/5 Reel with an OPST Commando Head for one-handed spey casting which made for easier casting when the back cast is constrained by trees and other things. Trout went for a Tandem Rigged Olive Near Deere with a trailing Rainbow Warrior. Trout seemed to prefer the Near Deere but did get one on the Rainbow Warrior… but, lost it when putting it on the stringer. Also, noticed the Trout wanted more movement instead of a dead drift. Action was steady but leaves and other debris clobbered the area we were fishing and tended to foul our lines and fishing flies often. Decided to explore the river usi...

Some thoughts on where to go fishing this weekend. Last time we posted we mentioned enjoying the Striped Bass fishing at Denison Dam. This round we suggest for those in the DFW areas… But, this weekend with the weather looking good, we have trout to be caught either in Texas ponds or the Blue River in OK or the Guadalupe River south in New Braunfels as well as fishing area lakes for maybe crappie and/or catfish. For reference, links to the videos mentioned in this video for reference: Rowlett https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MyhaVVqN5g0 Waterloo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUQlk8Q0XqU Pottsboro https://youtu.be/QXzMrSJs_64 Denison Dam OK https://youtu.be/AzoLMklWiDs Blue River OK https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cLQLipttpO4 Blue River OK search https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=blue+river+fishing+oklahoma&sp=EgIIBA%253D%253D Guadalupe River, New Braunfels search https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=guadalupe+river+trout+fishing&sp=EgIIBA%253D%253D

Longer than the normal video; this one provides for suggestions and tips for fishing the Blue River in Oklahoma using “the 3 Ws” approach:. What we tried What worked What we learned Do checkout the information when planning a trip to the Blue River. Information focuses mainly on fly fishing tips but does provide information that may be of interest to non-fly fishermen. Also, the area fished is the low water crossing known as Hughes Crossing; however, the approach detailed in the video is applicable to other areas of the Blue River. Do check it out! Links noted in the video: Blue River Fishing Flies Playlist Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation – Fishing Regulations Fly Fishing Gear for Cold Weather

Liking the news about the Blue River getting trout stockings next week!  Time to get gear ready, and make a run across the border to OK for those in the North Texas area! Video retrieved from Blue River Fishing and Hunting Area video posted on Facebook; do check it out! PS: Info on Hughes Crossing of the Blue River that may be of interest to some… Blue River!  

Fun times on the Blue River; hope to make it out again this month. Having posted the video of the action on Saturday (November 3, 2018), been getting questions on suggested fishing baits and lures. Since “a picture is worth a thousand words”, decided to add a “Blue River Fishing Stuff” section to our Field Team Amazon Picks! Of note are various Berkley PowerBait Trout Baits, Nuggets, Trout Worms, and Mice Tails all of which have done well on the Blue River as well as the Lower Illinois River in Oklahoma and the Trinity River in Texas for the Team. In addition, we added Trout Magnets and Salmon Eggs for good measure.  There are times when these two offerings have made the difference for us on fishing trips… doesn’t hurt to keep them handy! For the fly fisherman, our first suggestion is to use a Tandem Rigged Olive Near Deere with a trailing nymph or midge pattern. However, Near Deere are not normally offered online. As such, we suggest a suitable substitute – a Wooly Bugger with a t...

For several Winters the COAF Field Team focused on fishing local community lakes and ponds for Rainbow Trout. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department would publish its Winter Rainbow Trout Stocking Schedule the latter half of November each year. The Team reviewed the schedule and adjusted work/personal commitments to maximize their chances at fishing for the scrappy Trout. These locations included Bethany Lakes in Allen, Towne Lake in McKinney, and the Commons Pond in Frisco. Of the three, Bethany Lakes typically received a stocking mid-December, and then stockings in Towne Lake and Commons Pond would follow the next year in mid/late February. About four years ago, the Team decided to try fishing the Blue River in Oklahoma. They heard from others that the River was less than two hours away, was stocked weekly starting November through March the following year, and offered an excellent opportunity for larger Rainbow Trout compared to the little Stockers being released the Team's ar...

Kicked off the 2016-2017 Trout Stocking Season early last week when we fished the Lower Illinois River. This round, we fished the Blue River; the weekly trout stockings have started… Hooray! Given the nice weather and an opening in the work schedule, made a short notice trip to fish the Blue River on Saturday. Although it was a tough round of fishing, did limit out after finding a pattern that worked! Changed fishing flies multiple times before settling on a Tandem Rig – Olive Near Deere and Griffith’s Gnat set 4′ under a strike indicator. Had hits on both fishing flies with a number of missed hook sets. Of the ones landed, four went for the Oliver Near Deere. Later, the trout wanted movement in the fishing fly. Ended up removing the indicator and fished a a Mardi Gras Near Deere and later a Pink Near Deere. Overall, had another great time on the Blue River. The 6-WT Switch Rod and the Rio Switch Chucker Line were key today in getting the needed distance where the fish were lurking usi...

Trout season is just around the corner with our neighbors to the North in Oklahoma getting a stocking of the Blue River in November. As we get lots of questions asking about fishing the Blue River, decided to post this video and provide details on an Infographic we published on our blog – Hope it helps for those interested in fishing the Blue this year! Catch and Release Playlist Blue River Playlist HubPages Article: Hughes Crossing

Decided to make the run to the Blue River for a preseason fishing trip. Trout are scheduled to be stocked in the near future. Best to checkout the river and see if anything has changed. Was a great trip. Did not catch any big ones but did have fun catching a fish or two while scouting the river! River was looking really nice, and the weather was even nicer. Fished with the Discount Switch Rod – 2wt Maxcatch Fly Rod with Hydros SL1 Reel with OPST Commando Head (mentioned Rio Trout Max in the video… it’s the OPST). Also, the Tandem Rig Fishing Fly setup worked on the fish, hope it works on trout in the next few weeks. Do keep the Blue River in your back pocket this coming Trout Stocking Season!

Follow-up on yesterday’s video post on Blue River Fishing and places to fish. This one is an infographic and video about Fishing Licenses and other info for fishing the Blue River, OK! Key Links for reference: Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation Home Page: https://www.wildlifedepartment.com/ Online Purchase: https://license.gooutdoorsoklahoma.com/ Contact Us: https://www.wildlifedepartment.com/contact Oklahoma Fishing Guide 2019/2020: https://www.wildlifedepartment.com/law/guides?qt-guides=1#qt-guides PDF of the Fishing Guide: https://www.wildlifedepartment.com/sites/default/files/Fishing%20Regulations%2019-20.pdf Video with details on fishing the Blue River Infographic for Reference

Was a tough round on the Blue River today. Saw others catching trout; yours truly struggled, but did finally land one – a small stocker. That said, had a great time on the river, even put a song together inspired while on the road to the Blue… Blue River not Blue Bayou that is. Morning was chilly but things warmed up later… maybe too hot for trout fishing? Also, the wind kicked up as well. Luckily, was able to gain even more distance with the OPST Commando Head on the 9′ 5wt. Still need more practice and did switch to a floating tip in lieu of the sinking tip so as to fish a tandem rig under a strike indicator. Next round, hope to get more than one trout, but till then we hope the “road trip inspired” song / video “inspires others to fish Lady Blue!

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!

Made the run to Oklahoma this weekend to fish the Blue River! Trout stocking season is winding down, so decided to make a trip and try our luck. Was a tough go with murky waters but our fishing partner caught four but only kept three trout; all were caught on ultralight spinning gear and using PowerWorms! Did see others catch them using MealWorms, PowerBait, and Marshmallows, too! Given the murky conditions, was a tough go for yours truly. Did hook (although foul hooked) one trout; and then caught one and landed it but lost in when trying to put it on the stringer! Overall, was an awesome day on the Lady Blue! Made better with some nice trout for a tasty brunch Sunday morning. Do stay tuned for the catch and cook video! After fishing the Blue River, decided to stop at Pauls Valley at the Kentucky Fried Chicken where the Colonel’s Buffet was being served! What a day… Sunny, short-sleeve weather, fishing a river, catching and losing trout, and then all you can eat KFC! It doesn...

Just around to corner and November will be upon us and so will Trout fishing on the Blue River in Oklahoma. One item of note is the Veteran's Weekend Trout Derby held every year! This upcoming season includes a few prizes and raffles… see  below from Scotty's One Stop! This Henry 30-30 lever action golden boy has been donated by minor munitions to help with our Veterans Day blue River trout derby. Chances are 5$ each or 5 for 20$ . All proceeds go to help buy more and bigger trout for the derby. They are on sale now at scottys blue River one stop and minor munitions in madill . The drawing will be the 13 of nov. At I pm you need not be present to win

Not able to make the run to the Blue River lately. But, this video sure is a great reminder of the action to be had on the Blue! Liked it so much, decided to compile the videos from last year to the Blue River in Oklahoma! Do check them out!

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...

Looks like there are two trout derbies this weekend – Blue River in Oklahoma and the Trick-A-Trout Derby in Frisco, Texas. The Blue River is a two day event with some nice Bruisers caught each year! For more on the derby check out Scotty’s One Stop website . It may say the next derby is in November…. disregard that, it is this weekend! For the derby in Frisco, it is Saturday from 8AM-11AM and is for children. Their website has been spotty, so it may be tough to get more details but if you go to their Facebook page – Frisco Parks and Recreation , they are answering messages and can clarify any questions that you may have! PS: Frisco’s website is working again – here is the link to the Trick-A-Trout Derby Saturday. We are not certain about fishing plans this weekend; still up in the air but we do plan to fish somewhere! Till then, Good Luck and Good Fishing! For more on Texas Trout Derbies from the past years do see our Pinterest site: Follow COAF Fie...

Fun time fishing the Blue River in Oklahoma. Made the run across the border from Texas to Oklahoma for a go at the trout in 2020. This trip is the first one for us in 2021 and it did not disappoint. Much colder than last time with ice forming on rod guides in the morning. The bite was steady but strikes were extremely light… luckily, we had the right fishing fly – a Pat’s Rubber Leg variant tied by Zach Flatt and available at Scotty’s Blue River One Stop. Fished an olive and a cream pattern with the olive being the preferred this trip. Key take away… fish it using a dead drift, use a small indicator like the Corq version, and set the hook at any hesitation in the drift. Do check back for more videos, this one was a fun one to day… especially when a limit of trout was had!