Stocker Trout Fishing News

A Year Round Trout Fishery! The Lower Illinois River is one of two year round trout fisheries in Oklahoma. It is stocked with Rainbow and Brown Trout by the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation (ODWC) as water conditions allow. To help fishermen interested in fishing the Lower Illinois River, we created an infographic and posted a YouTube Video that steps through the information. Also, we published a HubPages Article – Lower Illinois River River Trout Fishing , that adds lessons learned from past trips to the river. So check the infographic, video, and article out in preparation for a trip to the Lower Illinois River!

Made it back to the Lower Illinois River Saturday morning for another round with the trout. Managed to catch two using fishing flies, else it was chartreuse Power Bait Trout Worms. Two of us fished; two of us limited out! Great time on a really nice day. Glad to have spent it fishing for trout on a river! PS: Shout out to Donavan; best place to meet a Facebook friend for the first time – on a river fishing!     Log Book Entry: 4/01/17 Location: Lower Illinois River (Gore, OK) Time: 09:30 – 14:00 Weax: Sunny, Long Sleeve but later Short Sleeve, Windy Rod: Redington Classic Trout 5wt – 9′ Reel: Echo Ion 4/5 – 6wt Flyline Comments: Trout were actively feeding but had a hard time catching them with fishing flies. Did get two to take a Near Guad. One struck while recasting it in a run downriver from the Waterfall. The other struck a Near Guad drifted in the fast water by the Waterfall; used a strike indicator and set it three feet from the fishing fly. Fishing bud...

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...

Had a fun time on the Lower Illinois River Saturday! Still working on the video of the trip; will post soon as able. For now, here is a snippet of our Fishing Partner catching the First and Last Trout of the day….! Also, here is the link to the article that details the Bubble Fly Rigs we use including the Ajusta Bubble one used by our Fishing Partner this trip… How To Set Up Bubble Fly Rigs.     View this post on Instagram   #video snippet of the action yesterday #fishing the #lowerillinoisriver …fun times! yes, #mylifeisgood❤️ still!! A post shared by COAF Field Team (@coaf.field.team) on Oct 21, 2018 at 1:45pm PDT

Here is the follow-up video from yesterday’s trip to the Lower Illinois River. No action shots of the hook set as it was a tough go catching them on a fly rod. Fishing buddy did well with Ultralight Spinning Gear and Power Bait Trout Worms to get a limit! Did take the opportunity to talk briefly about the switch rod we used as a one-handed fly rod. Cold temps that day but did learn others were able to wet wade the day prior… even better, they were able to catch a number of them on the fly! Classic “they were biting yesterday” syndrome!

Been a brutal work week so far, making us miss the Lower Illinois River and the trout fishing to be had even more. That said, here is a quick video snippet of some things to note for Readers interested in fishing the Lower Illinois River in Oklahoma!   Short snippet on Saturday’s #fishing on the #lowerillinoisriver …great place, great time. Already want to go back for more #rainbowtrout A post shared by COAF Field Team (@coaf.field.team) on Apr 4, 2017 at 5:05pm PDT

Fished the Lower Illinois River Saturday for the first time. There are trout to be caught. Even better it is a year-round fishery in Oklahoma! Do give it a shot in the near future!    

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!  

Planned to fish the Lower Illinois River in Oklahoma by the Power Plant. When we arrived, we noted the river was high and the current was strong. They were generating power, so we went to our backup plan… fishing for trout at a place we never been to before… Marval RV Resort. Since it is further downriver, we hoped the current would be slower and wadeable. It was still flowing fast and wading would be a hazard other than protected areas near the bank. No worries… learned a few things about the area, caught a fish or two as well as one trout by our Fishing Buddy. Check out the video as we fish a new place by trial and error!

Finally made it to the Lower Illinois River for some Rainbow Trout Fishing. Had a great time scouting the river and seeing new places! Although it was tough fishing, we did manage to catch a fish or  two. First Rainbow Trout was in the Special Regulation Zone (also referred to the “Watts” area); it went about 12″ so we had to let it go. Next fish was a White Bass that we let go. Then, after a few missed hook sets, caught a Rainbow Trout that went about 11″ and another that went 14″. We were able to keep them for dinner since we were no longer in the “Watts” area. Dave’s Bait and Tackle (Gore, OK) Also, did see a couple of nice looking trout but neither were willing to strike. And then, later in the day – late afternoon/early evening, did see others doing well catching them with fishing flies! Do hope to fish the area again. PS: Did get some video and posted it below. Will plan to host a Q&A Live Stream for Readers to join and ask...

Looks like the rain is impacting the Blue and Lower Mountain Fork, and the upcoming Spring Break (or possibly already in progress) will have the Lower Mountain Fork crowded. Need to make some adjustments! texasflycaster: Re: Lower Mountain Fork Report This sounds no good, but more like reality than the "chamber of commerce" stories that come along (expect one right after this post). Just to add insult to injury; when is Oklahoma's spring break? Talk about a zoo! I guess the Blue River is over and almost done? They must be getting pounded by this rain (off color water and floods)? Heck of a warm year either way. Lower Illinois here we come! Retrieved from http://texasfishingforum.com/forums

Made the run to Oklahoma to the Lower Ilinois River for Rainbow Trout and Striped Bass. Fished the spillway area initially but then moved downriver when they started generating power. While at the spillay, caught small striped bass, gaspergou, and our fishing buddy caught a nice size Buffalo but did not get video. Put up a nice fight on the Ugly Stik Rod Combo, he picked up the day before at Bass Pro Shops. Also, able to catch one Striped Bass and a Rainbow Trout that we kept for a catch and cook video… do stay tuned for it! Casted a few jig and fluke rigs at the Spillway for Striped Bass once the current was flowing nicely from the turbines… no strikes, so moved further downriver and fished a couple of spots – caught another Rainbow Trout for the catch and cook video, lost a Rainbow Trout that threwt the fishing fly, and sight casted to Carp that ignored our fishing fly. Fishing fly used was the Olive Near Deere and we continue to use our favorite fly fishing combo ...

Decided to review the What’s New in 2021 section of the Texas 2021-2022 Season. Had a question concerning one of the new changes to 2021; contacted Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. They replied within the hour. Nice! Reviewed one new change to the trout regulations in Oklahoma. Was uncertain about the Daily Limits for the Lower Mountain Fork. Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation clarified for me. Had another on related to the Lower Illinois River. Interesting answer… suggest contacting them directly. To submit questions to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, use the following link: Submi t a Question. To submit question to the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, use the following link: Contact Us.

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)

Another fun trip and a good one to remind us cool weather is coming soon and so is trout stocking season! See video at https://youtu.be/rO1GSkrhwPo

Was a tough round fishing last week. Decided to take the jon boat and put out jug lines with long time Field Team member – Zeke Rutledge. Put in a Highland Park and soon found out the shad were not in the area; knew then that the fishing would be tough. Cast the net at the boat ramp as well as the shallows north and south of the ramp without success. Did bring chicken livers as a backup. After deploy the jug lines, spent the rest of the time searching for shad and checking on the lines. Had a few bites and did manage one Channel Catfish. Was our one and only fish this round; decided to let it go to get bigger. Tough round but still lots of fun fishing! We know the Catfish are there; just got to keep at it… plus always good to recall past trips like the one where we caught a 33″ catfish jug lining (added a snippet of that trip to the video below as a reminder!) PS: Do check back for our next video… fished the Lower Illinois River in Oklahoma for trout this past Sa...

Been getting sidetracked for some time since we fished the Lower Illinois River in Oklahoma last year. Been wanting to post the catch and cook video of the brunch we had following the trip. We caught a Striped Bass and two Rainbow Trout we kept for the table. Did get other fish but released them instead. That said, do check out the catch and cook video; and do keep in mind for those who may catch a bruiser trout this weekend at TRWD Flyfest 2019!

Made the run north across the border to the Lower Illinois River. Had a great time! One of us limited out (not yours truly) with six Rainbow Trout; the other one caught only two! Still working on the video; not sure if we got enough footage but will piece something together and get it posted!  For now, here is today’s catch!   Today’s catch #trout #fishing on the #lowerillinoisriver …one of us limited out. The other only got two. No worries, still a great time! A post shared by COAF Field Team (@coaf.field.team) on Mar 25, 2017 at 1:49pm PDT

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...

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...