Limited out on a cold morning on the Blue River... Icy rod guides, still fun! OPST Commando Head worked well in getting the fishing fly where I needed.
Had one take a Mop Fly but lost it when it threw the hook which then had me foul with a tree. Afterwards, caught them all on the Olive Near Deere.
Answering the mail with questions asking about the Blue River in Oklahoma and the section I fished north of Hughes Crossing. Area is referred to as Area 2 and also called the Wilderness.
I talked about the places I stopped - specifically, the barrels. I also added the slides at the end so you can pause the video and zoom in the image.
First trip to the Blue River in Oklahoma for the 2022-2023 Trout Season. Able to limit out with three Rainbow Trout. Also, caught and released a few others as well as caught a Bass aka Green Trout!
Caught the first trout using a Tandem Rig Olive Near Deere and Squirmy Worm variation. Remainder went for a Mop Fly! Did get hits on other fishing flies but it was the Mop Fly that did this round!
Another fun time on the Blue River in Oklahoma. Had to work it a little with a slow start. But, once I cracked the code and found them lurking in an undercut!
"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, enter at the parking area furthest West of Hwy 7.
Parking Area Furthest West from Hwy 7
"2) I think the C-n-R is barbless? Kind of silly if you ask me, but my memory banks are full!"
The Catch and Release area is barbless. See excerpt below:
"3) Are the stockings good in the C-n-R area? Still a mystery Easter egg hunt?"
Changes each Season with larger trout noted in past stockings. For this Season, have been monitoring reports that indicate sizeable trout in the area. Picture below was posted 6 days ago.
19" Rainbow Trout - Blue River C-n-R
For more details, here are videos that may be of interest for anyone wanting to fish the Blue River Catch and Release Area:
First trip to the C-n-R, taking the "long route"...
Blue River's catch and release section was stocked recently. Gave it a try, ended up doing a lot of walking and scouting the river. First time fishing the C&R section. Trout are there, next round... plan to take a shorter path and do less walking and more fishing!
Was able to fish with the OPST Commando Head on the 9' 5wt. Does cast well in tight areas... roll casting and switch casting to where the fish were lurking was easily done!
Next trip to the C-n-R, taking the "shorter route"...
Headed back to Texas from Oklahoma City, decided to make one more stop at the Blue River Catch and Release area. Caught one, lost a number of others... still had a great time! Plus: Learned the parking area furthest west is best for accessing the C&R.
Detailed video of the C-n-R with key points noted in the video timeline:
Fished the Blue River in Oklahoma last Saturday - November 7. Plan was to fish the Hughes Crossing area for trout to make another catch and cook. Struck out though. That said, made the run North of HWY 7 and fished the Catch and Release Section. After a wrong turn or two, made it to the area and had a fun time catching, losing, and landing a trout or two.
Did see an armadillo on the walk back to the parking area, and stopped by the Fly Library to add a fishing fly or two to collection. Overall, a great time on the Blue River!
PS: Longer than normal video, have key points noted in the video for reference.
Hughes Crossing: 1:06
Walking In to the C&R: 2:09
Fly Library Stop Inbound: 2:57
Fishing the C&R: 4:49
First Trout Caught: 6:52
Fishing and Missing Trout: 10:49
View of Retrieve Used: 17:20
Walking Out of the C&R: 18:29
Armadillo: 18:50
Lesson Learned - Go Left not Right: 19:54
FYI - Post Marker: 20:21
FYI - Go Right not Left: 22:37
Fly Library Stop Outbound: 21:26
How I Check My Hook is Barbless?:
Ever wonder if your hook is barbless when fishing an area that requires it? Try this fishing tip!
Fished the Blue River for trout this round. Opted for Super Dupers and Ultralight Fishing Gear. Three of us fished - two fished with Ultralight Spinning Gear and yours truly fished with Ultralight Baitcasting gear.
Cold front rolled in the night before dropping the temps below freezing. Anticipating trout tending deeper, decided to fish Super Dupers.
Stopped at Scotty's Blue River One Stop to restock on Super Dupers - picked up Rainbow Trout, Silver, and Copper Super Dupers to add to the gold and silver ones I already had.
After a quick check at the low water crossing, went downriver to fish. After finding the pattern limited out with three trout each!
PS: Yours truly wore hip waders and went a little too deep. Lesson learned where Pants Waders or Chest Waders. Also, we did have a wading boot blowout after many seasons. Secured the sole with rope to make it last one more trip. It worked... and has now been retired.
This round we discuss fishing opportunities at Denison Dam - tailrace to Lake Texoma, and the Nlue River Catch and Release area in Oklahoma.
Yours truly was unable to go fishing this weekend. But, not deterred, can always talk about fishing as well as watch fishing videos in preparation for our next fishing trip.
Do checkout the livestream, and do checkback... plan to use this format for providing timely updates to our Viewers!
This round I decided to mix things up and forego the low water crossing. Instead, I walked the area north of the crossing and explored the area. Learned a few things and even limited out on Trout! Great times fishing a river!
PS: Here is the map referenced in the video of the Blue River.
Decided to fish the Blue River Saturday on short notice. Plan was to go next weekend, but not sure how work and play will conflict in the next few weeks. Saw an opening for Saturday, so went for it.
Tied a number of fishing flies Friday night after work. Mainly tied Near Deere, Pat's Rubber Legs, and Mop Flies with plan to tie more GRHEN, Pheasant Tail Nymphs, and Muddler Minnows at a future date.
Was worried that the heavy rain on Friday into Saturday morning would make the river murky and fast flowing. Luckily, the river stayed clear and the current was not heavy... actually seemed slow.
Caught a number of trout releasing all but three. Lost a lot more as my mojo was off. No worries, was a great start tot eh 2022 - 2023 Trout Stocking Season.
PS: Shout out to Donavan and Okie Fly Gal... great seeing ya'll again. Hope to be back on the Blue sooner than later!
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 area.
The Team's first fishing trip to the Blue River was November 13, 2010. The Team caught Trout; moreover, they saw some Bruisers that went easily over five possibly ten pounds! As it turned out, a Trout Derby was in progress. In support of the Trout Derby, larger fish were included in the stocking.
Since then the Team has returned several times to fish the Blue River with good results each time. More important, when the Trout fishing bug strikes, they have discovered a day trip to the Blue makes for a good cure!
Hoped to catch one of the Bruiser trout that are stocked for the Trout Derby on the Blue River. Did not catch a Bruiser but still managed three that went 12″ – 14″ in size, making for a nice dinner!
After scouting the upriver from Hughes Crossing, went back to Hughes Crossing and fished just upriver of the low water crossing. Tried the same fishing fly and presentation as I did on an earlier trip.
Pattern this round… Pat’s Near Deere on dead drift with a twitch now and then as well as a Stop and Go Retrieve. Same applied to a Pat’s Rubber Leg.
Fishing an Olive Near Deere and a Guadalupana, trout wanted a fast retrieve with rapid short pulls. While a Pink Near Deere was a no go!
Made it to the Blue River in Oklahoma today. River was stocked October 28 but was not able to fish the river till today.
Limited out with three trout per the new daily limits this season. No worries… was a fun time.
Pat’s Near Deere worked well, do check back for the full video of the trip. Till then, this YouTube Shorts shows the first trout of the season for yours truly!
Just over two weeks away from Trout Stocking Season in Oklahoma! In two Fridays, there will be Rainbow Trout swimming in the Blue River.
While checking out past videos and blog posts, came across a video that recalled a fly tying session the night before I headed to the Blue several seasons ago.
Tied Near Deere in Olive and Orange, and then a pattern I called the PMC Emerger that can be fished wet or dry.
Check it out the YouTube Short Video below, and do give it a try on your next trip for Trout!
In preparation for the approaching Trout Stocking Season, put a video together about three Oklahoma rivers – two that offer year round trout fishing and one seasonal fishery.
Do check it out; we also included some key items to be aware of in the the Trout Area Regulations and General Trout Regulations posted by Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation online at https://www.eregulations.com/oklahoma/fishing/trout-area-information.
May be useful to first timers thinking about fishing this Season!
Good Luck and Good Fishing!
PS: Added a bonus tip at the end that my be for interest to some!
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!
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!
Fun time fishing the Blue River in Oklahoma. Recently stocked with Rainbow Trout, made the run across the border from Texas to Oklahoma for a go at the trout. Olive Near Deere and Tandem Rigged flies seemed to get a strike or two… after yours truly shook off the missed strikes and hooksets.
Good thing I got my mojo back and was able to get a limit to start the 2020-2021 trout stocking season. Longer than normal video but add footage exploring the area near Hughes Crossing and playing with the trout in the clear water by the Low Water Crossing.
Do check it out! Hope to be back for more trout fishing fun on the Blue River!