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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!
Fun time limiting out on trout. Able to post an impromptu livestream at Caruth Park!
It includes all the mistakes and missed strikes while recording live. It took about an hour of fishing using fishing flies and other lures before I found what worked.
Ultralight Baitcasting a 1/16oz Rooster Tail - black with silver blade, fished on a slow retrieve was the go to method.
Although I limited out, I should have finished sooner but I kept losing trout while landing them. No worries, great excuse to keep fishing!
First time fishing with a Center Pin Reel. Had to practice and get my timing and release down. Managed to catch two Trout, improve my casting, and then closed out with ultralight baitcasting to get three more trout to make a limit.
Do check back for more Center Pin Fishing. New way to fish for yours truly. Would be a great way to fish the tailrace at Denison Dam, Lewisville Lake Ecological Learning Area, and other rivers.
Here is the fishing fly that produced for us recently on the Blue River in Oklahoma. Tried various fishing flies before settling on the Near Deere. Trout were taking both olive and white with the key factor being the presentation and retrieve - short pull retrieves! Do give it a try!
Decided to tie a Wooley Bugger to my @GoFish Cam several seasons back, and then "troll" it in a shallow side creek to the main channel of the Blue River. Was surprised how many trout were in the less than knee deep water as well as some that were near my feet! Step lightly when wade fishing!
Trout Stocking Season is a few months away in Texas. Here is a Shorts from last season where I am using inline spinners and ultralight spinning gear to limit out! See full video at COAF Field Team YouTube Channel
Decided to fish Pottsboro Lake in Pottsboro Texas this past Saturday. After a little rain in the morning, made it to the pond just as a cold front rolled in. Cold and windy, did manage three trout. Planned to catch trout using ultralight lures and a BFS Rod/Reel, but trout wanted PowerWorms. Good thing I had the Bubble and Fly Rig handy, just swapped the fishing fly for a PowerWorm. Bite was steady, just kept missing the hookset. Did get a few Bluegill and a Bass on the PowerWorms. Plus got some underwater video of what was lurking in the pond! Do check out the video!
Here is a video short of yours truly trying to catch a trout or two after figuring out the pattern. Trout were wanting no retrieve, minimal movement... or a long pull and then hold while the fly sank. Used a Pat's Near Deere, and then a Pat's Rubber Legs.
After only a strike and a miss, decided to post a livestream while trout fishing at Murphy City Complex Pond. Saw lots of folks, with limits being taken on PowerBait and PowerWorms as well as lures. Gold Super Duper worked for some in the morning. Later, Silver Super Dupers were getting bit. Key was to cast mid-pond , let the lure sink, and retrieve slow... much slower than the retrieve that worked last weekend in McKinney's Towne Lake.
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!
YouTube Shorts Video of underwater action shots of a Trout really liking a Berkley PowerWorm! Ended up catching three trout today but missed a lot more.
Fished using the Kastking Zephyr BFS reel and a bubble fly rig but used a PowerWorm instead of a fishing fly. Windy and cold, still had lots of fun!
YouTube Shorts video of yours truly trout fishing using a Kastking Zephyr BFS reel and a Fire Tiger Roostertail, and then a Penn Pursuit spinning reel and a Black Roostertail. Steady but fast retrieve was key!
Back to the local pond for more trout fishing. Cold temps with frost had changed the pattern. Eventually found a lure and a retrieve that worked. Limited out casting to passing schools of trout. Do check out the video to see how I found pattern.