Towne Lake - February 29, 2008 (PM)

Fished Towne Lake for another try at Trout. Started fishing at about 7:30PM and quit when the park closed at 11PM.

Things started out slow with nothing taken in the first hour. Fished on the bottom with a Carolina Rigged Corn and with a Bobber with bread for bait. No nibbles, no strikes, no fish.

The second hour was able to take one Trout but missed several more. Fished with bread on the bottom with no weight - hook and line but no sinker. Seemed like any tension on the line would cause the fish to spook.

This went on until I managed to finally set the hook on three Trout. Largest went about 10" but lost one that was definitely bigger. Final tally - 4 Trout ranging from 8.5" to 10" in size.

Four Trout Stringer:

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Celebration Park - February 29, 2008

Fished the North Pond to run another field test of the Cigarette Egg Fly - a fly pattern tied using material from a cigarette filter. Caught five Bluegill/Sunfish in less than 15" with a lot more missed strikes.

Bluegill and Sunfish readily struck the Cigarette Egg Fly. Fish were caught on the surface as well as below when the fly slowly sank.

Also, did not chum with Bread until after landing the first fish. Wanted to take one on the fly without chum.

At this point, the team plans to add this pattern to their arsenal of Panfishing Flies.

Good luck and good fishing!



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Fishing Tip - "Suggested Rig for Fishing Flies without a Fly Rod"

Fishing Tip: Our team enjoys fishing, especially with flyfishing equipment. However, our casting ability does not match our passion for fishing. As a result, there are times when casting a fishing fly requires other means.

One means is to use a Bubble-Fly Rig to cast fishing flies with spinfishing or spincasting gear (see illustration below). This rig is not limited to just fishing flies and can be used to cast other light weight artificials and baits. Note: The Nail Knot is placed below the Bubble; not above as when tying a Slip Bobber.

Also, by replacing the bubble with a weighted float and the fishing fly with a jig you will have a Float-Jig Rig. This rig has enabled us to cast jigs further and prevent jigs from hanging up on rocks while fishing the tailrace at Denison Dam. Works well when the water is being released and the current is strong.

Good luck and good fishing!

Illustration:



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March 2008 eNewsletter

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Towne Lake - February 27, 2008 (PM)

Fished Towne Lake this evening. Used a Carolina Rigged Corn on the bottom. One nibble but no hook-up. Switched to lures and tried out a Kastmaster and a Super Duper without success. Changed back to bait but used a float and fished the upper column with Bread for bait. Several hits but no hook-ups. Could see fish activity on the surface but failed to get a decent strike let alone land a Trout. Hopefully, it was just a slow bite since it was night and not the Cormorants reported earlier by the Field Team.

Towne Lake Field Report - February 27, 2008

A member of the Field Team reports limiting out with a five fish limit at Towne Lake at Noon today!  Unfortunately, he mentioned the Cormorant have returned. 

 

So, better fish when the opportunity presents itself before the birds clean out the Trout.

 

Asked him what he was using - Carolina Rigged Corn fished from the bottom.  However, he did see others using floats getting strikes with one of the old timers limiting out fishing with Bread.

 

Did not send pictures but they were the norm - 8" to 10" in size.

 

Towne Lake - February 25, 2008

Returned to Towne Lake in McKinney for another chance at Trout after work today. Tried flyfishing with the Cigarette Egg Fly; struck out with no hits.

Went back to the Carolina Rigged Corn fished on the bottom. Caught 5 fish limit ranging in 7" to 9.5" in size in less than 45 minutes. Would have limited out sooner but missed a lot of light strikes.

Cleaned the fish and noted the stomach contents. Most were filled with Corn. However, two Trout had a Chartreuse PowerBait Nugget along with Corn in their stomachs.

At this point, suggest fishing with Corn until the Trout start feeding on midges. Then, will try catching them on a nymph.

Good luck and good fishing!

Trout Stringer:

Stomach Contents:

FAQ - "Preferred Bait and Rig for Trout Fishing"

While fishing for Trout in the community lakes in the local area, our team is frequently asked: "What bait are we using?" and "How are we rigging our fishing poles?"

We don't consider ourselves fishing experts but willingly provide information and tips to others. The following are the answers to those questions for your reference.

Good luck and good fishing!

"What bait are we using?"
Typically we use Corn when fishing for Trout. It is cheap and works well after a Trout stocking. We also keep Bread, Cheese with Garlic, Salmon Eggs, and Trout PowerBait on hand in case the Trout are selective. Since things change from year to year, one bait may outfish what worked the year before.

"How are we rigging our fishing poles?"
Normally we fish the bottom using a Carolina Rig. We opt to fish on the bottom when we first arrive at a fishing area but will shift to fishing with a Bobber / Bubble Float, casting lures, and flyfishing. Adjusting as the situation dicatates. For your information, the illustration below details the Carolina Rigged Corn, the rig we use when fishing with Corn on the bottom.

Towne Lake - February 24, 2008

Returned to Towne Lake in McKinney for another chance at Trout in the late afternoon. Started out slow with no hits on a Carolina Rigged corn but then it picked up about a half-hour later. Partner and I ended up limiting out - 10 Trout ranging from 8" to 10.5" in size.

Saw a lot of limits taken using bait. Also, observed others taking them with artificials. One fisherman took a ~14"+ Trout on a chrome Kastmaster.

Several flyfishermen were also tempting them with fishing flies but did not see any hook-ups despite a lot of surface activity. A school of Trout were boiling on the surface several times.

FYI: Saw the Game Warden out issuing citations, so beware and heed the five fish per person daily limit and ensure you have a license.

Towne Lake Trout (8" to 10.5" size)

Towne Lake - February 23, 2008

Participated in the City of McKinney Trout Derby this morning at Towne Lake. Caught five fish limit in less than 30". Checked in my stringer for a whopping 442 grams!

Opted for spinfishing gear and fished corn on the bottom on a Carolina Rig. Observed children and adults catching Trout ranging from 7" to 12"+ in size.

Returned later in the afternoon with my fishing partner. Same story, different fisherman, five fish limit on corn fished on the bottom on a Carolina Rig.

Small but fun fishing for them.

Note: Saw fish taken on Corn, PowerBait, and Cheese. Also, observed others taking them on silver and copper Super Dupers. Noticed some fishing with Salmon Eggs with some results. First day of trout stocking pretty much anything goes.

Trout Derby Stringer - 442g!

Partners Stringer taken in the afternoon.