FYI - Black and Red Zonker

For your info, a picture of a Black and Red Zonker that I used today at Bethany Lakes.

A variant of this fly was used to catch the small Bass in the previous post.

It is the same as the Black and Red Zonker except it has been tied using a purple-colored strip.

Black and Red Zonker:

Bethany Lakes - March 13, 2008

Fished Bethany Lakes this Evening. Caught Bluegill in the canal running between the Main Pond and the Lower Pond. Used a Gold Ribbed Hares Ear Nymph, size 10.

Tried the Back Pond near the feeder creek and caught Bluegill along the banks. Fish were active in the shallows and were caught using the nymph and a Black and Red Streamer. Caught a small Bass using a Purple Zonker. Would post a picture of the fly but lost it when I snagged the bottom.

Looks as if the fish are enjoying the warm weather; all fish were caught in fairly shallow water.

Pictures:


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Allen Station Dam - March 12, 2008

Checked out Allen Station Dam on Wednesday.  Water was flowing and cloudy.  No fish were observed in the silting basin or the feeder creek.  Need to wait this location out until Spring.

 

Celebration Park - March 11, 2008

Checked the North Pond this afternoon. Bluegill and Sunfish were active on the surface. But, opted not to fish the pond.

Returned this Evening to fish the East Pond. Caught Bluegill and Catfish with a 17" and 19" Catfish caught and released.

Took pictures but Murphy's Law came into effect - picture of 19" Catfish was not saved. Used the Zebco Deliar to weigh the 19" Catfish; weighed in at 1.75 lbs.

Sampling of fish caught this Evening:


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Celebration Park - March 9, 2008 (Video)

Update: Posted video clip of this evening's quick trip to Celebration Park. Overall, it was a great day to be outdoors. Good luck and good fishing! Note: Our team is beta testing a news fishing site called DFW Fishing News. Refer to the Recommended Links in the sidebar or click-on DFW Fishing News for a preview.

Celebration Park - March 9, 2008

Fished the East Pond using spinfishing gear and bread for bait. Caught 6 fish - two Catfish and four Bluegill/Sunfish. Catfish went 14" and 16" in size. Bluegill/Sunfish were small ranging from 4" to 5". Slideshow of fish is posted in the site's video player. Returned this evening and caught two Catfish, smaller than the one's caught in the morning. Working on a video clip and will post when available. Note: Our team is beta testing a news fishing site called DFW Fishing News. Refer to the Recommended Links in the sidebar or click-on DFW Fishing News for a preview.

Celebration Park - March 7, 2008

Stopped at Celebration Park. Cold and windy with minimal activity at the North Pond. No surface action at the East Pond. Shifted to chumming with bread making sure they sank before slowly crawling the Cigarette Egg Fly along the chummed bottom.

Caught one small Catfish and missed three other strikes. And then, called it an outing. Too cold since I did not bring gloves.



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FYI - Real Time Release For Denison Dam

Video clip of a Nice Striped Bass caught at Denison

Updated FYI: We updated the information and created a document for ease of reference.  Go to Method Of Procedure (MOP) Determining the Real Time Release for Denison Dam!

For clarification, an example of the Real Time (Hydropower) Release for Denison Dam is provided below. 

The item of note is that the information is delayed 15" to 30" and not two hours as previously posted. In the example below, a snapshot was taken at 1830 (6:30PM).

The data showed water flowing and power generating beginning at 1600 (4PM). This remained the case as of 1815 (6:15PM) with no data for 1830 available.

Useful information if you live reasonably close to the area. If you do not, it is a good starting point for comparing the planned generation times listed in the Generation Schedule with what actually occurred as listed in the Real Time Release.

Example

 

Click on Denison Dam Real Time (Hydropower) Release. The Real Time (Hydropower) Release has a 15" to 30" delay but provides a more current view of waterflow at the dam. Use it to confirm water is or is not flowing. Note: Our team is beta testing a news fishing site called DFW Fishing News. Refer to the Recommended Links in the sidebar or click-on DFW Fishing News for a preview.

Celebration Park - March 5, 2008

Fished the East Pond using the Bread Fly and the Cigarette Egg Fly this evening. Chummed with bread and then caught several Bluegill and Sunfish. Catfish showed and actively fed on the chum but could not get a solid strike.

Another flyfishermen was fishing the pond and caught several Bluegill on a midge pattern, and then caught more with the Cigarette Egg Fly.

Overall a nice day considering yesterday's snow.

This Evening's Fish:


Note: Our team is beta testing a news fishing site called DFW Fishing News. Refer to the Recommended Links in the sidebar or click-on DFW Fishing News for a preview.

FYI - Denison Dam Real Time Release Schedule

UPDATED FYI:

We updated the information and created a document for ease of reference.  Go to Method Of Procedure (MOP) Determining the Real Time Release for Denison Dam!

Since fishing success at the tailrace is largely dependent on waterflow, below are links to the Generation Schedule and the Real Time (Hydropower) Release for Denison Dam. Click on Denison Dam Real Time (Hydropower) Release. The Real Time (Hydropower) Release has a 15" to 30" delay but provides a more current view of waterflow at the dam. Use it to confirm water is or is not flowing. Click on Denison Dam Generation Schedule. The Generation Schedule is not always accurate and changes based on power demands from Utilities. Use it for checking the generation pattern keeping in mind that it can be modified without notice. If you plan to wade the river, make sure you have an Oklahoma Fishing License, else risk a fine. Oklahoma owns the river, so a non-resident Oklahoma License is required.

Note: Our team is beta testing a news fishing site called DFW Fishing News. Refer to the Recommended Links in the sidebar or click-on DFW Fishing News for a preview.

Weather Delay - March 4, 2008

Our area received a fair amount of snow last night and into the morning. Local news reported a number of wrecks on the highways.

For the most part our team has weathered the storm and plans to hit the local community lakes in the near future.

Will post results as they come in from the team.

Good luck and good fishing!

Note: Our team is beta testing a news fishing site called DFW Fishing News. Refer to the Recommended Links in the sidebar or click-on DFW Fishing News for a preview.

Bethany Ridge Park - March 2, 2008

Made a quick trip this morning to Bethany Ridge Park to fish for Bluegill. Tried the Cigarette Egg Fly and caught several small Bluegill. Switched to a Peacock Herl Midge and caught more Bluegill.

Weather was overcast and windy but the fish (more like fingerlings) were actively feeding. Fish were located under the bridge that crosses the feeder creek to the pond and included small (less than 4") Bluegill and Catfish.

FYI - Checked the stocking information posted on Texas Parks and Wildlife's website and noted Bethany Ridge Park was stocked with fingerling Bluegill and Catfish.

Bluegill caught this morning:



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Towne Lake - March 1, 2008

Fished Towne Lake in McKinney for Trout this afternoon. Fishing partner caught 3 and I caught 4 for a total of 7 fish - ranging from 8" to 11" in size. Fished using a Carolina Rig and bread. Trout semed to ignore the corn.

Cleaned the fish and checked their stomach contents. Stomachs were empty other than the bread used to take them.

Weather permitting, may try Towne Lake again. Or, try a local pond to continue field testing the Cigarette Egg Fly or Bread Fly patterns.

Trout Stringer:



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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:



The March 2008 eNewsletter has been posted. Refer to the Recommended Links in the sidebar or click-on March 2008 eNewsletter. For easier reading, the ads posted on the right frame of the eNewsletter can be closed by clicking on the Tab in the ads section.

March 2008 eNewsletter

FYI: The March 2008 eNewsletter has been posted. Refer to the Recommended Links in the sidebar or click-on March 2008 eNewsletter. Note: For easier reading, the ads posted on the right frame of the eNewsletter can be closed by clicking on the Tab in the ads section.

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: