Quick Trip Fly Fishing for Sunfish!

Another quick trip to Duck Creek before starting the day job. Sunfish were biting on a size 8 foam grasshopper. Caught several in short order, then the bite stopped unexpectedly. No worries… good reason to stop and head to work!

Fly Fishing Duck Creek #maxcatch #orvis #riotroutmax

Quick trip or more like a quick stop on the day job commute… able to wet a line at Duck Creek Park to do a little fly fishing with the Maxcatch Discount Switch Rod.

Started with a Rubber Legged Near Deere but no takers. Switched to size 4 Foam Grasshopper and caught a Bass, then was a little slow while I worked others spots.

Ended with some nice sized Sunfish. Water was clear, polarized glasses made a difference… could see the fish reacting to the fly and their strikes! Fun stuff!

iFishNews Fishing Podcast #8 - Jugline Fishing Q&A #catfishing

Answering the mail this round from a YouTube Viewer.  Questions on the jug lines we use and other details that may be of interest to listeners interested in Jugline Fishing for Catfish.  PS… do check back on YouTube, hope to have the video version posted in the next few days! See the podcast at iFishNews Fishing Podcast.

Tenkara Fishing a Pond with Foam Grasshoppers! #tenkarafishing #flyfishing

Finally got a much needed haircut after two months! Feel much better now, what to do to celebrate… GO FISHING. Since the Tenkara Iwana Rod from Tenkara USA is at the ready in the little pickup truck, hit the closest pond from the barber… Kroger Park.

Water was clear and the Bass and Bluegill were there. Caught a few, missed a few, had a great time! Fished a “beat up Foam Grasshopper” where the tail was missing, the Beavertail Variant, and then another variant that uses a different foam cutter… cannot recall the name – stonefly, damsel fly… regardless, fish were biting!

Kayak Fly Fishing OPST Commando Head or Weight Forward Fly Line? #flyfishing

Wind was minimal on Mother’s Day, finally able to try out the OPST Commando Head sitting in a kayak placed in a grassy area. Wanted to play around with the one-handed spey fly line and compare it with the weight forward fly line… fun time, do like the OPST Commando Head because it makes a for ease of casting when the back cast is limited. Main item is to use a coated running line instead of mono running line, tangle less and unravels while still able to shoot line when needed. All for now, and Good Luck and Good Fishing!

iFishNews Fishing Podcast #7 - More Jugline Fishing on Lake Lavon

Had a fun time fishing with jug lines this past Saturday. Posted the video on our YouTube Channel – COAF Field Team. Here is an accompanying iFishNews Fishing Podcast to point out a few lessons learned this round!

Key Take Aways:

• Have a backup plan for bait. Cooler temps and windy conditions, changed the pattern. No Shad at first. Luckily, able to pickup Nightcrawlers at a bait shop / convenience store.
• Adjust for wind, if too windy… move to calmer waters. In our case, across the cove to a leeward shoreline.
• Don’t wind the jugline’s line. The up and down motion resuls in a slack in the line, giving the chance for the Catfish to twist off the hook Instead, retrieve the line, keeping a steady strain on the line to keep the fish from throwing the hook.
• Circle Hooks tended to work better when the Catfish were slowly taking the bait and setting the hooks themselves. J-Hooks tended to work better when the Catfish struck hard on the first bite and then started to run. Best to have both available, and adjust as needed.
• Adjust jugline pattern starting sets shallow, deeper, and along a bottom slope and/or humps… move to the “money zone” concentrating the juglines as the Catfish tend to one of the sets.

All for now, and Good Luck and Good Fishing!

More Jugline Fishing for Catfish #lakelavon

Was a tough start Saturday… windy and a little chilly, plus no shad at the boat ramp at Highland Park. Made the quick adjustment, and decided to head to calmer waters… Bratonia Park, and to the Branch Convenience Store for bait.

No shad but they did have Nightcrawlers. Enough for us to get started setting out juglines. Luckily, did catch a few shad in the shallows as well.

In short order, had our lines deployed. But, took almost two hours before the first bite… a Blue Catfish that went for Shad.

After the first one was caught, bite stayed steady with several undersized caught and released; and then, we caught six Catfish – five Blue Catfish and one Channel Catfish, for the stringer for Dinner… Blackened Catfish and Shrimp Etouffee!

Kayak Fishing with the EmmRod #lakelavon

Able to fish the point at Brockdale Park on Lake Lavon Sunday. Was a tough go with lots of wind to deal with. No worries… White Bass and Yellow Bass were on the point.

Planned to sight cast to boiling fish with the fly rod but it turned out the fish were staying down below.

Good thing we had the EmmRod and Slab and Jigs Rigs as a backup… ended with four keepers!

Fun stuff… Shout out to the Gentleman who hooked us up with two Crappie! Made tasty dinner… pan fried fillets in garlic, butter, and olive oil!

Five Tips For Fly Fishing in a Kayak #kayaking #flyfishing

Made the run to the local lake for some fun fly fishing fun for White Bass. Took the kayak and made it to a fishing area that had lots of opportunity to catch a fish or two.

From past trips, made a few adjustments to make this trip go much smoother when fishing from a kayak in a seated position. Here are five tips for fly fishing in a kayak:

1. OPST Commando Head and Coated Running Line made for ease of casting from the sitting position. Much easier compared to the traditional weight forward setup we were using.
2. Minimize Clutter in the Kayak Cockpit. Lots of chances to foul your line; keep things stored in your lifejacket or tucked under it like your nippers and forceps will reduce line fouling while still at the ready when needed.
3. Line Management. May need to take up line and fight the fish on the reel, else allow the line to float on one side of the kayak. Do risk the chance of the fish running into the line. Be prepared to fight on the reel.
4. Railblaza Rod Holder or other rod holder that has a locking mechanism to prevent the fly rod from falling overboard.
5. Troll to/from the fishing area. Increase the “line in the water” and possibly hook into a nice fish while paddling to your fishing destination. And then, on the way back… do the same. Don’t be surprised if this technique saves your trip from a strike out!

Kayak Fly Fishing on Lake Lavon for White Bass! #flyfishing #kayakfishing

Had a fun time fishing Lake Lavon for White Bass on a fly rod Sunday morning. Water was glass smooth, making for an easier paddle to the fishing spot – water treatment plant’s drainage system.

Was hoping for a Largemouth Bass or two using the EmmRod and a Slab and Jig Rig. Had one strike but quickly fouled my line and broke off.

Switched to the fly rod and fished a Blue and White Clouser, and then a Chartreuse and White Clouser. No takers on either. Moved downstream from the drainage and switched the a pattern that I forgot its name and had a fun time catching White Bass on the fly!

Later, I recalled the name of the fishing fly…it’s a Denison Dam Dawber!

OPST Commando Head and the coated mono running line made the difference in casting from a sitting position in the kayak! Do keep one at the ready if you decide to kayak fly fish!

Jug Line Fishing Lake Lavon #ifishnews #coaffieldteam

Able to get the jon boat prepared for a round of jug line fishing at the local lake – Lake Lavon. Put in at Highland Park, and had a fun time catching catfish for the beer batter fish fry recipe we like.

Caught seven catfish – one Channel Catfish and six Blue Catfish. All went for fresh caught shad that we caught with the cast net at the boat ramp. It was windy but luckily able to fish the leeward side of the point to minimize time in the windy areas.

Catfish were taken in shallow water – 4-6 feet, as well as further out in about 6-10 feet of water. Did catch and release a Crappie and a White Bass.

No worries had more than enough for dinner that evening… beer batter fish fry recipe and the homemade tartar sauce still makes a tasty dinner! Hope to be back out again, especially with the new “fish finder” – Charlie the Maltese Doggie!

Listen in on the Team recap of the trip on iFishNews Fishing Podcasts!

First Kayak Fishing Trip to Lavon for 2020 #kayakfishing

Finally able to make it out in the kayak to our local lake – Lake Lavon. Went light with one rod and the small tackle box with slabs and crappie jigs. Planned to try for crappie in the trees but no luck.

Did manage one Yellow Bass on a Slab and Jig Rig and bottom bouncing it across a point. Too nice a day to be indoors, glad to get out and stretch the paddling muscles.

Do plan to be back sooner than later as the temps warm!

Don't Forget To Stop By Our YouTube Channel - COAF Field Team

Having archived the www.CityOfAllenFishing.blogspot.com blog, we wanted to remind Readers to check out our YouTube Channel at COAF Field Team for the latest videos posted by the Team!

Also, don't forget to stop by our current blog - www.stockertroutfishing.com for the latest posts and news from the Team!

Tied Another Foam Grasshopper...

Tied another Foam Grasshopper to replace the one lost the other day. Having tied it, had to “test” it out! Fun time on a nice Thursday evening!

 

#foamgrasshopper keeps working! #flyfishing for #bass #bluegill #sunfish …fun times!

A post shared by COAF Field Team (@coaf.field.team) on May 12, 2017 at 3:12pm PDT

Website Migration to StockerTroutFishing.com

CityOfAllenFishing.Blogspot.com is migrating to a new website - StockerTroutFishing.com; we will continue to post updates of the Field Team's fishing activities via the new website.

For archiving purposes, past posts from this Weblog remain available to Readers.

Thank you for your continued support, and we hope to see you at StockerTroutFishing.com!

Sincerely,
The Field Team


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Saturday...

Cold temps. Not sure what the Team is doing today but the intent is to at least wet a line!

Did tie some Tenkara style fishing flies like the one posted below.  May get a chance to try it out later on!

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Soft Hackle and a Tiny Midge

Late start today; no trout fishing but did get a chance to catch several little Bluegill/Sunfish using a Soft Hackle and a Tiny Midge. Here is a picture of the Tiny Midge used... Fun stuff!

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Kickoff 2015 with Two Limits at Waterloo

Made it to Waterloo this afternoon. After making adjustments,  Nuclaroche finds the pattern... two limited out this round!  Fun stuff!

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What to do, What to do?

Team is debating on where to fish this morning. Still have a "honey do" list that includes Christmas lights to be taken down. Luckily, need to let them dry before putting them up. Sounds like a "tomorrow thing"!

Better yet, why not leave them up all year... Christmas is year round, maybe? HOA may not agree with it as well as the significant other.

So, heard Denison is hosting a Trout Derby today for adults; plus they stocked it again. Sounds like a possibility later today.

Will play it by ear and send an update to the Web Admin at StockerTroutFishing.com; go figure. He is pushing us to go fishing so he can post which may be a good (or bad) thing.

For now, let's say it is a good thing!

Click-on Fish Bulletin Board to checkout fish caught by our readers.

Happy New Year!

The Field Team would like to wish everyone a Happy New Year!

So far the Winter Trout Stocking Season is going well! Hope to get out again once the weather clears.

And for those able to get out and fish...

Good Luck and Good Fishing!


Click-on Fish Bulletin Board to checkout fish caught by our readers.