Texas Winter Trout Stocking Season Summary for 2014-2015

Thanks for stopping by!

We hope our article - "Texas Rainbow Trout Fishing - Community Lakes and Ponds", proved useful for fishermen interested in fishing for Rainbow Trout in Texas.

Moreover, we hope the field notes and video clips from past Trout Stocking Seasons "tweaked" a few Readers' interest in learning more about how and where we fish for Rainbow Trout.

As a follow-on to the article, here are field notes and video clips from the 2014-2015 Winter Trout Stocking Season.

As the season is currently in progress, do stop by periodically as we plan to update the field notes and video clips throughout the remainder of the Season!

Good Luck and Good Fishing!

Sincerely, COAF Field Team

December 31, 2014

The 2014-2015 Trout Stocking Season started early for the Field Team. Instead of waiting until our local pond received its stocking, the Team decided to make several runs across the border from Texas to Oklahoma.

Places fished in Oklahoma included:

• Lower Mountain Fork at Beavers Bend State Park
• Blue River near Tishomingo
• Turner Falls Park near Davis

Once stockings commenced in Texas, the Team fished three ponds so far this Season. They are:

• Central Park Pond in College Station
• Bethany Lakes in Allen
• Waterloo Park Pond in Denison

As the Season progresses, the Team plans to fish other local ponds to include:

• Commons Pond in Frisco
• Towne Lake in McKinney
• City Hall Pond in Murphy
• Frontier Park Pond in Prosper

To A River This Round!

Cold front came early dropping temps. Decided on a whim to fish the Lower Mountain Fork River at Beavers Bend State Park for a chance at some Rainbow Trout.

While there stopped by the Beaver Bend Fly Shop for some tips and to pick up suggested fishing flies and other tackle. Good information about fishing the Blue and Red Zones to include special regulations like the Name and License Number Tag for your stringer.

Overall, was a good day with a number of little, wild Rainbow Trout caught and released, a Stocker Rainbow Trout caught and kept, and then a Bruiser Rainbow Trout hooked but lost while attempting to land it. Also, caught and released a Brown Trout (first one ever!).

Did see others catching some nice fish, and then watched several rises where the little, wild Rainbow Trout were actively feeding on something rising to the surface. Took the aquarium net out and dipped it in the river; guess... tiny "somethings" that looked smaller than a size 26... tried several midge patterns and had several takes using a size 26 Trico just could not set the hook in time.

Oh well, still lotta fun going to a new place!

More fun at Lower mountain fork

Decided to take another day trip to Beavers Bend State Park and fish the Lower Mountain Fork River again.

Learned some of the terminology for describing the area... Started fishing the river downstream from the Cold Hole. Had some little Trout nipping my fly else no luck. Did see one fisherman catch a Trout; was able to get video of the action. Unfortunately, the video quality was not good as I was too far away. Still was good to see someone hooking up!

Went to Lost Creek and caught a Rainbow Trout using a Prince Nymph. Also, caught little minnow-looking fish and a little Rainbow Trout that went for an Egg Pattern and/or Red Midge.

Then, fished Spillway Creek and lost a few Rainbow Trout; no video... either did not have the camera on or the fish wiggled away before I could get video.

Finally, ended the trip fishing to rising Trout in the Cold Hole. After several misses and turn-aways fishing a BWO, had one take the dry fly... turned out to be a Brown Trout!

Overall, it was a good day. Area had a lot of fishermen but that was expected since it was Saturday.

back to the Blue River

Colder temps and Trout Stocking Season has begun again at the Blue River in Oklahoma. What better way to spend the day then to fish a river for Rainbow Trout.

When we arrived, the temperature was hovering in the lower 30's. Luckily, warm clothing and insulated waders made for a comfortable day fishing.

Fished a Four Weight Fly Rod and used an olive Near Deere to catch a limit as well as play catch and release with the Trout! Many thanks to Texas Fishing Forum's TarponFly... this pattern has worked at Beavers Bend, the local community lakes and ponds in our area, and now the Blue River!

The fish ranged between 13"-16" in size and made for some great fishing on the fly! Did see others catching them on PowerBait and Salmon Eggs. Also, saw a number of fly fishermen staying busy catching and releasing them!

Next week is the Trout Derby so expect some Bruisers to be stocked. Not sure if we will make it next week... but Good Luck and Good Fishing for those participating!

Tough Go On The Blue River... Only Two This Round

Made it to the Blue River today. Trout Derby was ongoing and lots of folks fishing. Overall, the bite was tough but did see a few fishermen limit out. Also, saw one fisherman catch a Bruiser and another fisherman hook a Bruiser but lost it while landing it!

Started the morning fishing a Near Deere under an indicator. Had two strikes and misses, and then the bite slowed. Kept at it for a while, then started checking out different places on the river before settling in by the Island.

After changing fishing flies multiple times, settled on a tandem rigged Near Deere and Bead Head Gold Ribbed Hares Ear Nymph (GRHEN). Had a strike and a solid hook set. First Trout this round! The Trout looked foul hooked because the Near Deere was embedded in the body but once in hand, it was clear the Trout had struck the GRHEN.

Kept fishing with several more missed strikes. Then, decided to checkout the pockets along one stretch were the Bruisers typically lurk. Sure enough, saw several with a couple that were close enough to get some video!

Hoping for one more Trout, decided to give it "one more cast" by Hughes Crossing. After more than one cast, managed one more Trout and a little Perch! Fun stuff....

More fun on the Blue river

Weather forecast at the start of the week indicated rain and cold temps for Saturday. Later in the week, forecast changed to no rain and temps in the 30s-40s. Decided to make another run across the border for more fun trout fishing on the Blue River.

Things started out slow with a few strikes but no hook ups for the first hour. Was using a Four Weight Fly Rod and a Near Deere with varied retrieves.

Decided to try a tandem rig with Near Deere and a Bead Head Black Midge under a strike indicator. That did the trick... caught several Trout on the Black Midge. Murphy's Law came into play though; ended up losing the rig and the only Black Midge in the fly box.

Re-tied another tandem rig; this time used a Bead Head Red Midge. More strikes on both the Near Deere and the Red Midge, and then lost the rig to a snag while drifting the rig through pockets. Did manage to get two Trout this way. One was a Rainbow Trout; the other may or may not have been a Rainbow Trout... looked different than the others caught today.

Later, the Trout were actively feeding on something near the surface. Decided to forego the strike indicator and fished the Near Deere with and without a trailer and caught a few more!

Fun stuff!

Turner Falls This Round

Tried a new place this round. Headed to Davis, Oklahoma to Turner Falls Park. The River was stocked recently with Rainbow Trout; decided to give it a try.

Nice scenery with a Waterfall area and a River that is easily accessible since there is a street and sidewalk area that runs alongside it.

However, don't be fooled by the park like setting, the pools, pockets, and riffles offer the same challenges when fishing other Rivers. There is a rocky bank to contend with, else it is a fisherman friendly river.

Even better, the fish were in a biting mood! Lost count after twenty, limited out with five (park limit is five trout), three were nice sized ranging from 14"-16" in size.

That said, had already limited out, so the two larger ones were caught and released.

Used an Olive Near Deere to catch most of them, and then switched to a White Near Deere after running out of Olive. Two largest went for the White Near Deere.

Fun stuff... there is a Park Entrance Fee ($16.00 plus tax). However, given the chance at a Bruiser or two, the ease of access, the really nice Restrooms (heated, too), and only saw two other fishermen all day, was okay with it!

back to turner falls for more trout

Here is a follow-up video to our Podcast from yesterday's trip to Turner Falls Park for Rainbow Trout. Video has been edited but is over eight minutes long; lots of action though!

Limited out with five; caught and released a lot more. Saw a Bruiser too that just did not want my fishing fly. Good news... the Rainbow Trout that we kept were larger overall than last week's trip!

Fishing flies used were a White Near Deere and an Olive Near Deere. Most fish caught were on the Olive Near Deere. Did try Midges, GRHEN, San Juan Worm, and an Egg Pattern. No luck with them.

Fun stuff!

More Fishing Fun for Blue River Rainbow Trout

Fished the Blue River today. Got to fish the new 5 Weight Fly Rod; like the feel when casting and it's much lighter than the other 5 Weight Fly Rod!

Was able to limit out using a White Near Deere, Olive Near Deere, and a Tandem Rig Near Deere and Midge. Also, had one take a COAF Guadalupana.

Cool temps and overcast but still a fun time on the River! Used a quick retrieve, slow drift, as well as a strike indicator to get strikes.

Had to call it quits early; won tickets from KHYI 95.3 Range for the Wade Bowen Concert tonight at Southern Junction. Significant Other wants to go; therefore, I go.... "Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner"!

Central park pond This round

On the road today. Stopped in College Station for a quick stop. Took the 4 weight fly rod out and started casting for Trout.

Struck out but did see others hook up while there. Water was murky and although the pond was stocked Friday, talked with others who noted that the bite was slow.

Fished for about an hour without a strike. Did see one Trout caught but was not able to get video. Then, prior to leaving, saw another Trout caught. Was able to get some video of it.

Till next time!

waterloo this round

Fished Waterloo Park Pond in Denison this morning. It rained off and on while we were there but luckily it was not a downpour. Was able to get a round of fishing in without rain gear.

Caught and released a number of Trout using an Olive Near Deere. Did run out of them; switched to a Wooley Bugger and a also a COAF Guadalupana with a strike or two but no hook ups.

Did limit out with five; luckily was able to get the last two Trout to take a Tandem Rig Olive Wooley Bugger and a GRHEN. Both times the Trout went of the GRHEN.

Did miss not having a Near Deere; will tie more later! Overall, was a great day fishing!

From the field team ... saturday

Made it to Bethany Saturday morning. Was able to get one on a Wooley Bugger. Others were doing well with Super Dupers, Bubble Fly Rig, and Mini-Jigs. PowerBait was working, too.

Called it a trip for the morning to take care of Honey Do's but later, got a call from NucLarcohe to fish Warerloo. Fished Waterloo and two of us limited out!

Struck Out at Bethany Lakes Today

Struck out today but did get one to strike on a Gold Super Duper.

Saw others doing well using Super Dupers sight casting to feeding fish.

Also, saw one fisherman take one on a Bubble Fly Rig.

Fishing Not Catching!

Frustrating day but still had fun fishing instead of working. Fished Bethany Lakes and tried various fishing flies until a pattern was found.

Been having trouble figuring out what fishing dry fly to use for the rising trout. After several rounds, settled on the COAF Griffith's Gnat. Had tried a Black Midge Dry Fly and had "nudges" but no hook ups yesterday and today.

After changing fishing flies several times, tied on the COAF Griffith's Gnat and started getting strikes. Ended up only catching one but did hook five others that came off when trying to lift the Trout out of the water.

May need to tie a few more and try fishing it again to confirm it's no fluke!

Got Two This Round

Stopped by earlier in the day and struck out. Was a tough time with the cold and wind. Hoped for rising trout that would go for the COAF Griffith's Gnat. No luck... called it quits and headed to the casa to warm up. Planned to go later when the trout would be rising (hopefully)!

Made it back around 3PM and tried the Griffith's Gnat without success, switched to other fishing flies, and then switched to a Spinning Rod/Reel and a Super Duper. Had one strike but no hook ups.

Finally, trout started rising around 5PM. Hooked three, landed two, and lost one in 20". Had to leave them biting though... till next time!

COAF Griffith's Gnat Took Three Trout This Round

Quick trip to Bethany this evening. Took three on a COAF Griffith's Gnat in about 20", and then missed several others.

Ended the day with three Trout plus one from another fisherman who caught it on a PowerWorm.

Wind was tough but luckily Trout were still taking dry flies!

Limited Out This Morning

Went fishing at Bethany Lakes this morning before it started to rain.

Zeke brought his dog and no fishing pole.

Also, gave a running commentary on how to fish like he normally does... LOL.

Two This Round

Could not stay away. Fished Bethany this evening and hooked up with two trout using Super Dupers.

Did get to try the new Fly Rod out; worked out well even with the wind. Going to have to catch something with it now.

Tough Go This Round at Waterloo

Headed up to Denison this morning. Tough go this round at Waterloo Park Pond. Two of us fished, but only one of us limited out.

Took a while to figure out the pattern; turned out a BH GRHEN under a strike indicator did the trick at least for Fshng84. NucLaroche had a couple of missed hook sets, else he struck out.

Then, after fishing Waterloo this morning; decided to check the action at Bethany this evening as well as test out a fly fishing leader I made from monofilament fishing line.

Saw others posting on the Texas Fishing Forum about making their own fly fishing leaders. Decided to use a "recipe" from way back when I first started fly fishing and was always seemed low in funds.

Leader worked well, turning over the COAF Griffith's Gnat with ease. Even hooked and landed one Trout. No pics... slipped and fell while preparing to take a picture of it. Ended up flopping back in to the water.

Quick Trip to Bethany for More Trout

Fished Bethany this evening; first cast got a Rainbow Trout on a Silver Super Duper, and then no more strikes afterwards.

Shifted to a COAF Griffith's Gnat and used the 5WT Fly Rod to work some of the Risers. Managed to hook and land one; else, had more missed strikes. Was not paying close attention... oh well, till next time.

Waterloo This Round

The Team headed back to Waterloo in Denison to limit out on Trout! Two went for the GRHEN on a Tandem Rig Near Deere and GRHEN. Remainder went for PowerBait.

Overall, it looked like a number of fishermen limited out with bait out fishing lures. No worries, Team had a jar of PowerBait ready to go!

ice on the water this round

Cold temps with ice on the water this time. Team headed back to Waterloo and limited out again.

Nuclaroche to a limit quickly using PowerBait. Fshng84 limited out but took much longer using a fly rod.

No worries!. Lotta fun still!

two limited out

Gotta ride the streak, so the Team headed back to Waterloo. Two more limits caught.

One thing different was Fshng84 brought a little fishing rod - a Kiyotaki 18, that he uses for Micro Fishing.

Looked like it worked on Stocker Trout as well!

went to the blue this round

Opted to fish the Blue River in Oklahoma this round. Only one Team Member this time - Fshng84.

Regardless, limited out with six Rainbow Trout that went for a Near Deere!

Also, managed to try the Tenkara Rod and catch a Rainbow Trout with it in one of the pools down river from the crossing!

Tested Micro Fly Rod II, Then Went Trout Fishing

While waiting for the Trout Derby in Frisco to end, went fishing at a local pond to test out the Micro Fly Rod. Rod worked well, and then headed to Frisco for some Trout.

Tough going but was able to limit out using fishing flies and a four weight fly rod. Trout went for an Olive and White Near Deere, and then a BH GRHEN fished on a Tandem Rig in conjunction with the Near Deere.

Two On a Fly, Then Three on PowerBait This Round…

Fished Frisco Commons Pond today. Limited out but had a tough time catching them on fishing flies.

Used the same rig as yesterday – Tandem Rig Near Deere and GRHEN. Managed to catch two that went for the GRHEN.

Had a few more missed strikes, else no luck getting another one with the Fly Rod. Switched to a Spinning Rod and PowerBait. Caught three Trout in short order.

Tough Round at Frisco Saturday

Around 4PM, we made it to Frisco and fished till after sunset. Nuclaroche hooked up with one Rainbow Trout using PowerBait.

I stuck with different dry flies trying to hook the Trout that were rising on the surface, and then eventually switched to the Micro Fly Rod.

Struck out on Trout but did play around with the Bluegill!

Dry Flies at Waterloo This Round

Fun time in Denison today. Nuclaroche and I fished Waterloo Park Pond. After a lot of missed hook sets to rising trout feeding on little, black bugs, we figured out the pattern – a COAF Griffith’s Gnat in Size 16!

The Trout started out taking dry flies on a dead drift but as the wind picked up and the insects started “skittering” on the surface more, the Trout were wanting more movement on the dry fly.

Murphy City Hall Pond This Round

Made it to Murphy City Hall Pond... arrived just as the Trout Derby was winding down. Looked like a lot of folks hooked up with the Rainbow Trout.

Gave it a try starting out with a Tandem Rig – Olive/White Near Deere and a GRHEN. After a few missed strikes, found my “mojo” and began hooking up consistently.

Overall, the Trout seemed to be striking at everything thrown at them. But, would say the Olive/Brown Near Deere seemed to get the most bites this time.

Fun stuff… even broke out the Micro Fly Rod and caught a few with it. Plus, caught a Golden Trout that went for a Near Deere!

Back to Murphy City Hall Pond This Round

Made it back to Murphy City Hall Pond before the front arrived. Used an Olive/Brown Near Deere, PowerBait, and a Super Duper to limit out!

Nuclaroche hooked up with three on PowerBait, one on a Black Super Duper, and one on an Olive/Brown Near Deere. Fshng84 took a limit on the fly with an Olive/Brown Near Deere.

Back Again to Murphy City Hall Pond

Made it to Murphy for another go at the Rainbow Trout.

Great to get out during the work week! Even better to take a limit as well.

Olive/Brown Near Deere was the ticket again but with a slight change in the retrieve!