Family friendly fly fishing on the Blue River in South Central Oklahoma.

Introduction – This is a story sent in by a reader who happens to be crazy about fishing as well. His daughter is pretty darn good at it too.

We went up there day after Thanksgiving, just her and me to get some father-daughter time in. Friday was great. We found an awesome camp spot, setup the pop-up camper and she was eager to get on the water so we geared up about 1:30. The great thing about Area 1 is that you can walk to the river and good locations. We were just south of the main ‘big’ hole that everybody fishes, just south of the crossover bridge. There were about three or four seperate riffles we could fish.

We put on an olive wooly with a thingamabobber and did some drifting through the riffles. Within 15 minutes, she had her first catch, but miss, and she was excited. She then went on to catch 8 that afternoon. She was able to cast, drift and hook. I would have to help her get the hook out of the trout’s mouth, but then it was up to her to keep the fish healthy, while trying to pose for a picture – so she learned the proper way to catch-and-release.

At first, she was having difficulty holding the squirming fidgeting fish, but after the three our four, she was able to cradle and show, then get back in the water quickly. She was stoked.

There was a teenage boy behind her on the riffles north to us, she was in a sort of competition with him. They would both see what the other was doing. It was cute.

We played chess, checkers and cards that evening after picking up a burger at Scotty’s and starting a roaring camp fire (burn ban is off) and found out our furnace would not be usable due to a leaky hose on the front of the camper. It wasn’t too cold, so we managed.

Saturday however was a different story. A cold front blew through. Fishing was tough. we did more exploring than fishing and the only fish I caught were the 2 I snagged when she got frustrated and said there weren’t any fish in that hole. I didn’t carry a rod or fish, except when she didn’t think fish were in there. So I tried to show her they were there, and there were.

We went to HWY 7 with plans to ride our bikes to C&R. However, the northern winds had a different plan for us. We fished the front area a bit, then wind whipped, packed it up, and back to camp.

I decided to go to town and try and find a propane hose, we’d need it that night. Tishomoingo has nothing to offer in that respect, so we ended up at a diner for a good lunch and to catch the end of the OU game, which all the locals were out to see.

Drove 15 minutes to Madill to an Atwoods/Walmart in search of a SAFE space heater. We found one that runs on a green propane bottle. Came back to camp, somehow started another camp fire. Later, I walked out to stoke the fire, and I’ll be damned, there’s a ringtail out there coming towards camp. How coincidental is that?

Space heater was ok. We had enough blankets to keep us warm, but our faces/heads were cold if left exposed. woke up in the morning frigid. Camping neighbors said when they walked down to the river that morning, he spooked a huge bobcat near our campsite. That was exciting. We didn’t see it or hear it, but the thought of one near camp was thrilling.

Too cold to fish, and we needed to head back.

Went to ardmore, grabbed late breakfast at IHOP. Izzy was worried about the hunter orange OSU shirt we had purchased since we were in OU country. We got that one because it’s the same hunter orange color, but not as lame as hunting clothing. It boasted a college, and one that has a great veterinarian school. She covered it up with a sweater. There were a few OU fans in there, and they wouldn’t have given her any crap, but she thought that was funny, the rivalry.

All in all, one of my best trips with her. Good one on one time, good conversation, good teaching and learning times. She really picked up stream fishing and can’t wait to go back.

Just Added – Image from today at the Blue River. Released this one, but it had better than average color for a synthetic.

This great fly fishing weather that has set in in North Texas finally has everyone thinking trout – rainbow trout in this case.

The review of “An Entirely Synthetic Fish,” withstanding, and still outstanding (yet to be written), it’s time to get to some slabby catch-and-release only stocker rainbow trout. And if you are in North Texas, and just have to go north, it’s a little less than 90-miles from my door to the Blue River catch-and-release (CNR) area outside Tishomingo, Oklahoma.

As opposed to the catch-and-kill area of the Blue River, the CNR area offers a unique experience. It has relatively few people fishing there – often no one during weekdays, and once you’ve reached the prime areas, it’s quite easy for young, old, athletic and non-athletic people to move around, get to spots with clear backcasts, and have a shot at catching rainbow trout that have had time to gain some weight, and regain some instincts. Sure, virtually all have tell-tale tales, and other characteristics of stockers, but anemic they aren’t.

I am a much bigger fan of the Guadalupe River in Central Texas, but the trip to and from the Blue River is all in a single day’s work. The next time I go, I will be sure to finally make some images of the landmark, Scotty’s, as well as the catch and kill park and CNR area. I am sure not a lot has changed since previous posts on the Blue River, but it often helps to see things are still where they were the last time we were there, right?

Tomorrow – A father-daughter story from their trip to the Blue River

We all know Texas has taken a hit when it comes to fishing this year, and it’s still not over. One of my sources who’s connected to Corpus Christi, Texas, said the red tide has kicked up on that part of the Texas Gulf Coast.

We had a little rain last weekend, but we’re still low, and wherever there is still water, it’s pretty nasty stuff.

With no further ado, let us head a little ways north, to Oklahoma, and see if Oklahoma is ok.

FROM OKLAHOMA DEPARTMENT OF WILDLIFE CONSERVATION REPORTS

Lower Illinois: October 3. Elevation normal, water 44 and murky. Largemouth bass slow on crankbaits at 1 ft. in coves. White bass slow on jigs and spinnerbaits at 1-2 ft. in coves. Striped bass slow on live shad at 1-2 ft. in the mouth of the river. Channel catfish good on cut bait on bottom all along the river. Crappie slow on jigs and spinnerbaits at 1-2 ft. in coves. Trout good fly-fishing the surface, on rooster tails at 1-2 ft. and on Power Bait on bottom at the dam. Report submitted by D. Tracy, Town of Gore.

Texoma: October 2. Elevation 6 3/4 ft. below normal, water 80 and clear. Largemouth and smallmouth bass fair to good on surface lure, plastic combination baits and spinnerbaits at 5-15 ft. in the creeks and around the points. Striped and white bass fair to good on live bait, sassy shad and slabs at 10-15 ft. in the river channels and flats. Channel and blue catfish fair to good on live bait, worms, and stinkbait at 10-15 ft. from Platter Flats to the north. Crappie fair to good on minnows and jigs at 5-10 ft. in the upper creeks around brush and riprap. Sunfish good on worms, shrimp and small tube jigs at 5-10 ft. around the fish attractors and riprap. Report submitted by Danny Clubb, game warden stationed in Bryan County.

Arbuckle: October 1. Elevation 6 1/2 ft. below normal, water 73 and clear to stained in creeks. Bass being caught on square-billed crankbaits, spinnerbaits, finesse drop-shot and shakey head. White bass being caught on roadrunners, rattletraps and spoons when chasing shad. Crappie being caught on jigs at 32 ft. and on swim jigs at 6-12 ft. Channel catfish being caught on doughbaits near baited holes and on crankbaits in shallows. Sunfish being caught on poppers and fly-rods along shady banks at 6-8 ft. Report submitted by Jack Melton

Broken Bow: October 2. Largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass good on crankbaits around points, structure, mouths of creeks and ledges early and late. Catfish good on juglines and trotlines baited with cut bait. Crappie good on minnows and jigs around structure in the upper end of the lake. Report submitted by Dru Polk, game warden stationed in McCurtain County.

Eufaula: October 2. Elevation 4 ft. below normal, water clear. Largemouth bass fair on plastic baits and crankbaits around deeper points and deeper rocky areas. Blue catfish good on fresh shad along the shallow flats. Crappie fair on minnows and jigs at 6-12 ft. under bridges and standing timber. Report submitted by Ed Rodebush, game warden stationed in McIntosh County.

Hugo: October 2. Elevation 3 1/2 ft. below normal, water 78. Catfish fair on juglines baited with cut bait. Crappie fair on minnows in creek channels. Report submitted by Jay Harvey, game warden stationed in Bryan and Choctaw counties.

The lake I am interested in is Murray, but there’s no report from there. Although their lakes are low, they are obviously getting more rain in Oklahoma than we are here in Texas.