Fly Fishing the Chisolm Trail

Lake Nocona largemouth bass caught on fly in April along the shores of Lake Nocona.

The first thing that comes to mind when Texans mention Nocona is boots. I’ve got some, and if you are a boot wearing Texan, chances are you have a pair too. Nocona makes good boots, and Nocona also has an interesting lake by the same name.

HISTORY OF NOCONA TEXAS
Nocona isn’t named after boots. It’s named after Peta Nocona, chief of Noconi band of Comanches, and father of Quannah Parker. Nocona is the last stop on the Chislom Trail before crossing the Red River into Oklahoma.

The other name synonymous with boots is Justin, and in an interesting twist, the origins of Justin boots can be traced and tied to Nocona as well. Regardless of the boot industry, Nocona is another of those towns, where the west begins, that not surprisingly owes its existence to the railroad.

About fifteen miles north of Nocona, near where Salt Creek enters the Red River, is the Red River Station – the actual place where cowboys moved their cattle along the Chisolm and across the river.

The lake is a hybrid itself, combining two segregated areas – one public access, and the other private gated communities.

One thing you will always find is that a more concentrated population also brings much more concentrated wear and tear on those areas deemed public. And Lake Nocona is no exception. The trash and filth along the public areas is phenomenally bad. I make a pretty concerted effort to look past all the trash wherever I go (and pick up as time allows), but we’re talking hypodermic needles, broken glass, monofilament … on, and on. I am guessing that it’s hard to get folks together and clean up their meager public access areas when they look across the lake at the huge lake houses … it’s a place where the public areas are certainly used by the 99-percent while the 1-percent appear to own the best 90-percent of the lake.

Lake Nocona is also extremely low, and that also has a tendency to expose trash that was lurking just under the surface. It also makes walking easier, and kayak fishing a much more attractive proposition.

The topography of the lake is varied, with naturally rocky points, a rip rap dam, coves and emerging points that can make power boat navigation a challenge. Otherwise, there’s plenty of open water on a lake that covers 1,323 acres. The water is pretty clear, and submerged vegetation is already pretty dense. I did locate a few fish in the backs of coves, but most of the flat cove habitat is lacking in bedding that bass desire.

What I did happen onto, was a point where young pound to pound-and-a-half largemouth bass were schooling and shredding baitfish. There haven’t been a lot of times that I have been able to experience large numbers of schooling largemouth bass, but it was an experience I won’t soon forget. These fish were very wild, green and full of fight. They fought pound-for-pound as good as the best largemouth bass I have ever caught.

Although their sizes were virtually identical, these fish were surprising in their ariel displays, long hard runs and sheer determination to win. It took me awhile to get over the typical four to six huge jumps I got from virtually every fish, and settle into a calm battle royale. After catching about fifteen of these mean green bass, I had all I could take, and called it a day.

On subsequent visits to Lake Nocona, between shifts, the crappie were also in full spawn and found quite easily in the back ends, and deepest portions of coves. A slow drag of a Clouser minnow – bright colors like white over white with lots of silver flash – proved deadly to the count of two to three dozen crappie on each outing.

Part 2 of On The Road: Fly Fishing Lake Nocona Texas will highlight the other things to see, Texas history, near Lake Nocona.

Go West Young Fly Fishers. Go West.

Notice how the fish blends well with the water color? This water has better overall clarity than, say, Lewisville Lake – the largemouth are greener too.

Bowie, it’s a knife. Bowie, it’s a tough-ass pioneer named Jim, who kicked butt at The Alamo. Bowie, it’s a place that doesn’t claim David. Bowie, Texas, located west-northwest of the Dallas – Fort Worth Metroplex, is well within reach of the Metroplex, but once you’re there, you will know you’re a world away from the hustle and bustle invisible in your heated, cooled, defogged, tinted and compassed rear view mirror. Bowie’s motto: “Bowie has the edge on progress.”

A BRIEF HISTORY OF BOWIE TEXAS

According to historical information on sites, Bowie is “probably” named after Jim Bowie, but could be a double entendre on a well known railroad worker with the name “Buie,” and that makes sense somewhat, as that is the way Texans pronounce the town’s name “boowe” long e. Don’t get caught pronouncing any Texas town name wrong – it’s a dead giveaway. There really is nothing like starting with mysterious origins for the town’s name, and building from there. The Bowie knife definitely has been attached to historical markers and much of the City’s advertising and logos.

Windmills north of Bowie, Texas, on 59, in Montague County.

Bowie came into being in the 1860′s and like so many Texas towns we pass through, and wonder why they’re even there – it was a railroad town.

Look around at the modern side of Bowie, and it doesn’t take long to see what’s driving the Bowie economy nowadays (and has been for years) – the Barnett Shale oil and gas boom. Even the high school stadium has the old style oil field derricks on the field – on the FOOTBALL FIELD SIDELINES! Make sure to check that out.

PART 1 – Off The Water Fun

A smart fly fisher has plans for everyone who may be along for a day trip, or any length of trip. Thoughtful and knowledgeable information, ideas and knowledge give those along for the ride something else to do while we fish.

Old downtown Bowie is not visible from the fast track 287 that leads to the Texas pan handle and on to New Mexico and Colorado. You will have to get slightly off the track, and head into downtown Bowie to get a taste of a small Texas town. They all taste different, but that’s what makes sidetracking worthwhile.

Red brick backstreets, businesses that sell antiques and thrift stores are mostly what I found along the few streets of Bowie. I would be lying if I said walking the streets of Bowie would take very much time of your day. Creative thinking and following local’s leads for interesting things like the monthly Second Monday Trade Days and Flea Market will reward the non fly fishers with enough occupied time to forget their fly fisher on the water only a few miles away.

If your non fly fishing companions are interested in a little excursion, the wildflowers are absolutely prime right now, and you can take a fantastic drive up to the county seat at the town of Montague – just to see that Courthouse if nothing else. This is definitely fertile territory for photography.

FOOD

What comes to mind when you think of Texas food? Texas is pretty diverse, but chances are that a pulled pork barbecue sandwich is somewhere on that list. Go ahead and order the pulled pork sandwich. It comes with a knife driven through its heart, french fries and a fried pickle spear. The pork is mild, not overwhelmed with any sauces, or oversmoking – all those things that so many restaurants think are necessary to their unique flavor, are pleasantly missing. Instead you get perfectly cooked and pulled pork with a rough cut of sweet mayonnaise-y cole slaw, not too much, between two grill toasted buns.

As if that isn’t enough, don’t hesitate to order a fresh piece of homemade pie. I had the chocolate meringue, and it’s hard to believe they haven’t been making these in the back for years.

After a great meal and dessert, it’s hard to focus on service, but again service at Sweet Boys is also excellent.

Part 2 – Fly Fishing Near Bowie Texas

It’s easy enough to be lulled into thinking that just because North Central Texas is soaked, creeks still flowing and lakes are topped off, that the rest of the State is doing great as well. That’s hardly the case though. Bowie, is only about an hour northwest of Dallas-Fort Worth, but they are still feeling the pain of drought in a serious way. They did have a bit of relief, but now these western counties are right back where they were last summer.

A few miles away from Bowie is a lake I have come to enjoy as much as any lake I fish here in North Central Texas. I wrote about it last year when I was “Out in The Middle,” and coming back to Amon G. Carter Lake this spring filled me with high expectations of higher water levels, and fish back in habitat that had been dried to a crisp by last summer’s historic drought.

What I found was a lake at exactly the same level I left it at last July. What gives? Apparently, the water did go up with historic winter rainfall, but Montague County, where Carter Lake sits, didn’t get much more of the rains we’ve been experiencing after winter finally went away.

There are plenty of places to walk and cast while there are no real wadable shorelines due to the topography of that area. Bait patterns are yielding bites that can only be described as “chomps” right now, and I believe that if you were kayaking this smallish lake, your success would increase exponentially. There’s also the potential, by kayak, to find bedding areas as well as creek inlets. The lake is so nicely matured, you will be losing a fly or two on submerged timber and other structure.

Amon G. Carter does not seem to be too prone to rapid fluctuations in lake levels, and there’s still a lot of exploring to do. So far I have pretty much limited myself to the smaller portion of the lake on the southern side of the road, and that side does not allow skiing. As far as appearances go, the two sides look like two different lakes when it comes to houses, water (that I have seen) and topography.

Bowie Texas Sites of Interest
Bowie Second Monday Trade Days
Bowie Texas Official Website
Bowie Texas Chamber of Commerce

This begins a series of posts about fly fishing lakes west-northwest of the Dallas Fort Worth Metroplex. We will be starting from Montague County and branch out from there. I’M SURE SOME LATE BREAKING fly fishing opportunities will show up between posts, so keep checking back to complete the picture of this part of Texas.

FLY FISHING IN AND AROUND MONTAGUE COUNTY TEXAS

You’ve heard the song that goes, “The stars at night are big and bright – deep in the heart of Texas” before. Funny thing is, if you think you are in the heart of Texas, you aren’t alone. Texas is a big state and big states have big hearts, or at least widespread claims on the heart of their state. Hearts do come in all sizes and shapes after all.

Chances are, if you are in the vicinity of the heart of Texas, the stars aren’t bright very much anymore. Texas, along with all its other types of pollution, has an epidemic of light pollution. Growth once again inserts and twists a double-edged knife.

In North Central Texas, we are flush with water. Lakes are full and frothing like a warm beer in a cold glass. Creeks are calming and clearing, but still running, and the ground is saturated. However, you would be surprised to go just slightly west of the Metroplex along highway 287 that runs toward the panhandle. As you head northwest, you will hit Montague County, a county experiencing a modern boom that makes those Spindletop photographs make sense.

You will also find some interesting lakes that are far enough away from large population concentrations to be healthy and populated with fish that haven’t seen many flies pass their way. Lakes I have fished out here include Amon G. Carter and Lake Nocona. While there’s no shortage of Texas crude in Montague County, there is still a serious drought hanging so close to DFW’s abundance that it’s absolutely amazing. Lakes on the list to seriously fish include Arrowhead and Moss Lake (not in Montague County).

I documented some of my lake explorations last summer, July 2011, the summer from hell – a time when drought was widespread, and no matter where you went that’s what you expected to find. Now, due to the good fortunes of being back in the oil fields, I have a chance to explore those lakes again under much more favorable calendar and weather conditions.

I am hopeful that you will enjoy and benefit from these upcoming posts, and find them more rounded – with information and ideas for non fly fishers as well as up-to-date technical information on where and how to catch fish on the fly in these lakes. There is plenty of history to be found in this part of Texas – Native American culture, the Chisolm Trail and so much more. If you have any more ideas on search and fish opportunities, feel free to suggest. If you want to go fish with me on these lakes, let me know while this unique opportunity still exists.