Thanks to Rob Woodruff for sending out these reports on a regular basis.

5/26/11- Fishing Report

East Texas Lakes:

Lake Fork- The topwater bite has been consistent early and late and on cloudy days. The lake is a little less than 4 feet low, so wind quickly muddies the water on the downwind side. It is necessary to move around the lake to locate clearer water on a daily basis. Because of sparse weed growth, fishing very close to woody cover has been critical this year. The ability to make accurate casts that bring the fly within one foot or less of the timber has often made the difference between a slow and a good day. Bream are beginning to bed and Shad are spawning, so locating either will quickly produce some nice Bass. Lilly Pad fields are starting to produce on frog type flies.

Smaller East Texas Lakes- With the last week’s full moon the Bream have begun bedding on Lake Quitman, Winnsboro, Hawkins and Gilmer. These lakes also offer great Bass fishing as well. Look for bedding activity on sandy points and the backs of creeks and coves. Poppers and slow sinking flies will produce almost constant action and a larger fly fished on the deep water side of the beds will draw the attention of Bass and Bowfin that are hanging around looking for an easy meal.

Lower Mountain Fork River:

Zone 1- Recent heavy rains have raised the level of Broken Bow Lake. Release from the Spillway is at approximately 110 c.f.s. and the creek and river are stained. Best flies have been Pheasant Tail Nymphs, Olive Caddis Larvae, Soft Hackles and Egg Patterns. Dry flies like Stimulators, Doculators and Crackle Backs are starting to draw strikes in Spillway Creek and the Evening Hole. The 13 Year Brood of Periodical Cicadas is hatching in Southeastern Oklahoma.

Just as when the water was lower and clearer than normal in February, I am hearing from people that are having difficulty catching Trout in the higher stained water and asking what flies they should be using. Usually the key to catching fish in changing conditions is not to make drastic changes in fly selection but to adjust the leader, tippet, shot, etc., and the presentation in order to get the flies in front of the Trout.

Recognizing the conditions, reading the water and making the necessary adjustments is the heart of the Trout Lab class Doc Thompson and I teach every year. Details on the upcoming 2011 class are below.

Zone 2 & 3- Generation has been constant for several weeks. In the next few days, the generation schedule may be reduced for a while to help reduce flooding along the Lower Red River in Louisiana.

Remember that my weekly fishing report for the Lower Mountain Fork River is available at: http://www.orvis.com/fishing_report.aspx?locationid=7378

TROUT LAB, Cimarron River, New Mexico, June 4 & 5, 2011
There are a few spaces open for this year’s class. This will be the only Trout Lab offered in 2011. Registration deadline is Tuesday, May 31.

This unique class examines Trout Physiology, Meteorology, Fluviology, Entomology and other natural sciences from a fly fishing point of view.

The objective of the class is to teach fly fishers to analyze the natural variables presented in the course of a typical day on the water and to adjust fly presentation and tactics in order to maximize success.

The Cimarron River and the towering Sangre de Christo Mountains provide the perfect venue for this class. Early June is a great time to fish the Cimarron and the lower section of the Rio Costilla.

Tuition- $225.00

Loop Lab 201; Advanced Fly Casts and Presentations.
On Saturday, September 24, 2011, FFF Master Casting Instructor Steve Hollensed and I will be conducting Loop Lab 201 near Lake Ray Roberts. The class will address advanced topics in fly casting. Curriculum includes double hauling, distance and accuracy. We will also cover casting and presentation skills specific to warmwater, coldwater, and saltwater fisheries. Class is limited to 10 students and the class is already beginning to fill. If interested, contact Steve or me for details.

Tuition: $200, advance registration required.

- From Rob Woodruff -

Lower Mountain Fork River Foundation
2011 One Fly Contest
Saturday, February 26th
7:00 a.m. until Noon
Beavers Bend State Park, Broken Bow, OK

Only one month until the 8th Annual Lower Mountain Fork One Fly.

Registration

Entry fee is $50. Entry is open only to LMFRF members. If you are not currently a LMFRF member in good standing, you must submit your 2011 membership dues ($25) along with your $50 registration fee.

You can pre-register, pay your 2011 dues, or join the LMFRF at www.lmfrfoundation.org

Day of contest registration begins at the Lower Spillway Creek Bridge Parking Lot in Beavers Bend State Park at 6:00 AM.

The first 36 entrants will receive an embroidered 2011 LMFRF One Fly cap.

All proceeds go to benefit the Lower Mountain Fork River Foundation’s efforts to improve the trout fishery on the Mountain Fork River.

Rules
- Starting Point – Lower wooden foot bridge parking lot – Spillway Creek.
- Pairings will be drawn just prior to the start, no exceptions.

The rules are simple:
1) As the name implies – one fly only. No bait, lures, scents or droppers.

2) Each contestant will be provided the exact same fly pattern. This fly will be the only fly eligible for use in the contest. The fly pattern will be kept secret until the start of the contest.

3) Each contestant will fish that fly ONLY. Lose the fly, you are out.

4) The fly may be cut off the leader and retied as needed. Your partner must be notified that you are doing this.

5) A fly that is broken off on an obstruction may be retrieved and retied to the leader. Your partner must be notified that you are doing this.

6) A scored fish is one that is brought to hand and released; no “LDR’s”. Your partner must be notified that a fish has been landed and scored.

7) Each contestant is responsible for keeping his or her own score.

Scoring
Each fish will be scored as ONE POINT
Any Trout over 12″ and less than 14″ will receive an additional point (total of 2 points)
Any Trout of 14″ and less than 16″ will receive an additional 2 points (total of 3 points)
Any Trout of 16″ and less than 18″ will receive an additional 3 points (total of 4 points)
Any Trout of 18″ and less than 20″ will receive an additional 5 points (total of 6 points)
Any Trout 20″ or over will receive an additional 9 points (total of 10 points)
Any Brown Trout receives a 4 point bonus.
He or she with the MOST POINTS wins.

The current LMFRF President is the Judge for the contest and all decisions by the Judge are final.

PRIZES WILL INCLUDE FREE LODGING AT VARIOUS CABINS IN THE AREA, MEALS AT SEVERAL OF OUR AREA RESTAURANTS, FLY FISHING EQUIPMENT AND ACCESSORIES!!

Let me know if you have any questions.

Hope to see you there,
Rob Woodruff
LMFRF Advisory Board Member

Dusty Montgomery captured this image in Oklahoma last year.

If happiness for fly fishers is information, then the amount of information available via the internet could kill us all with an overdose of bliss.

Trout, even stockers, are a bit more complex than your average largemouth bass. Stockers aren’t everywhere all the time, and if they actually have a chance to “go native” and eat from the local menu, you want to know what’s on the menu. Enter hatch charts.

In an attempt to get all this information “under one roof” so to speak, I spent some time compiling the information into this single post. I hope you don’t ask, and read this first. If you don’t read this then don’t be surprised when you are unceremoniously sent HERE.

Geographically speaking, we may as well start from the southern most trout fishing in Texas (and the US for that matter?).

Books full of bliss have been written on the Guadalupe River and Texas Hill Country fly fishing scene.

Guadalupe River Trout Fishing
I recently ran a post on the Guadalupe River Trout Fishing, provided by and I just came across this site – Castell Guide Services, which has hatch charts for the Guadalupe River and plenty of other valuable information. Take the information from locals with a grain of chamber of commerce thinking. Central Texas and the Hill Country are the object of drought and epic flooding on what seems to be a regular basis, so know before you go. Volumes of information exist on the Guadalupe, and it continues to pile up. The “Guad” as it’s called, also benefits from the concentrated attention of Trout Unlimited and the Guadalupe River Trout Unlimited (GRTU). They do have a lease system, additional private stocking of trout and more recently they have become involved with river flow and temperature monitors. Since the Guad is a river, the TPWD does release a map showing where trout are stocked on the Guadalupe.

General Trout Stocking in Texas
Texas, like other states, spends substantial money to stock city ponds for events meant to get people outside and fishing during the colder months. Typically, they respond to fish kibble in a variety of power bait colors. Translation; sure you saw them being poured into your neighborhood pond, but they are going to sit in a tight school, never going native, and get yanked by the Home Depot bucketload with Power Bait. Good luck with a fly rod. They post the Texas trout stocking information in November, but here is last year’s locations for Texas trout stocking. I think it would be safe to guess there will be significant cutbacks in Texas trout stockings. Virtually all trout found in Texas are found in these stocking situations, with the glowing exception being the Guadalupe River.

State of Oklahoma
In North Texas, home base for TFC, it’s just about 35 miles to Oklahoma, and Oklahoma knows that. There’s an entire industry aimed at fly fishers, and two southernmost destinations for North Texas are the Blue River and Broken Bow / Beaver’s Bend. The Blue River is seasonally stocked while Broken Bow benefits from a much longer, more intense, stocking schedule. I don’t know what kind of “tourist” dollar value has been put on these fish, but Broken Bow’s economic impact is measured in the millions. Whether by design, or budget cuts, it looks like Oklahoma will be cutting back on stocking trout at certain locations. You can find the Oklahoma trout stocking schedule here. If you are headed to Broken Bow – The Lower Mountain Fork – have a look at the Lower Mountain Fork River Foundation web site. Scroll down a little on this link to see a short Broken Bow hatch chart. There’s a better one … somewhere.

Going Native
If you want to zero in your skills for catching trout in the nearby Lower Mountain Fork, or at the Guadalupe River, you will be well served to attend one of Rob Woodruff’s entomology classes at either, or both locations. I have done the class on the Guadalupe, and some of the basics are the same, but you will find a very different selection of trout food sources on the Lower Mountain Fork. Do yourself a favor, and DO both classes. Don’t hesitate, as Mr. Woodruff’s classes always fill up quickly.

References
If you are looking for a shortcut to stories on both of these locations, be sure to go to the right hand column, scroll down to the search box and key in words for whatever bliss you seek.