Rob Woodruff Broken Bow Update and More

Rob Woodruff is on the go, and I find it refreshing to see some honest accounting (instead of chamber of commerce reports) on Beaver’s Bend Broken Bow, Oklahoma. I am not sure why I did not run this earlier, but here it is in its entirety.
Mountain Fork River

Spillway Creek- Fishing has been good, especially in the afternoon. The weekday crowds have been light for this time of year. In addition to good numbers, we have landed nice looking; hard fighting Rainbows in the 16-18″ size range and some really pretty 10-12″ Browns in the past few weeks. BWO’s and Sulfurs have been hatching this past week.

I am hearing from many fly fishers who are struggling to catch trout on Spillway and they are blaming the flood, lack of trout, etc. There are plenty of trout in the creek and they are hungry. But, they have to see a fly in order to try to eat it. Anglers who previously relied on a log dam to show them where to fish and have not adjusted their tactics and set up to fit the new stream profile aren’t going to do very well now. Those who can read the stream to find trout holding areas and then make the presentation necessary to get the fly in front of the trout are going to have a lot of fun. This is a great opportunity to learn some lessons that can be applied to small trout streams anywhere you go.

Best flies-small Sowbugs, Beadhead Pheasant Tails and Hare’s Ears.

Evening Hole and Bluff Hole- Sulfur Mayflies have been hatching frequently. When hatches aren’t present, the trout are starting to give attention to hoppers, beetles and other terrestrials. On the flat water sections, stealthy wading and proper presentation is as important as what fly is on the leader.

Best flies-Soft Hackles, Zebra Midges, Sowbugs and Sz. 16 Sulfur dry flies.

Zone 2- On the mornings following evening power generation, the streamer fishing has been good. We have also caught some trout on big dry flies before the sun gets too high in the sky.

Best flies-small white streamers and yellow Stimulators.

Zone 3- Trout fishing in Zone 3 has been hampered for the past 10 years by problems with reduced water flow through the Re-regulation Dam. The Lower Mountain Fork River Foundation (specifically LMFRF Board of Directors Member Dr. Pat Waters) has worked hard to obtain permission from the various state and federal authorities to rectify the problem. All necessary letters of permission are in hand and a plan is underway to restore the flow back to the level required to keep trout happy and healthy all year.
Stay tuned for details…..

Texas
Lake Fork- The shallow water bite has taken the normal Summer vacation. The string of 100+ temperature days earlier this month pushed water surface temperatures into the low 90’s and most of the bass moved to the cooler water and abundant forage deep structure provides. The topwater bite will come back strong in early to mid-September when the Shad schooling action gets underway.

East Texas Lakes- The smaller lakes near Lake Fork have continued to fish well for bass and big bream from sunrise to late morning. The recent cooler temperatures and rain will keep things going for at least another couple of weeks.

Best flies- Boogle Bug Poppers in the Solar Flare color and olive damselfly nymph patterns.

Lake Texoma- I have had the opportunity to fish the Summer Striper Blitz at Texoma the past two Mondays, once with Orvis Endorsed Fly Fishing Guide Steve Hollensed and once on my own. The topwater bite is in full stride. In addition to nice Stripers up to 7 pounds, we caught some big Sand Bass that reminded me of the “old days” on Texoma. The latest trip also provided action from largemouth and smallmouth bass that were taking advantage of the swarming Shad. Contact Steve at [email protected] to book a trip.

Best flies-poppers or streamers in chartreuse/white, blue/white and silver.

New Fly Shop on the TX Coast- Orvis Authorized Dealer “Swan Point Landing” in Rockport welcomes TX middle coast flyrodders! Located a long double haul cast from the recently closed Starbucks location (where 35 Business forks off to Key Allegro). SPL carries the best tackle from Orvis, Sage, TFO, Ross, Tibor, Hatch, Wapsi, Rainy, East Cut, Patagonia and Fishpond.

Swan Point Landing is managed by my longtime friend Dave Hayward (former Orvis Houston and Orvis Regional Business Manager) so there is sure to be plenty of good advice, instruction and conversation in addition to the fly fishing gear.

SPL hours are 9-6 Mon-Saturday, 9-8 Friday, and 11 to 4 on Sunday.
Phone 361-729-7926

Drink plenty of liquids, put on sunscreen and go fly fishing.

Let me know if you have any questions,

Rob Woodruff
Orvis Endorsed Fly Fishing Guide
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I hit the sand bass blitzes on Ray Roberts hard yesterday morning as conditions were perfect. I am looking for a repeat on Friday, and any takers with kayaks and a hunger for sand bass to join in the hunt. Check out my tweets today for GPS coordinates on those blowups yesterday morning. It was all over by noon, as the wind died down and clouds cleared off. Finished the day with a quick trip over to Windmill Lake on the LBJ Grasslands north of Decatur. The pond looks completely anaerobic and silted, with only a few small fish remaining. Good luck to anyone headed there – you’ll need it.

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Tags: broken bow, oklahoma, orvis guide, rob woodruff, spillway

Category: East Texas, Fishing Reports, GPS, North Texas, Oklahoma Report