Robbers Cave Trout...

Robbers Cave trout ripe for the grill, when you find them

My Goto Flies

When fishing in Oklahoma, no matter where....Lower Illinois, Blue River, Lower Mountain Fork....I have several flies that are the key goto's and that routinely stay stocked within my box.

1. Bead Head Gold Ribbed Hares Ear - both in natural and olive green (the latter more lovingly known as a Beavers Bend special).   I seem to go thru more 14 and 16s in these.

2. Woolly Bugger - Whether they be Black, Olive, Brown, Rust or White these seem to be able to draw strikes when nothing else is working...key is get deep and work it slow...10s and 12s usually do the trick.

3. Pheasant Tail - another key goto pattern while similar to the hares ear...just pulls hits when the others aren't working.  14s-20s seem to work here.

4. Parachute Adams/Adams Dries - when they are sipping the surface and the hatch is on these seem to catch a majority of the action for me. 14s - 20s have worked for me.

5.  Midges - various flavors and colors, used on their own or as a dropper are almost always a hit.  The smaller the better seem to do the trick.

6. Scud - gray or olive have worked for me 18s - 20s get replenished the most.

7. Prince - certain days at the Lower Illinois, this was the only fly that could entice a strike 14s - 16s are the sizes i have to order the most.

8. San Juan worms...Red and Brown usually with a bead, larger the better usually use these with faster flows and deeper water and gives a larger target.

I have various and sundry other flies, however these are the ones that get replenished most in my fly box.  I also plan on trying some soft hackle wet flies this year.  Will be good as i just never have tried them.

Illinois River Fly Fishing School set for Feb. 19-20

Enrollment is underway for the Illinois River Fly Fishing School, which has become one of the most popular fishing education workshops held each year in Oklahoma. The 2016 session will be Feb. 19-20 at Tenkiller State Park and on the banks of the Illinois River.

Full Article

Another First on the Blue

Blue River, Oklahoma...beautiful and peaceful and full o trout.

A wonderful day on the Blue today with my friend Dave who is a first time fly fisher.  Although we couldn't catch a rise the fish were feeding deep, early.  Began with the tried and true standby's 12-16 BH Hares Ear, BH Prince, BH Lightning Bug and Black Wooly Bugger.

All of the takes were very subtle with the exception of Dave's First trout who was showing some attitude and was a very nice jumper.  The action died around 10 and unfortunately we had to roll out just after noon, think they were going to turn on again after lunch but most of em will wait for another day.

Congrats Dave, very nice first trout and as always kicking around with you for the day was excellent.

and our catch for the day

Every Day is a Good Day Fishing

I do believe this to be true, however it is desirable, when driving 2 hours one-way, to stack the odds in successes favor as much as possible in trip planning.

Planned on fishing the Lower Illinois this morning as I had a day off work, it was recently "re-opened" as conditions have been stabilized somewhat, and they had just stocked trout last friday.  However, as I rounded the corner into the parking area this morning I realized I had made a rookie mistake.  I should have checked the streamflows before making the two-hour drive.

had I done that I would have seen a graph similar to this....

and would have known that the river was running at about 11.5 feet and at about 4000 ft3/second.  Needless to say, difficult fishing.

However, since I do believe that every day fishing, is a good day and I am stubborn enough to believe that all conditions can be conquered, I made up my mind to find somewhere to land a stocker.  Went up by the dam and there is a small side pool that today looked like a large side eddy.  After about 15 casts, using a black b/h wooly bugger, i had a strike but no hookup.  An hour and a half later after throwing about everything else in my fly box, I put on a size 12 prince with some red thread wrapped around the back end.  Two tosses and bam, hooked and played a beautiful little stocker rainbow.

After playing him in and releasing him I decided to hang em up for today, satisfied that even given my rookie blunder of the morning, I managed to catch a trout.

Like they say, Every Day fishing is a Good Day Fishing.

Sequoyah County Times - Trout stocking resumes no permanent fix for fishery

Although fish have again been stocked, and we again have sufficient water, it is likely that it may not last and like the like the article says, we need something permanent.

Every concerned Lower Illinois Fly Fisherman should take a moment to contact our representatives in Washington and communicate your concerns.

U.S. Rep. Dan Boren (D-Okla.), U.S. Senator James Inhofe (R-Tulsa) and U.S. Senator Tom Coburn (R-Muskogee)

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Sequoyah County Times - Trout stocking resumes no permanent fix for fishery

First Trout

Who remember's their first trout?  Or their first bass, catfish, redfish, perch, etc.   I remember back around 2000/2001 reading a lot about fly fishing and thinking how weird it would be for a dusty oklahoman to want to learn to fly fish.   Anyway I bought a couple of magazines and books on the subject, studied up a bit and acquired some gear.  I bought a lot of my gear online from Yager's flies and they were great answering all of my questions.  With all my new gear, a trout stamp (they were required back then) and a map downloaded off the internet, I set off one morning, headed to the Blue River to cut my teeth on some stocker trout with my new fly gear.

The day was chilly but not freezing, and there was some wind (always is here) but wasn't bad as I remember.  I wasted a bit of time fishing a few areas that looked great to a newbie like me, but had little luck.  I remember tying on a bead-head prince nymph and looking at a little depression in the stream where there was an eddy and it was under a dead branch overhang.  I thought that may be a good place to cast.  There was also a bunch of line and numerous flies all twisted around the branch hanging over the water so it was apparent that at least some others thought it was worth a shot as well.

Bingo! barely a breath as the prince sank and there was a tug on the line, a gentle lift of the rod and the little guy was hooked.  He was no lunker, in fact I remember thinking that that is one of the smallest fish I had ever caught, however the fight that he put up and the excitement of that first trout were incredible.  once he was landed i made sure my hands were wet and held him while i snapped a quick pic and then slid him back in the water where i saw him swim away in a flash.....

I think I may have caught him later that same season :)

Thanks Little Buddy, great memories

A nice fish from the Lower Illinois

Nice Lower Illinois Rainbow