Sometimes we forget........

Little fish are better than no fish, and fishing a small pond is better than not getting to fish at all.

I've been super busy lately with my son's baseball team, and taking time to romance my wife. I took her to see a production of Grease at Casa Manana Theater in Ft. Worth Saturday night that she enjoyed immensely. That I haven't had much chance to grab a rod and fling some flies at fish. 

So, Sunday evening I headed over to the pond on my in laws property where we have caught some very nice largemouth bass in the past. Grasshoppers abound in our area lately, and it was a little windy so I tied on what has become my go to Bass pattern. A Green foam grasshopper tied on a size 8 hook. First cast I rolled it out past the weed beds, and the grasshopper hit the water with a realistic "plunk". I let it float for about a second when this nice Bluegill tried to inhale it.

          
It continued like this for quite a while cast-catch,cast-catch. I had a good time although I really didn't catch anything of any real size. I think that sometimes we get so caught up in the hunt for the next big fish. That we forget what it was like to be a kid and have a blast landing easy little fish after easy fish. I also think a common mistake people make when they first introduce someone to fly fishing. Is that they take them out after trout the first time when they should be learning on easy to catch bass and panfish.

As I mentioned earlier we have caught some really nice bass out of this pond. My father in law landed a 12 pounder out of there once. The drought conditions that we have been in the past few years has really taken a toll on our little pond however. We haven't seen a nice bass in quite some time. I did land some tiny ones. Maybe we'll get some good rainfall this fall and they'll grow up. 

    
The fishing related highlight of my Sunday was stopping by Cabela's and picking up ANOTHER new fly rod! I decided to jump back on the Temple Fork Outfitters bandwagon and I selected one of their Pro Series II 4wt's. I can't wait to go harass some trout with it! I'll be hitting the Lower Mountain Fork river at least twice this fall/winter, and the Brazos in December when they stock the Rainbows. So, I'll be using this rod quite a bit.   

    
Tight Lines!

Shawn
   

Brazos River, behind Possum Kingdom Dam- Hwy 16 Bridge area 9-3-12

Just two hours from the DFW area sits a great fishery for fly anglers that is often overlooked. The Hwy 16 bridge area of the Brazos River behind the Possum Kingdom dam holds Largemouth Bass,Sand Bass, and various panfish year round. Also, each year from December thru early March Texas Parks and Wildlife stocks the river with Rainbow Trout.From the fish hatchery located just down the road from the dam. The Rainbows are only 9-12 inches long, but are still great fun to catch. This is great if you just want to hit the water with you fly rod for trout but only have time for a short day trip. Just watch the Texas Parks and Wildlife webpage for stocking schedules. Which should be posted by mid-November.

My family spent the Labor Day weekend at my in-laws condo on Possum Kingdom Lake with some good friends of ours. After two fun filled days Saturday and Sunday of tubing,swimming, and taking the kids bait fishing off the dock. It was time for me to hit the river with my Orvis Trident 7wt Monday morning. 

From DFW take I-20 West toward Weatherford. Take the exit for Hwy 180 West that goes through Weatherford and Mineral Wells.  Stay on 180 West until you reach Hwy 16 North.  Follow Hwy 16 until you see the dam and bridge (pictured above).

   

 There is a nice parking area just off the road. If you get there early enough you won't have any trouble finding a place to park. I got there about 7:30 in the morning, and even on a holiday parked without any problem. The walk down to the river from there is just a few hundred feet, and is a nice easy paved slope. Kayakers and Canoers use this ramp, so be mindful to stay out of their way.   

This photo was taken from the ramp. As you can see there is great fish habitat right there! With the rocks creating several riffles and pools. You don't need to get into the water if you don't want to. You can roll cast from the bank and land your fly out to the center of the river. However, it is easy wading if you choose to. The area directly under the bridge is a great spot also, and is the only place you'll get any bites once it gets hot.To get under the bridge though, you do have to wade some shallow water. Be on the lookout for snakes when fishing in the Spring and Summer! I have seen water moccasins in the past, and saw two swimming the shallows in the morning yesterday. 

My Wife came down and took some Photos of me

Top water action was good on foam crickets and grasshoppers. Caught several panfish and smaller bass.

 

There were a lot of fingerlings in the water that I figured the larger bass must have been feeding on. So, I started striping a deceiver quickly through the pools and started landing some bigger largemouth bass. Like this largemouth pictured here.     

It made for a good Labor Day morning. I'm definitely looking forward to this winter's Rainbow stocking. 

Gear and fly suggestions   

 Winter trout stocking 

 3 or 4 Wt. rod 

 Waders, the water is very cold December thru March

 Gloves, I prefer  fingerless 

 Leader: 6 to 9 feet in length is good(remember:these trout  are young stockers and not very leader savvy)

 5X or 6X Tippet

 Flies:

 Wooly Buggers, Black or Olive work very well

 Brassie and Zebra midges

 Sowbug patterns

 If you want to use dries, the Royal Wulff, and Parachute Adams work well.

    

 Rest of the year, for bass and panfish 

 6 to 8 Wt Rod (there are some large bass in there!)

 No waders needed unless it's late in the fall.It's too hot! 

 Hat

 Sunscreen

 Mosquito Repellant

 Leader: I just tie on about 9 feet of 20 pound test, and tie the fly directly to that. Bass and panfish aren't leader shy!

 Flies :

Wooly Buggers, Black,Olive, or White 

Deceivers

Grasshopper and Cricket patterns 

Spider patterns

Bass bug poppers 

Hope you enjoyed reading!

Tight Lines!

Shawn