Oklahoma Fly Fishing

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Lake Texoma
Lake Texoma is 89,000 acres with the most beautiful shoreline and wooded areas you could imagine. Lake Texoma is a fly fisherman’s dream with year-round fly fishing. It’s “The Striper Capital of the World”, with excellent populations of large mouth bass, Kentucky spotted bass, small mouth bass, white bass, crappie, bluegill, catfish carp, and gar. The month of October, give or take a week, begins the annual fall and winter trophy striper time on Lake Texoma. This is also the beginning of the fall bait migration. The big stripers will follow gorging themselves on the available shad. They will continue the cycle of migration clear to the pre-spawn staging areas and remain in those areas throughout the winter months and into the spring. This is without question, the best period of the year to catch a double digit striper on the fly. Winter time striper fishing can be excellent.

Fly Fishing Tips for Small-Mouth & Spotted Bass in the Lower Ozarks
Fishing and floating the lower Ozarks can take place from spring until winter sets in. Some of the best fishing can take place mid-summer during the aluminum hatch. (The fish don’t mind the traffic.) Small-mouth Bass, Kentucky Bass, Rock Bass and sometimes Sand Bass can all be had on the same water.

The Smallmouth bass in my opinion was made for a fly rod. All you have to know is how to fish for them. The Upper Illinois River is a wonderful place to fish for them because of all the access to the water. It is not the only place, Baron Fork, Spring Creek, 14 Mile Creek and others offer tremendous fishing. Even when the Small-mouth are not biting there are Bream (Perch), Spots, (Kentucky Bass) and Sandies (White-bass).

It is important during the spring that you release your fish. The females should be allowed to lay their eggs and males should not be taken off the nesting beds for very long because they are protecting the fry. If you plan to keep fish for the frying pan, be sure to keep the small ones not the mature adults that can reproduce. It is important that we keep our Smallmouth population healthy.

Fish the whole water column. Poppers and top water flies are and important part of any Smallmouth fly box. From there fish the middle with streamers patterns. Be sure and try the bottom with crawdad and sculpin patterns.

Terrestials
Late Summer & Early Fall is a great time to fish with terrestrials. No, I don’t have any alien fishing buddies. I’m talking about land born critters that end up accidentally in the water. Grasshoppers, beetles, ants, katydids and such. In the hot, dry days of the sunny months, terrestrials are plentiful and are a major part of any fishes daily banquet. Grasshoppers are a favorite of many fishermen. Flyfishers have classic patterns from long ago such as Letort’s Hopper, Joe’s Hopper or even an Elk Hair Caddis. Over the last decade Dave’s Hopper by Dave Whitlock ( an Okie by the way ( another story)) has always been one of my favorites. Ray at Elk Creek makes a no name bug from foam that works wonders on the bream and Griff makes a “Crippled Hopper” that is getting great reviews for catching smallmouth. I know of several people that fish live grasshoppers with fly rods and have great success. Live or imitation, you can fish grasshoppers with a spinning rigs using a “bubble” on the line to give you weight for casting.

Find a nice quite nook with plenty of depth, maybe under the shade or the edge of some grass, cast to make a “splat”. If nothing happens give it a gentle “twitch” and HANG-ON!!!

These are just a few notes on fishing for smallmouth bass. Check this page for additions.

Be Sneaky

Trout fishers get in the habit of just about standing on the fish because of the way we fish a riffle or a small deep pool. Lake fishermen run full blast to the next hole. You just can’t do that to a smallmouth bass in the river during the beginning of the aluminum hatch. (beer cans and canoes) You have to be a little sneaky.

Wear shirts that blend in to the background. Tan, green and brown work well. Use the golfers “90 degree rule” when approaching that good looking spot. Walk on the path not splashing through the pool. Plan your movement where you are going upstream. Most fish in moving water face upstream when feeding. From behind they can’t watch you coming. Use lures that are a bit more realistic you might hold off on the hot pink lizard.

Mostly try to be quite and not so noisy, be sneaky!

Build Confidence
To help build confidence and to help improve your fishing abilities, locate a place you can go to often. Traveling to different fishing locations is fun and educational, but a new place is usually the least productive. Changing fishing destinations can be a lot like changing girlfriends. (You have to start from scratch and you have to be careful of comparisons.) Fish one “place” long enough to learn where the fish are hiding, why they like certain spots and the conditions that change their moods.

Work On Your Sensitive Side. One of the things you can do to improve your fishing is to become more “touchy-feely”. Cast, close your eyes and “feel” the force. Well, maybe just your fishing line.

Sometimes the fish take the lure so softly you can easily miss it. It’s more so with long single hook flies where the material extends a good ways past the hook. Lots of the smallmouth streamers that I like to use are made that way and I have learned to “feel” for the take. With a fly rod there is an advantage in that I have contact with the line in my fingers all the time.

In fact it’s easier to teach this technique to someone who fishes wiggle tail / single hook grubs a lot, than to a trout fisherman who is use to “seeing” the take.

Work on it. Close your eyes, keep your line tight and learn to feel the take. Is it a fish or just a rock? You can now tell your wife you’ve been working on your sensitive side.

Keep a tight slack less line
One of the givens in fishing is that in order to move the lure you have to have a tight slack-less line. An advantage of fishing with conventional tackle over flyfishing tackle is that the reel does this for you as soon as you start cranking in line.

When flyfishing with bass type flies and regular streamers it is important to keep the slack out of the line in order to feel the strike.

An easy way to help yourself to do this is to practice keeping your rod tip down. Unless you are fishing a dryfly or an indicator “rig”, as soon as your fly touches the water you should bee removing slack and lowering your rod tip. Think about it. If your rod tip is high then you have less contact with your fly. Measure and if your rod tip is up then you have 4 to 6 feet of slack between the end of your rod and where it line contacts the water. Get in the habit to cast, drop and keep your rod tip down.

More About Trout Fishing in Lakes
Oklahoma has several lakes and rivers which have good numbers of Brown and Rainbow trout. Remember to check the most current trout regulations and seasons prior to planning your fishing trip.
The list below identifies Oklahoma’s trout areas. Refer to the fishing Regulations section or contact the ODWC for specific information on seasons and licenses.
Trout Areas

1. Lake Carl Etling (Black Mesa State Park)
2. Lake Pawhuska
3. Lake Watonga (Roman Nose State Park)
watonga
4. Lower Illinois River
illinoisriver
5. Quartz Mountain State Park
quartzmountain
6. Robbers Cave State Park
robberscave
7. Blue River Public Fishing and Hunting Area
8. Lower Mountain Fork River
mountainfork

Oklahoma Fly Fishing Articles
Deep Secrets of Oklahoma Bass
www.oklahomagameandfish.com/ok_aa014105a
Fishing Mountain Fork, Oklahoma
The Mountain Fork River is an angling haven for flyfishing addicts in the south-central United States – from GORP.com
gorp.away.com/gorp/activity/fishing/features/mountain_fork.htm
Fishing Oklahoma.com
Oklahoma fishing information, news and reports.
www.fishingoklahoma.com
Floating for Sooner Bass
www.oklahomagameandfish.com/ok_aa084204a
Fly Fish Lake Texoma
Lake Texoma is a fly fisherman’s dream with year-round fly fishing. It’s “The Striper Capital of the World”, with excellent populations of large mouth bass, Kentucky spotted bass, small mouth bass, wh
www.atoka.net/flyfishing/
Fly Fish Oklahoma
Since its inception in 1989, the Lower Mountain Fork River trout fishery has rapidly improved to become one of the top year-round trout destinations in the South. The river supports trout for the firs
www.flyfishingfork.com/oklahoma.html
Flyfishing for Small-Mouth & Spotted Bass
Fishing and floating the lower Ozarks can take place from spring until winter sets in…
www.tah-usa.net/onthefly/smallmouth.htm
Flyfishing the Lower River for Trout
Fishing for trout on the Lower Illinois River can be fun if you know the right techniques.
www.tah-usa.net/onthefly/lowerriver.htm
Heating it up with Hybrids
Hot action with hybrid stripers is waiting for Oklahoma anglers on select waters across our state
www.oklahomagameandfish.com/ok_aa064104a
Hot Winter Fisheries – Mountain Fork River, Oklahoma
The Ouachita Mountains provide a pleasant backdrop to fishing in the pools and riffles of this small, clear tailwater. In the fall and early winter, the trees and bushes are alive with reds and orange
away.com/gorp/activity/fishing/features/winfish6.htm
Is The Trophy Trout Area Below Reregulation Dam In Trouble?
by David Schroder – from Oklahoma Fly Fishing
wscfs.htm
Linesiders on the freshwater fly
Lake Texoma provides superb striped bass flyfishing
espn.go.com/outdoors/fishing/s/ff_fea_Burkhead_Texoma.html
Lower Mountain Fork
This tailwater is the most noted year around trout fishery in the state.
home.att.net/~brockrut/lrmtnfrk.htm
Lower Mountain Fork River offers excellent trout fishing
Both rainbow and brown trout can be coaxed into biting along the 12-mile lower Mountain Fork River Trout Area managed by the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation. The area is known for trophy
www.outdoorcentral.com/mc/pr/03/04/10e9.asp
Lower Mountain Fork River Trout Regulations
www.beaversbend.com/fishing.html
Mountain Fork River
This fast moving-water of the lower Mountain Fork is not only excellent for year-round canoeing, but it is one of the best fishing streams in the Midwest. It offers twelve miles of excellent rainbow
www.shopoklahoma.com/mtnforkr.htm
Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation
www.wildlifedepartment.com/fishing.htm
Oklahoma Fly Fishing
a guide to fly fishing the waters of Oklahoma
home.att.net/~brockrut
Oklahoma General Trout Regulations
www.wildlifedepartment.com/fishregs/generaltroutregulations.htm
Oklahoma state-record brown trout landed on wispy tippet
Boomer brown from above
espn.go.com/outdoors/fishing/s/ff_fea_Burkhead_boomer_record.html
Oklahoma Stripers info
The Striper has been widely introduced in numerous lakes, rivers and impoundments throughout the Oklahoma. With Texoma being the best known and my pick for the best Striper fishing in Oklahoma!
okiefish.com/TheSpriper.htm
Oklahoma Trout fishing info
from Fishing Oklahoma.com
fishingoklahoma.com/trout1.htm
Ozark Fly Flinger
www.flyflinger.com/main.html
Red River flyfishing recipe
Ingredients add up to reel-melting runs by Texoma stripers
espn.go.com/outdoors/fishing/s/ff_fea_Burkhead_Texoma_tech.html
Red River Stripers
by Brian Shivers
www.flyfishamerica.com/ArticlesReports/MidAmericaRegion/Mid-America(
MW)/MWShivers97MJ/MWShivers97MJ.html
Sooner Stripers on the Run
www.oklahomagameandfish.com/ok_aa044203a/index.html
State Record Brown Trout Landed By Fly Angler
Mountain Fork River brown trout sets state record
www.wildlifedepartment.com/rtf2.htm
Stripers And More!
That’s just what you can catch at these prime Oklahoma venues this month.
www.oklahomagameandfish.com/ok_aa044204a
Stripes Across Oklahoma
Oklahoma Striper Fishing
www.oklahomagameandfish.com/ok_aa074203a/index.html
Techniques for Boomer browns and rainbows
Guides share tips for Oklahoma trout success
espn.go.com/outdoors/fishing/s/ff_fea_Burkhead_boomer_tech.html
The Smallmouth Alliance
The Smallmouth Alliance (TSA) is a group of conservation-minded anglers who recognize the outstanding sporting characteristics of smallmouth bass.
www.smallmouth.org/NationalSMA.html
Top Spots for Largemouths
Oklahoma is blessed with many places in which to catch bass…
www.oklahomagameandfish.com/ok_aa054204a

Oklahoma Fly Fishing Clubs
Northeastern Oklahoma Fly Fishing Club
Promoting flyfishing for all species through education and conservation activities.
www.okieflyfishers.org/index.html

Oklahoma Fly Fishing Maps
Lower Illinois River map
fishingoklahoma.com/illinoisriver.html
Lower Mountain Fork River map
fishingoklahoma.com/mountainfork.html
USGS – Map of Oklahoma Water Levels Rivers and Lakes
water.usgs.gov/cgi-bin/daily_flow?ok

Oklahoma Fly Fishing Reports
Blue River reports
from Scottys Blue River One Stop
blueriverok.com/shopping_page.html
general Oklahoma reports from fishingnotebook.com
www.fishingnotebook.com/reports/oklahoma/wwwreport.shtml
OkieFish.com reports
reports for all parts of the state
www.okiefish.com/OKLAHOMAFISHNREPORTS.htm
Oklahoma Fishing
from anglerguide.com
www.anglerguide.com/oklahoma
Oklahoma fishing reports forum
from Three Rivers Fly Shop
www.threeriversflyshop.com/thread/index.html
On The Fly Flyfishing weekly report
www.tah-usa.net/onthefly/weekly1.htm
Weekly Trout Fishing Report … Lower Mountain Fork River
www.beaversbendflyshop.com/bbs/messages/337.html

Oklahoma Stream Flows
Blue RIver Streamflows
waterdata.usgs.gov/ok/nwis/uv?site_no=07332500
Generation Schedule for Broken Bow dam
These schedules provide the public with the suggested hydropower releases in the Southwestern region.
www.swpa.gov/generation.htm
Oklahoma stream flows
home.att.net/~brockrut/cond.htm

Oklahoma Fly Fishing Forums

Beavers Bend Fly Shop Message Board
www.beaversbendflyshop.com/cgi-bin/ib3/ikonboard.cgi
Three Rivers Fly Shop Community Board
www.threeriversflyshop.com/thread/index.html

Oklahoma Fly Fishing Shops

On The Fly
One Plaza South 234 Tahlequah OK 74464 918-456-5511
www.tah-usa.net/onthefly
Beavers Bend Fly Shop
Highway 259A, Broken Bow, OK 74728 (580) 494-6071
beaversbendflyshop.com
Cache Creek Fly Shop
1004 C Avenue Lawton, OK 7350; 580-353-1724
www.ionet.net/~ccfs/flyshop/Page_1x.html

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