Fishing
North Texas and beyond!
Rainbow Trout
One of the best kept secrets of the area is that there are multiple locations within and around DFW that are regularly stocked with Rainbow Trout by Texas parks and wildlife. The stockings begin usually around late November and continue through February. While fishing for these stocked trout will not be the same as in a mountain or coastal stream, they are in abundant numbers the action is fast and they make great eating. Our local rivers are a great opportunity for those just learning how to fly fish to practice techniques with casting and line mending that will be invaluable when exploring other areas. For those that are a bit more adventurous the Beavers Bend area of the lower Mountain Fork river and the Brazos river below Possum Kingdom lake offer opportunities for more traditional tailwater trout fishing in beautiful surroundings.
White Bass
White Bass, also known as Sand Bass are one of my favorite fish to target. They are found in most lakes and rivers in the area and can be targeted year round although the action slows down in the winter. I believe the best lakes in the area for White Bass are Ray Roberts, Lavon, and Ray Hubbard. In the summer you can find schools of bass on the lake surface chasing bait-fish and that can make for some great top water action. While the lake fishing is excellent the real fun is in the spring when the bass run up creeks and rivers from the lakes to spawn, with the areas around Lavon and Ray Roberts being my favorite. The fishing is fun, fast and very forgiving to those just learning. It is not uncommon to catch 20 or more fish in a half day.
Striped Bass
Striped bass or "Stripers" are a well known game fish here in north Texas. The Fish is naturally androgynous meaning that it lives part of its life in fresh water and part of its life in salt water. Its natural life cycle is to spend its adult life in the ocean and return to rivers for spawning much like salmon. It was discovered while creating reservoirs on the east coast that Stripers could survive and even thrive in fresh water when they were cut off from the sea. Stripers are a close relative of White Bass and can be fished for in lakes much the same way. There are also many lakes that are stocked with "Wipers" which are a Striped Bass, White Bass hybrid. Lake Texoma is one of the few places in the US that land locked Stripers have established a sustained breeding population. This now native population in the lake creates a unique opportunity to target the fish in the tailwaters directly below the dam. When the flows are right it is one of the best opportunities in the area to land a +10 pound fish on a fly rod. This fishery is highly subject to flows from the dam and as a result trips are short notice only and plans are often subject to change.
Sm/Lg Mouth Bass
In North Texas fishing, Bass is king, particularly Largemouth Bass. Believe it or not these fish are more closely related to bluegills than the white or striped varieties that share the bass name. While there are excellent opportunities for Bass from early Spring to late Fall my favorite time to target these fish is in the spring when lake levels are high and the Bass have plenty of cover along the shore line. This the time of year when you can use poppers to generate good top-water strikes. In addition to the well know lakes such as Lewisville or ray Roberts there are many smaller bodies of water that can produce some great fish in the area. When we move into the summer I find that the poppers become less successful and fishing streamers and crayfish patterns can be more productive. The thing to remember about bass fishing is if you are not having success keep changing it up until you find the right combination of fly and location.
Bluegill/Sunfish
While we will rarely target Sunfish on our trips, it is a group of fish worth considering. They are in most every lake, pond or creek in the area, are easy to catch and can provide a welcome distraction during those days where the other species are not being cooperative. They are also a great fish for those just learning to fly fish and children in particular. In my opinion the best aspect of Sunfish is that once you become familiar with how to fish for them you are almost never more than a five minute drive from a pond, lake, or creek where you can get a quick fishing fix after work.
Carp
I know what you are thinking, you are really fishing for carp? The answer is a resounding yes. This is an under appreciated game fish in the US, while in Europe it is highly sought after. How about the fact that the record carp in North Texas is 29.7 pounder pulled out of lake Lewisville. The main target species in the area is the Common Carp or the "Golden Bone" but you can also find Grass Carp, and Buffalo Carp. The best places I have found for targeting Carp are the Trinity River and Lake Ray Roberts but they can be found in most large bodies of water in the area. These fish represent a unique challenge to the North Texas fly fisherman. They are easily spooked, difficult to entice, and will fight above there wight class. Lake Ray Roberts in particular offers a unique opportunity to sight cast to these fish on the flats in the lake. This is best accomplished from a flats style skiff, just like fishing saltwater. I am relatively new to targeting Carp in the area so I do not offer trips for this fish at the time, but I want to include it here to promote this game fish. If you want to know more go to Texas Fly Caster, it is a web page with a lot of great information on Carp in the area. It is also run by a local guide who was one of the pioneers of Carp fishing in North Texas, and has a great flats skiff to get you on the carp.
