First Fly Fishing Trip

[Salmonidae]

Hey guys, i'm going to be getting out to beavers bend for my first fly fishing trip this weekend, I will be departing from Dallas on Friday September, 7th! Since this is my first trip with a fly rod I don't really know much, I know the basics of "the anatomy of a trout stream", but what I will need some help with are some questions pertaining as to where I should start off my first day fishing. I also need some help as to what flies I should get from the local beavers bend fly shop once I arrive, Thanks
P.S: I am using a 3wt 7ft6 and a 5wt 9ft with Rio powerflex leaders in 5x, What leaders should I get once I arrive? Many Thanks.

Tight Lines!

[Fenwick]

Very simple. Go directly to the fly shop first and you will get all your questions answered and whatever you might need as far as tackle and flies. You might want to hire a guide too: www.beaversbendflyshop.com/guide-services.html
Seems your 3 wt and 5wt though somewhat different in feel and application are perfectly workable there. How'd you come into the gear if you've never fly fished before?

[Salmonidae]

I think I might hire a guide when I go in the winter, but probably not now, thanks though.

[Salmonidae]

Sept 5, 2018 19:58:18 GMT -6 Fenwick said:

Very simple. Go directly to the fly shop first and you will get all your questions answered and whatever you might need as far as tackle and flies. You might want to hire a guide too: www.beaversbendflyshop.com/guide-services.html
Seems your 3 wt and 5wt though somewhat different in feel and application are perfectly workable there. How'd you come into the gear if you've never fly fished before?

I kinda spent a few hundred hours reading articles, chatting on different forums, watching you tube videos, and more before I got my gear, also apparently a 5wt 9wt is considered the most versatile trout rod, I got the 3wt for smaller streams and smaller stretches of rivers. Previously I was a complete noob and got an 8wt, then i realized that i made a mistake, I kept the rod but plan to use it for Salmon and larger trout with streamers.

[turfdawg]

I am going to be completely honest so please don’t take this the wrong way.
This time of the year and with the fish kill and vertically no stocking plus no guide forget catching and just go have fun. Walk the river, fish in spots, take pictures, ect.....
I know everyone has different financial situations but a good guide can teach you more in 4 hours than many days out by yourself trying to learn.
I’m not saying you are not going to catch any fish, I’m just saying go with the mindset you probably won’t but you’re going to have fun. Please do stop by the Fly shop and ask about flies and the areas. Very nice people and will try to help.

Welcome and good luck

[Fenwick]

Ah turfdawg but the river HAS JUST BEEN STOCKED with some makeup stockings to come as well. Bookmark this link for infrequent but informative updates:

lmfrfoundation.org/latest-news-and-updates/

And there is this from the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation: www.wildlifedepartment.com/fishing/fishingreport

Lower Mountain Fork
Submitted by: April Drake
Date: 09/05/2018
Additional Information:
Stocked approximately 4,185 rainbow trout on September 4. Report submitted by April Drake, secretary at the Southeast Region Office.

Salmonidae: Stay tuned to this website and just keep perusing all the postings in here to get the overall picture of what's going on. Read the older posts too since the boards are a treasure chest of info. Just click around everywhere and you'll see. School is in session and summer vacation is over for many families so the crowds along the river may have lightened up a bit offering more space to fly fish without suffering you-versus-them combat conditions. You'll see that the majority of those posting in here are catch-and-release fly fishermen and follow the conduct of good sportsmanship. The damn-the-rules-catch-and-keep-all-you-can-by-any-means-neccessary types are not part of the in-crowd here. The fly fishing success rate really picks up as the weather cools, the water cools and the oxygen levels increase making the conditions better for trout's existence. The winter months are a fly fisherman's friend. The colder it gets the less likely you are to find the nice-day-only fishermen and more likely you'll find the better fly fishermen out on the water. That makes for great streamside conversation and acquaintances. You'll eventually meet those who post in here in person. There are links to maps of the park and river on the main page of this website. Even so it'll take a few trips to get oriented to what particular stretch is where in real life. Many stretches of the river have casual nicknames you'll need to learn and locate. You'll see them referenced often in here. There are also officially named zones be they Zone 1, Zone 2 or Zone 3 and there are also official red and blue zones. Our casually named stretches lie within these officially named areas. Since fly only / no-barb / catch-and-release is the norm for us we are free to fish the entire length of the river while the bait fishermen who intend on keeping trout are restricted to the official blue zones. You'll get the hang of the sections and zones soon enough. Your eight weight will come in handy further downriver in the lower stretches of Zone 2 and in Zone 3 where walleye and bass populate the river. Enough said for now, just keep reading as much as you can here, do hit the fly shop for valuable information and the odds and ends you may need to acquire and good luck.

Just realized I'm posting in here from my new residence in McLean, Va. but fished there on the LMF in the park for 12 years before moving away from Dallas last Fall. Anyhoo I like to keep in touch.

[Salmonidae]

Thanks, as this was my first trip I wasn't expecting much, I had fun and ended up catching my first fish on a fly, put up a good fight, when I arrived I stopped by the shop and asked for advice, bought some flies, etc.

[turfdawg]

Sept 12, 2018 15:12:22 GMT -6 Salmonidae said:

Thanks, as this was my first trip I wasn't expecting much, I had fun and ended up catching my first fish on a fly, put up a good fight, when I arrived I stopped by the shop and asked for advice, bought some flies, etc.

Welcome to the addiction lol.
Glad you had fun because that’s what it’s all about. If financially possible hire one of the Fly shop guides and it will really help shorten the learning process.

[slim]

Salmon,
More bragging, details and photos are expected and allowed.

[Salmonidae]

K, He wasn't too big but still fun to catch

Attachments:

[jonbo]

Good one! Do you know what spot/area you caught it in? My first two fly fishing trips I hooked one fish each time but failed to land either. After that it got better.

[Salmonidae]

Sept 21, 2018 3:26:37 GMT -6 jonbo said:

Good one! Do you know what spot/area you caught it in? My first two fly fishing trips I hooked one fish each time but failed to land either. After that it got better.

Next to the evening hole bridge not in the evening hole (red zone) on the other side (blue zone) I also saw a Golden rainbow trout in the water but it wouldnt bite, I was using a hopper pattern and the trout just came and struck it.

[Salmonidae]

Here is a screenshot of a map that i have put markers and written on, it shows where i caught the fish.

[Salmonidae]

P.s. dont pay attention to all the pins, I put them there when surveying the map.

[turfdawg]

Hickory hole or 40’ Hole depending where in that circle

[Salmonidae]

In the fly shop the reffered to it as the cold hole, it was practically right next to the bridge.

[greenman]

As FlyandStream said,

Here is a good post by Texanfisherman..

beaversbendflyshop.proboards.com/post/13935/thread

decent map of area with descriptions.

[turfdawg]

Sept 25, 2018 17:18:42 GMT -6 Salmonidae said:

In the fly shop the reffered to it as the cold hole, it was practically right next to the bridge.

Cold hole is where the new bridge is

[huntnfish2much]

That aerial photo was made with the stop logs removed. You can see how much exposed area there is around the banks. The island at the swim area really shows how the bank tapers off.

You CAN fish (from the bank) between the powerhouse and the Old Park Dam. You can't wade that area, but fishing isn't prohibited.

Hopefully, they'll pull the stop logs this year! I'm looking forward to fishing those spots this year!

JR

[Salmonidae]

Yes, sorry it was the hickory hole based on the map. I might go fish the Lmf in December, Heard that they pull the stop logs and more of the river is open.

[Salmonidae]

P.S. I heard the the powerhouse has good fishing.

[Salmonidae]

Btw, anyone have Discord?

[Salmonidae]

My Fly Rod Broke 😓but luckily it was covered by warranty so I shipped it to the repair center, it arrived there today, hopefully i will get it back soon...

[Salmonidae]

Hi, does december have good fishing? Thanks.

[turfdawg]

Yes generally