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Post by stephenl on Jul 14, 2020 0:10:00 GMT -6
We came up from Palestine Tx this Monday morning. Checked into the cabin up off the highway. We did some exploratory fishing after dinner. Hit 40 foot hole. At 7 no action there. I walked up stream towards the bridge. A group of college age kids were wading in across from me. From the campsites.
About 6 girls and 4 boys. Loud hip hop music and drinking beer. Making a lot of racket. They got out after about 20 minutes.
We had driven down the dirt road to 40 foot hole. And parked as there was no one else there.
We noticed the signs at the bridge for parking.
I'm glad to see the park finally charging a day use fee, but $10 a day??
We split it so five a piece is what we pay in Texas state parks. But you can fish free there.
There was more trash here than I have ever seen here in the past.
And less fisherman.
Lots of people tubing at cold hole, on both sides.
The parking signs say enforcement 24/7, by who?. I have rarely ever seen park police here. I saw no park people in the two hours we were there.
Anyway, the water was clear with no debris floating in it.
We're going to hit hickory at dawn and fish the stretch down to 40 foot hole.
I'm about done with this place.
20 years since I have been coming here. I've seen it go down. I haven't been here since Christmas 2018. I don't think I caught anything worthwhile. It has never really recovered from that big flood.
Later this year we plan on bringing the bass boat and fish the lake for small mouth and stripper.
I can catch trout in Texas all winter. Why come here? I can fish for stripper in Texas, small mouth and white bass too. Texas fishing license less and not needed in our state parks.
I used to love this place and come here four times a year.
I just don't know if it's worth it.
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Post by turfdawg on Jul 14, 2020 18:42:26 GMT -6
We came up from Palestine Tx this Monday morning. Checked into the cabin up off the highway. We did some exploratory fishing after dinner. Hit 40 foot hole. At 7 no action there. I walked up stream towards the bridge. A group of college age kids were wading in across from me. From the campsites. About 6 girls and 4 boys. Loud hip hop music and drinking beer. Making a lot of racket. They got out after about 20 minutes. We had driven down the dirt road to 40 foot hole. And parked as there was no one else there. We noticed the signs at the bridge for parking. I'm glad to see the park finally charging a day use fee, but $10 a day?? We split it so five a piece is what we pay in Texas state parks. But you can fish free there. There was more trash here than I have ever seen here in the past. And less fisherman. Lots of people tubing at cold hole, on both sides. The parking signs say enforcement 24/7, by who?. I have rarely ever seen park police here. I saw no park people in the two hours we were there. Anyway, the water was clear with no debris floating in it. We're going to hit hickory at dawn and fish the stretch down to 40 foot hole. I'm about done with this place. 20 years since I have been coming here. I've seen it go down. I haven't been here since Christmas 2018. I don't think I caught anything worthwhile. It has never really recovered from that big flood. Later this year we plan on bringing the bass boat and fish the lake for small mouth and stripper. I can catch trout in Texas all winter. Why come here? I can fish for stripper in Texas, small mouth and white bass too. Texas fishing license less and not needed in our state parks. I used to love this place and come here four times a year. I just don't know if it's worth it. I will have to totally disagree with you about not recovering from the flood. I actually think it improved some with much more area to fish. Do I enjoy fishing spillway as much as I did, no not really because it’s harder for me to walk it but I do think it’s better. I will have to say I don’t like fishing there in the summer because of the crowds but love it from November through end of February and will make a couple of trips before school is out. Was 2018 the year they didn’t pull the stop logs? If so that was a little “off” that year. |
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Post by breeden3 on Jul 14, 2020 20:50:38 GMT -6
I also have to disagree with you! Don't give up on this place. Of course going in the summer, there will always be crowds and trash. But the fall, winter, and spring can be amazing. Also, I am very happy with the cost per day to access the park. Hopefully will then enough people out that we start to see less trash and poaching. We may not be fully recovered from the floods yet, but we are well on our way. The Spillway is amazing now. The brown trout are thriving arguably better than they ever have!
As for why you should come to the LMF. Year round trout fishing, wild trout, brown trout, amazing dry fly hatches, diverse water, etc. If people give up on the LMF, then of course it will never reach its full potential. I for one believe the river is worth fighting for.
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Post by jonbo on Jul 15, 2020 11:23:23 GMT -6
Spillway stinks! Why? I'll tell you. I can't figure the new Spillway out. I keep hearing how well it fishes now. So I go up there. Go from the Spillway to the falls or Lower Spillway to the falls. I will usually catch one trout in a plunge pocket or deep eddy on a Pat's, maybe a Near Deere. That's it. (It's usually a quite decent 13 - 15 inch rainbow, though.) I can't get anything to take a mayfly or caddis nymph. I know there's good fish in there because people whose opinions I trust tell me there is. Plus, I see the guides with their clients up there. Sure sign. For the life of me though, I can't find the fish. I did hang one of the browns last time. LDR'ed him.
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Post by jonbo on Jul 15, 2020 11:32:26 GMT -6
Also, summer really is the wrong time to fish the LMF. I do it because I live fairly close by and me and Wifey like to camp. In the winter, though, it's still a REALLY nice fly-fishing river, IMO. I have a lot of nostalgia for the old LMF. Loved the old Spillway Creek. Zone II seemed to fish better. But I'll put the current LMF against many, many rivers. As TD said, when the stop-logs are out, there's a LOT of good, accessible fishing area.
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Post by golferjeff on Jul 15, 2020 12:49:42 GMT -6
Agree the summer on the LMF is now a free-for-all. Stay away if you like to fish. wait for mid-october. Totally disagree on the health and viability of the river. Very healthy. Bigger fish. Wild fish. harder to catch fish. And Browns..... wild, gorgeous browns. Yes, it's a sh%t show all summer, which is why I am in Colorado until October 4th. There is very little enforcement, especially during the true tourist months. The daily fee will help some, and at least will add some revenue to the coffers. My 2 cents say this is primarily a October thru March fishery. Yuo can catch fish April thru September, but it's a mindset battle and often fishing is way down the activity list for most visitors. Besides, occasionally fish like this show up....  |
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Post by stephenl on Jul 15, 2020 20:36:14 GMT -6
Tuesday morning we hit the river at 6 a.m. it was just getting light there is a heavy fog on the river. My father-in-law dropped me off at the evening hole bridge. I could faintly see a few fishermen in evening hole. I started under the bridge hickory hole side. Made plenty of cast up under the bridge where I often you will pull a nice big one out. Nothing no hits no rises. As the sun came up and cast its light on the water, the fog started to dissipate. And I made my way down stream in my usual fashion down one side then I'll come back up the other side. about halfway between the bridge and forty foot hole, I caught a little seven or eight in trout that took me quite a while to catch his bike was so soft I really only to see my indicator sinking in an unusual way never actually felt a bite. Later on I hooked into a 14 in a little feather down and it was the same situation I never felt the bite just saw my indicator moving upstream so I set the hook. He was a fighter. About a half-hour later I caught his brother a bit farther down. That was about it. No other strikes. Then the kayak bus came so I got out of the water and waited for my father-in-law who was schedule to pick me up at the bridge at 10 a.m.
That was all the fishing we did there. Later that evening we went to the lake and shore fished and caught plenty of brim. This morning we set out at 6 a.m. drove around the park a little bit. And noticed it was sprinkling and both of us were a little bit disillusioned so we decided to go back to the lake and caught a few more brim then went back to the cabin and made breakfast. We had to check out at 11 so we packed up and left.
As far as beavers bend is concerned. I'll give it a few more tries this fall in winter. my last winter outing here was December 2018 a couple days before Christmas and I was honestly shocked how many people were there, as I had made that same trip at the same time several years in a row and had the park pretty much to myself. I know there was a large fish kill a couple years ago and I know it hasn't really recovered. The stocking schedule has been iffy. And the park has become so much more popular over the years. I don't care if I have a fisherman on either side of me behind me in front of me that's not the problem. I guess I'm just spoiled from having so many years of great fishing. But I'm also getting a little bit tired of the same place and that could be a lot of me. for years I've been saying that they should charge an entry fee so they can have more money for the park. Now that they do I don't necessarily agree with how they're doing it. but hopefully after a few years there really be able to do what they need to do to make this a much more enjoyable Park.
My brother-in-law plan to come up later in December. We're bringing his bass boat and we're going to hit the lake and fish for smallmouth and striper.
This winter probably a few days before Christmas my father-in-law and I are going to drive up to Turner falls fish that for a couple of days then go down to the blue River which we hit several years ago and enjoyed it a lot. Will spend 2 or 3 days there. The blue River is awesome being a wildlife Management area and not a developed Park. although a lot of people were there there is more than enough room for people to catch fish and not fish on top of each other. I also really like how its dispersed camping.
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Post by stephenl on Jul 15, 2020 20:43:02 GMT -6
I have had plenty of Summers of great fishing there.
Some of the best fishing I've had there was in May and June. I father-in-law several of his coaching buddies and myself have been coming up there every summer as soon as school is out. We typically come up on Sunday and stay through Thursday, camping in the fern area. We all spread out and always all come back with good catches. we bring a kayak and take turns using it in the deeper parts of the river. I really wish I brought it with me this past trip. Going around the bend past forty foot hole plenty of deepwater slower-moving and I have caught plenty of big fish back there as well as small mouth. And I really think the deeper water and fishing deep is the way to catch trout in the hot weather because they do not want to be in shallow water with this hot sun beating down on them. in the colder months you can catch them in the shallows getting that sunlight to warm up with. That's how it is if you are cold-blooded animal. Also years and years of consistent stocking contributed to great fishing trips. I may just leave this park alone for another year and then come back and try it. And I will definitely be armed with my kayak.
I hope everybody else is staying safe and having a great summer. And good fishing. Bye
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Post by lipripper1983 on Jul 19, 2020 2:05:02 GMT -6
Dry fly action is awesome during summers. Wait till an hour before its fully dark and throw some big stimulators and you'll catch some tanks. The hex hatch is awesome,
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Post by stephenl on Jul 19, 2020 14:14:53 GMT -6
We're going to the blue in September. Fly fishing for smallmouth
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Post by huntnfish2much on Jul 20, 2020 7:28:58 GMT -6
We're going to the blue in September. Fly fishing for smallmouth Biggest smallmouth bass I ever caught was at the Blue River. Crawfish pattern fished at the stocking truck turnaround point. Using one of my split bamboo fly rods, it sure gave me a good workout. It was right under four pounds. JR |
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Post by stephenl on Jul 20, 2020 19:58:50 GMT -6
Where is the turn around point?
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Post by huntnfish2much on Jul 21, 2020 9:04:42 GMT -6
Where is the turn around point? It has been a long time since I fished the Blue River, but as memory serves me, there is a large parking area just past the public toilets. The toilets are on your left as you get into the park. I believe you’re traveling mostly South as you enter the park, so I will say that on the far Eastern end of the parking lot, there is a road that follows the river going upstream. The road doesn’t stay exactly close to the river, but you can access the river at points along the way. When you reach the turnaround point, you’ll know it. There is a circular path that the road takes, and a beautiful waterfall will be right there. As previously stated, it has been a long time since I fished there, but there was a sand bar right in the middle of that hole. I had carried a float tube in, and I found that I could stand there and cast in any direction I wanted to. Casting directly into the waterfall was the most productive. One more note...... Watch out for water moccasins!!! That’s another story! JR |
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Post by mirvc17 on Jul 21, 2020 16:13:51 GMT -6
You’re heading east as you enter the campground area past the toilets. Stay left of the lot area and head north/NE. I think that’s what you meant. If you keep heading East/southeast you’ll pass the campground, head south and then cross the river ...
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Post by huntnfish2much on Jul 21, 2020 16:25:10 GMT -6
You’re heading east as you enter the campground area past the toilets. Stay left of the lot area and head north/NE. I think that’s what you meant. If you keep heading East/southeast you’ll pass the campground, head south and then cross the river ... mirvc17, that’s exactly what I meant..... Left into the big parking lot just past the toilets..... Exact directions, I don’t know, obviously...... And that’s why I carry a compass with me when I go just about anywhere in the outdoors!! Plus, as I said....... It has probably been 20 years or more since I have fished the Blue River. Just trying to help out!!! Peace! JR |
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Post by turfdawg on Jul 21, 2020 16:38:16 GMT -6
Is area you are talking about at the end of campground 2. You can actually wade on that sand bar for a good ways. Just take a left at the main parking lot (you will see it because it’s right before the crossing) and follow that road to the end
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Post by fvanek on Jul 21, 2020 18:07:54 GMT -6
I think he is talking about taking a left up the hill before you get to Campground 2. Park at the lot at the top of the hill. Walk in all the way about a mile to the last stocking area. There used to be a really nice sandbar there that went out to an island, but the flood a couple of years ago really changed that. That is a good fishing area. I catch quite a few smallmouth north of Hwy 7 all the way to the C & R area.
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Post by fvanek on Jul 21, 2020 18:21:38 GMT -6
“One more note...... Watch out for water moccasins!!! That’s another story!”
Very true. I won’t fish there until it gets cold for that reason.
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Post by turfdawg on Jul 21, 2020 18:24:13 GMT -6
I think he is talking about taking a left up the hill before you get to Campground 2. Park at the lot at the top of the hill. Walk in all the way about a mile to the last stocking area. There used to be a really nice sandbar there that went out to an island, but the flood a couple of years ago really changed that. That is a good fishing area. I catch quite a few smallmouth north of Hwy 7 all the way to the C & R area. Very well could be. Hey JR, did you have to walk or was it right by the campsites |
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Post by turfdawg on Jul 21, 2020 18:29:15 GMT -6
I think he is talking about taking a left up the hill before you get to Campground 2. Park at the lot at the top of the hill. Walk in all the way about a mile to the last stocking area. There used to be a really nice sandbar there that went out to an island, but the flood a couple of years ago really changed that. That is a good fishing area. I catch quite a few smallmouth north of Hwy 7 all the way to the C & R area. Very well could be. Hey JR, did you have to walk or was it right by the campsites After reading the post again I bet you are correct because he said he carried a float tube in with him |
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Post by huntnfish2much on Jul 21, 2020 18:47:03 GMT -6
Very well could be. Hey JR, did you have to walk or was it right by the campsites After reading the post again I bet you are correct because he said he carried a float tube in with him It was quite a hike. That float tube got pretty cumbersome by the end of the day, but I was a younger man then. LOL I am guessing it was a mile or so. We didn’t cross the river. We parked in the big area just past the toilets. JR |
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Post by darrelln09 on Jul 22, 2020 15:48:05 GMT -6
Yes, I measured that walk back to the parking lot once and it’s 1.25 miles. That’s a nice walk unless it’s Really hot weather.
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Post by huntnfish2much on Jul 22, 2020 16:25:24 GMT -6
Yes, I measured that walk back to the parking lot once and it’s 1.25 miles. That’s a nice walk unless it’s Really hot weather. It seems a helluva lot farther than that when you’re toting a float tube! LOL JR |
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