Fly Classic 2016 Winners

It can easily be said, the real winner as a result of the Blue River Fly Classic, is Blue River herself.  This growing event raised $4071.00 in entry fees, raffle tickets, silent auctions and donations. 

Just five years ago we started this event and had 22 contestants.  This year we had 60, and we fed about 80 people for lunch. 

The mystery fly, a size 14 olive Czech Nymph, performed better than I thought it would.  I really thought it would be a tough fly for many.  However, quite a few fish were caught with this pattern including two 8 point bonus fish - the Redhorse sucker.

When the score cards were tallied here were the winners.

3rd Place - Scott Dittner

 

2nd place - Donovan Clary

 

 

1st place and the winner of the 2016 Blue River Fly Classic is Boone Merhman.

 





The Tug On The Bug Is The Drug

There is no doubt that strike indicators help us capture fish.  There was a time I could nymph quite well without an indicator by simply greasing my leader and high-sticking through a tasty run of water.  But, my eyes and reflexes are not what they use to be so I have come to depend on indicators and again they do help us bring fish to hand.  That doesn't mean I'm in love with them though.  Often, I find them a real pain in the butt. 

As I drove to the Blue yesterday morning there was a steady shower for my entire trip.  It wasn't going to be enough rain to make a change in the river and certainly not enough to keep me out of the river.  And, we need any rain we can get right now. I actually enjoyed driving in the rain... it slowed me down a little and gave me pause to notice things I might not otherwise.

 

I stepped into the river with that indicator on, but I knew I was going to fish without it this morning.  I wanted to go back to the days of simply casting a bugger and stripping it back.  I was standing on the top of a beautiful pool of water - one favored by many.  Anytime any of us can stand at the top of this pool, we most likely are going to get into the trout.  A down and across cast, count to five, take the swing, ride that swing out, pause, strip... and bam... set the hook! 

 

 

 



 



The tug on the bug is the drug as my friend Michael Mercurio likes to say and Michael is right.  The trout of yesterday morning were absolutely slamming the olive bugger at the end of the swing.  I use to like to fish all day, but anymore after capturing so many trout I'm quite content and enjoy taking in the beauty of the Blue.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words and on Blue this is two fold true.  Blue River is thousands upon thousands of brush strokes making one grand masterpiece. No matter where you stand on Blue River you find yourself surrounded by natures handiwork.

 

 

Unfortunately there are those who seem to care less about keeping Blue River as pristine and clean as possible. For years now, many have remained hopeful that the trash problem on this river will somehow get better and I think for the most part it has.  However, a problem still exists.

 

 



 

 

A heads up to anyone new to Blue river.  If the area manager or one of the game wardens catches you with a fire on the river bank you're likely to loose some money.  Fire or alcohol is not allowed on the river bank and can result in a fine.  And, littering Blue River can also result in a citation. 

 

Please keep your Blue River clean. 

Back To Black

I knew that I would be going to a Blue River that wasn't sporting her usual clear complexion, but I didn't think she would be so compromised that the fishing would be just darn tough.  We had several rain events the week prior with the most recent one being Thursday.  It was the event on Thursday that had everyone scratching their heads as to how Blue would change.  I figured I was going one way or the other.

 

I still not use to the time change that took place almost a month ago.  Somehow I keep thinking the sun will be up and rising by 7 o'clock, but that simply isn't happening and certainly wouldn't on this day with overcast skies being dominate. With time to kill I decided to fuel up for that burst of energy I was going to need.  I call it rocket fuel.

 

 

By the time I hit the river it was daylight and I proceeded to the south wilderness destination Desperado Springs.  Desperado has been very kind to me this season.

 

Now anyone that knows me or most likely anyone that meets me probably won't take me for someone who likes Amy Winehouse music, but I do.  As I stood on the bank and looked at the brown soup in front of me I was reminded of one of Amy's songs - Rehab, as I murmured the words, "No, no, no" just as Amy sang in the song.  The river was quite compromised... more that I thought it would be, and the toughness of the morning set in deeply. 

 

 

 

 

 

However, I was reminded of another Winehouse song "Back To Black" and I opened the fly box and selected the black patterns.  I've always fished dark patterns in dark water and it usually always works. Brown colors are my favorite colors to use, but sometime we have to go a little darker.

 

 

The three flies that produced trout on this day were not totally black, but certainly predominantly black.  One thing we need to remember is these fish are going to eat no matter what.  When the water is simply off color then we need to think color of our flies.  When the river is really off color and the flow is up significantly we need to think about color and placement of the flies.  When the flow is rolling we need to fish those soft patches and shallow fringes.  Fish will move to the sidelines to keep from fighting the extra volume and flow created by significant rain events.

 

The first fly to go to sea was Chris Adam's Black Bubba Bugger.  The first cast resulted in a missed hook-set, but the second attempt brought him in.  I was fishing the road side of Desperado Springs - that long stretch of flat, basically slow moving water.  I rarely fish this run, but three other anglers had claimed my favored place on the east side of Desperado.

 

 

 

The Bubba would capture five trout before being retired and the Black Molly was employed.  The Molly seemed to be rather popular, but this angler was doing a poor job in setting the hook and missed several opportunities.  However, the Molly would take three before giving way to the Black Gnat.  The Black Gnat would only find two.  Total for the morning would be ten trout and that was good enough for this angler.

 

 

 

There were a total of nine anglers at Desperado Springs on this morning.  I was the lone fly angler and the rest were both bait and spinner anglers.  Seemed like the bait crowd had a slight advantage as far as numbers.  Everyone was catching trout - certainly not every cast, but still stringer limits were going to be realized. 

I started back up the hill on the way to the parking lot around 10 o'clock.  The sun never made an appearance while I was on the water.  I do understand that it did break through around noon.

The trout are still in the river and there were a good number of perch nibbles Saturday.  The bass should be getting quite active in the coming weeks.  It's all good on Blue River.

 

Having rolled cast all morning long, my right shoulder was screaming at me and therefore I decided it was time for a little pain reliever at Scotty's store.

 

 

See you on the Blue. 

 



 



 







Fly Fishing Area 4

After Wednesday's great outing in the south wilderness, my plan was to return to Blue this Friday and fish all day with my good buddy Scott Dittner of Marlow.  I went as far as telling Scott I would meet him there.  However, about mid-morning I suddenly remembered I had told Trina, the young lady that works with me, that she could have Friday off so she could spend time with her daughter.  No way I was going to go back on that.

So, with Friday out and it being horribly slow at work this Thursday I decided to take off at lunch and head to Blue River.  My thinking was I could hit the river by 1 p.m., fish a couple of hours and be back at the bunkhouse before the evening news aired.

I decided to fly fish Area 4.  Area 4 can be a jewel to the fly fisherman or it can be one big challenge.  The lower end of Area 4 is also known as Chris Pool and it can be very accommodating to the fly angler.  This part of the river is fairly shallow and quite wadeable.  Of course, the bottom of this river is quite geographic and slow wading is always a good idea or carrying a wading staff is an even better idea when navigating Chris Pool.  In front of you are pockets - pocket after pocket and the trout are within and awaiting your offerings. 

For years I fished Chris Pool, but always found myself looking upstream at that long almost totally unwadeable stretch of water that few ever fish.  Even bank access is limited and this always told me that the inventories of trout just keep on building with each passing week.  So, this year I was determined to find a way to get a fly in that stretch of water. 

The place I chose to try and cast my fly is about 100 yards upstream from Chris Pool and I have to tell you it's certainly not a picnic.  I'm talking about down in the trenches, trench warfare, standing in a mud-pit that any self respecting pig worth his weight in bacon would be proud to call his own.  If the mud is not enough then there are numerous tree roots and branches that continually catch your fly line and oh... I forgot to mention the overhead obstacles that contain you to roll casting only.

 

To fish this area you will have to own a solid and fairly strong roll cast.  With the overhead tree branches you will only be able to employ a side arm roll cast to boot.  If there is any south or southwest wind at all, then your job of getting your fly out 30 feet or better is compounded even more.  However... if you can get your fly to where the trout are staged you can have a very good day.

 

I started off with the olive Bubba Bugger yesterday.  It was amazing how quickly the river had cleared.  First cast with the Bubba and a trout was brought to hand.  The Bubba would go on and take 6 trout, but then he was lost at sea. 

 

 

Next, the red ass brown bugger went on and again on his maiden voyage he connected with a trout.  The brown bugger would capture one more trout, but honestly the community I was fishing didn't seem really all that interested in the brown bugger.  Really not for sure if it was his body color or just his red ass. 

 

 

I retired the brown bugger and decided to go tandem using an aqua green Copper John as the lead fly and a size 16 pink Frenchie would be subservient.  The Copper John would capture two trout, but the Frenchie was the real star capturing three times the number of trout the Copper John did.  

 

Yesterday I spent two hours on the river and today I would do the same.  No... I didn't capture 51 trout today like I did yesterday.  Those days are rare and come around every now and then.  I walked away from the river having met 17 trout and pretty much had to work for each one of them... as far as casting. 

 

I guess I could fish seven days a week if I only had the chance.  Here we are living in a world where we are connected by greater and newer technology coming our way almost every day.  These things are meant to connect us, but here we are living more disconnected than ever it seems. 

 

One reason I love to fly fish is the connection I feel with fish.  Fish, for me, have substance.  If you ask me whether I'd rather talk to you on the cell phone or stand next to you in the river, what do you think my answer would be? 

 

See you in the river. 





The Best Trout Fishing Still To Come

Some of the best trout fishing at Blue River takes place in the month of March.  However, this great opportunity oftentimes goes without the audience that one would think would assemble.

Being on this river for almost 40 years has taught be the art of observation and each year I see mostly the same thing happen.  When November rolls around each year there is a sudden rush of trout deprived fans that cannot wait to get to Blue River.  Around the middle of November there is the first of two trout derby events at Blue River and this event has created it's own culture over the years.  December still brings fairly nice weather and the crowds keep on coming to Blue.  In January we will find the real die-hard trout fans wrapped up in overalls, and layered beyond belief donning a pair of waders and standing in the middle of river.  In February we find the faithful and after the trout derby takes place is when we see the declining of numbers as far as people making trips to Blue to trout fish.  I've seen it year after year.

When March arrives it's almost like the lion has fallen asleep as the lamb takes control.  In other words, interest in trout wane as warmer weather offers other fishing opportunities.

Fishing during March and also during the month of April can be awesome.  Not only have the inventories of trout built all season long, the bass and pan fish community become active, along with catfish and Redhorse sucker - all which can be caught by way of fur and feather. 

Wednesday of this week I decided to take Scotty the proceeds from the Blue River Fly Classic.  Scotty had already told me that the snow melt and the rain on Monday had caused the river to go off- color and that a fly fisher might have a hard time.  I was determined to go fishing anyhow.

When I arrived at Scotty's he was filling propane tanks for a customer so I went inside and waited.  Once he came in I give him the proceeds and even though it was only 10:30 in the morning I went ahead and order a Scotty burger to go.  Then I shoved off for the south wilderness.

I got in the river about an hour before noon and sent out an olive Bubba Bugger, and the action started right away.  It was a trout with almost every cast.  On trout number 15 I would end up loosing the Bubba Bugger and I believe this is a good illustration of the need to re-tie our flies after so many catches. 

 

 

 

A dark brown 1/64 oz. Micro jig fly went on and this fly would produce even better than the Bubba Bugger.  I am convinced that the fall rate of this fly had a lot to do with it's success.  The trout were grabbing this fly within seconds after it's landing.

 

 

 

In less than an hour I was up to 30 trout and determined to get to 50 before calling it a day.  Guess my thinking was 50 would be a nice number to stop on, but then I remembered that old son-in-law Van was on the river Sunday in the south wilderness and he stopped on 50... so I needed 51.  I needed 51 just to show Van that the old man here still has it every once in awhile.

 

 

Number 51 came on an olive 1/64 oz. Micro jig because I lost the brown Micro jig to a trout for not practicing the re-tie discipline after 20 or so trout caught. 

 

I do believe an angler could have caught 100 trout yesterday if they were willing to stay all day.  I wanted to stay longer, but too much to do back at the bunkhouse.  I think the success of the day paints a picture at how good the trout fishing can be in March and this often carries on into April.

 

Scotty is going to try and promote trout fishing in April by having a weekly largest trout contest.  No entry fee required, but you do have to register at Scotty's One Stop.  There will be two weekly winners - largest trout fly fishing and largest trout spinner or bait fishing.  Each winner will receive a $25.00 cash prize and a Scotty or Gloria burger.  Dang... you can't beat that.

 

 

 

Beautiful day yesterday and I enjoyed the walk in the wilderness as much as the fishing.  As I was leaving I walked past Desperado Springs and there is a good flow of water gushing from the spring right now.  And yes, I did retrieve that plastic bottle and carry it out. 

 

 

No Assembly Required

My friend Chris Adams of Denison, Texas is a long devoted fan of Blue River.  Chris is also the creator of the most sought after fly on Blue River.  It's called the Bubba Bugger. 

Chris believes in giving back to a river that has given so much to him and since so many anglers want his Bubba Bugger he has come with a program called Bubba Buggers For Blue.  Chris is filling orders of Bubba Buggers for a limited time.  Now Chris will be the first to tell you that $5.00 may seem like a lot for a fly, but he points out that every single penny will be donated to the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife in support of the trout fishing program at Blue River.  Great flies to fish with and some extra funds for trout stocking.  It's a no brainer.

I received my Bubba Buggers yesterday and Chris even sent instructions.  I'll let you read the instructions for yourself. 

Blue River Fly Classic 2015

Blue River Fly Classic 2015

 

General Information

 

Date Of Event: March 7th, 2015

Place: Blue River Public Fishing And Hunting Area

Time Of Event: 7:30 a.m. till 12:30 p.m.

Starting Point: Main Parking Lot Campground Area Blue River

Blind Pairings Will Be Prior To Start Of Event

Entry Fee: $35.00 Per Contestant (Includes 2 Mystery Flies)

 

Purpose:

 

The purpose of the Blue River Fly Classic is two-fold. First, the mission of this event is create a day of greater fellowship among the fly fishing community on Blue River. Secondly, this event is designed as a fund raising event with the totality of monies raised by entries fees and other donations going directly to the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife in support of the Catch and Release section at Blue River. Funds will be monitored by and through the Blue River Association a 501(c)3 non-profit organization.

 

Rules:

 

*A single and same pattern will only be used. . NOTE: Contestants will be given two flies of the same pattern for this event. Organizers believe that part of the difficulty of this contest along with a strategy in this event is the management of the flies.  (Example:  Checking your overhead and behind you before casting.  Reading the water as well as you can for structure that may snag your flies.)  

 

*All contestants will receive the same pattern and the pattern will remain a mystery until the start of the event. When a contestant loses their flies then that contestant is out. If the contestant loses their flies and wishes to continue fishing for the sake of fishing then that contestant must turn their score card over to the person they are paired with.

 

*Contestants will be allowed to retie their fly, but must notify their partner they are doing so.

 

*Dry flies as strike indicators will not be allowed.

*Split shot of any form may be used as a weighting technique.  Bead heads slipped on a tippet will be allowed as long as the bead head does not touch the eye of the fly and is at least placed six inches above the fly.

 

*Scored fish are fish brought to hand. Each contestant must alert their partner when a fish is brought to hand.

 

*Each contestant is responsible for keeping their own score card.

 

*Each contestant should devise a way for measuring fish that are caught. Length of each fish scores additional points.

 

*This entire event is based on the honor system.

 

 *Deadline for entering is February 15th 2015.

 

A copy of the general information, rules, and entry form will be available December 1^st, 2014. To obtain an entry form contact fishingcowboyblue@yahoo.com  or prairieoceanflyfisher@gmail.com   An entry form will be sent to you as an attachment. Print the entry form, fill it out, include payment and mail both in. You will receive a confirmation email once your entry is received.

 

Prizes:

 

Prizes will be awarded to the top three finishers.  Prizes will be announced at a later date.

 

There will be a number of give-away prizes also in a random drawing.

 

The organizers are trying to acquire tee shirts for this years event, but that has not been confirmed as of yet.

Sea Duty

The arrival of winter, the season of quiescence and death, is still five weeks away.  However there are many, here on this southern current of the greater prairie ocean, that will argue winter has made it's presence known early.  A massive arctic front steamrolled in earlier this past week.

The leaves, being subject to freezing temperatures along with the will of the wind, are now letting go of the hands they have held since early spring.  Some of the leaves land on the ground while others light on a current making their way slowly downstream. 

The wind wishes for a dance from the leaves and with a strong breath the performance begins.  Leaves begin a tumbling somersaulting style dance recital across the cold ground that has become a ballroom performance platform. 

Mid-week I received a dispatch from John Haney.  John is as fine a seafaring man of the fur and feather as any I have come to meet.  Last season John didn't make one voyage to the river Blue due to an injury to his hand - an injury as severe as a gaff hook wound.  Needless to say the lad is way overdue for sea duty at Blue River.  John said he planned on sailing to the river Friday. 

I returned John's dispatch and explained that if I could somehow pull anchor from the mercantile store I would meet him at the river.  At work Friday I pleaded my case, with Oscar winning fashion, to the young captain in charge of the mercantile store.  My performance must have been a grand presentation because the captain said, "shove off".  With my gear already stowed, I set course for the river in my new dinghy.

I arrived at the river at exactly eight bells and looked for John's sailing vessel in the main harbor, but it was not there.  John had told me he planned a course to the Ancient Boulders early, and most likely if the fishing was good there he had yet to leave.  I made it across the river headed for Ted's Pool where I told John he would find me. 

At Ted's Pool, three flies would be enlisted for sea duty.  A new fly this season is the Iron Lotus and this lad was employed as the point man.  Trailing would be the Frenchie pattern.  I would begin with the pink Frenchie and hold the chartreuse Frenchie in reserve. 

The Frenchie has yet to fail this sailor and it's been employed numerous times.  It didn't take long for the trout to find a fancy for this lad.  It was only one degree above the freezing mark, but I had a smooth sea lane to fish.  The wind was just enough to make the bones ache a bit.  I knew that this would be a short outing and when all was said and done I had spent less than an hour on the river. 

The Iron Lotus had found two trout with the pink Frenchie finding eight.  Normally the trailing fly always out performs the point fly, at least for me.  The pink Frenchie was retired and the chartreuse Frenchie was called to duty.  Four more trout would come to hand by way of the Frenchie. 

Fourteen trout souls would come to meet the flies offered and the angler that presented them.  Fourteen trout souls would return to the sea - a "deep six" of sorts.  Less than three quarters of an hour had been spent angling at Ted's Pool and this included a five minute delay as a result of a bight in the leader.  Missed hook-sets often lead to a boomerang effect and birds nest with the tandem rigging.  It's best to simply cut the lads loose and rebuild a new tippet system. 

When you're the one standing in the river catching trout at a steady clip, others take notice and before you know it you have lots of company.  Such was the case Friday at Ted's Pool.  The landlubbers were wishing for the water that was producing trout for this angler and it wasn't long until I felt surrounded by an armada of high sea pirates.  Being quite content with the results of the day, I yielded the water with the treasure to those long faced chaps standing on the bank.  Poor souls.

The Return

Much like the annual return of the swallows to Capistrano, come November each year fly anglers flock to the nourishing water of Blue River. Trout season is now in full swing.

Fly fishing at Blue River is many things to many anglers of the fur and feather.  It's a chance to catch some wonderfully colored trout or a chance to catch up with friends that have been absent since the last season.  Fly fishing this unique little river can also be simply a chance to be a diminutive part of something far greater.

For this angler, it's all of the above and perhaps more.  In the book of Proverbs we will find the passage, "Like cold water to a thirsty soul".  I think that pretty much sums it up for me. 

Saturday was opening day and the trout found turned out to be a pleasant surprise as to the size of some of the creatures, their good coloring, and the spunk that they owned. 

Fishing was somewhat insane with large numbers of trout being brought to hand.  Many different patterns were being tried and most seemed to work with ease.  The brown bugger that played second fiddled last year to the pink Frenchie made a roaring comeback on opening day taking 90 percent of the trout hooked. 

Opening weekend also marks the annual get-together of the Blue River Fly Fishing community.  This year's crowd was a little lighter than last years due to so many having other obligations.  We do go and get ourselves all busy you know.  However, the fellowship was wonderful and the food was nothing short of amazing. 

Here are some pictures from this Saturday.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Trout Season In Review

Trout season at Blue River is slowly winding down.  March 31st is the official end of the season, but the bows will remain for sometime.  It has been one of the better trout seasons in my memory.  With that being said, a look back at the season is in order.

On November 1st, the opening day of trout season, the Blue River Fly Fishers held their annual get-together on Blue.  This seasons crowd was one of the biggest, if not the biggest, annual events we ever had.  Several new faces came to Blue and we were delighted to meet people like Deborah Noble, Michael Underwood, and Steve Wolf.  These new folk added to the wonderful weave and blend of our fly fishing family.  The food was awesome, as the fellowship, and we even got in a little fishing time.

 

On November 1st, we decided to take on the "Too Lovely To Litter" project on Blue River as suggested by Matt Gamble.  We needed six sponsorships to pay for the signs on the litter stations and in less than five minutes we had those six sponsors.  That speaks to the great stewardship that exists in our family on Blue River. Chris Adams volunteered to build the stations and in less than two months the entire project was up and finished.  I believe the message the litter stations send has made a difference in the amount of trash we find on the river.  The south wilderness is amazingly clean and even around Hughes Crossing it's difficult to find trash like we have for so many years.  No, the project is not perfect, but it's a great start in our effort to have a pristine Blue river.

 

 

 

The quality of trout we had this past season was certainly something to write home about.  The wildlife department presented us with some very nice presents in the shape and form of 16 to 24 inch trout mixed in with the regular stockers.  There wasn't any shortage of trout to fish for this season and early in the season we received a bonus stocking, which added to the inventory of trout.

 

 

The Blue River Fly Classic came to fruition on February 22nd.  48 contestants signed up for the event with 44 able to actually compete in the event.  The first one pattern event we had drew 31 contestants, and the second drew 37.  So, we do have growth in this event and we fully expect it to grow over the years.  The Classic was more than a fly fishing competition. We had a grand time, entertainment, fantastic food, and just plain fun.  There were some awesome items that were raffled and when it was all said and done the event raised $2600.00 for the wildlife department.  The funds raised this year could very well go to a project that could add a couple of more stocking points than we have now.  Nothing official, but we'll know next trout season. Scott Dittner took first place in the Classic, Dan Ham finished a close second, and Jamie Reed took third in a tie-breaker situation.

 

From left to right - Walker Hairston, Steve Swenson, Byron Dowd, Chad Yoas

 

Scott Dittner

 

Dan Ham

 

Jamie Reed

 

And lastly, the elite Blue River Redhorse Sucker Club grew by two members... that we know of.  This season we added Chris Adams and Dan Ham to the ranks of the club.  Certainly the membership to the Redhorse Sucker Club will continue to grow and maybe... just maybe, I can catch one of those darn things. 

 

Redhorse Sucker caught by Dan Ham.

 

 

It's been a wonderful trout season.