Blue River, OK

I'm hitting the Blue tomorrow for some native fish on the flyrod. Curious to see what the stream is like before they fill it up with foreigners for the winter.

Any intel?

Report to follow.

It is a real nice little river, been twice for the trout. Lots of water to fish. Cant really tell you a lot other than to stop at Scotties for a burger and some incite into the river. All I have ever fished is right around the low water crossing.

Good Luck and post some pics up

I believe you'll love it. That's the Blue at its best in my opinion. Wet wading for bream and bass. Loads is spots and smallies in there. Biggest smallie i ever saw came out of a pool right above the low water crossing.

Thanks for the invite jerk lol

We did real well. Rained most all day, so never took any pics for y'all. Plenty of bass in there. Robbie, you work when I fish and I work when you fish, one of us is going to have to call in sick!

I think I can make a Thursday happen. If I read the regulations right y'all could target trout the special regs don't apply yet. Maby someone will chime In on the trout facts on blue river. Wish y'all would have gotten into some smallmouth. Does anyone have any smallie pics from up there? Are they the neosho strain?

Did you happen to fall on your fundament? The Blue can be pretty slickery this time of year. As far as the Neosha-I think you have to go to the Glover to find those. I could be wrong.

A. Waterfall - A horseshoe shaped waterfall that offers good opportunity for trout. Be careful of the steep and rocky bank. Also, the water flow can be strong depending on recent rains, so plan to adjust your gear appropriately.
B. Hughes Crossing ("Left") - as you approach the crossing from the Parking Area and scan the area to your left, observe the rocky bottom. Note the gaps between the rock formations and where the water deepens. This area will hold trout at times.
C. Hughes Crossing ("Right") - scanning to your right, observe the water flowing over the Crossing and downriver. Note the areas where the "bubbles" are forming most. Work the seams of these areas and the "bubble line". This area will hold trout as well.
D. Waterfall to Hughes Crossing ("Left") - Along this section of the river, note the areas where the water flow slows down and/or the deeper areas. These areas are also good for trout.
E. Downriver from Hughes Crossing ("Right") - observe how the river deepens as it flows from the Crossing to the boulders rising from the water downriver. This area will hold trout. The key is being able to cast to the area and adjusting your rig based on the water flow.
F. Disabled Fishing Access - the area directly in front of this area is strewn with rocks and several boulders. Depending on the water level, they can be easily seen rising from the water. Also, if the water level is too low, trout will tend elsewhere. When fishing this area, a float versus a bottom rig should be considered to reduce lost gear.
G. Sandbar - a favorite staging point for wade fishermen as it provides good access to deeper water (H) and is a prime spot at times for trout!
H. Deeper Water - a pool accessible from the bank as well as from the Sandbar. Bait fishermen tend to do well from the bank while wade fishermen using fishing flies and spinning lures/spoons tend to do well from the Sandbar and the Rocky Shallows.
I. Channel - that runs between the Rocky Shallows and the Island that divides the river in two as it flows downstream. Trout will tend in the Channel and action can be good. Also, if positioned by the Island, access to deeper water (H) as well as the Channel (I) is provided the fisherman.
J. Rocky Creek - past the Island, the river becomes shallow and rocky with a mix of (2'-3' deep) pockets where trout will hold. Good at times as well as frustrating when the trout become lock-jawed. This is made worse when you can see them lurking only a few feet away! Be sure to tread lightly, else the trout will spook.
K. Various Riffles - another shallow run that is rocky making wading tough at times. Also interspersed with riffles that foam with water flowing past. Tread lightly as well; trout lurking nearby will spook!

A guy who works for Oklahoma Fish and Game sent me this-don't think he'd mind if I share it here.

Thanks Double. That is some intel right there.

That's a real decent map (because it leaves off the C-n-R area!). Unless the stocking strategy has changed, look for the barrels as a indication of where fresh meat is dumped. That, and the locals.

Is the c and r area up or downstream of the map?

Upstream.

The shortest hike to the C&R area is to park in the corral parking area and not in the areas shown in this map.

Yeah, it's probably 5 miles upstream from there.

From the parking corral it's about a mile and a half walk, which is nice for keeping people away. If you have a mountain bike I'd recommend taking it and chaining it to a tree or something to speed up the long walk. The walk TO the river isn't bad, but the walk back kind of sucks after being on the water all day.

Glad to see that people are talking about the Blue River on the TFF.
I just discovered it a couple of weeks ago and I'm looking forward to taking my son up in early November once they dump in the retarted trout.
I called and spoke to probably the same guy that map to doublehall (thanks for posting that by the way. great intel).
He said that due to the gov't shutdown he couldn't guarantee the river would be stocked by 11/1 and to call bal the week prior...which I plan to do.
Anyway, I think they stock every 3 weeks on the Blue and just from Novemebr through March. Broken Bow area stocks year-round is is twice as far from my stomping grounds in Frisco.
I also believe they are only stocking rainbows and not Browns, but not 100% certain.

Blue River is a state run area, not federal. There should be no government shutdown effect.


Also, as an FYI, I think the C&R area is only stocked twice.



There are no browns at Blue River. Lower mountain fork has some, but they are released as fry and allowed to grow instead of putting in full sized fish.
lolwut

Blue River is a state run area, not federal. There should be no government shutdown effect.

I agree about federal vs state run. Just going off of what the biologist told me. Maybe the delay was due to something else and I got my wires crossed.
Either way, he advised to call a little before the 1st to confirm if it would be stocked. I can't go until the following weekend anyway, so hopefully there will be some still hanging around.
I just emailed two other biologists from the ODWC website to see if they happen to have a hatch chart for the region of the Blue River. I found one for lower mountain fork which makes sense if it's year-round.

Probably the Feds are insinuated into the equation somewhere along the chain from the hatchery to the river.

But why wait? The Blue is an outstanding fishery even without trout.

Agreed. If you want to fish the blue, go fish the blue. Anyone want to meet up saturday morning?

good points. Looking forward to our trip. By the way, has anyone ever stayed in a Cabin near or very near to good fishing on the blue. haven't mapped out where we'll be fishing yet.

Here is the link to where this information is posted - Blue River by Hughes Crossing.

Just an FYI to accompnay this, here are the Lat/Lon numbers for the Hughes Crossing parking area:
34.322791, -96.596014

Are there any hold over fish by the source?

Hit the Blue river with my son this weekend. Man it was sure gorgeous!!! This was the perfect time of the year as the leaves were changing and it wasn't too crazt cold at night. It was dang cold though in our tent!
We sure loved pulling in some trout. We found a camp site right on the river and it was great.
This was our first trip to the area. Hughes crossing up and downstream is certainly the spot. I think we may make another trip up in 3 weeks or so after the derby. They supposedly put in some fatties in the 5-7lb range.

Made a run across the border to Oklahoma's Blue River for Rainbow Trout; limited out as well as caught and released a lot more. Fun stuff... video to follow later.

Here is the video clip...

That video gave me the itch bad.
Thanks for sharing

My buddy Dan and I made it up there last week. One on spinning and one on the fly rod. We had 16 total.

Here's a few photos with Dan holding 16-18" trout in his rubber net.

Barry Schrader from the Blue River Foundation will be speaking tomorrow night at the Red River Fly Fishers meeting.
Barry is a very interesting character who spends lots of time fishing The Blue.
The meeting is at 7PM at Gander Mountain in Sherman.

Man, I'll try to be there. I have read his blog for ages.

Saw this man fishing next to me Sat. afternoon...

We were not there Saturday. We only fish weekdays. Must have been a "look alike."

Great video! What's your technique? I'm heading to LMF this weekend and need all the pointers I can get. It looks like you're giving it short little strips in that still water?

Thanks zachw! I started with a slow drift and had one take, then as the morning progressed and the Trout became more active, they wanted a faster retrieve. I switched to short strips, and then increased it slightly when I could see the Trout turning away from the slower presentation.

As the bite went on, they seemed to go a little deeper, so I started counting to 5-6 before starting a retrieve. After things slowed down, I started moving around and fishing other places downriver. By then, it was a dead drift and/or fishing under an indicator.

Good luck this weekend....

PS: A reader on our Blog asked about gear we used on the Blue River. Made a video clip; had trouble with the lighting but it does give someone an idea what gear we use. Hope it helps.

Trout Derby was in progress but did give it a go at the Blue River. Only two this time. No Bruisers but did see others doing better. Did get some video of a couple of nice ones lurking in pockets.

So has anyone concentrated on the C-n-R area? Weather's just about perfect now! Is that invasive otter population still around? (Check your catches for bite injuries.)

Weather forecast at the start of the week indicated rain and cold temps for Saturday. Later in the week, forecast changed to no rain and temps in the 30s-40s. Decided to make another run across the border for more fun trout fishing on the Blue River.

Limited out with six Trout; also caught and released others. One of which looked different than the rest. Not sure if it was a Rainbow Trout. Regardless, let it go to grow more. Fun stuff! Today's Video.

fshng84,

Thanks for the video. What a good day you had fishing!

Thanks Cowtown Kid!

Really like fishing the Blue River and Beavers Bend! But, the 2014-2015 Trout Stocking Schedule is posted. Not the same as fishing a river but still lots of fun catching the little stockers! TPWD Trout Stock Schedule

The 'other' fish was a Brook Trout. It could survive the winter in the Blue. They need water temps below 60 to hang on.

Thanks Golfer_Jeff... never caught a Brook Trout before!

Took a 5 second excerpt from the video that shows the Brook Trout. Here it is:

Are those stockers still getting bit by the mysterious otter infestation? Anybody see any bite marks on their fish? Looks like one on the still of that YouTube video. I see that's the fly.

Otters? Biting? Fish?

OK, I give up. What the blank are you talking about?????

Made it to the Blue Saturday; limited out with six Rainbow Trout. Video Clip.

Anyone heading to the Blue this weekend? I'm making my first trip up there on Saturday!

I was up there this past weekend. The trout derby was going on so I stayed north of highway 7 and ventured into the catch and release area. Only managed two small fish, although they were darkly colored which makes me think that they had been in there for a little while. Did see a few fish rising but didn't have much luck in the spots where I usually have success. I had a hard time figuring out the hatch as well. It looked to me like there were several different insects coming off. There were midges swarming around and also saw several small dark mayflies in the afternoon, blue wing olives maybe? I thought blue wing olives only hatched on cloudy days though, and I didn't really see them hatching so much as flying around landing on my fingers. Maybe this was a spinner fall? It ended up being pretty frustrating as the blue can sometimes if the fishing is tough. Maybe it had to do with the cold front coming in on Sunday? If you're not familiar with it, it's a lot different than the LMF. It's sort of a meandering river with long slow stretches of what looks like fish less water followed by a waterfall. I think there are like 50 something waterfalls on that 6 mile stretch. If you're going to fish the waterfalls make sure you get deep. I usually have success throwing an olive jig or woolly bugger and stripping it back. Pheasant tail nymphs and midge patterns do well there also. I say it can be frustrating because the Blue is a pretty overgrown river where I spend a lot of time untangling from trees and branches and if the fish aren't biting, that can get old pretty quick. It can be a lot of fun as well though. Anywhere you see a trash can is a stocking point from what I'm told. Have fun.

I was up there about 3 weeks ago and the same results as DainW. Game warden in the parking area doing creel surveys said its been like that for a while. The powerbaiters were catching fish but the remainder of people were struggling. I fished about 5 hours and landed one fish and had 3 or 4 hooked but practiced long distance releasing.

At least the wardens are somewhere in Oklahoma. It's too bad they can't stick around the LMF. The great Mateo has brought along a good topic of a great place. I hope this stays as a sticky at the top great discussion here as well as informative. It is a great place to hit warm and cold water species alike great smallmouth there as well.

I think one of the reasons it's probably been fishing like that lately has to do with the hatchery problems in Nebraska. The released an article in the daily Oklahoman about a month ago that outlined the issues and more or less said that the 8 places in Oklahoma that receive stockings will get about half as many as normal. I know that the contract for the LMF has since been taken back over by Crystal Farms in Missouri, but I wonder if they took over the contract for the rest of the state as well?

I remember this news but I didn't realize the problem was that bad. 50% less is a huge number of fish.

Here's the article in case you're interested: http://newsok.com/outdoors-notebook-fewer-trout-swimming-in-oklahoma-fishing-waters/article/5383279

Again, I'm not sure if this is still the case. I know that the Missouri hatchery took over the contract for the LMF in January and they've resumed stocking the normal amounts. I would think that the state would only contract with one hatchery at a time and that if the Missouri hatchery is supplying fish for one place in OK then they would be supplying fish for all of the spots, but who knows. I don't think it's not worth going to the Blue though. There are still fish there for sure, and just because I didn't catch much doesn't mean anything. I'm still relatively new to the sport so it may have very well been that I just couldn't catch em that day. It was also 71 degrees that day and the next day a cold front came in, so that may have something to do with it who knows.

My son and I are headed up there this weekend. We'll most likely hang out at Hughes Crossing. I want to venture out up river but I don't know how far the hike is to the C&R area. Is it quickest to hike in from HWY 7?
My son (almost 11) just got his first chest waders and he almost wanted to sleep in them. Anyway, I appreciate the details DainW. I'm taking a wide array of flies with me. He and I hav eonly fished up there when they first stock'm in early Novemeber. During that time of the year, we've done extremely well on GB Hare's ear and Wooly Bugger as well. I'm curious to see if those do well this time of the year. I've got two spots I can't wait to hit!!!!! Love me some blue river.

I'm thinking I'll start at Hughes Crossing as well and then go from there. I'll be in a Black Tacoma with a golden retriever in tow (only when I'm taking a break. he won't be scaring fish...). FishDaddy- I think I read the best place to park for catch and release is off Hwy 7.

What about the area between Hughes and C&R? Seems separated enough to get away from the busy spots, but I never hear anything about it.

I usually start out at highway 7 and work my way north to the catch and release area. I think it's about a mile and half to the start of the catch and release if you start at the west parking lot and walk directly to it. The walk from the east parking lot is further, but there are a lot of good hole along the way and rarely do you see another angler. The area directly south of highway 7 can be good too.

I went yesterday and spent all day on the water. I had a great time and pulled in 12, which is good for me. Nothing big, 8-12".

It was packed at Hughes Crossing so I ventured downriver a little ways to get away from people, and then after lunch hiked up toward Desperado Spring and found a little mini feeding frenzy going on in one of the pools. There was a hatch going on (I guess BWOs?) but I'm a terrible dry fly fisher and couldn't make that work. No worries, they hit the near deere over and over again.

Like DainW said, the river is covered in trees and that was often in spots I wanted to fish. I got plenty of opportunity to work on my "distance" roll cast, which needs some serious work. I thought the river was beautiful, and it seems like it's just a series of water falls and pools, with few of what I would consider runs. I know that need to get better at fishing very slowly moving water.

Flies of the day:
1. Near Deere
2. "Long Creek" Tied by Jeff Guerin who guides on the Little Missouri
3. Rs2 Emerger

All in all, great day!

Robert, I was in LMF yesterday and today. I actually saw wardens on Saturday morning checking people and then Park Rangers strolled thru looking for baiters in the red zone. I've been going up for 4 years now and this was the 1st time to see a warden or a Park Ranger in the red zone other than driving over the bridge.

My son and I hit the BLue On Saturday and a little on Sunday. Hit the water about 7:15 on Saturday and fished hard all day. we only caught three. We were primarily using a gold bead hare's ear about 2 feet under our strike indicator on 5x tippet.
I tried black and olive wooly buggers, a dry mosquito on top with a midge 2' below, and two wet flies at the same time.
We primarily fished around Hughes crossing from the island up to the first waterfall/drop off up river on the other side of the crossing.
I managed to pull in one beauty that was about 14 1/2". Funny thing is I hooked him once and my leader broke on me. Lost my strike indicator and two flies. 15 minutes later I caught him again, got my flies back, and released him on his merry way.
All in all, it was a fun trip for us and I love seeing my 10 year old fly fishing!!

Been fishing the Blue 1-2 times a week for the past few weeks. Most trips I have been catching 15-20. Today was a little bit slower, only managed to catch 9 by 10am. Here is a photo of todays catch. Can't wait to get them on the grill tomorrow evening.

Beautifull photograph Mike! Glad to here your having some luck. I wanted to go up there today just to shoot some snow scenes of the river but my schedule didn't allow it.

Thank you! It would have been a good day to shoot with the snow on the ground and overcast conditions. I wish I had my camera and tripod today for long exposure shots. All of the falls looked really good and not a person in sight.

Blue River (Oklahoma) has Trout in it again! Hooray!!! Today's Post.

Headed up there now with my son. We'll be throwing flies and will report back. Water is surely up a bit.

Hope it went okay; planned to head there today but opted for the Red River instead of the Blue River due to the muddy conditions.

PS: Bite was good at Red River (Denison Dam). Lost several nice Stripers and caught a 29" Striper on the fly for a PB. Will post a video; still editing it.

I plan on taking my son to the Blue next week(probably monday,Tuesday)but have never been so is this a good spot and which way should we go
https://www.google.com/maps/@34.35979,-96.59058,1219m/data=!3m1!1e3
well that didn't work but its where hwy.7 crosses the river

Hey formula 462, the teout derby is on the weekend of the 14th. Something to keep in mind. If you go the Monday, Tuesday after that then you can pull in a few monsters.
The area just north of 7 is gorgeous and less crowded. The area called Hughes crossing is by far the most popular and has lots of good spots.

Thanks good info we may wait til after

Made it to the Blue River Saturday for a chance at Rainbow Trout Fishing. Forgot to bring the chest strap for the GoPro. After some mods, was able to get some action shots. Fun day.... limited out, too! Saturday's Video.

Do you have a google map link to Hughes Crossing?

I just typed it in on the Google Earth searchbar and it came up

Took me a minute but I am pretty sure now that this is Hughes Crossing for anyone who didn't know where it was. Looks like its north of a fishing shop which makes sense.

That's it.

Scotty's blue river is the closest fishing shop, and yes, that's definitely Hughes crossing

Blue River is a great place; did learn of other places that are stocked in Oklahoma that may be of interest to some. Oklahoma Trout Stocking Areas.

Looks like some folks were able to catch a Bruiser or two during the Blue River Trout Derby. Could not make it to the Blue this weekend but Sunday morning was able to fish a new place - Medicine Park located about 1-1/2 hours from Oklahoma City. Cool place near Fort Sill that has a river that was recently stocked with Rainbow Trout! Overall, had a great time! Today's Video.

It's funny op Mateo and I need to get up there soon! He is almost just a lurker but this post is sure has stuck around LOL. It's nice to have stickies on a few places with current action. I am sure the smallmouth should be on fire right now up there:).

There were two places that had their Trout Stockings suspended; looks like one of them - the Illinois River in Oklahoma, is getting stocked again this week! Post.

Since Turner Falls is not being stocked this weekend it looks like myself and my dad will be hitting up the Blue River instead. First time for both of us so I don't really know what to expect, but it should be fun regardless.

If you are standing on Hugh's crossing are there trout on both as sides?

Yes they are.

Went to the river yesterday for the first time. I didn't catch anything and admittedly had no idea what I was doing, but it was a good time. After I finished I did a little exploring and found some areas that look much better than the area I fished. Can't wait to get back and try them out!

Had planned on fishing Medicine Park Saturday and then possibly the Blue River or Denison Dam Sunday. As it turned out, was not able to fish Sunday. Still had a great time Saturday catching a few fish at Medicine Park.

Saturday was tough though with 35+ mph wind and a drop in temps as a cold front rolled through. Suspect the Blue had simila windy conditions as well?

Regardless, fun time despite the tough conditions! Saturday's Video.

Yep, it was really, really windy at the Blue River on Saturday. Luckily, as a duck hunter I had insulated waders and a heavy-duty wading parka so I was plenty warm, but the wind was not good for my casting.

Same report...only difference was we limited out - three of us but my neighbor makes the best flies so those trout don't stand a chance..

GoldSpoonr

Made it to the Blue River Tuesday afternoon! Had a great time; limited out with six Rainbow Trout. Caught and released a lot more! Tuesday's Video

Hello guys, this is a great forum for the Blue, a lot of good info on here. I have gone up to the blue several times and done well but recently i have been trying to fishing the trophy area(catch and release) and i have not had any luck. I throw the normal flies: wooly boogers, eggs, worms, midgs. Seeing if anyone could give me some tips on where to fish in the trophy area? Thanks

Sorry txstate, I cannot tell you a good place to go in that area but I can tell you they stocked the C&R area recently. To my understanding they only stock that area a few times a year so now maybe a good time to go.

Yeah from what I understand you're on the right track with fly selection I hear buggers are just really hard to beat there.

With this map in mind, how far away do I have to park? I had a total knee replacement, still having some difficulties!
Thanks for your time and info! I will be wading.

Parking area is about 100 yards to the Crossing. If you have a Disabled Parking Permit, it's really close. Do bring a wading staff, rocky bottom and little pockets can make it a wet outing. Good luck!

I was up there this past Wednesday. I was told the flooding washed away some of the sand bars. The one marked G on the map is not an option anymore. I did alright using an olive whooly bugger. Ended up catching 11. I fished down by the island and in the walk in area. There are some nice size fish in there right now.

I could be wrong but I am almost positive I caught fish in the deeper channel that runs right next to "G" on the narrow side while standing on "G" Monday. Friend caught one at the end of the run that goes between "G" and the island.

Thanks fshng84! I do have a Disabled Parking permit!

No problem; good luck when you go! Just posted a video of yesterday's trip to the Blue River in another thread. Here is the link or reference: Saturday's Video.

I just took the guys word in the parking lot. I never saw anyone try to wade out there as well. I saw 2 guys look at it and didn't try it. The sand bar I normally fish in the walk in area was much shorter than last year so I assumed all had been affected. Here's a pic of my stringer.

I went yesterday and didn't catch anything and my buddy only caught one. We fished buggers (green and black), prince nymphs and buggers w/ zebra midge droppers. Fishes between barrels just past the big hill and up to the catch and release area. Any idea what we did wrong?

Went yesterday; managed three. Caught two fishing the area to the north by Hwy 7; caught one at Hughes Crossing. Working on the video; will post later.

Had a great day out there on Friday...It was a rough morning hooking into only one but after lunch and moving out of the common areas I finally found the right hole and got my limit.

Lost about 4 of them right at my hip and released my last one after I had my fill. Sure was a fun one this time out and I gotta say I had the biggest ones I have ever caught out there! Was hooking into them after 4pm and was non stop action for about an hour straight.

Always fun times at The Blue..

GoldSpoonr

Sounds like some awesome fishing. Thanks for the reports guys!

What were y'all using? Catching them on buggers?

Jon

Fished the Blue yesterday. Caught three; took some work but still a great time! Overall, was a really nice (warmer than normal) day to be on a river fishing! Today's Video.

Two went for a White Near Deere; one went for a Black Midge. But, missed a lot that went for a Midge Emerger.

How big are the hooks in your fly patterns? Thanks.

Bob

Near Deere is a Size 10, Black Midge is a Size 22, Midge Emerger is a Size 14.

GRHEN, Prince Nymph, Pheasant Tail Nymph range in Size 14 and 16. Zebra Midges in Size 12, 14, 16. Rainbow Warrior in Size 16 and 18.

Man idk if I have ever seen zebra midges that big.

Oops,16,18,and 20. Just checked the fly box.

Quite a range in sizes. Thanks, fshng84.

Made it to the Blue today. Will post video; still editing. Did limit out!

Fished the Blue River Saturday and limited out with six! Had a great time on the Blue! Saturday's Video.

Derby is in full swing this weekend; check the Blue River Facebook page... some nice looking Bruisers!

Nice ones man. I was north of Hwy 7 and only caught a perch. Should of checked out the derby.

I went today and lord was that place packed. I went up to some areas I have not been yet. Ended up only catching 5 with a couple LDR's. I will hit it again in a couple of weeks hopefully.

Turf Dawg. Did you ever go back out since that last time? I wonder how it's fishing.

I have not. I was going to go Friday before last but because of the rain I just fished the LMF Thursday and Friday the 25th and 26th .
I personally have never made the hike into the C&R area but heard the dry fly bite was great before that rain but after the water was too stained. I have a ton of things going on right now but I plan to make a trip or two on Friday afternoons after the time change [get off at noon Fridays] before it gets hot.

Blue River stocking has begun. Catch and Release only for now.

shhhh,

In this heat? Sounds like they're confident it will get cold!

Can't wait to get up there. If any of y'all are going now I would definitely refrain from targeting trout midday but early and late would be OK. Look forward to some reports posted on here

Seeing lots of reports on Facebook; looks like they are biting! Sidetracked yesterday with a short notice trip to Oklahoma's Lower Illinois River (LIR) for some trout fishing! Else, would have hit the Blue!

Was a tough on the LIR go but did manage to catch a couple of trout for dinner. Liking this year-round trout fishery just north across the Texas/Oklahoma border!
Lower Illinois River Trout Fishing.

...made a short notice trip to fish the Blue River on Saturday. Although it was a tough round of fishing, did limit out after finding a pattern that worked! Saturday's Video.

Thanks for the report. How were the crowds?

Trout Derby Alert! Blue River Trout Derby November 12-13.

This means it is a very bad time to visit for quiet zen flyfishing.

First trip back there late last week. I'd say the Blue River is more beautiful than ever. Perhaps it's because the leaves have yet to fall, foul our lines and show the bones of the prairie. Perhaps it's just that the water is so extremely clear. I don't know for sure, but it just looks ... better than I remember.
Anyway, I had a guest along, and managed to put him on one of those waterfall dropoffs that always produce. He was using a black woolly bugger, and I decided to commit to the mop fly exclusively - in a grand experiment to demystify trout flies - and it absolutely slaughtered in the catch-and-kill area. Of course the catch-and-release area is my favorite, but it looks like there are changes there as well (as I look at the satellite image). So the next trip will be to the c-n-r very soon. SUMMARY - Scotty's no longer sells licenses. The mop fly really cleans up.

Good to know about the licenses. Which licenses do you need to fish and camp up there on the blue for the out of staters for 3 days? Last time I just waited to get one up at Scotty's
Flycaster~ how were the crowds? I'm planning on camping thru the weekend.

Fished the Blue River today; struck out but still had fun. Even got some video of a couple of nice ones that passed through a spot we were fishing! Video.

Struck out Saturday on the Blue River. Went back Sunday and almost struck out again. Luckily, caught one Rainbow Trout using Power Bait... whew! Saw lots of trout, some were interested in fishing flies but Power Bait, Salmon Eggs, and in one instance Frog Lures!

No worries... two days on the Blue River sure beats work! Sunday's Video.

Just need an OK license (expires 12/31). I have not seen anything that makes me think you have to have a "reservation" to camp there. I didn't see any numbers on sites. It looks like a first-come-first-served free for all to me. I would love to know more as well though. Will be there again Black Friday for my Blue on Black day. Sticking to the c-n-r area this time though.

Last weekend and this coming weekend are the only 2 firearm deer hunting weekends up there. Be careful up hiking in the C&R. I've hiked in and literally seen dudes set up on those planted fields with their down range sight line shooting across the trail once. Kinda gave me the shivers.

Started last Saturday I think and runs through this Sunday.

That would give me the shivers, too.

Yeah! I wouldn't go if I were you! Or me. No you. Shifty, very shifty.

Ha, right. Just a heads up man. But not up too high...there be lead a flyin' in them woods. Some blaze orange wouldn't be the worst idea to have.

Latest edition of iFishNews - November 25, 2016 is posted!Has some trout info that may be of interest to some.

For those fortunate few of us over 65 y/o no OK license is needed - one of the few benefits of being a little older.

Video out tomorrow. Heck of a day - another Blue on Black.

Very nice! Looking forward to the video! :-)

PS: When trout fishing, you still need to tag your stringer. Asked the ODWC, what my 65+ y/o father-in-law should do when fishing? ...name and drivers license number would work.

Guess I should be more specific - catch and release Blue River video out tomorrow. No stringers and no barbs.

https://youtu.be/jDLAFj2ELUI
Anyone wanting to experience this during the week? Let me know. Of course guiding on the C-n-R is NOT allowed, and I am not really guiding there (anywhere on the Blue) these days. Soon perhaps.

It's not just the C&R. It's prohibited from the C&R all the way down through the campground.

Thats interesting. So where is that regulation written? Maybe you can help me expand my knowledge sources on that.

I'm sure if you call them, they can point you in the right direction for that. Their number is (580) 443-5728.

Curtis Latham is the game warden up there. He can probably help you, too. His number is (580) 320-2948.

Guess I'll have to do that because I have been unable to find anything in writing (I hate unwritten "rules"). Barry Shrader was my guide there about 10 years ago. Heck of a guy. He really enlightened me about the Blue.

Scroll down and check the section under "Concessions and Businesses":
http://www.oar.state.ok.us/oar/codedoc02...kdt374obdcli00_

Click to view the code, then go to Title 800, then chapter 30, then subchapter 1. You'll see the Concessions and Businesses underneath that.

Now where are those lawyers we know? If I were smart, I would ask myself, "Does a license constitute "prior written approval"?" Now, this IS fun.

I probably wouldn't ask that question if I had an Oklahoma guide's license and was serious about keeping it. I suppose the same question could be asked about any licensed profession.

It operated the same way back when I worked in Yellowstone. A Wyoming fishing guide license didn't mean you could go guide inside the park. You had to have a commercial business permit to work on NPS property. That's the prior written approval part.

This is better than General Hospital!

While rules and regulations may seem mundane, tedious, and sometimes pointless, being right with them separates a true professional from a ponce, in any business.

And everything is better than General Hospital.

Curtis Latham wrote me a ticket for having an empty beer can on my person while in the river flyfishing. He was going from outdoorsman to outdoorsman and family to family harassing and ticketing for whatever seemed fair game. From my recollection, he asked that I plead nolo contendere and pay cash onsite. I refused and mailed in my fine. Good thing I wasn't smoking that marijuana grass. He probably would have smashed my skull in with his baton. Best watch out for ole Latham.

That sounds like some Mexican policia nonsense right there. I wonder if that's even legal.

I'm always sketchy of the green in Oklahoma. They seem to consistently be rough on that, no matter where in the state you are.

And the green really doesn't fly with the Tribal cops. Something to keep in mind while driving to and from the Blue.

does anybody know if the rain early Monday made the river off color

You'd think they would cut a break to the green, and go get those meth labs instead. Maybe I should jut play a little "Choctaw Bingo" (James McMurtry) instead! "Strap them kids in. Give 'em a little bit of vodka and a cherry coke. We're going to Oklahoma. To the family reunion. For the first time in years."

You'd think.

A meth busting cop could darn near build a career around the [censored] I've seen down around the Presbyterian Falls area on the LMF.

The easy revenue is on the pot busts I'd think. Low hanging fruit that's going to get paid out.

FROM BARRY SHRADER (12/01/16)
"Yes, guiding is not allowed on Blue River. What happened was a review of the original land agreement revealed a stipulation by the seller that no commercial development or any commercial enterprise would ever take place on the land encompassing the BRPFHA. The law enforcement division of the wildlife department interprets guiding as a commercial enterprise. So, all guides were informed and it is now history.

Fishing has been good. The river is currently clear as gin. The large crowds have all gone home. I would love to see you come up March 4th and either take place or do a report on my Blue River Fly Classic. It's a one pattern fly event and this will be our sixth season. From the beginning we pledge we would grow the event slowly and that is exactly what we've done. First event had 22 contestants. Last event had 55. This year we will allow 66 maximum. Great food, great fun, great fishing, great gifts and awards and a great way to support the trout fishing program through the wildlife department."

There we have it. Case closed. Time to gas up and go to the Illinois.

Is retaining a certified casting coach and fishing the blue river being guided?

If you can't pay someone to guide you in the Blue River area, then you would not be able to pay someone to give you a casting lesson in that area either.

If nobody is getting paid, then it is just a fishing trip.

Pay him to drive you out there and back.

Tyranny

Thanks for the updates

So I guess the LED billboard I was going to plant there is definitely out? Oh well ...

Fished the C&R this morning, did fine, especially given how overcast it was. Caught 9, most were good sized fish. LDRed or missed the hook set on about 20.

First cast caught a "Golden" trout on a cream mop fly. After a while I switched to a charcoal killer bugger and caught a few on it. Then I switched to a glowbug under an indicator and they hit that real aggressively. By the way, when I say I "switched" flies, I mean that I hung one in a tree or on the bottom and got tired of tying the same pattern on. Only fly that I actually cut off my leader was a red squirmy, it wasn't getting any love.

Caught one that had bite marks on his back.

Also had a nice staring contest with a coyote while walking back to the truck. I think he was waiting to see if I had any fish for him.

Oh, and I had the place to myself, as usual. If you have enough scene control to go up there on a Wednesday or Thursday, it is very peaceful. I'll be taking a bike next time, that walk is for suckers.

I fished it yesterday for a couple of hours. Did really well. Went ahead and brought a limit home to some friends who always want me to give them some fish. Decided to fill a stringer in the last 20 minutes of fishing. Used a charcoal beadhead buggar under some ugly dry fly that I used as an indicator. Had a burger that Scotty cooked me too.

That pattern has been a dud for me, too, every time I've tried it up there. I'm not sure why, either, because it's a solid "fly" in most places.

Hope to go in a few days

Last time I fished the walk in north of Hughes, the red squirmy was killing it. But that was a month ago and it was warm and sunny. I think when it gets cold and gloomy they want darker, smaller and deeper. I fished a zebra midge yesterday under a bugger, but it kept snagging so I scrapped it. With my "form", any time I add a dropper, it turns into an adventure.

I WONDER IF THIS IS RELATED TO BLUE RIVER?
FROM PRESS RELEASE:


"... Add Oklahoma Land Access Program (OLAP) regulations for walk-in hunting, fishing and stream access. OLAP is a program in development that will lease lands for public fishing and hunting access. New rules specific to OLAP are necessary to administer the program and enforce regulations.
To read all of the proposed rule changes, go to www.wildlifedepartment.com/public-meeting.
But don’t worry if you are not able to attend one of the public hearings. The Department provides two additional ways for citizens to share their opinions -– in support or against -– the rule change proposals.
Comments may be submitted via the Internet. Fill out the online public comment form at wildlifedepartment.com. Online public comment period will close at 4:30 p.m. Jan. 12, 2017."

Looking like it’s going to be a good year on the Blue!

Yep ready when you are bud. Let’s make a run!