Hey everyone! I'm pretty new to this forum, so first I'd like to say hello to all ofy fellow Texas fly casters.

After getting a tip from a customer (I work at a fly shop) a couple weeks ago I went below the dam at PK looking for some striper, and I was not disappointed. It was an adventure of a day. I live in McKinney and rode my motorcycle there with just one rod and a backpack, and had one hell of a day catching striper, drum, sandbass, and even a gar.

I've since been trying to find other places to do some similar fishing where the water is deep enough to hold big fish but is also shallow enough in spots to wade in. After reading about the spillway at Lavon I decided to head out there this morning to give it a shot.

When I arrived around 7:15am there were two people there already fishing from the wall with what looked like live bait for catfish and one guy on the bank between the wall and the RR bridge. I walked down the ledge and just under the RR bridge to throw my first cast since I saw baitfish jumping. Long story short, after about an hour and a half of casting, moving down and up stream, changing flies I landed one single black drum of maybe 1-1.5 lbs.

By the time I left there were seven other people fishing, and no one landed a fish. Is the water too hot? Are the gates opened too much?, too little? Was I using the wrong flies? Am I just being impatient expecting the dam to give me glorious days of catching a fish on every other cast?

Also, is the Brazis below PK still hot, or did I have a fluke of a good day two weeks ago?

Thanks in advance to any helpful replies.

I cannot speak to those venues. But I can tell you that the Red River below Denison Dam can be a fine place to wade and cast...when it's not roaring WFO release. Just get an OK license because it's needed if you so much as dip a toe in the Red River.

https://tpwd.texas.gov/regulations/outdoor-annual/licenses/fishing-licenses-stamps-tags-packages

Border Water License Requirements

ALL fish landed in Texas must comply with Texas bag and length limits. NO EXCEPTIONS.

Texas-Oklahoma and Texas-Arkansas
In Oklahoma or Arkansas waters of the Red River, the requirements of those states apply, including fishing regulations.
A person must have a valid Texas fishing license to fish from the Texas bank from Denison Damdenison_dam.gif to Shawnee Creek (see illustration). An Oklahoma fishing license is required to wade-fish or fish from a boat in these waters.
An Oklahoma resident 65 years of age or older is exempt from fishing license requirements in Texas, including on Lake Texoma.
A person may fish in Texas or Oklahoma waters on Lake Texoma only with the appropriate license from the respective state, unless the person possesses a Lake Texoma fishing license, which is valid anywhere on Lake Texoma.
On the Red River below Denison Dam, a person with a Texas fishing license may fish south of the line between border markers 1 and 2 on the referenced map.
GPS coordinates are as follows: Marker 1- (Lat 33.81892, Long -96.56806), Marker 2- (Lat 33.81986, Long -96.5556)
Lake Texoma License (Type 208):$12 - With this license, which is valid until December 31 following the date of issuance, a person may fish in both the Texas and Oklahoma waters of Lake Texoma without any additional Texas or Oklahoma fishing licenses or stamps. A Texas resident 65 years of age or older does not need this license to fish in the Oklahoma portion of Lake Texoma. A Lake Texoma license is valid ONLY on Lake Texoma (see reservoir boundaries.)

I maybe should have tried the Denison Dam today instead. I grew up about a mile from there and have always done well, but thought I'd try something new.

Hey Hagphish what flies were you throwing below PK Dam?

I was out at PK on Friday and had a blast. Caught about 30 stripers � the biggest was 5-6lb, but most of them were 1-2lbs. I also caught two gaspergou and some smallies and largemouth.

The best fly I threw was a white-on-white clouser with a little bit of red bucktail tied in the middle. I had some luck on some zonker streamers, but I only used them because I broke off both of my clousers on the bottom. White on white clouser was definitely the best.

Steven we went again yesterday evening we really put a good beating on the fish again. Caught a really nice largmouth and bunch more smallmouth but mostly strippers. Only a few sandies this trip lost a really good smallmouth right at my feet. Still throwing the pink chartreuse and white clouser but they have just about chewed all the hair off of it ha ha.

Geez, Ive got tomorrow off and am looking for somewhere not too far from Frisco as Ive got to get my wife from work at 6.

Ive never been to PK.

Is that a feasible day trip? Say 9 am be back in Frisco by 5:30?

Earlier the better but yes take new ric Williams memorial off of 20 to fm 920 shaves at least 20 min off the trip.

Robert, not sure what kind of fly you use for strippers haha. Good to hear you guys are still doing well, I think I'm going to head back up there at some point soon.

Hi, I'm sorry to have to ask, but I'm new to Texas and some of the abbreviations are not clear to me. Is PK a reference to Possum Kingdom Lake ? and if so, can you drive and park near the dam outlet, Google map is not real clear on the road and or parking. Thank you.

Yes it is Possum Kingdom. The Brazos River runs out of the dam below the lake. Look on Google Maps for the Highway 16 (near Graford, TX) crossing below the lake, the dam is just north of that � there is a road, Red Bluff Road, that is just north of that. It's the road that leads up to the dam, where there is a parking area.

Thank you Steven S., that helps. the google map shows gates and the road looked like it could be gravel and it just was not clear if there was public access. I didnt want the long drive from Prosper only to find a closed gate. Thank you.

Fish right off 16 no need to go to the dam all the way. That river is In better shape than it has been in years going to be good for several years to come in my opinion barring a golden alge outbreak again. But it hope with the higher flows and more O2 it will hold off.

I was on Brazos below PK this morning. I guess it rained a lot more out there than I realized. The river was high and flowing way too fast to enjoy. I did manage to make it under the bridge but I had to pedal as hard as I could. I didn't get a single bite and the only fish that I saw moving were gar. If I read the USGS site information correctly the river is flowing >9,000 cfs.

I was using a white on white clouser that I got from a guy named Steven. Was it you Steven S.?

I\ve got Monday-Wednesday off next weeek, and as long as the water is wadable I'm heading to PK again.