Beavers Bend Fly Shop

Carey, that is what it is ALL about! passing on our knowledge and teaching the young boys and girls about our passion for this thing we call fly fishing! Now they know why we cal it a religion! :)

A fish of a lifetime at the LMF, Congrats!

Carey: Thanks for the very valuable day on LMF; lots of fish with Carey but more important was the lessons he gave on casting, reading the water and fly selection.

Thats great seeing everyone fishing and catching.

I spend almost every weekend looking for a fish like that. Well done!

Nice fish. It's good to see that you are passing the needed fly fishing skills to people who have caught the FF bug. I've met you on the water and know that you're a nice guy and good steward of the river. My only problem is the number of photos of newbies posing with fish that really shouldn't be taken from the water. I know hero shots are cool and make for good advertsing but the well being of the fish should be first priority. Showing your clients how to release fish with the least amount of stress is as important as reading water, tying knots and any of the other million things there are to learn. Besides the ethical reasons, releasing a healthy fish means more fish in the river for everyone.

"Showing your clients how to release fish with the least amount of stress is as important as reading water, tying knots and any of the other million things there are to learn. Besides the ethical reasons, releasing a healthy fish means more fish in the river for everyone." -by pooka.

I dont know if you are insinuating that I dont know how to properly release a fish, or I dont show them how to do it properly...... But, to nudge this thread in the right direction, I do know how......

I teach every single person to hold them upstream in the current till they swim away on thier own power. Do not push them forward and backwards. Just hold them facing upstream, as up-right as possible. Water goes through thier gills one way and out the other.

Ill make a video of just that, for the threads.

Otherwise, if I didnt do that, you would obviously see 50 trout downstream of the hole I am fishing in, belly up..........

New report up tomorrow night......

"Effective catch and release fishing techniques avoid excessive fish fighting and handling times, avoid damage to fish skin, scale and slime layers by nets, dry hands and dry surfaces (that leave fish vulnerable to fungal skin infections), and avoid damage to throat ligaments and gills by poor handling techniques."

I have no doubt you know proper technique and except for the photos I'm sure you're doing everything possible to release a viable fish.However,posing for hero shots is not proper technique nor is unnecessary handling. Skin infections and other damage don't always show up until long after the fish has been released.

Agree 100%.

That's why out of the 50+ fish I catch a day, they all don't get thier pics taken. I have caught well over 100, twenty plus inch fish this year up there. Most fish never leave the water. I catch a monster, and hurry to the next one....

And, posting hero pics, well, if I feel like the client thinks he or she feels like a hero, the fish will get a picture snapped of it. They are not the most delicate fish in the world, and we are at Beavers Bend No Rules Apply State Park.

I dont post every single report. Some people skip work to come up or dont want to be famous on a forum. Im on the water every single day. I post when I have time to do so.

The big hero fish, "will be harpooned or poached out anyways". I'm up there 3-4 days a week, till I transition over to the crappie and Sandbass for the spring.

In sayin that, I see how fast the Red Zones get depleted of fish from people taking them out. The signs on the river are terrible for new anglers. Words are to small to catch people attention.
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Example:

Like in the "Red Zone". "

"Must be big fish here, lets try here Bubba! Get tha frog gigs and lets git us some!"

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I ask every client I take up there, "did you see the signs and read them?" it's always a NO.

LMFF should change the whole layout on the zones. Or this same topic will come up multiple times a year like now. It's a minny Montana, yes. But without the stocking trucks, there would be nothing to catch.

I see it "everyday single freakin day", with a stringer being taken out of the Evening Hole with 1-10 big fish on it. Im serious too. EVERYDAY. (Monday I even saw it. An angler taking a 22 incher out to have a skin mount. His right to take it. At least it was better off with him than be stabbed by a spear.

(Zone II is the only almost safe place for a trout to grow up from day one, but again, inconsistant water levels......)

And you say "call the Warden!" yeah right. Like they are actually goin to show up. I gave up callin them years ago. They never get out of thier trucks. They just drive by and give speeding tickets in the park. Ill say it again. -They dont show up. Period.

If I call the warden here in Texas, bet ur "arse" they will show up within 20-30 mins to take care of the issue. I think ur Broken Bow wardens have other game animals to take care of and have no time to hunt down spear fisherman hunting the shallows of the magestic Red Zones.. -My opinion of course.

-As for using a net, All the trout have been in a net about 4 times before entering the river, and "not" a rubbber net..... you also say, dont take them out of the water to long or they will die while trying to take a picture..... Well, the fish are out of the water longer when being transfered from the truck to the water, than getting a quick picture.

As in below, No Rubber Net (and all the trout have come in contact with the non-rubber net) and a "Very" gentle release. The fish swim right out of the net with no issue.

Also below is a non-rubber net and a good little walk to the pool for the gentle release to thier new poaching grounds.



The fish are manhandled at least once a week by people. I dont see trout floating all over the river or have I "yet" to see a diseased fish in the 1000's I have landed there. I saw a dead fish a week ago and noticed it due to you really dont see dead fish in there. I see more dead fish on stringers than in the water (prove me wrong on that).

I see worse off fish from the lakes in Dallas then I do at the LMF.

The river is in very good shape and so are the fish. Nothing has changed in over 8 years i have been going there. Some say the fish are not being stocked, some say they are. Some say a lot of off the wall statements. The fish will never get rid of the weekend warrior poachers...... It just will never happen. Unless they designate a warden for only trout..... I say that wont happen.

So, its on the top list of a Put&Take fishery and the Red Zones have the bigger fish for the fryer in Weekend Warrior minds.

I have fished all over the world for 100's of diff fish from 6 inches to 8 ft long. The fish in the river are fine. I have seen worse. The trout are not as delicate as you may think. I release every fish the same way iI took it out, except for a small hook mark in its lip.

If the vids dont work, just go to below Youtube link :

http://www.youtube.com/user/TexasOklahomaFishing

Not lashing or causing a new issue or targeting anyone, this is the issue from day one.

-Just sayin

The vids are the trout stocking trucks and how the precious trout are handled by the trout staff. They are not delicate as most think.