Unique Experiences

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Red writes: 

 Johnny Walker (817)480-0340 Red's Lake Fork Fly Fishing Adventures http://www.redslakeforkflyfishingadventures.com

Red's 'casting instruction and guided fishing' combo trips

If you have never fly fished before, the casting of a fly rod may seem a bit intimidating. Don't let it. Like any other activity, what at first seems difficult becomes easier once understood and understanding comes with proper instruction, practice, and following through with continued execution.

If you want to fly fish for largemouth bass with me on Lake Fork but, have no experience with casting a fly rod, I will be more than happy to use half the day to teach you the basics in casting and, with some good practice, we will use the second half of the day put what you learned into execution on the lake.

When you call or email to set up a fishing trip just let me know you would like to reserve the day for a casting instruction and fly fishing combo, and I'll make sure it happens.

If you are looking for a more in-depth, intense instruction, individually or for a group, I will be glad to set that up for you. For 1 - 4 people we can conduct a 'beginner' class right here on the lake. This works especially well if you want to fish the next day. For a bigger class, I will coordinate with Certified Casting Instructors  Diane Blair and/or Jim Bass.

Both Jim and Diane are Certified Casting Instructors and are well versed in teaching beginning, intermediate, and advanced casting techniques as well as preparation for the Certified Casting Instructor program and testing. Jim is the founder of the North Texas Fly Fishing School.

http://metroplexflyfisher.com/home.html

For more information about the Certified Casting Instructor program and what it take to become one, please visit the following International Fly Fishing Federation (IFFF) link:

http://www.fedflyfishers.org/Casting.aspx

After 35 years in the aerospace industry, I am starting the next stage of my life. I retired from my corporate life in October 2013. I have fished Lake Fork, the bass fishing capital of Texas, since 1996 and now I am guiding there. I started guiding on Fork part time back in the late 90s as an extra when Brian Gamble needed an extra boat to help with one or two too many clients. I have 'unofficially' guided many friends and family members since then. I have always enjoyed teaching people how to fish and watching their face light up when they catch that first fish or, what they consider a fish of a lifetime. Because of that I got my guide license at the end of 2013 with the goal of opening officially in March of 2014, just in time for spring bass fishing.

So, what's different about me that the other 500 bass fishing guides at lake fork? The main thing is I fly fish and my guide service will be based on fly fishing for bass, teaching people how to use a fly rod and bass flies to catch large bass and, to take experienced fly fishers out for the chance to catch a bass of a lifetime.

I grew up in Oklahoma and learned to fish following my dad & uncle up and down the streams, creeks, and rivers of southeastern Oklahoma around Broken Bow. One of them would carry a casting rod with conventional lures, like the old Lucky 13. The other would carry a fly rod with all kinds of strange looking artificial bugs (flies). They would wade through a long hole, each casting their own specific gear. When they got to the end of the hole they would trade off gear and fish the next hole. They would repeat this all day long. At the end of the day, they would tally up how many fish were caught on the different fishing gear. Not surprisingly, the fly rod won the day as many times as the conventional gear. 

This was the kind of fishing I learned. I was somewhat surprised in my adult life when people would regularly question me about catching bass on a fly rod.  Fact is, you can can catch almost any fish that is a predator on a fly rod with the right fly. It's nothing more than putting a bait in front of them and fooling them into thinking it is dinner. Pretty much the same thing you do with conventional gear. The difference is how you present that bait and, what that bait is made of. Thanks to TV and the many fishing shows these days, many people have been exposed to the idea of using a fly rod for more than just trout and bluegills.

As I said earlier, I have been fly fishing Lake ForkTexas since 1996 and caught the lake fly fishing record bass in 2006. As of March 2014' I still hold the lake record for a fly rod at 9.25 pounds. You just never know when that next giant bass will bite. The overall lake record, which is also the state record, is 18.18 pounds. They found a floating (dead) bass that was well over 20 pounds. So, the next world record and Texas state record is entirely possible. Wouldn't it be a hoot to catch that record bass on a fly rod!

I started out using an inflatable pontoon kick boat to fish Fork but, after getting chased out of a cove by a gator, I bought a Lowes 17 ft aluminum bass boat. Fished her for 12 years and moved up to a Ranger. I now have the new Charger 797. The 797 is a 21 ft bass fishing machine with a 250 Mercury, Power Pole, and 10 inch Lowrance displays/electronics both forward and aft. It is one of the best boats on the market & will cut through rough water with ease. The front and rear casting decks are huge so, there is plenty of room for 2 people to fish plus your guide, me. The boat is one of the most stable I have ever been on and the ride is not only smooth but, very dry.  

If you don't have your own fly rod, not to worry. I have Temple Fork Outfitters 8 weight fly rods for you to use. They are excellent rods for use on Lake Fork. For the younger and smaller statured people, I have 5 & 6 weight rods.

I love teaching people how to fly fish and really get a thrill when they catch their first fish on a fly rod. So, whether you are a beginner or, an experienced fly fisher, come on out & lets go fishing.

Johnny Walker
(817)480-0340
Red's Lake Fork Fly Fishing Adventures
http://www.redslakeforkflyfishingadventures.comFly Fishing

Item Special Note

Lake Fork Reservoir is located 65 miles east of Dallas on the on Lake Fork Creek, a major tributary of the Sabine River between Quitman, Alba, Emory, and Yantis, Texas. At 27,690 acres and 315 miles of shoreline, Lake Fork is one of the 10 largest lakes in Texas.

Established by the Texas Parks and Wildlife in 1979, Lake Fork was designed a premier bass fishing lake with 732,514 Florida Black Bass stocked from 1979 through 1987. Lake Fork offers excellent fish habitat with 80% standing timber left intact, and hydrilla, milfoil, and duckweed being the predominant vegetation. The lake currently holds records for 34 out of the Top 50 and 15 of the top 20 Texas State Record Largemouth Bass. Other species of fish include Catfish, Black and White Crappie, Sunfish, and Bluegill. The predominant food source for the larger fish is Shad, Minnows, and Crawfish.

The Texas Parks and Wildlife implemented a protected slot limit to preserve the great Lake Fork bass fisheries. Therefore, bass between 16 and 24 inches must be returned back into the waters of Lake Fork immediately. A 5 bass per day limit can be kept, consisting of 5 under 16 inches, or 1 over 24 inches, and 4 under 16 inches.

Lake Fork was impounded in 1980 and reached is normal pool surface elevation of 403.0 feet above mean sea level in 1985. It consists of 27,690 acres between the towns of Quitman, Alba, Emory, and Yantis, Texas. At 315 miles of shoreline, the lake includes a drainage area of 493 square miles and a 12,410 foot dam.

Lake Fork Reservoir is located on Lake Fork Creek which is a major tributary of the Sabine River. The reservoir is owned and operated by the Sabine River Authority of Texas. Lake Fork Creek rises in the southwestern corner of Hunt County and flows east for 78 miles to where it joins the Sabine River southeast of Mineola. The stream drains an area of approximately 685 square miles in Wood, Rains and Hopkins Counties. Over 490 square miles of the Lake Fork Creek drainage area lies above the reservoir dam site. The topography of Lake Fork consists of gently rolling upland hills transected by the moderately wide flat floodplain of Lake Fork Creek.

The Lake Fork dam is over 12,400 feet in length with a crown width of 20 feet. The upstream slope of the embankment is protected from erosion by 2 feet of soil cement with a spillway length of 250 feet. The flow of water over the concrete ogee weir is controlled by five 20x40 foot tainter gates. Also contained in the spillway structure are two 5x8 low flow outlets and three metered water release pipes. The design discharge of the spillway is 81,900 cubic feet of water per second.

 

Lake Fork - Fly fishing specific record table

http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/fishboat/fish/action/staterecords.php?env=FW&age_group=all&list=3&browse=Go

Related Lake Fork and Fly Fishing Links

Bass Fly Fishing tournament ..............http://www.bassonthefly.org/

Project Healing Waters, Fly Fishing.............http://projecthealingwaters.org/

Casting For Recovery (CFR), Texas............http://castingforrecovery.org/wordpress/?page_id=2838