I’m going up to the Mountain Fork for a couple of days before Easter and, although I live less than 4 hours away, I’ve never been. Your suggestions for inexpensive fishing cabins to rent (for 2 fishermen), which zone to fish, fly patterns, etc. would be greatly appreciated. The reports I’ve seen on the web have recommended “mayfly and midge patterns”. I was hoping for a little more detailed information.
Thank you in advance,
Joe
Joe,
You need to go see Steven Woodcock at Backwoods Equipment in Fort Worth. The entire crew over at Backwoods is excellent when it comes to providing information about local areas to fish, but Steven has an absolute wealth of knowledge about the Broken Bow/Lower Moutain Fork area of Oklahoma. He can even point you toward lodging in the area. I’ve been doing some preliminary looking into cabins in that area and here are few companies I’ve found (these may be more elaborate than what you are looking for), but I’d deffinately talk to the folks at Backwoods(817-332-2423). They are the closest thing we have to a local fly shop here in Ft. Worth. They can also help with fly selection and have a pretty good supply of materials if you tie your own.
http://www.southeastokcabins.com
http://hiddenhillscabinsok.com
Here is a general site that has links to other cabin rentals. http://brokenbowchamber.com
Hope this helps.
Brian
Thanks, Brian. I was planning on going by the Backwoods today to talk to Steven and get his recommendations. I bought my first fly rod there over 20 years ago when they were the Orvis dealer and have been a regular ever since. I’m sorry Main St. Outfitters is gone, partly because of Craig but mainly because I miss Trout, his dog. Trout and I were big pals.
Thanks for the websites. I’ll check them out.
Joe
Joe,
I miss Main Street Outfitters for the same reason. My daughter loved that dog!
Brian
Brian,
I ran a golf shop across the street from Main Street back when it really was downtown on Main Street. Craig and Trout would come by sometimes at lunch and ask me if they could get me something wherever they were going. A few minutes later, here Trout would come in the door with a bag in his teeth and give me my lunch. That was one cool dog!
Joe
Joe,
I’m sure I stopped in your shop then once or twice when I worked downtown. I always liked the downtown Main Street Outfitters more than when they moved over to the west side.
Best,
Brian
The best place for current info on the Lower Mountain Fork can be found on Sid’s website www.beaversbendflyshop.com. Sid is the owner/operator of a flyshop inside the park. Sid answers his email if you have specific queries and there exists a cast of regulars who fish the waters and chat by way of that website’s message board. The LMF is home waters for all of NE Texas insofar as trout are concerned and Oklahoma’s trout records have been caught just below the park. I am a big believer in supporting one’s local flyshops so by all means keep up the business with your Fort Worth shop. But if you need extras Sid’s place is handy and right on the river INSIDE the park, very reasonable, and he keeps a pot of coffee brewed if you want to drop in to chat. By the way his son graduated from A&M about two years ago if you want to steer the conversation thataways. Sid has been a great help and friend both to me personally and to my sons when they’ve gone up there without me.
As to inexpensive cabins I know of none and the cabins I have heard about aren’t cheap at all. You might have better luck finding an inexpensive hotel room just 20 minutes away in the city of Broken Bow, OK. If I stay the night I generally stretch out in the back of my truck or pitch a tent. The restaurant in the park is a great place to eat.
Jim Stocks
Tyler,TX
Joe,
I often do well with mayfly and midge imitations. There are also a lot of caddis flies on the river, and ants may be active by Easter.
When you go to the web site posted by Jim, you’ll find weekly fishing reports with recommended flies going back two or more years. There are also a few threads about favorite flies for the river.
As for places to stay, you’ll find recommendations on the message board of the same web site. There are also some lodging recommendations on the Three Rivers fly shop web site. Like Jim wrote, however, your best bet may be lodging in Broken Bow.
NOTE: The fishing regulations for the river changed this year. A new area has been changed to barbless lure only with a limit of one 20" trout or larger per day. Any of the fly shops mentioned in this thread should be able to give you the details. They should also be on the ODWC web site if it has been updated.
Enjoy your trip. It’s a beautiful place.
Tracy
Brian, Jim, and Tracy,
Thanks for the information. I’ll go by the fly shops when I get there to see what patterns and which zones are fishing the best. I’m a little concerned about Easter vacationers (like me!), but hopefully I can find a spot or two of isolation. I’m looking forward to seeing and fishing it for the first time. Thanks again!
Joe
You’re right about the crowds. If you fish Zone II to escape them, I recommend cleats if you have them and a staff. The rocks are VERY slippery.
Joe,
My nephew and I are headed down to the Mountain Fork Wednesday evening and will stay until Saturday afternoon. I’ve been fishing the river 2-3 times a year for the last 15-16 years. While I’m no great shakes at catching trout, I at least know my way around down there. If you wish, you could stop by my camp. I usually camp in the Hickory campground. Look for a silver '06 Nissan Frontier pickup or a large white Kelty dome tent. Be glad to show you around.
Larry Compton
I’m trying to plot a trip up to Mountain Fork in a couple of weeks. To me, Zone 2 is the best fly fishing and the least crowded. Griffiths Gnats, red or black zebra midges, damsel nymphs and small wooly buggers seem to work the best for me. Be sure to listen for the siren that’s a warning for power generation. As you walk down the trail from the parking lost, you’ll see PVC tubes going down to the river at regular intervals. The tubes are used for stocking so if you stop close to one there should be fish. I like this area, but after growing up in Colorado, trout fishing among the cypress stumps is a little surreal. I think zone 2 is barbless - better safe than sorry.
When (not if) you get driven out of Zone 2, the spillway creek is a nice change of pace. Nymphs with peacock bodies seem to work the best for me. My favorite is a bead headed Renegade like in the Fly of the Week archives. It can get a little crowded, but you can usually walk upstream far enough to get away from most of the crowd. I caught one of the golden trout out of the creek last year. It was quite a sight.
I would suggest that a visit to the shops there at Broken Bow would be good for at least two reasons: One is that the very latest intel on fly patterns and fish activity come through those doors.
Secondly, that it supports those shops, keeps their doors open and we need all the fly shops we can get!
The Fort Worth shops are not being dropped out of the loop here, let me clarify that point. You see, I am an old Cowtown boy, grew up there before I got addled and moved east to Dallas and then Collin counties. Please forgive me 
Heck, just go on a Cowtown fly shop spree and then a seoncd spree once you get to OK.
And don’t forget about the lovely Blue River at Tishomingo OK.
Thanks to everybody for the help. I just got home late last night. We went to the Beaver tailwater in Arkansas on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and left there Thursday morning to go to the Mountain Fork. Caught a ton of fish both places, patterns didn’t seem to matter too much. The Mountain Fork was so crowded yesterday and more people were heading in for the weekend by the time we left there yesterday afternoon. The weather turned on us - high in the 40’s and winds above 20 mph with freeze warnings out for the weekend - and that along with the crowds cut our trip short by a day. Zone 2 was tough with the weather but the browns cooperated anyway. The smaller creeks in Zone 1 were a little more protected from the wind and the rainbows in there were VERY cooperative. Beautiful, beautiful place. I will be going back there soon.
Thanks again to everybody,
Joe
sounds like a great trip! I am pleased that its becoming such a popular venue. Only hope it doesn’t get out of hand.
Weather was bit of a whammy huh? We tried for stripers on Texoma but it was a tough day, great fishing, minimal catching.
I fish the Mountian Fork often. Beautiful place and some truly nice fish. I love the Spillway Creek.
We are thinking of going up there for a week late in July. Is it crowded during the week?
From what I have been told it is not. The time I was there might have be one of the busiest weekends during the year. I’m sure someone who has been there more than once (like me - and at Easter) will have better information. If you’ve never been there before you’ll be amazed at the beauty of the place. It is definitely a terrific surprise.
Joe
reelman,
It’s usually not crowded during the week, but in July the schools will be out. During the summer, it can get busy even during the week. I wouldn’t let that stop me, though. There always seems to be a place somewhere to fish.
Regards,
Tracy