# Calling White Oak Bayou Fly fisherman



## Pete A.

Have any of you found a way to get the "world class" mullets that patrol there to bite on anything? They swirl and move in a way that looks like a great fighter. They look to be in the 3+# range too. Maybe our "permit".

My son's & I have had great success on the bass, brim, perch/tilapia and a couple of brut carp. But nothing on these mullets. 

Any suggestions or simply a wasted effort?

ALSO WATCH OUT FOR SNAKES, grass is higher and snakes are active. Sunday morning saw 5 snakes; 3 diamond back water snakes (ugly but harmless), 1 water moccasin (across bayou) and 1 cooperhead that was almost stepped on. 

Thanks in advance,

Pete A.


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## Worm Drowner

Golden & I have fished WOB quite a bit & I don't think either one of us has even heard of anyone catching a mullet out of there. I know Adam at Orvis fishes lower WOB for carp and does well.


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## Dave Kelly

When I was in elementary school in Smithvillle, I watch a guy catch a bunch on earth worms. Might try to simulate one of those.


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## surfyak

I fish WOB regularly in the Northwest Houston area. I have never caught the mullet you speak of nor targeted them. There are some huge carp in there. I have caught them on the coffee bean fly and a surface fly that resembles a leaf. Big Y Fly sells a Katydid fly that has worked for me. Other than that, there are plenty of bass, perch of all kinds, tilapia, drum, and other fish to keep you plenty busy. An olive bead head wolly bugger will catch anything in the bayou. I have found that fish tend to stack up on the lower end of rapids(fast moving water) where it begins to get deeper


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## Pete A.

Yep, our go to fly is of course a bead headed flash Wooly Bugger.

We'd caught bass to 3#+ and some brut carp. We just keep seeing the mullet flashing about.

Thanks.

Pete A.


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## Worm Drowner

Pete,

If you're interested, let me know the next time you're heading out to WOB. I'll give some of the guys from the club a shout and we can try and meet up.

Mike


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## surfyak

Pete,

That is good to hear. I moved back to Houston this past May and have not been able to find bass of any size. 5 years ago I used to be able to go out and catch a handful of nice bass on a daily basis. I typically fish WOB in the Jersey Village area. They have done a bunch of work on the bayou over the past few years and that is all I can associate with the lack of larger fish. Where the bank used to be 5 foot above the water is now level with the water and they made it much shallower.

Mike,
Is there a club that fishes white oak bayou in the houston area?


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## Pete A.

Suryak,

Go here for club info:

http://www.texasflyfishers.org/

Surf the sight a bit and you'll find pics of WOB trips.

Pete A.


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## Golden

Ok pete here it is, the formula for *extreme *mullet action!
1.) get five gallon bucket (does not have to be clean).
2.) put in 1 gallon bayou water from slow moving eddy current somewhere beneath the antoine bridge make sure you watch out for the moccasins and the street dude that sells the mr. T. Simulated dog chains. 
3.) go to the dumpster behind the mr. Gatti's pizza and pull out some well seasoned paper napkins soiled with pizza stains and 1 lb used coffee grounds from the mac donalds next door and drop into bucket. Allow to fully marinate minimum 24 hours. Strain mixture thru cheese cloth. Pour off liquids and take puree and place on your best 1" x 8" redwood plank. Allow to fully dry. 
4.) cut hardened mixture into 1/4' cubes. Take #8 gamagotsu hook and place cube onto hook. Tie on crystal flash, and some ep fiber (dark brown). Whip and glue head. 
5.) tie up 10 lb floro bimini leader 6 lb. Tippet and tie on hook using loop knot. Use on 4wt. - 8'-6" rod. Make sure your reel has plenty of backing.
6.) now here is the important part. Drive to your favorite jump off point on white oak bayou. Locate mullet, carefully and quietly move into position (preferably behind a highly patina-ed food town shopping cart) using your best double hull and only one false cast (these mullet this time of year are sooo spooky) toss the entire rod, reel, leader and fly into the bayou and go get a psychiatric evaluation....nobody in their right mind fishes for mullet!


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## Backcast

Hey, Golden---chill man.

I caught a mullet on a backcast in East Matty. It can be done!!!LOL

Joe


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## Worm Drowner

Puck actually caught a mullet on a redfish crack the last time we fished Anahuac. Never seen a freshwater one caught though.


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## reddoc

*Thinking of taking my son to WOB Sunday?*

Need some help from you guys who fish WOB regularly. will the water be clean enough to fish by Sunday?


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## Worm Drowner

I doubt it, given the amount of rain & runoff we've had.


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## Pete A.

Worse than water color being off color the flow will be high. Then after high water goes down the bank can be really funky with mud and crud until sun bakes it off. Takes a pretty determined fisherman to fish that.

For us WOB is an outlet spot when we only have a few hours. So if grass get too high, high flow, grimy bank, too hot.................. we just pass.

In my years of fishing I have caught the occasional retarded mullet on casting tackle. Last one was in Tres Palacios Bay on white Gulp. Was a fine fighting fish until seeing it was a mullet. Then reality of it being a "trash fish" my pride made it into no more fun. (but it really did fight well)

Hey they are there so why not waste a cast, heck in scheme of it all the vast majority of our casts are fruitless anyway. If we were sensible we'd sell our tackle, boats, kayaks, tyoing stuff, magazine, books, waders............................ and just got to the seafood store.

Pete A.


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## jblrail

*My suggestion*

iI used to watch my dad catch mullet on a small cricket hook with a a piece of plain old bread. He'd get it wet a piece and roll into a small ball, put it on the hook and fished it about 6" under a very small cork. He then fished it with short jerky moves until the bread ball started to get fuzzy. Then he let it sit while the mullet would mouth the bread. Then make a hit. I never could get the hang of it but dad could catch them like that all the time. He used everything from a cane pole to spincast to flyrod and played it the same each time. This was in Taylor's Bayou in Jefferson County.


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## surfyak

Finally found a two decent bass yesterday evening in WOB. I'd say my hook up ratio was 10%, terrible. They were hitting bass and bluegill patterns sub surface. Wanted nothing to do with a popper. It was a lot of fun on the 3 weight


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## JSimpson65

I caught a mullet in the surf @ Surfside once. Amazing how much fight a foul-hooked 14" mullet can give. Thought I had myself a nice trout.


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## bigflats

I think those fish are grass carp, not mullet. I caught some on bread floating on the top. You can try to mimic bread, but it's a long shot. I just happened to notice they were swimming in a pattern one day, so I threw a corner of my sandwich at em. On their next pass, one ate the floating piece. On their next pass, the floating piece had my hook in it.

I used various techniques to try and catch those guys, and only bread worked. If it sinks, you'll catch a catfish, carp or turtle.


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## Top_Dog

Watched this guy searching for food along the edge of the bayou. I drifted a wooly bugger across it's line of sight and it actually went after it.

First time I've actually had one GO AFTER a fly. Versus just inhaling what drifts in front of it's mouth.


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## Pete A.

Wow, you caught what we consider the "holy grail" of urban "carping", a Koi/goldfish. Look at his coloration, looks like it to me.

U da man!!!!!

We've seen one good size Koi in a 'secret' stretch several times but his is one spooky dude. I think camouflage and a belly crawl is in order. He's spotted us at the top of the hill before. Were thinking spotter on the hill and caster by bayou connect via Bluetooth/cel.

Caught the dude below up near Antoine last spring on a green sparkle Wooly Bugger and a 5wt. He was spotted via his mud plumes. Cast in front drift down to him.

Have a sad story of a much bigger one I lost Sunday evening trying to direct him with a 5wt and 6# leader. Bit too impatient on my end and he popped the line. Again green sparkle wooly bugger.

Carp are a fine fish and they fight as good as any like sized red I've caught.

Pete A.


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## Top_Dog

Pete A. said:


> Again green sparkle wooly bugger.


This. And 4lb tippet!

I thought that this fish looked odd. Nothing like the typical grass carp and it did have those yellow scales in bunched up spots, I just thought it was the produce of the filthy bayou haha.

Gonna go look for more after work...


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## flyakker

Ok, I'm ready to try WOB after reading this thread!!!


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## Golden

It is ready for you. Look us up on line Texasflyfishers.org...go to the forum and search the archive under White Oak Bayou. Very often one of our members is down there tearing them up. I will be this weekend (July 4th)


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## flyakker

I just got my profile up on there, and paid my dues on IFFF. I want that card, just to flash to people, so I can see the WTH? look on their face! And, looking forward to the magazine! I couldn't really do much today, was too tired. I'm on-call for work, and have put in some LONG hours. Brother is in town, so going to visit with him tomorrow. But, I will keep an eye on the threads, and will check it out soon!


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