Tailwater · Sandstone Shale · Oklahoma, US

Lower Mountain Fork River (Beavers Bend)

The Lower Mountain Fork below Broken Bow Dam is the closest year-round trout river to Dallas, about three and a half hours away in the pine hills of southeast Oklahoma.

Poor · Rainbow Trout
Blue Winged Olive · 18–22
Poorlive now
Not the day for it
Low and clear — careful approach country. A morning for the obvious fish only.
80% confidence
What moved it
  • Level0.42 mLast reading 10 min ago
  • Water temp20.6°C
  • ClarityClear
Today's fly
Blue Winged Olive
Blue Winged Olive18–22
Proven pattern for this period
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Level
Steady
0.42 m
Last reading 10 min ago
Water temp20.6°C
ClarityClear
Weather26°C
WindS 12 km/h
Pressure1019 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm
Rain · ahead0.0 mm

The nearest gauge doesn't record temperatures, so we've estimated it — defer to the river keeper's advice.

Water temperature for Rainbow Trout
Warm — slow
21°C est.ideal 10–18°C
0°14°28°

A dam sets this river's temperature, not the weather, so it can shift several degrees within hours when the release changes. It also warms as it runs away from the dam.

How to fish it · for Rainbow Trout
When
Nymphing can work through most of the day.
Where
Cover mixed depths.
Method
Start with tight-line nymphs and adjust if fish rise or drift higher.
Kit
9 ft #4 rod, floating line, 12 ft tapered leader to 4–5 lb fluoro tippet.
Why this works
Water at 20.6°C — above the brown trout caution line (18°C). Fish dawn or dusk only. Land it fast, wet hands, no air shots.
Likely species
Chironomids
Gammarids
Hatch timeline · todayQuiet day

Hatch predictions

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 2 active hatches hour by hour as a supporter.

Start free trial

14-day free trial. Cancel anytime.

Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Top nymph shown — see all 4 guilds as a supporter.

Start free trial

14-day free trial. Cancel anytime.

Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 2 as a supporter.

Start free trial

14-day free trial. Cancel anytime.

Evidence
Records-basedModerate confidence

Based on species-occurrence records, not local invertebrate surveys.

Through the year
0–3 scale · October highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Trout seasonSeason
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
SulphurHatch
2
3
2
Trico (Eastern)Hatch
2
3
3
2
Eastern Blue-Winged OliveHatch
2
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
2
Eastern Summer BWO (Drunella)Hatch
2
3
3
2

Numbers are intensity 0 (none) to 3 (peak) — a guide, not a guarantee.

Ranked for today
Rainbow Trout fly box
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • Year-round; barbless hooks only; see the area limits (big-fish-only browns over 30 in)
  • Oklahoma licence.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Water here around 21°C. Nothing cooler within range — carry a thermometer.
About this water

The Lower Mountain Fork below Broken Bow Dam is the closest year-round trout river to Dallas, about three and a half hours away in the pine hills of southeast Oklahoma. Cold water drawn from deep in Broken Bow Lake keeps trout in the river below the dam all year, though the lower end of the twelve-mile trout area toward US 70 warms in summer. Oklahoma stocks rainbows and browns and protects the big browns with a 30-inch minimum. It's a clear, rocky, braided river of riffles and long pools, and it changes completely when the turbines run, so check generation before you wade. Fish the upper park water nearest the dam when summer heats the lower river.

  • Sandstone shale
Conservation note

Both rainbows and browns are stocked by ODWC; no agency source claims natural reproduction. The 30-inch brown minimum protects holdover fish. Bass and sunfish share the lower river and are not scored. Didymo is present — clean, inspect and dry gear.

The full read · show the working · for Rainbow Trout · confidence 80%
How the 24 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature18 × 28%5.0
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity85 × 18%15.3
Feeding Time70 × 13%9.1
Pressure75 × 7%5.3
Insect activity26 × 12%3.1
Limiting factor: Water temperature (20.6°C) is outside Rainbow Trout's preferred range (10–18°C)= 55
Can you trust it?
Water temperatureair-to-water estimateestimated
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Prey activitymodelled from regional profilemodelled
What would change the calculation
Cooler water — back toward the 10–18 °C ideal band — would lift the score and ease welfare.
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Trout 1 January → 31 December
Related guides
Euro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Booking & contacts