It's almost here!
Season opens up on Saturday (Jan 2nd) to some pretty good winter weather. Saturday is forecasted to be a high of 27 and sunny. Normal winter rules apply, fish from about 9 or 10 to about 2 or 3. Using your thermometer, when the water temperature starts to drop it is a signal to wrap up the day as things will start shutting down quickly.
Midges are hatching on the sunny days with a few fish eating emergers on the surface, but most of the action will be subsurface on midge larvae and pupae and other tiny bead heads (18-22). Leeches and streamers will also be effective, but fish them slowly! Finally, scuds will be active on the warmer creeks and near the springs.
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It's still warm in the Driftless. Relatively warm for December that is.
We're looking at temperatures in the mid 30s to low 40s all week, with lots of cloud cover and possible light precipitation all week as well. Perfect fishing conditions!
Fish are eating midges and other teeny sub surface bugs and on the warmer days, will rise to midges in the mid day hours. They are also taking scuds and leeches. With leeches, make sure you fish them slowly as water temperatures are still low enough that fish do not move too much to chase flies.
Creeks are clear and flowing normal to a touch low after last week's heavy rain.
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After quite a bit of rain over the past weekend, creeks are starting to settle down. Look for fish to remain happy in this unseasonably warm weather! Mid day hatches are not uncommon, and drifting midge larvae, scuds and leeches deep will produce fish during the sweet spot of the day. (10-3) Cooler weather is on its way, but nothing too terrible for December! Remember there is no need to get out early. Late morning to early afternoon is the window of opportunity.
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Fishing remains solid for December! Wisconsin is closed (re-opens Jan2), Iowa is open, and a handful of creeks in Minnesota are open too. Check your regulations if you are unsure!
Fish are actively spawning right now, so please leave spawning fish alone. They are easily stressed while producing the next generation of trout for the creeks. Don't bug them!
Temperatures are unseasonably warm, and it is very comfortable to be outside!
Creeks are due for some rain the next few days. It does not look like any gully washers, but a nice steady rain for 2-3 days. This will help to fill the springs and creeks well as the ground is not frozen!
Midges are the food of choice for trout right now, with fish rising in the afternoons to midges and even a few very late olives. Subsurface fishing has been best on simple midge larvae, scuds, and leeches drifted along the bottom and twitched occasionally.
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Sunny with the temperatures in the low to mid 40s all weekend! This is an excellent chance to get out on the water this December!
Despite the low water and sunny skies, fishing was solid yesterday on small, thin, dark bodied bead heads and there were fish rising to midges most of the day. Streamers slowly twitched along the bottom of the creek were also effective.
If you are in need of supplies, there is a storewide sale this weekend!
Please give us a call if you are planning on stopping in as we do not keep regular hours in the off season.
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After some chilly weather and wintry mix, the weather turns far too nice for December this weekend! Highs in the high 30s to low 40s and sun means fishing will be fun this weekend. Active fish, possibility of midges and a few olives bringing fish to the surface and comfortable weather to be outside in.
Go small with your bead heads, and do not be afraid to twitch leeches slowly in the deeper pools and beneath undercut banks.
Also, For the month of December, receive a free 10% bonus to your order. No codes, no catches, just extra money to spend!
If you buy a $100.00 certificate you get one for $110, $200 gets you $220.00 etc...Buy a full day trip and you get a certificate for $24.00 to give to whomever you like, or keep it for yourself!
Buy Certificates Here
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After a few cold days and nights along with some snow, temperatures next week will get back to around 40. Look for some clouds and drizzle, excellent news after bluebird skies this weekend.
Fish are still eating tiny bead head nymphs, leeches, and scuds subsurface while the coming warmer air, water, and cloud cover should get a few olives hatching.
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The uunseasonably warmer weather continues for a couple more days. Add to that some nice soaking rains and you have a recipe for some good fall Driftless fishing!
Later on this week the temperatures start to plummet which means fishing will be limited to the mid day sun.
Midges, scuds, leeches, and a few olives are still around. As water gets colder, more of the action will go subsurface.
Brown and Brook trout are in full spawn now, so please leave spawning fish alone. There are plenty of trout to catch in the deeper pools.
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Sunny and unseasonably warm the next few days with sunny skies and temps pushing 70 degrees. It will be incredible to be outside the next dew days, but don't expect fantastic fishing.
The last few days of the week and into the weekend are forecasted for clouds. Should be MUCH better fishing, but not nearly as comfortable as the temperatures drop quite a bit.
Fishing has been a ton of fun on leeches and streamers with a few olive hatches in the afternoons.
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Drizzly and windy the next few days (with a break on Friday), but not enough rain to mess up trout fishing. Things have been good actually with the cloud cover and small bump in flows.
The big news is that we got word yesterday that the season and regulation changes in Wisconsin are wrapped up. That means season starts the first Saturday in January and goes continually through October 15th (no more silly 5 days of closed season)!
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This week should still be good fishing. The weather has been fantastic to be outside, a bit of cloudy and windy weather is coming mid week this week which should help with some of the spookier fish.
We're still seeing olives and midges in the afternoons, and fish are responding to midge larvae, scuds, and leeches subsurface.
This is the time of year that trout begin to spawn, so please leave spawning fish alone!
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A couple of warm days to start the week with temperatures in the high 60s, then cooling down with a chance of showers later in the week with temperatures in the low 60s.
Iowa fishing has been decent, but difficult with low, clear water and bluebird skies. It is really nice to be outside enjoying the fall sun, but the fishing is not easy. Trout are rising in the afternoon and into the evenings on midges and tiny olives. Otherwise subsurface fishing has been good on scuds, leeches, midge larvae, and other tiny bead head flies.
Look for fish deep in pools early, and in the runs below the riffles in the afternoon.
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A pretty heavy cold front is coming our way. What this means for fishing in Iowa is that the terrestrial bite will be all but toast after a couple frosty nights. It also means that you do not have to get up early to fish! Wait until about 9 to get on the water (or later) as the drop in temperatures will cause the water to cool down significantly and only when it starts warming up will fish feed. Fish midges and smaller scuds as well as leeches for your best success.
We're still waiting on hearing about the extended season in Wisconsin for 2016. It sounds like it is stuck in the rules committee being polished at this point. We will keep you posted!
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Cool and sunny all week this week. The lack of cloud cover will make fishing difficult as trout in Iowa will be fairly spooky. Olives are around pretty much daily, and it has not gotten cold enough to stop the terrestrial fishing from happening.
You will also catch fish on leeches, scuds, and midge larvae right now.
Creeks are low and clear with temperatures in the low to mid 50s.
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Sunny
High 60
Wind NE 6-9
A very chilly night last night will have water temperatures in excellent shape for the last day of Wisconsin's season. Fish were very happy yesterday and will be so again today.
Look for a few fish rising when the sun is off the water to olives and midges. Terrestrials will be slow today with the chillier weather, but fishing them late afternoon will be good.
Subsurface fishing on small, dark bodied bead heads is excellent right now, as are leeches!
Remember, Wisconsin's trout season closes after today! We will keep you updated on the conditions over in Iowa this fall.
Thanks for a great season!
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Season ends September 30th!
cloudy then clearing
High 62
Wind N 9
Cool weather is here, unfortunately Wisconsin's season closes Wednesday night.
Look for olives when the clouds are in, then fish leeches and scuds subsurface when they stop rising. As the sun peeks out later on in the day, switch to terrestrials on the surface.
Waters are in great shape, clear and cool and a bit low.
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Increasing clouds, slight chance of showers in pm
high 77
wind SW 6-&
Season ends Wednesday night! Get out and fish.
The weekend crowds are gone and fishing should be solid the last few days of season. Look for rising fish early and late that will eat Olive emergers and other flush riding smaller dries. Terrestrials are still good mid day.
Subsurface fishing is great on heavy, smaller nymphs and midge larvae. With the cloud cover, fish scuds and leeches too!
Creeks are low and clear with temps in the mid 50s to mid 60s.
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Sunny
High 77
Wind E 6-8
Last weekend of season! Please give other anglers space it will be crowded out there.
Sunny again today, which means the fish will be a bit fussy. Drift nymphs deep in pools slowly to find fish.
On the surface, hoppers, beetles and crickets have been solid as have sunken ants. There are a few tricos still around in the mornings, and the last hour of day has given us a spotty blue winged olive hatch.
Creeks are low and mostly clear with temps in the mid 50s to mid 60s.
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Partly Sunny
High 76
Wind E 5-8
Water clear to slightly stained 55-63
Another warm and spotty cloud cover day. Fish the shade to find fish.
This is the last weekend of season, please be courteous to other anglers and give them space. The general rule of thumb is if there is a car at an access point and you can not check in with the angler(s) move to the next spot. There is plenty of water to fish!
Tricos are still kicking around in the mornings, and olives are hatching late afternoon as long as clouds are in the sky. Terrestrials are working as are smaller dries in brown and black.
Subsurface fishing has been good on smaller, thin bodied bugs and scuds. Leeches and mice have been catching quite a few fish in the evenings too!
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Mostly Cloudy
High 74
Wind SE 7
Clouds today!
Fishing is picking up for the last week of season! Look for fish to rise early and late to a mix of small parachutes and even elk hair caddis. Mid day, they will feed on hoppers, crickets and ants.
Subsurface fishing will be much better on scuds and leeches today with the cloud cover. They will also eat the small, thin bodied patterns solidly. Remember to have them heavily weighted as many fish are still glued to the bottom.
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Spotty Cloud Cover
High 77
Wind SE 6-8
We actually have a few clouds today! Yesterday olives came off when the sun was off the water. Look for them to pop again if the clouds stay overhead.
Ants and crickets have been the ticket lately with the hoppers a close second during the terrestrial fishing mid day.
Subsurface fishing has been best on midge larvae, pheasant tail type bead heads, and even leeches.
Waters are clear and a bit low with really solid temperatures for late summer.
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Late report today!
high 73
scattered clouds
the clouds today will mean much better fishing! We've been seeing tricos in the mornings and olives in the evenings. Terrestrials mid day.
Subsurface action is on scuds and midge larvae.
creeks are clear with temps in the high 50s to low 60s
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Sunny
High 73
Wind S 7-14
Water temp Mid 50s to 60
The creeks are in excellent shape, cool and clear, but the sun is shining high in the sky and making trout unhappy! Make sure you seek out shade and undercut banks to find fish. Also, do not overlook the riffles as fish are in them feeding with the cooler water temperatures.
We are seeing tiny olives in the later afternoon, as well as midges hatching in the evening. Mornings will have some olives as well as tricos, although the tricos are not falling as well as they were in warmer weather.
Throughout the day, terrestrials have been good on the surface with ants, beetles and crickets being munched on. The hoppers are a bit slower recently, but still getting some nice fish to eat.
Subsurface fishing has been solid on pheasant tails and midge larvae, as well as leeches. Scuds have been excellent when the sun is off the water.
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Sunny
High 70
Wind S 5-8
Another cool night should have the fish very happy today. The limiting factor has been the sun. A bright sun and clear water have caused the fish to get a case of lockjaw. Fishing slow and deep below the riffles and tossing terrestrials (crickets have been best) near banks as well as in the riffles has gotten the fussy fish to eat.
When the sun is off the water in the later afternoon/evening look for some rising fish to midges and olives.
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Sunny
High 66
Wind NW 8-14
A nice cool weekend is on us. Crisp this morning which means creeks have had a great cool down overnight.
Watch for olives hatching when the sun is off the water. We have also seen a resurgence of flying ants. Don't forget ant patterns!
With a slight breeze, terrestrials will be excellent this weekend too as they are blown around a bit. Just have to wait a bit for the ground to warm up before they really get going.
Subsurface fishing is still best on tiny, thin bodied and dark nymphs and larvae, while scud action is picking up with the cooler water.
Again, when it is dark, streamers leeches and mice have been getting some very nice sized fish!
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partly sunny
high 70
wind N 6-8
the gears have shifted from hot weather to late summer again! The rain yesterday was brief and scattered. Not enough to muddy anything up to an unfishabke level. Expect clear to stained water this weekend. The cooler temperatures plus some cloud cover should revitalize the olive hatch too! Look for them this evening as a chance of drizzle rolls in around 4,
subsurface fishing is still solid on small, dark, and thin bodied patterns. It will also be good with scuds and leeches when clouds are overhead. Mousing at night has also been fun lately with some big fish eating mice!
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Mostly Sunny, Chance of Storms in PM
High 78
Wind S 7-13
Creeks low and clear with temperatures in the mid 50s to mid 60s.
Some much needed rain will roll in this afternoon cooling things down for the weekend, and hopefully putting a stain on the crystal clear waters! We are not forecasted for a bunch of rain, so it should do a great job at dropping water (and air!) temperatures and putting a stain on the water for tomorrow. The weekend is looking really good.
This is the last warmer day so the trico spinner fall will taper off after this morning to be replaced by olives when he sun is off the water.
Terrestrials will be good today with a nice breeze, until the rain comes in the afternoon.
Subsurface fishing will be on smaller, thinner bodied flies fished right on the bottom during the day. When it clouds up, look for scuds and leeches to catch fish.
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Mostly Sunny
High 83
Wind S 7-15
The warm weather goes away Friday. The fishing has not been poor at all, just a bit less comfortable with the sun high in the sky. Find some shade and fish early/late to find more fish.
We have yet to see any significant rainfall from storms. Creeks are low and clear with temps in the high 50s to mid 60s. Remember to use your thermometer. Anything over 65 will be crummy fishing.
Tricos in the mornings, terrestrials in the afternoon (one nice thing about sunny and breezy weather!), and midges in the evening on the surface.
Midge larvae, leeches, and pheasant tail type nymphs subsurface in the evenings.
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Sunny
High 82
Winds gusting to 30 mph
Warmer, sunny and windy. It will be rough out there today with a heavy south wind. Most hatches will be suppressed due to the sun and winds. If you can find some shelter there will be some surface activity. The only silver lining is that windy days are typically better terrestrial days! So break out your hoppers, ants, and beetles. Fish them on a shorter leader as a long leader will be impossible to control in high winds!
Subsurface fishing will still be good on midge larvae, pheasant tails, and leeches.
Waters are flowing clear and a little low with temps in the high 50s to mid 60s.
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Sunny
High 78
Wind S 9-15
Sunny and a bit warmer today. Find the shade to find fish!
Waters are low and clear with temps in the high 50s to mid 60s. Things are in excellent shape right now with fish eating subsurface on blue winged olive nymphs and midge larvae as well as other small, dark, and thin bodied flies. When the sun is off the water, the will also eat leeches happily.
On the surface, we are seeing trico spinner falls return a bit with warmer mornings. In the evening there are sporadic hatches of small olives. During the day, the terrestrial fishing has been quite fun. Crickets, ants, beetles and hoppers are all effective, especially when you drop a bead head nymph below!
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Sunny
High 63
Wind N 5-7
A gorgeous cold morning with a night time temp that was in the low 40s! This chilly weather will get things moving.
Fishing has been good on smaller terrestrials on the surface and a few anglers had a good olive hatch early in the morning and late in the afternoon yesterday (when the sun was off the water).
Subsurface fishing remains solid on thin bodied nymphs such as ice cream cones and pheasant tails.
Creeks are clear area wide and flowing normal to a touch low.
This is excellent weather to be outside and fishing for some happy trout!
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party Sunny
High 59
Wind N 7-10 MPH
The Driftless hit the reset button! With the good flush a few days ago and cold nights and chilly days, the fishing has started to really pick up!
Creeks are clear and flowing well, with water temps in the mid 50s to 60. The entire weekend will be cool and expect water temps to drop a bit more. This is excellent news for insect and fish activity.
The trico spinner fall will be a bit blunted by this cold weather, but with the falling water temperatures we may see some olives hatching when the sun is off the water. Otherwise terrestrials will be good, but not until the middle part of the day when things warm up a bit.
Subsurface fishing has been excellent on frenchies, midge larvae, and scuds.
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Mostly Cloudy
High 71
Wind SW to NW 8 mph
Slight Change of Storms
Creeks stained to clear with temps in the mid 50s to low 60s.
What a change in weather! Cool today with cloud cover. There is a chance we see an olive hatch after a cooler night and a cold day.
Tricos were still doing their spinner fall yesterday in the morning, keep an eye out for rising fish first thing. Surface fishing will be strong all day on attractor patterns and terrestrials. A small hopper with a dropper is deadly right now! In the evening fish will rise again to eat midge dries and smaller parachute patterns.
Subsurface fishing will be great on scuds today with the cloud cover! Add to that leeches, midge larvae and pheasant tails.
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Sunny
High 75
Wind W 5-8
The creeks were flushed a bit, and colder weather is in the forecast all week. The creeks will be in great shape for the last month of season.
With cooler temperatures the tricos that are still around will do their spinner fall later on in the day. No need to get up too early.
Most action will be subsurface first thing on midge larvae, blue winged olive nymphs, and on cloudier days, scuds.
When things warm up terrestrials will be key on the surface. On days with cloud cover watch for olive hatches to begin soon as the water temperature starts to drop.
There is still a bit of stain on some creeks today, so leeches streamers and scuds will be effective on water that has some color.
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Scattered showers
High 77
shifting wind NE 5-0
Some periods of heavy rain early this morning will have creeks blown for a bit. Some could be fish able by this afternoon. A good cold rain along with cooling temperatures will really get the fishing going this week!
We're still seeing a few tricos in the am, and the terrestrial bite is still strong mid day. With the cooler weather we may start to see olives again too.
Subsurface will start to get good on scuds and leeches as temperatures drop along with the usual midge larvae and pheasant tails.
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Sunny
High 87
Wind S 5-9
Light drizzle and clouds this morning have it feeling quite nice this morning. The mornings have been the most productive with fishing tapering off around 10 a.m. due to the sun and heat.
Creeks are low and clear with temperatures in the low to mid 60s. Please use your thermometer as anything over 65 degrees will be poor fishing and 68+ can be lethal to trout.
After the weekend things start to cool down significantly which should turn the fishing back on throughout the day. This weekend, fish early and late and find shade.
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Cooler feeling this morning with less humidity in the air!
High 85
Clouds clearing around lunchtime to most sunny
Wind SE 6-8
Water temps: High 50s to mid 60s.
The heat and humidity have broken a bit. It will still be warm today but thing are changing as the weekend comes on us. Monday the temperature dips significantly.
Fishing has still been solid early and late. The mid day has just been too brutal to fish in for anglers, and the fish tend to have lockjaw when the sun is shining directly on the low and clear water.
Tricos early, ants beetles and hoppers in the shady and cooler creeks mid day. The evenings bring fish up again and the will eat midge dries and emergers.
Subsurface fishing has been solid on midge larvae, and other smaller, thin bodied bugs.
Mousing is still good with some aggressive fish eating when the sun is completely off the water.
Remember your thermometer as fishing will be poor if you find water temperatures over 65, and can be harmful to fish over 68.
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Mostly Sunny with possible clouds in the p.m.
High 86
Wind S 5 mph
Another hot and humid summer day. The good news is the fishery is still going strong! Fish are more apt to eat early and late. Taking a mid day break is a good idea in this weather.
Tricos are still doing their spinner falls in the mornings, with fish rising around 7-9 a.m. until the wind picks up or the sun gets at a higher angle in the morning.
Ants have been very good lately, both on the surface and sunken just below the surface. Make sure you are looking down every once in a while. If you see a swarm of winged ants, fish ant patterns!
Subsurface fishing has been best on small to tiny bead heads fished slowly along the bottom of deeper pools and beneath undercut banks.
Creeks are clear and running at normal low summer levels. Temps are in the low to mid 60s. Make sure to use your thermometer, anything over 65 will be poor fishing, and over 68 can kill trout.
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Mostly Cloudy
40% chance rain
High 85
Wind S 6-9 mph
A rain storm to get the humidity out of the air would be nice! Despite the hot summer weather, things are still going well. Water temps are decent thanks to the rains last week, but a few more warm days and we will have to start using the thermometers again.
Creeks are clear and flowing well.
Tricos in the mornings, then terrestrials throughout the day. Subsurface fishing has been good on scuds, midge larvae, and pheasant tail type nymphs.
Mouse fishing has also been solid in the evenings.
Looks like fishing early and late will be key the rest of the week. Take a break in the mid day warmth as fishing will be pretty slow when the sun is on the water.
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September has arrived. This is the last month of trout season in Wisconsin, get out there and fish!
Mostly Sunny, Humid
High 87
Wind S 5-8 mph.
Hot and humid today, it will be steamy out there! The trico spinner fall will be brief with the fog and high humidity today, and the terrestrial bite will be off until the afternoon when things have dried out a bit. Look for fish to be sporadically rising to midges on the surface.
We have seen some very solid any 'spinner falls' the past few days, but with the high humidity today they may be off.
The better fishing throughout the day will be on tiny bead head nymphs and midge larvae. Creeks are clear and still flowing cool after rains a few days ago.
In the evening, look for fish to eat terrestrials, midges, and a handful of smaller, generic dry flies.
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