The weather looks great, up until the 4th when temperatures dip back down to the single digits! The good news is there is not a ton of snow on the ground, only a couple feet or so. We're not supposed to get any heavy snows in the next week so opener will, at least, be snow free. However it does look chilly. The forecast is for a high of 14, but under sunny skies. Long term forecasts change frequently, we will keep you updated on what we are seeing creekside! Wisconsin Trout Season Re-Opens Jan 7th!
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2016
Partly sunny, with a temperature falling to around 24 by 4pm. Windy, with a southwest wind 24 to 29 mph, with gusts as high as 44 mph. Not a ton of snow on the ground as of now, and nothing major forecasted to come our way between now and opener (SEASON OPENS JAN 7TH!). Of course that may change, but the long term forecast is a pretty mild. Creeks are still in great shape from last season's high water, and there is snow on the banks which means we will have some water in the system come spring time. We are still a bit low on the snowpack, but things can change in a heartbeat in the winter!
This winter, the colder it gets in Viroqua, the more you save. Each weekend until March we will be giving you a discount based on the low on Saturday. Today's low is going to be -11. That means you save 11% storewide! Shop online or give us a phone call to order!
Looks like winter weather is here! We're starting to see some colder temperatures at night and we're slated to get some snow this weekend on top of the light ground cover we have already. Wisconsin's season is closed, and the fishing in Iowa is slowing down quite a bit with the colder temps. Fishing will be best and the creeks most active in the afternoons once water temperatures have climbed a bit.
Looks like a much better week ahead of us in Iowa. Clouds and a chance of precipitation pretty much every day this week except Tuesday. The fish will be much more cooperative and we may see a bit more dry fly activity too. Wisconsin's season is closed, we are fishing and guiding in Iowa's Driftless. Olives and midges on the surface. Scuds, leeches, pink squirrels and tiny bead heads subsurface. Remember to leave spawning fish alone!
Partly sunny, with a high near 66. South wind 7 to 10 mph. Today and tomorrow are the last couple of days of warmer weather, over the weekend temperatures will drop into the low to mid 40s and we will start needing some warm gear! Fish leeches and scuds today, and look for a smattering of olives in the afternoon. Fish are beginning to spawn so please leave spawning fish alone!
November 14th Fishing Report Creeks are low and clear with water temperatures in the 50s. Fishing has been tough in Iowa recently simply due to the sun. We are slated for another week of mostly sunny weather, only getting a break later in the week when we may see some clouds roll in. Weather wise, it is absolutely gorgeous to be outside with highs in the mid to high 50s! Fishing has been best on leeches and scuds subsurface as well as tiny bead head patterns fished in the deeper spots and undercut banks. The olive hatch has been mediocre as we need some cloud cover or cooler weather. It is still a good idea to have a few patterns in the fly box just in case though.
Sunny, with a high near 54. Northwest wind 7 to 13 mph. Wisconsin's trout season is closed, we are fishing and guiding over in Iowa. Fishing has been decent in Iowa, with the sun shining directly on the fish slowing things down a bit. The week ahead looks like sun and a drop in temperatures into the mid 40 range. As things cool down fish will being to spawn. Please leave spawning fish alone! Fishing has been best on midge larvae and leeches as we are seeing only sporadic olives hatching in the afternoon.
Areas of fog before 11am. Otherwise, mostly sunny, with a high near 66. West wind around 6 mph. We're having a heat wave today! Unseasonably warm and sunny today, but gets back to high 50s to low 60s the rest of the week. Tuesday there is a chance for some cloud cover and showers, the rest of the week will be sunny. Fishing in the bright sun is not the best over in Iowa (Wisconsin's season is closed and Minnesota's trout fishing is limited) but it beats raking leaves. Leeches have been exceptional lately subsurface as have pink belly pheasant tails and scuds. The dry fly activity is fair with a few olives and midges hatching in the afternoons.
cloudy, with a high near 50. Light and variable wind. Chance of precipitation is 20%. Wisconsin's trout season is closed. We are fishing and guiding in Iowa. Fun fall fishing, especially on days like today with cloud cover. We are seeing decent hatches of olives in the afternoon and subsurface fishing on midge larvae and pheasant tails as well as leeches has been solid. The creeks are clear to slightly stained and in good shape for mat October.
Wisconsin's Trout Season is closed! The shop is open by appointment, please call 608-637-8779 and we will open up for you! We are also guiding over in Iowa for the fall. Call us to book a trip. Still good fishing in the Driftless. Fall olives are hatching and fish are rising. Some fish have begun setting up to spawn. Please leave spawning fish alone and let them do their thing.
Wisconsin's trout season is officially closed! We will not be in the shop or answering the phone until October the 24th. If you need to get in touch with us or book a trip over in Iowa, please contact us via the website or e-mail us at info@driftlessangler.com We will resume normal hours on the 24th! Thank you all for an excellent season!!!
LAST DAY OF WISCONSIN TROUT SEASON! A chance of showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 4pm. Cloudy, with a high near 68. South wind 10 to 13 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. The weather is fantastic for the last day of season. It should drizzle all day and we may see some heavier rain as the day ends. Look for olives to hatch mid day! Fishing will be great subsurface on scuds and leeches as well as pheasant tail style nymphs in smaller sizes. Enjoy the last day of fishing in Wisconsin!!
Sunny, with a high near 54. Calm wind becoming southwest around 6 mph in the afternoon. Wisconsin's trout season runs through the 15th of this month. Get out and fish! Fishing yesterday was extremely good thanks to the cloud cover! The sun today will get it back to normal. Look for fish to be holding tight to shade and cover and waiting for a leech or scud to be twitched by. Surface activity will be limited today as the cold weather will have the terrestrial fishing starting much alter in the day (the cold night will have killed quite a few mosquitoes though!). Olives hatched very well yesterday, but the sun will make it a bit less predictable. Creeks are in great shape and the fish are pretty happy overall!
Season runs through October 15th. 4 more days of Wisconsin trout fishing! Cool, cloudy and drizzly this morning. This is the weather we have been waiting for as it takes the sun out of the equation. Look for fish to be feeding on scuds, leeches, and even San Juan worms. Possibility of an olive hatch this afternoon is high. Creeks are running well and clear to slightly stained with water temperatures in the low to mid 50s.
Scattered showers, mainly before 8am. Cloudy through mid morning, then gradual clearing, with a high near 70. South wind 10 to 13 mph. The sun is still the thing making fishing difficult. Look for shady spots and deep pools and you will find more fish. There have been some olives, but the hatch has been spotty with only a few minutes of feeding activity in the afternoon. We're still in the rhythm of fishing dry/dropper with an attractor dry or terrestrial on the surface and dropping a small, flashy bead head or scud below. Leeches and small streamers also continue to be very effective fished very slowly or stripped as fast as you can through likely spots. Creeks are flowing well and clear to slightly stained with water temperatures in the 50s. There are only 5 more days of fishing (season runs through Saturday)! Get out the and enjoy!
Increasing clouds, with a high near 68. South wind 8 to 14 mph. Much needed cloud cover is finally coming! The sun has been a major factor in keeping fishing from turning on the past few days. Until we get clouds, find the shade and fish structure. We're catching fish on terrestrials on the surface as well as generic dries. Subsurface is still solid on leeches, scuds, and tiny bead head nymphs with a bit of flash on them. Only 5 more days left in season. Wisconsin season closes after Saturday the 15th. Get out there and enjoy the fall weather, colors, and fishing before it ends.
Mostly sunny, with a high near 57. West wind 3 to 5 mph. It is gorgeous outside. If the sun were not so bright today it would be excellent fishing. The sun is the limiting factor and anglers who find shade will find more fish. Only one week left in the Wisconsin trout season, get out there and enjoy! Creeks are clear to stained with excellent water temperatures. Trout are chasing streamers and leeches that are fished tight to cover. On the surface fish are eating smaller terrestrials. Subsurface we are fishing scuds, pheasant tails with a bit of flash, and midge larvae.
Mostly cloudy through mid morning, then gradual clearing, with a high near 56. West wind around 14 mph. Incredible cool weather! This should get the olive hatch back on track in the afternoon. Creeks are clear to slightly stained and flowing well with temperatures in the low to high 50s. Fish have been eating terrestrials well on the surface and feeding on a mix of leeches, scuds, and midge larvae subsurface. On the stained water they will also eat San Juan worms! Fish are holding tight to cover and underneath undercut banks. They will come out a small way to chase food, but you need to get your flies right on target for the most part.
9 days left in Wisconsin's trout season! A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 5pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 70. Southeast wind 6 to 9 mph. Fishing has been quite good lately with the creeks running cool and clear to stained. When it is sunny out, the stained water is fishing much better. Fish have been holding tight to cover and in the shady spots and deeper holes. They are eating terrestrials on the surface and subsurface are feeding well on scuds and smaller bead heads with a bit of flash. They also can not resist a leech or streamer fished either dead drift and twitched, or ripped through the hole at top speed.
Periods of showers, mainly before 9am. High near 71. Southwest wind around 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible. Fishing was great yesterday and the cloud cover and drizzle this morning should continue that streak! When the sun peeks out the fishing will slow down. Creeks are clear and flowing well with temperatures barely hitting 60 degrees at the peak of the day. Fish are feeding well on leeches and scuds subsurface as well as tiny bead head nymphs. On the surface terrestrials are key right now as the olives and midges have slowed down a bit. There are only 10 days left in season! Get out and fish!
Partly sunny, with a high near 73. Breezy, with a southeast wind 8 to 16 mph. Fishing has been good area wide with creeks running clear to stained and water temperatures in the mid to high 50s. Increasing clouds throughout the day as a system of light showers rolls into the area. This is the break from the sun we were looking for! Things have fished better when the sun is off the water. Look for fish to eat terrestrials well again today thanks to the wind. There are also a few fish rising to tiny olives through the day. Subsurface fishing has been best on scuds and midge larvae as well as leeches and streamers.
Season runs through October 15th now! Get out and fish! Sunny, with a high near 70. Calm wind becoming southeast 5 to 9 mph in the afternoon. Creeks are clear to stained and flowing very well. Bankside vegetation is pushed down or just gone after the high waters a week ago. Water temperatures are in the mid to high 50s. Fishing has been great when the sun is off the water. On sunny days, fishing deep and finding the shade is essential. Scuds have really started to fish well with the cooler water and weather. Otherwise, small midge larvae and pheasant tail type nymphs are working subsurface. On top, smaller terrestrials are still the meal of choice. We're seeing spotty olive activity in the afternoon/evening too.
Scattered showers, mainly before 2pm. Patchy fog before 9am. Otherwise, cloudy, with a high near 63. Northeast wind 6 to 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible. Great conditions overall Creeks are clear to slightly stained with only the larger creeks showing a medium stain. Water temps are not hitting 60. Fish are feeding well subsurface on the stained waters on leeches, scuds, pink squirrels and San Juan worms. On the clear creeks they are eating hoppers, ants and beetles as well as blue winged olives in the later afternoon and evening. Subsurface, don't neglect midge larvae, especially flashy ties.
UPDATE: There is a lot of misinformation being spread out there. We do not have bridges out, our roads are not washed away and we have clear water! (There is a bridge out in Readstown that has been under construction well before the floods and has a marked detour). WISCONSIN"S SEASON RUNS THROUGH OCTOBER 15TH. TODAY IS NOT THE LAST DAY OF SEASON! A 20 percent chance of showers after 3pm. Cloudy, with a high near 62. Northeast wind 5 to 8 mph. The high water has come and gone leaving the creeks flushed out and bankside vegetation pushed down making walking and wading simple! Creeks are clear to stained with only a couple running with a heavy stain. The stained water has been fishing very well as trout are quite spooky in the clear stuff. Water temperatures are peaking in the high 50s. Fish have been feeding very well throughout the day on a hopper/dropper combo as well as on leeches and streamers. The scud bit has really picked up steam and is especially strong on days with cloud cover. We are also seeing fish rising to blue winged olives. The weather this weekend looks fantastic, with cloud cover and a few showers intermittently. The sun has been the limiting factor for fishing lately but the weather this weekend should make fish very happy as well as bring the olive hatch a bit earlier in the day.
Mostly sunny, with a high near 68. North wind 7 to 10 mph. Creeks are in excellent condition from crystal clear to slightly stained area wide. The limiting factor today will be the sun. With the scoured creek bottom, the sun reflects off the bottom making fish very uncomfortable as well as exposing them to overhead predators. In other words, find shade and fish when the sun is off the water! Trout seem to be holding around any type of cover they can find. Fishing has been great on leeches and small streamers as well as scuds and midge larvae. On the surface we are seeing trout eat smaller terrestrials as well as olives in the evening. We're looking at overcast skies and a chance for drizzle the next few days. Perfect fall conditions!!
Scattered showers, mainly before 10am, then scattered sprinkles after 4pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 61. North wind 9 to 13 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. Cold, drizzly, and excellent conditions! Fishing has been quite good, especially with the cloud cover. Look for fish rising to olives today. Surface fishing has been best on olives in the afternoon, and smaller terrestrials throughout the day. Subsurface has been best on leeches and San Juan worms in the cloudy water, and smaller midge larvae and flashy bead heads on the clear water. Creeks are clear to stained area wide with only a couple still running murky.
Scattered showers, mainly after 4pm. Increasing clouds, with a high near 58. West wind 11 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible. Sun in the morning, then blue winged olive weather in the afternoon! Creeks are starting to calm down with most running clear to stained. The lower sections of some larger creeks are still draining and can be pretty murky. Fishing has been good when the sun is off the water. Trout are keying in on attractor patterns on the surface as well as leeches subsurface. Smaller, flashy nymphs and midge larvae are working well under the surface too. Since the streams were scoured a few days ago, the sun has really become the limiting factor. Bright sunny days mean poor fishing. Wait for clouds to roll in for some really fun fishing!
Sunny, with a high near 62. Breezy, with a west wind 10 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 36 mph. Most creeks have dropped and cleared since the big rains and flash flood. Creeks have changed quite a bit, and fish are finding their holding positions and feeding well on leeches, san juan worms, scuds, and even on the surface on beetles and blue winged olives in the evenings. Please remember that there are still quite a few landowners who have suffered some major losses and lend a hand where you can, or just stick to public water for a few more days while people put their lives back together.
Mostly cloudy, with a high near 71. Southeast wind 8 to 10 mph. Things are dropping and clearing quickly. The creeks have been flushed leaving lots of loose rock and bankside vegetation flattened. Fishing will be easy for the next few days thanks to the easy wading! There are still some muddy creeks, especially lower sections on larger bodies of water that flush out slowly. There is clear water out there with hungry post flood fish, but it might take some windshield time to find. Also, be extra sensitive towards land owners as many are still struggling with the loss of bridges, livestock, buildings etc. Pitching in a helping hand this weekend will go a long way in angler/landowner relations.
A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Cloudy, with a high near 66. East wind around 9 mph. After being POUNDED by rain over the past few days, creeks are back down and even a few were at a fishable level last evening. There are still some smaller bridges and roads out due to the flash flood yesterday, but the county and state are working quickly to get everything back in shape. We are not predicted to get much more rain this weekend and things have already begun to get back to normal. The silver lining from the high water is that everything is scoured. Banksides and stream bed are moonscapes making walking and wading far easier for the fall. The fish will be fine and will be eating even today. Expect high water and slightly stained to murky today. This weekend look for clear to murky water. In the ugly stuff, throw leeches, buggers, and San Juan worms. As things clear up, pink squirrels and scuds along with flashy, smaller subsurface bugs will catch fish. There are still hoppers, ants, crickets and beetles bankside and they will be the major surface flies until early into next week when temperatures drop and we start to see olives hatching in the afternoon again.
DO NOT GO OUT! Numerous bridges were wiped out, roads are closed and crews are out trying to manage everything. Major flash flooding area wide. DO NOT GO OUT! Showers and thunderstorms, mainly before noon. Some of the storms could produce heavy rain. High near 75. South wind 5 to 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New rainfall amounts between three quarters and one inch possible. Way too much rain in the past 48 hours. Looks like we had 5-8 inches overall in just the past 24 hours. And, we are supposed to get a bit more. Creeks are unfishable, there are many small bridges that were flooded out, and they even cancelled school today because of the rains last night. We will drive around and update you on the conditions, but it might be tough to find fishable water for the next couple of days.
UPDATE 11:00 am. It's still raining on and off pretty heavily. Creeks are up and muddy and we're supposed to get even more water tonight. While there will be a small handful of fishable sections out there, it's a better idea to wait it out right now! Showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 1pm. Some of the storms could produce heavy rain. High near 79. South wind 3 to 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New rainfall amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible. It has rained about 2 inches give or take area wide with the heavier rain falling closer to the Mississippi. Looking at the radar this morning the major rains will pass at about 8:30 with nothing really behind it that has shown up yet. What this means is that there will be very little fishable water, but what there is will fish well on bigger, uglier bugs like black sculpzillas, leeches, and San Juan Worms. The photo was from last week the day after the big rains. We will keep you updated throughout the day on conditions. It really all depends on what happens this afternoon as to how fishable things will be tomorrow, or in some cases, later today.
Sunny, with a high near 78. Southeast wind 3 to 6 mph. The good news, it didn't rain yesterday. The bad news, the sun is really hurting the fishing today. The future news, we're supposed to get some clouds and rain which will definitely help fishing, but there is potential on Wednesday to drop some heavy rain and cause localized flash flooding again. We will keep you updates as always, and things should clear out quickly in a worst case scenario situation.
Partly sunny, with a high near 78. Southwest wind around 6 mph becoming north in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 20%. Hot and sunny today and into tomorrow. Fish early and late and avoid the mid day sun and heat. Water temperatures are great right now, and these couple of days of heat should not warm things up significantly. Creeks are flowing well and clear to stained. Fishing has been best subsurface on scuds, frenchies, and brush hogs. On the surface it is still beetles, hippie stompers and ants with a few smaller grasshoppers fishing well.
Mostly sunny, with a high near 71. Light southwest wind becoming west 5 to 9 mph in the morning. Gorgeous day to be out outside, but the sun will not do the fishing any favors. Seek some shade mid day or take a long lunch. Creeks are clear to stained with only the largest ones running murky. Water temperatures are in the 50s. Look for terrestrials to be the most important surface pattern until late afternoon when the tiny olives start hatching. Fishing a hopper with a dropper is the way to go right now. Subsurface fishing has been solid with larger, thicker patterns working best on stained waters and thin bodied, smaller patterns on clear water.
Periods of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 9am. High near 74. South wind 6 to 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible. A bit of rain last night (more accumulation to the south of Vernon county) will have creeks stained this morning. Overall with the exception of the West Fork, North and South Fork of the Bad axe, things will be clear to stained. All of this rain has done wonders for the creeks, flushing out some vegetation and adding a ton of cold water into the creeks and the springs! Water temperatures are in the 50s area wide. Terrestrials have been excellent this week with beetles and ants the best and hoppers still fishing, but not as well as dryer years. Subsurface fishing has been good on leeches and San Juan worms, as well as scuds and frenchies. This weekend looks nice weather wise with the sun being the only limiting factor. Fishing has been best when the sun is off the water with the exception of larger terrestrials. They have fished best when things dry out mid day as long as they are fished right on the bank near overhanging grass or undercut banks.
Mostly sunny, with a high near 73. Southeast wind 5 to 14 mph. Another gorgeous late summer day in the Driftless! Fishing has been very good with our creeks running normal to high and water temperatures in the 50s. A few creeks are still stained, but most have dropped and cleared from the heavy rains last week. Tricos are all but done it seems, with a few hangers on in the mornings. Terrestrials have been the main attraction with fish eating them all day long! Beetles, hoppers, crickets and ants. They all work right now. We are also seeing some blue winged olives in the evenings (the tiny 18-22 sized ones). Subsurface has been good on bigger, ugly stuff like leeches and San Juan worms. On the clearer creeks, scuds, frenchies, and midge larvae are working well. We do have a few guide trips open this weekend if you want to brush up on some skills for this time of year!
Sunny, with a high near 68. North wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the afternoon. Creeks are dropping and clearing very quickly. While things muddied up unexpectedly yesterday, there were still fishable creeks and really good fishing on leeches, streamers, and San Juan worms in the morning, then terrestrials in the afternoon. Look for more water to be fishable today with creeks running clear to mildly stained with water temperatures in the 50s. Things are excellent for September and we are looking at continued cool weather all week long! The sun will be your limiting factor so a couple hour mid day break can still be good for fishing success. The gnats seem to have been re-invigorated the past few days, so do not forget to pick up some Buggins from the shop before your trip!
Update: things are much muddier than we expected. Lots of blown out water that will drop and clear quickly, but quite a few creeks unfishabke this am. Cloudy, with a high near 67. Northwest wind around 9 mph. About an inch of rain area wide last night will not do anything to significantly muddy the creeks. Expect some good fishing with the cloud cover today! Subsurface fishing has been good on scuds, frenchies, and leeches. Surface fishing has been quite good on smaller terrestrials and tiny olives. The olives have been hatching sporadically throughout the day and are thickest in the afternoon/evening. Creeks are flowing well and clear to stained with water temperatures in the 50s.
Sunny, with a high near 78. Breezy, with a south wind 7 to 16 mph, with gusts as high as 28 mph. Tropical storms messing with out weather again! Warmer today and windy as it blows in another bout of rain ( nothing heavy this time predicted thankfully). Fishing has been great after the rains scoured everything. They were powerful enough that creeks have changed significantly and have been scoured. Look for clear to stained conditions area wide with water temperatures in the 50s to low 60s. Terrestrials are still key. Tricos are sparse and we have seen some evening olives hatching as well. The best news about the rains this past week is that bankside vegetation has been pushed over making it like a sidewalk for the next few days!
Partly sunny, with a high near 66. Northwest wind 7 to 15 mph. The rains missed us last night! We had about 2-3 inches overall in the past 24 hours, most of it ended late afternoon yesterday. Things are still high and murky this morning but the creeks will clear and drop rapidly throughout the day. Expect stained to muddy conditions area wide. It's definitely bugger/leech/San Juan worm conditions. As the creeks clear, switch over to scuds and hare's ear nymphs as well as pink squirrels. When the ground starts to dry out, terrestrials will start to catch fish on the surface.
The rains stopped today around 3 p.m. while we still got a couple of inches total, the evening rain storms that were predicted fizzled out and passed us by! This is the best case scenario for fishing tomorrow. Look for clear to medium stain on most creeks with only the larger ones running murky.
UPDATE: We had about 2 inches of rain fall this morning until late lunchtime. Currently the sun is peeking out from the clouds. The prediction is for more rain tonight that could be heavy. The forecast dropped from 100% to 60% which means the large part of the storm might miss us. As it stands, if we get another inch or two things will be ugly until tomorrow afternoon. You will be able to find some clear to stained water, but most creeks will not open up and be fishable until after lunch time. After that, things should clear rapidly (unless a small bank collapse happens etc) and fishing should be solid. No rain after tonight really means Sunday looks really good. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 75. South wind 6 to 8 mph. There is some rain predicted, but they are saying it will fall in a very brief timeframe before noon. We will keep you posted. As of now we have some clear to stained water with only a couple rivers murky. The multiple rains have flushed out the creeks enough that it takes quite a bit of high water to find sediment to put into the system right now. The weather for the weekend will not top 72 for a high temperature! Fishing was solid yesterday on hoppers with a dropper in the clear water with the droppers tending to be smaller and thinner bodied. With the cool and cloudy weather, there is a good chance that we will see some olives this weekend on the surface too. Subsurface fishing is excellent, especially on the stained water. If clouds are in the sky fish scuds and pink squirrels. If the sun is shining go for pheasant tails and frenchie type flies.
Our guide Nick was out scouting water today and found quite a few clear creeks! While some of the well known creeks might be murky, look for smaller water and you will be surprised. We do have some openings for guide trips this weekend, if you are interested give the shop a call and we can book you! Pardon the sideways picture! This was taken mid day today.
UPDATE: There is amazingly some clear water being reported today. Mostly cloudy through mid morning, then gradual clearing, with a high near 77. Light north wind becoming northwest 6 to 11 mph in the morning. Rains last night did their best to avoid our area. We only got about an inch total in the past 24 hours. The Madison area streams and south of the Wisconsin River got pounded again. Our creeks will start dropping and clearing rapidly today. Expect stained to murky water area wide. Fishing is best on San Juan Worms, leeches, larger scuds and black streamers. As things clear, we will get back to attractor dries and terrestrials on the surface. Temperatures are dropping again with the next few days hovering in the low 70s to a high of 68 on Saturday with lows in the mid 50s! As long as that trend continues expect to start seeing the late summer olive hatch re-appear.
Lots of rain last night has everything blown out today. We're supposed to get even more throughout the day today. Things will drop fairly quickly when the rain stops. We will keep you updated!
Partly sunny, with a high near 85. South wind 8 to 11 mph. Possible rain after 2. Today and tomorrow should see some rain showers which may temporarily stain waters (we will keep you updated). As long as there is no lightning, fishing th early part of the rains will be excellent as water levels rise and temperature drops. Then temperatures cool down throughout the end of the week and into the weekend (Saturday's high is forecasted to be only 69!) Fishing remains solid on the remaining tricos, but terrestrials have taken over as the more important surface flies! The hopper bite is picking up steam while ants and beetles remain solid. Subsurface has been best with tiny bead heads all day long, as well as leeches and buggers fished deep and underneath undercut banks mid day. The mid day lull will be in effect today until the clouds and rain come in.
Just a head up, the shop is closed today. Back to normal hours Tuesday. Enjoy Labor Day!
Mostly sunny, with a high near 74. South wind 5 to 10 mph. Another gorgeous day, with the sun being the only limiting factor. The fishing has been good in the mornings if you can find the tricos, then it slows down a bit mid day. In the later afternoon as things dry out from the sun, the terrestrial fishing turns on and remains steady into the evening. Subsurface fishing is best on tiny, thin bodied flies bounced along the bottom. In the evenings streamers and leeches have been good as have mice on the surface.
Sunny, with a high near 74. Light and variable wind becoming southeast 5 to 7 mph in the morning. The gorgeous summer weather continues! It is not supposed to top out over 75 the entire weekend. Cooler nights have fish energized, especially first thing in the morning, then in the afternoon when the sun is not shining directly on the water. Fish are starting to put on late summer color thanks to the dropping temperatures. Tricos are still around in the mornings on some creeks. It isn't as thick as it was lat month, however it will still get fish rising early. After tricos, subsurface fishing with tiny, thin bodied bead heads is working. Once the sun dries out the backsides, it's hopper time! Fish have finally started to eat hoppers well (they have been decent up until now and the fish are starting to aggressively eat them) along with ants and beetles. Don't overlook a slowly fished leech pattern too, as some fish are starting to eat larger flies. Mousing is great right now!
Mostly sunny, with a high near 71. Northeast wind 3 to 8 mph. You couldn't ask for more pleasant summer weather! The sun is the only limiting factor right now as creeks are flowing well and cool with water temperatures in the low 50s to low 60s area wide. Cooler evenings mean the trico spinner fall is happening a bit later in the morning (meaning you can sleep in an extra hour or two!). Once the sun dries the dew off the grass and warms things up a bit, terrestrials start crawling around and the fish will key in on them from late morning throughout the day. Subsurface fishing has been best on leeches, midge larvae, and scuds. Now that the rains have passed, mousing has picked up again at night.
Sunny, with a high near 75. Calm wind becoming north 5 to 7 mph in the morning. We're back to cooler evenings (50-60 for the next few days) and mild days for summer! Look for tricos in the mornings. Although the spinner fall is starting to slow down a bit, it will get fish rising first thing in the morning. After the tricos, smaller terrestrials especially ants and beetles on the surface. With the cooler water temperatures we are starting to fish more scuds subsurface in addition to our thin bodied nymphs. Creeks are in great shape, clear to stained with water temperatures in the 50s to low 60s.
Partly sunny, with a high near 84. South wind 3 to 7 mph. Fairly generic summer driftless day. It's a bit too humid and foggy to see many tricos this morning, so terrestrials will be on the menu all day long on the surface. Creeks are clear to slightly stained and running just a touch high. They have also cooled quite a bit due to recent rains and the nights cooling down bit lately. Subsurface fishing is still the best on thin bodied, tiny flies fished right along the bottom. We are seeing scuds and other larger profile flies starting to pick up, especially when the sun is off the water.
Cloudy, with a high near 72. East wind 6 to 8 mph. The forecasted heavy rain missed us again. Scattered showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 10am. Light rain this morning. The overnight rain never really showed up with an inch overall. This will keep the cold, stained water on the creeks which is fantastic news for fishing this weekend! Look for fish to be feeding heavily subsurface this morning on leeches, san juan worms, scuds, and pink squirrels. As the sun comes up and on the clearer creeks look for them to add frenchies and brush hogs into their feeding. On the surface, the tricos will not be present today in numbers because of the rain, but keep an eye out for an over eager blue winged olive or two. Throughout the day as things dry up, terrestrials will be key especially beetles. The weather is incredible for mid summer and the creeks are running a bit high and are clear to slightly stained. Temperatures range from 50-mid 60s right now.
Mostly sunny, with a high near 74. Calm wind becoming west around 5 mph in the afternoon. Absolutely gorgeous day to be out fishing! The unseasonably cool weather is still here, and the trout are happy! Recent rains have some creeks stained while other are running crystal clear. The high water a few days ago knocked all bankside vegetation down, making it very easy to walk and wade. Tricos in the morning, followed by small terrestrials on the surface all day. In the evenings we are seeing a few caddis hatch as well as some midges. Subsurface fishing has been excellent on scuds and san juan worms on the stained water, while frenchies and midge larvae are doing the job in clear water. Looks like we might get a bit more rain tonight, but it should not be anything to ruin fishing for the weekend, instead it should put the stain back on the water and make things fish very well!
Mostly sunny, with a high near 75. West wind 5 to 10 mph. After a day of clearing and dropping, expect clear to stained water area wide. On the murky waters, fish a San Juan Worm or leech or scud and you will catch quite a few fish. It's rare to have cold and stained water in August. It is something to take advantage of over the next day or two! The clear creeks will see tricos in the morning. The spinner fall is starting to lessen a bit, but it can still give a couple of hours of rising fish early in the morning. After that, switch to your smaller terrestrials and emergers. Subsurface fishing will be across the board today with a mix of scuds, prince type nymphs, and smaller thinner bodied bead heads fished below the riffles.
Cloudy, with a high near 79. South wind around 8 mph. We received a lot of rain last night. Close to 2-3 inches area wide. Creeks are pretty blown this morning and will continue to be so until the later afternoon. As they drop and clear, fishing San Juan Worms, Leeches, and Streamers will be key. On the stained water, look for fish to eat scuds and larger nymph patterns. Surface activity will be slim on muddy water. We will keep you posted as we check out some water today.
Sunny, with a high near 77. Light south wind increasing to 6 to 11 mph in the morning. The unseasonably cool weather is gone, however it will not be much more than 84 all week long! Fishing has been incredible. but with the return of the sun and warmer weather look for fish to start feeding early and late again, and the mid day will be quite slow unless you are casting beetles tight to the banks and undercuts. The summer surface pattern of tricos then terrestrials then midges is still going strong. Subsurface fishing has been best on small to very small thin profile flies (think pheasant tail instead of bushy hare's ear). Mousing has been very solid lately at night!
Patchy fog before 11am. High near 69. Breezy, with a light and variable wind becoming northwest 11 to 16 mph in the morning. Chance of light rain all day long with spotty chances of heavier showers before noon. Looking good for a Saturday! Cool, cloudy, and drizzly all day today. Creeks are flowing well and most are clear to slightly stained with only a handful running murky. South of Viroqua you will find muddy water, south of the Wisconsin River you will find very muddy water. The rains hit heaviest south of the shop. The normal summer rhythm of tricos and terrestrials are working on the clear streams, as are small, thin bodied bead heads subsurface. With the stained water leeches have become hot again, as have San Juan Worms and larger scuds.
Partly sunny, with a high near 82. Southwest wind around 7 mph. Chance of rain 40% We're heading into an excellent weather weekend, and as long as we do not get a gully washer we should have cool, stained water for the weekend! We got a bit more than an inch of rain last night which will leave creeks stained to milky this morning. They should drop and clear quickly. On the clearer waters, we are still fishing tricos in the mornings and terrestrials through the day. Subsurface fishing is best on thinner bodied bead head nymphs. On the water with color, leeches, San Juan worms, pink squirrels and scuds are very effective.
mostly sunny, with a high near 87. Calm wind becoming south 5 to 7 mph in the morning. A hot day today that will bring in some showers and MUCH cooler weather for the weekend. (Saturday is forecasted for a high of 71!) Fishing has been really fun lately when the sun is off the water. Tricos early, followed by terrestrials (a few creeks are getting flying ants in a big way and have lots of rising fish), then the evening rise to midges and ants. Mousing has been a blast lately with quite a few fish eating mouse patterns at night. Creeks got a nice push of water a couple of evenings ago and are flowing slightly higher than normal for mid summer. Water temperatures will be an issue on a couple of creeks today, so remember to use your thermometers.
Warm and sunny the rest of the week. We did get some rain last night that put a slight stain on some waters. Fish are eating tricos in the mornings, and if you are on a creek that does not have tricos, a heavy bead head fished on the bottom will work very well! Fish will start to respond to terrestrials around 11 when things dry out a bit. Throughout the day, the heavy bead head is catching fish. In the evenings we are seeing some midges hatch.
Mostly sunny, with a high near 81. East wind around 6 mph. Some solid summer weather in the Driftless! Creeks are flowing clear and, thanks to recent rains, are higher than normal for mid August. The extra water has also kept them cool as the springs are pushing more water out than normal. It is still summer however so make sure you are using your thermometer as anything over 65 degrees will be slow fishing and much higher than that can be potentially lethal to trout. The trico spinner fall has been solid lately with the lack of wind and fog in the mornings. The picture below is one of Pete's morning trip clients for a couple days ago! After the tricos fade away, we are switching to small terrestrials. The magic beetle has been deadly lately from morning into dark! Subsurface fishing has been best on smaller, thin bodied bead heads such as pheasant tails and midge larvae fished low and slow.
Cloudy, with a high near 76. Northeast wind around 6 mph. Potential rain in the early morning. There has been quite a bit of rain recently, mostly to the south of Viroqua. Creeks are running stained to murky with a couple that are still fishing clear. We are still seeing a pretty strong trico spinner fall early in the mornings, then switching over to terrestrials on the surface the rest of the day. In the evenings fish will rise again to some midge dries. On the stained water leeches, streamers, and san juan worms are working well subsurface. On clear creeks midge larvae and small scuds are very effective right now.
Mostly sunny, with a high near 87. South wind 5 to 10 mph. Warm summer day today, going to be hot and muggy as a small storm system rolls in. The heat will be gone by the weekend, and we will hopefully get some more summer rains on Thursday. The rains have stained the waters up briefly after they fall but have left the creeks a bit higher than normal for summer and are keeping water temperatures cool (as well as getting rid of the humidity for a day or two). We are still seeing Tricos in the mornings, then fishing terrestrials up against the banks during the mid day. In the evenings we are seeing midges hatch too. Subsurface is still best on our summer patterns. Smaller, thin profiled bead heads fished right along the bottom.
Partly sunny, with a high near 84. Southwest wind 6 to 9 mph. Nothing special about the fishing today. Creeks are clear and a bit on the low side which is normal for mid summer. Fishing will be best early and late when the sun is off the water. Please make sure to watch stream temperatures. Over 65 degrees will not only be poor fishing, but it can be potentially lethal to trout. Tricos in the mornings, terrestrials in the afternoon. Larger terrestrials have not really taken hold yet so our focus has been on smaller ants and beetles. Subsurface fishing is best on midge larvae and other small bead head nymphs rolled along the bottom.
Shop is closed today! Sunny, with a high near 82. Calm wind becoming southeast 5 to 7 mph in the afternoon. Excellent fishing weather for a couple of days, then it gets hot and we should see some more summer showers. Look for the summer trico spinner fall in the morning, then fishing terrestrials with a dropper mid day.
Sunny, with a high near 80. Calm wind becoming north 5 to 8 mph in the morning. With the recent rains expect clear to milky conditions area wide. Creeks have bumped up in flows just a bit and are running in the mid 50s to mid 60s. If you are fishing clear water, remember to fish when the sun is not too bright as that is the major factor keeping fish from feeding right now. It is less of a hinderance on stained water. Tricos in the mornings, terrestrials throughout the day, and then midges in the evening round out the summertime surface activity. Subsurface, fish tiny and thin profile in clear water, and thicker patterns as well as leeches in the stained water.
Sunny, with a high near 78. Light west wind becoming northwest 5 to 10 mph in the morning. Lots of rain last night has the water up and murky this morning. Expect a dropping and clearing throughout the day, and barring any more rain we should have a cool, slightly stained water for the weekend! Temperatures are looking good overall and fish will be happy with a cold water flush. Leeches and San Juans in the murky water as well as dark bodied streamers. As things clear up again we will start to see fish eating trico spinners in the mornings and terrestrials through the day. In the stained water, scuds will fish well as will hare's ears and princes. As things drop and clear start fishing smaller sized and thinner profile bead heads.
Increasing clouds, with a high near 86. South wind 6 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. Humid morning this morning and the fog will keep the trico spinner fall a bit slower than normal for this time of season. This is forecasted to be the last hot and humid day this week with a 10 degree drop tomorrow! Much more comfortable conditions for the weekend. We're in the summer pattern fly wise with trico spinners in the morning, then terrestrials through the day on the surface. Smaller terrestrials are still stronger than large hoppers at this point, but that is slowly changing. Subsurface bugs have been best in smaller, thinner profiles and fished right along the bottom of holes and underneath undercut banks. Fish, for the most part, are in the riffles in the mornings, then drop back to the deep pools when the sun gets high in the sky. Water temps are in the high 50s to mid 60s area wide. Please remember to use your thermometer as anything over 65 degrees will be poor fishing and much higher than that can be lethal to trout.
Mostly sunny, with a high near 87. Calm wind becoming east around 5 mph. A little warm today, so make sure you fish early and late and find some shade. Tricos in the mornings, terrestrials throughout the day on the surface. We have also been seeing a decent midge hatch at last light. Having a few smaller surface patterns is not a bad idea. Subsurface fishing has been best on tiny bead head nymphs rolled right along the bottom. At night, mouse patterns and larger streamers are effective. As it warms today and tomorrow make sure you use your thermometer. Water temps over 65 mean poor fishing and much higher than that can be lethal to trout.
Mostly cloudy, with a high near 82. South wind 6 to 8 mph. A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after noon. Fishing remains solid this summer in the driftless! Cooler and cloudy today which will have fish in a good mood. We aren't supposed to get a ton of rain today, just watch out for possible lightning. Wednesday and Thursday warm up a bit again, but it cools right down again for the weekend. Tricos are around in the mornings, look for clouds of spinners at first light and lasting until the sun peeks over the ridges and starts to warm things up. Throughout the day, smaller terrestrials such as beetles and ants are working very well, especially sunken and fished below the surface. Hoppers are doing well too with a dropper tied below them. Subsurface fishing has been great on tiny bead head nymphs and even emergers when the sun is off the water.
Mostly sunny, with a high near 82. Southeast wind 5 to 8 mph. our cooler summer continues! Mild weather all week except Wednesday is forecasted. Cresks are running well well after some recent rains, and with the cooler days and nights we are less wary of water temperature being a limiting factor. Don't neglect using your thermometer but you should be finding more water temleratures in the mid 50s instead of mid 60s . Fish early and fish late when the sun is off he water. Look for trico spinners in the mornings, then switch to foam terrestrials with a droppers for the rest of the day. A few tiny mayflies and midges are hatching in the evenings as well. Subsurface fishing has been good on heavy nymphs rolled along the bottom as well as midge larvae and emergers such as the smoke jumper. Mousing and streamer fishing has been solid in the evenings too. please note that we will be closed Monday August 1st and Monday August 8th this month.
Mostly sunny, with a high near 77. Calm wind becoming east 5 to 7 mph in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 20%. Gorgeous summer weather for the weekend! A few cooler days and some rain before hand have fishing really going strong. Tricos in the mornings, terrestrials through the day, and rising fish again in the evenings to tiny olives and midges. Subsurface fishing has been great with scuds and leeches on the creeks that are still showing a stain, while small, thin bodied bead head nymphs are working on the clear water.
Mostly cloudy, with a high near 74. Northeast wind 6 to 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20% Heavy rains yesterday have creeks flowing clear to mildly stained. The rains really cooled things down again, and coupled with cooler days and nights the next few days of fishing should be excellent! Leeches and larger scuds in the stained water, tricos and terrestrials in the clear water, and heavy, thin bodied bead heads such as the French fished along the bottom in the clear waters. Look for fish to be out of their sulky deep holding areas and pushed up into runs feeding a bit more over the next couple of days.
Cloudy, with a high near 72. Calm wind becoming northeast 5 to 8 mph in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 60%. Clouds and rain today! Plus a nice cool temperature. It is a summer day made for trout fishing. This weather (below 80 degrees) looks like it will continue to at least Sunday. Look for tricos to continue their hatching in the late evening and, more importantly, the spinner fall first thing in the morning. After that, fishing terrestrials on the surface has been very effective. We're still skewed towards the smaller stuff, ants and beetles, but hoppers are also working. In the evenings we are seeing some midge activity as well as some tiny mayflies and even a few caddis hanging on. Creeks are flowing well and clear to slightly stained with water temperatures in the mid 50s to mid 60s.
Increasing clouds, with a high near 83. Calm wind becoming southwest 5 to 7 mph in the morning. It's getting very nice for late July! Yesterday was hot and sunny and just plain uncomfortable, but thanks to recent rains the creeks are flowing well and water temperatures aren't horrible! Most creeks are running in the high 50s to mid 60s. With the cooler weather ahead, still use your thermometer, but temps should be less of a concern for a few days. Sun is still a limiting factor, so fish early and late and find some shade. Fish will be holding tight to cover and in deep holes when the sun is shining. Tricos in the mornings, terrestrials all day long, and subsurface fishing has been good on tiny bead heads and sunken ants and beetles. Mousing has been a lot of fun lately as has fishing larger streamers when the sun is off the water.
Sunny, with a high near 82. Northwest wind 5 to 8 mph. After a really odd weekend consisting on a short heat wave, and some heavy cold rain, the creeks are in surprisingly good shape. From clear to stained and up with cooler water temperatures than normal for late July (55-60 in the mornings). Things will drop and clear quickly, and we have much cooler weather coming later this week. Look for tricos in the mornings, then hopper/dropper throughout the day. Subsurface fishing has been best on tiny bead heads rolled right along the bottom.
Mostly cloudy, with a high near 89. Heat index values as high as 98. Light south wind increasing to 5 to 9 mph in the morning. This looks like the last day (hopefully) of the heat wave. It is incredibly humid and uncomfortable out already. There is a chance of some rain today and into tonight which will get the humidity out of the air and cool things down quite a bit. We're looking forward to that... Fishing has been difficult with higher temperatures, but things should get back on track quickly over the next day or two. Look for tricos early, followed by good fishing with a hopper/dropper combination. We have also been seeing the true trico hatch (not the morning spinner fall) before sunset the past few days as well. The most important thing is using your thermometer right now. Water temperatures over 65 will mean crummy fishing, and anything higher than that begins to be overly stressful to trout.
Mostly sunny, with a high near 92. Heat index values as high as 100. Calm wind becoming northeast around 6 mph. Hot and sunny again today. We also got some heavy rain area wide yesterday putting some mud into the creeks. This is t a terrible thing as it cooled the waters down a bit. Expect high and cloudy water this morning, the.n stained water this afternoon. It will be hot over the weekend and fishing will be slow during most of the day. Fish early and fish late and avoid the mid day heat. Remember to use your thermometer as water temps over 65 signal slow fishing and much higher than that can be lethal to trout.
Partly sunny, with a high near 90. Heat index values as high as 102. Southwest wind 8 to 11 mph. We highly recommend you take a break today and tomorrow. It's already warm and muggy outside at 7 a.m. The high heat will keep the fishing very slow as water temperatures will spike early in the morning. Plus, it can be downright dangerous to be outside in heat like this. Unfortunately the fishing has been quite good prior to this brief heat wave. Early and late fish have been happily feeding on tricos and terrestrials. Temperatures will still be warm, but will start getting better later this weekend. If you do fish, fish early and late when the sun is off the water.
Partly sunny, with a high near 85. South wind 6 to 11 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50% It's the beginning of a short heat wave. Even though we are proponents of not putting away your gear in the summertime, today and through Friday we are going to see base temperatures into the 90s, with the heat index even higher. Not only is this going to warm the waters up making fishing very difficult and possibly stressing the trout, it will be very difficult to be outside (there is even an excessive heat watch for Thursday and Friday). If you plan on going out, make sure you fish very early and very late when the sun is off the water, and drink plenty of water to stay hydrated. The good news is that over the weekend temperatures will begin to drop. We're still seeing tricos in the mornings and fishing terrestrials through the rest of the day. A few yellow sallies are still around in the evenings and fish are eating emergers and midges at night. Subsurface fishing is best on tiny bead head n nymphs fished right along the bottom of deep pools. Mousing has been great lately!
A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 3pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 84. Calm wind becoming south 5 to 8 mph in the morning. It's going to get hot out there! Remember to avoid the mid day and fish very early and very late (or mouse at night). The creeks in are in great shape with water that is high for the summer time, and running clear. Just keep an eye on water temperatures. Anything over 65 will be poor fishing and potentially lethal to trout. Tricos in the mornings, then terrestrials with bead head droppers in the evenings.
Mostly sunny, with a high near 84. Calm wind becoming west 5 to 7 mph in the morning. We're in mid summer mode. What that means is the rhythm of tricos in the mornings, followed by hopper dropper in the late morning, followed by a break mid day. In the early evenings, getting back on the water with hopper/dropper and possibly fishing some midges. We're also rolling tiny, heavily weighted bead head nymphs along the bottom of deeper pools and beneath undercut banks. Sun and water temperature are going to be the limiting factors for fishing. Find shade, fish early and late, and use your thermometer. Anything over 65 degrees will be poor fishing, and much higher than that can put stress on trout.
High near 71. North wind 5 to 8 mph. Spotty Cloud cover all day. A light rain last night has things nice and cool for today and into tomorrow! Fishing has been solid for winter and water temperatures on the smaller waters has been very stable. We're seeing tricos in the mornings then the terrestrial bite has been great during the day. Ants and beetles are still very important, but the fish have started to turn on to hoppers! Fishing a large hopper or training wheel with a dropper is deadly right now. Subsurface fishing has been excellent on micro nymphs and midge larvae fished tight to the bottom. Fish are also eating pink squirrels and scuds when clouds are in the sky. Mousing has really hit its stride with quite a few fish (and a few big ones too!) eating mice on the surface at night. Creeks are clear to stained with temperatures ranging from 60-65. Remember anything over 65 will be poor fishing and much higher than 65 can be lethal to hook trout in. Please use your thermometers.
Increasing clouds, with a high near 74. Breezy, with a west wind 7 to 17 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. A brief cold front blowing in today and tomorrow will cool things down a bit and set us up for some good fishing for the next few days. We're still seeing tricos in the mornings, and having success on terrestrials throughout the day. Subsurface fishing has been best on midge larvae and other small, heavy nymphs fished right along the bottom of runs and pools. Creeks are low and clear to slightly stained with water temps in the high 50s to mid 60s. Remember to use your thermometer as anything over 65 degrees will be poor fishing and can be lethal to trout.
A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after noon. Partly sunny, with a high near 84. Southwest wind 9 to 14 mph. Summer weather! Sunny this morning leading to increasing clouds and possible rain. It is not as brutally hot out today (and for the rest of the week!) and the clouds will help fishing drastically. Sun and water temperatures are still the limiting factor. Try to find shade, and fish water that is below 65 degrees. Tricos in the mornings, then terrestrials with a dropper throughout the day. We are starting to have success on hoppers and we have been seeing more and more of them in the valleys the past few days. Midges will get fish to eat in the evenings on the surface. Sub-Surface fishing has followed the rule that when the creeks are clear and sunny, fish smaller and thinner flies. When the creeks are stained or clear, fish thicker bodied flies and leeches.
Cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly sunny, with a high near 84. Southeast wind 9 to 11 mph becoming west in the afternoon. A bit of rain last night will have things cool-ish this morning, but other wise we have today and tomorrow as pretty hot and uncomfortable days. After that things get back to better conditions. Fish early and fish late to find the happiest fish. Make sure you use your thermometer as any water temperature over 65 will be slow fishing, and anything much higher than that can be lethal to trout. Tricos in the mornings, then terrestrials fish near undercut banks throughout the day are our top producing surface patterns. You can also catch a few fish on top with midges in the evenings. Subsurface fishing has been best on small nymphs rolled right along the bottom of pools and in the shade of undercut banks.
Mostly sunny, with a high near 88. Breezy, with a south wind 13 to 18 mph, with gusts as high as 28 mph. A hot and humid weather pattern blows in for a couple days today. Look for fish to be sulky and deep as well as hiding underneath undercut banks in the shade. Creeks are low and clear to slightly stained with temperatures in the mid 50s to mid 60s. Its tricos in the mornings and terrestrials throughout the day. Fishing is best when the sun is off the water and in shady areas.
Sunny, with a high near 78. North wind 5 to 7 mph. A gorgeous weekend to be fishing! Cooler nighttime temperatures have extended the morning fishing and pushed the trico spinner fall back a bit later on in the morning as well. Today and tomorrow expect fish to be eating until about noon if the sun stays bright in the sky. Creeks are clear to stained with water temperatures running in the high 50s to mid 60s. There are tricos spinner falls starting to show up in the mornings with fish rising until about 10 or 11. After that, switching over to a hopper/dropper rig is catching fish. In the evenings there are still some fish willing to rise to craneflies and caddis as well as a few lighter colored mayflies. Subsurface fishing has been best on smaller, thin bodied flies in the clear water, and thicker bodied bead heads in the water that as a stain to it (especially scuds!) Leeches and streamers are doing quite well when the sun is off the water. Mousing has been great lately!
Rain on and off all morning this morning. We've already had some heavy rain at 6 am. Creeks will be high and muddy with the clearest being heavily stained. If we don't get much more rain things will be fishable by the evening. Expect to throw black leeches and streamers as well as San Juan worms in the dirty water.
Mostly cloudy, with a high near 84. Northwest wind around 7 mph. Last night's storm dumped about an inch of heavy rain area wide. Expect stained to murky water first thing this morning, but dropping and clearing rapidly. We started to see Tricos in the mornings! Look for the spinner falls early and lasting until the sun gets well above the ridges. Other surface activity is terrestrial centric with beetles and ants most important. We are starting to catch fish on hoppers and fat alberts too. Subsurface has been a mix of scuds and leeches in the water with some shade and a stain, and tiny, heavy, thin bodied nymphs in the creeks that are clear. Sun and water temperature are still limiting factors. Remember to use your thermometer as water temperatures over 65 mean poor fishing and possibly lethal to land fish in.
Mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming sunny, with a high near 86. South wind 6 to 9 mph. Creeks are low and clear with summertime water temperatures. Terrestrials are still the ticket right now on the surface. There are some sparse caddis, cranefly and lighter colored mayflies as well. For those of you who are earlier risers, we have started to see the beginnings of the trio spinner fall! We're definitely in summer fishing mode now where the sun and water temperatures are the limiting factor. Fish early and late and avoid the bright, mid day sun. Subsurface fishing has been best on tiny bead heads drifted right along the bottom, as well as scuds and leeches.
Mostly sunny, with a high near 75. South wind 3 to 6 mph. Creeks are clear to milky area wide running at temperatures in the high 50s to mid 60s. On the clear creeks, ants, beetles, hoppers and other attractor type terrestrials are working on the surface. Subsurface fish pink belly PTs, midge larvae, and scuds. On the murkier water, leeches and San Juan worms are excellent as are larger scuds. We're open today and tomorrow and closed on Monday the 4th. Have an excellent weekend!
Partly sunny in the morning...then cloudy with showers and thunderstorms likely in the afternoon. Highs in the upper 70s. Southwest winds 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation 70 percent. Fishing has been very fun in the mornings and evenings. There are a handful of rising fish eating terrestrials and lighter colored mayflies on the surface. Subsurface fishing has been good on pink belly PTs, Brush Hogs, and leeches. Creeks are low and clear with water temps in the high 50s to mid 60s. Water temperatures over 65 mean poor fishing and much higher than that you can start killing trout when you fight them. Fish early and late as the sun is the major limiting factor.
Mostly sunny, with a high near 76. Light and variable wind. The week of pleasant weather continues! The entire week and into the weekend will be in the mid to high 70s. Excellent weather to be fishing in. Creeks are low and clear to slightly stained with water temperatures in the high 50s to mid 60s. Make sure you use your thermometer as a few creeks are running up in the low 70s and should be avoided as to not stress the trout. Anything over 65 degrees will be poor fishing. Midges and tiny olives in the mornings, terrestrials mid day, then a few yellow sallies and larger, lighter colored mayflies at night as well as more midges. Hopper/Dropper is very effective right now! Subsurface fishing has been best on pink squirrels, midge larvae, smaller scuds, and small nymphs with a tungsten bead head. The fish are sulking on the bottom of the pools and underneath undercut banks. Find shade and you will find fish!
Looks like June is trying to make up for the hot weather earlier in the month! We're looking at low to mid 70s for the rest of the week. Sunny, with a high near 72. North wind 5 to 7 mph. Fishing has still been best early and late when the sun is not on the water, as well as on the creeks that are running cooler. The sun and water temperatures are the major limiting factors. Looks for small midges and even a few olives hatching in the mornings with fish rising to them as well as craneflies. As things warm up a bit terrestrials become important on the surface. Look for yellow sallies in the afternoon and evenings too. Subsurface fishing has been best on thin bodied flies such as midge larvae or pheasant tail nymphs (especially the pink belly PTs!) with scuds and squirrels fishing well when the sun is off the water a bit. Mousing has been great lately as has fishing streamers at night.
Increasing clouds, with a high near 76. Northwest wind 7 to 11 mph. It's summer! Fishing has been good early and late and on shady creeks. The real limiting factor has been the sun and water temperature. Watch your water temperatures and use your thermometer. Water temperatures that are 65 or above will signal poor fishing and could be potentially lethal to trout. There are good water temperatures in the area, focus more on the tiny creeks than the larger waters. There are few hatches going on with some midges and tiny olives in the mornings and lighter colored mayflies in the evenings. We have also started to see yellow sallies. Subsurface fishing has been best on tiny bead head nymphs fished deep, as well as scuds. On the cloudier waters, fish leeches.
A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 4pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 89. Heat index values as high as 95. South wind 10 to 13 mph. Hot and muggy today! Fish early and late, and take a break mid day. It will be good for both you and the fish! Terrestrials with small bead heads dropped below them have been the ticket lately. The hippie stomper/frenchie combo has been especially effective. Creeks are clear to stained with water temps in the high 50s to mid 60s. Remember to use your thermometer. Anything over 65 will be poor fishing and can be potentially lethal to hook fish in.
Sunny, with a high near 79. Calm wind becoming south 5 to 7 mph in the morning. Fishing has been solid so far this summer, especially when the sun is off the water. Fish early, fish late, and find shade for better fishing. Creeks are clear to stained with water temperatures in the high 50s to mid 60s area wide. The sun today will slow fishing down around mid day, except on the creeks that are still running with a stain. The stain is enough to keep fish a bit happier, especially subsurface. It looks like this weekend we will get some more rain Saturday night. According to the forecast it should not be enough to blow things out completely, but it should put a nice stain on the water and drop water temperatures down a bit for Sunday morning. There are no significant hatches going on right now. We are seeing sporadic midge and lighter colored mayfly activity in the mornings and evenings. The major surface activity is still on ants, beetles, and craneflies. Subsurface fishing has been excellent on leeches on every creek, and on the clear water we are fishing zebra midges, ice cream cones, and pink belly pheasant tail nymphs.
Mostly cloudy, with a high near 75. Northwest wind 5 to 9 mph becoming north in the afternoon. A nice break in the hot weather lately! Fishing has been best when the sun is off the water. Trout are eating terrestrials and generic attractor patterns on the surface (stimulators, hippie stompers etc) all day long. There are a few mayflies early and late as well as midges, but the surface feeding is mostly smaller terrestrials. Subsurface fishing has been good on ice cream cones, tungsten pheasant tails, and pink belly PTs. Creeks are low and clear to stained with temperatures in the high 50s to mid 60s. Remember your thermometer as anything over 65 will be poor fishing and can be stressful to trout.
Scattered showers and thunderstorms, mainly between noon and 3pm. High near 76. East wind 6 to 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible. A bit of relief this morning as we have clouds in the sky! Creeks are in summer mode with decent flows but water temperatures in the warmer range. Please use your thermometer as anything over 65 degrees will be poor fishing and potentially harmful to trout as they near 70. There are midges hatching in the morning, terrestrials mid day, and some lighter colored mayflies in the evening. Subsurface fishing has been best on ice cream cone midges, and tungsten jig pheasant tail nymphs below a foam pattern.
Sunny, with a high near 80. West wind 7 to 10 mph. Warm and sunny again. Find shade to find fish! Creeks are low and clear to stained area wide. Water temperatures are in the high 50s to mid 60s. Remember your thermometer as anything over 65 will be poor fishing and much higher than that can be lethal to trout! Hatches are in the mornings and evenings with midges and lighter colored mayflies coming off. Mid day the fish will come up for terrestrials and craneflies, but the majority of the mid day fishing is in the deeper pools and beneath undercut banks on small, thin bodied bead heads fished along the bottom.
Sunny, with a high near 81. Northwest wind around 14 mph. Hot and sunny the next few days. Water temperatures are getting warm mid day so please use your thermometer. Anything over 65 will be poor fishing and could hurt trout. Seek shade, and fish early and late. The oddness that is this season continues. On some creeks the lighter colored mayflies have shown up again in the evening, otherwise fish are eating midges, terrestrials and craneflies on the surface. Subsurface has been best fishing deep and slow for fish getting out of the sun. Look for overhanging grass, undercut banks and deep pools to target. Creeks are low and clear to stained with water temperatures in the high 50s to mid 60s.
Happy Father's Day! Sunny, with a high near 89. South wind 6 to 10 mph. Hot and sunny today. Fish early and late and find shade. Avoid the mid day heat! Fish will be happy when the sun is off the water as the hot weather will increase water temperatures rapidly today. Look for fish to sit deep in the pools and underneath overhanging vegetation and undercut banks. Remember to use your thermometer as water temperatures over 65 degrees can be poor fishing and potentially harmful to fish.
Mostly sunny, with a high near 83. Light and variable wind becoming south around 6 mph in the morning. Creeks are in good shape! The sun will be the things that slows fishing down so fish early and late and find the shade. Terrestrials are key right now with beetles and ants catching quite a few fish on the surface. We're also starting to see our goofy big (size 12) lighter colored mayflies. They are usually a cream or fluorescent yellow and show up at first and last light. Subsurface action has been consistent on pink belly pheasant tails nymphs, frenchies, brush hogs, and she hulks. Creeks have cleared out for the most part so expect clear to stained water area wide with temperatures in the high 50s to mid 60s. Keep using your thermometer as anything over 65 will be slow fishing and possibly harmful to fight trout in.
Sunny, with a high near 82. Southeast wind 5 to 7 mph. Creeks have generally cleared up after the rains a couple of days ago. Expect clear to stained water area wide. Temperatures in the mid 50s to mid 60s. The high water has scoured the stream beds and knocked down backside vegetation making fishing easier! Trout have moved back into normal feeding positions below the riffles and into the pools. The sun will be bright all weekend, so fish early and late and find some shade for better fishing. Terrestrials are the top choice for surface flies. We are getting midges and craneflies in the morning, and there are a few lighter colored mayflies hatching in the evenings too, but ants and beetles are the top producers on top. Subsurface flies are getting smaller and thinner as the sun gets brighter during the day. Start with a hare's ear or she hulk in the morning, eventually switching to a heavy midge larvae or pheasant tail during the day. Fish are deep and underneath banks when the sun is out. Mousing has been a blast lately!
Cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly sunny, with a high near 75. North wind 8 to 10 mph. Creeks continue to drop and clear today. There were many fishable creeks yesterday after the heavy rains, and more have settled down and cleared. Expect clear to murky conditions area wide with the larger streams (Kickapoo, Bad Axe) showing the most color. In the creeks with color to them fish black leeches and buggers as well as San Juan worms and larger scuds. On the clear creeks try heavy bead head nymphs and midge larvae as well as smaller scuds. On the surface fish are primarily feeding on terrestrials specifically ants and beetles. There are also a few lighter colored mayflies around as well as egg laying caddis and midges. Mousing has started up again after the rains. Try a larger streamer or surface pattern at night for a chance at a big fish!
Mostly sunny, with a high near 83. West wind 5 to 14 mph. The Driftless Split struck again last night. While Madison had about 8 inches of rain, Vernon county only received a couple. What that means is while we have some murky water this morning (the West Fork and the Bad Axe being the muddiest) things will be fishable later this morning and by the evening. And, looking at the longer term forecast we are not supposed to have any more rain, so later in the week and into the weekend are looking excellent! Look to fish murkier water with leeches, large scuds, streamers in black and San Juan Worms. On the clearer streams fish will eat scuds, copper johns, hare's ears, and even midge larvae. Our hatches have slowed down a bit but we are still seeing some lighter colored mayflies in the evening as well as egg laying caddis. Throughout the day fish will eat terrestrials and craneflies.
Isolated showers. Cloudy, with a low around 63. East wind around 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%. Recent rains have some creeks running murky (especially the West Fork and the Bad Axe system). They will clear up to fishable clarity this morning and we should not see significant rain until later on today. These rains are much needed to fill the springs and flush the creeks a bit! We're forecasted for a bit more rain this evening that will keep water levels high and clarity low. In the murky water, look for fish to eat leeches and wooly buggers as well as other black bodied streamers. As the creeks drop and clear a bit, scuds are the ticket for stained water, especially on cloudy days. On the surface, terrestrials are still the strongest patterns. Ants and beetles are most effective and we have started to catch fish on some larger foam attractor patterns as well. Hatches have thinned out but fish are still eating lighter colored mayflies and darker bodied caddis in the evenings in addition to the ever present late spring craneflies.
Mostly sunny, with a high near 89. West wind around 6 mph. Hot and humid today. We had a good rain last night that will have creeks running with a bit of a stain first thing this morning. Expect everything to drop and clear pretty quickly. The key to fishing right now is to fish when the sun is off the water and find shade mid day. The sulphur hatch in the evenings is tailing off and we are still seeing some cahills at dusk. The best surface action is on terrestrials right now. Subsurface fishing has been great on tiny bead head nymphs and midge larvae. Make sure you check water temperatures! With this hot weather, creeks are warming rapidly throughout the day. If it is above 65 degrees fishing will be tough and much higher than that it can be harmful to fish.
Mostly sunny, with a high near 90. Heat index values as high as 95. Southeast wind 6 to 13 mph becoming southwest in the afternoon. Hot and sunny today and tomorrow! Take extra water, and fish early and late. Avoid the mid day sun. The sun and heat will be stressful to both you and the fish today and tomorrow! Thankfully the heat drop a bit come Sunday. Creeks are low and clear with water temps in the high 50s to mid 60s. We still have rising fish in the evenings and they are taking lighter colored mayflies, midges, and craneflies. Throughout the day fish will eat small terrestrials happily. Subsurface fishing is trending smaller and thinner bodied. Thing midge larvae instead of pink squirrel.
A nice soaking rain right now With periods of rain all day long, mostly in the morning. High near 80. Northeast wind 5 to 9 mph becoming south in the afternoon. Things have been good lately, and the rain should help cool things down a bit on some of the larger creeks. Creeks are low and clear with temperatures in the low to mid 60s. Anything over 65 degrees will fish poorly and can stress trout. We're still seeing some lighter colored mayflies hatching in the late afternoon and into the evening, and fish are still feeding heavily throughout the day on terrestrials. A few trout will key in on craneflies throughout the day as well. Subsurface fishing has been best when your fly is rolled right along the bottom of the pool or underneath the bank.
Mostly sunny, with a high near 73. Calm wind becoming west around 6 mph in the afternoon. Absolutely gorgeous weather again today! Look for fish to be happiest when the sun is off the water. Terrestrials are the ticket right now with trout happily eating ants, beetles, and hippie stompers effective pretty much all day long. We're still seeing sulphur hatching in the evening as well as a handful of other lighter colored mayflies. Subsurface fishing has been best on smaller, thinner bodied patterns fished right on the bottom. Creeks are low and clear with water temperatures in the high 50s to mid 60s. Make sure you use your thermometer as anything over 65 degrees will be slow fishing and much higher than that can be harmful to hook fish in.
A couple of gorgeous days ahead of us until it turns hot again for the weekend. Mostly sunny, with a high near 66. Northwest wind 8 to 11 mph. Look for fish to be in a good mood today and tomorrow as temperatures drop a bit. We're still seeing sulphurs hatching in the evening with fish happily rising. Terrestrials are effective all day long (smaller ants and beetles, no hoppers yet...). Subsurface, the fish have been loving thinner bodied patterns such as midge larvae and pheasant tail type nymphs as well as scuds rolled along the bottom. When the sun is off the water, leeches and streamers are very effective. Mousing at night is starting to pick up too! Creeks are low and clear with temperatures in the mid 50s to low 60s. The temps are a bit high for normal, so make sure you use your thermometer as anything over 65 will make for slow fishing.
artly sunny, with a high near 69. Breezy, with a west wind 7 to 12 mph increasing to 16 to 21 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 32 mph. A cold front is blowing in. Today will be windy, so find some shelter against bluff faces or in the trees if possible. Fishing has been good, with fish eating terrestrials well (which they will do again today, especially with the winds!) as well as lighter colored mayflies on the surface and a handful of caddis and craneflies. Subsurface fishing has been excellent on ice cream cones and other small midge larvae as well as brush hogs and smaller tungsten bead heads rolled along the bottom. Creeks are a bit low and mostly clear with water temperatures in the high 50s to mid 60s. There are a few creeks that are already over 65 degrees at the hottest part of the day. Use your thermometer! Not only will the warmer creeks stink for fishing, but it can also put stress on the trout.
Increasing clouds, with a high near 74. South wind 6 to 10 mph becoming west in the afternoon. Some good, soaking rains last night will have a handful of creeks murky again this morning. Overall expect clear to stained water area wide with water temperatures in the high 50s to low 60s. Remember to use your thermometers, although we have had rains recently, the water temperature has not dropped much. Anything over 65 will be difficult. Sulphurs are still hatching in the afternoon with fish rising late into the evening. We are also starting to see a few yellow sallies and other lighter colored mayflies. On top of this caddis, craneflies ants and beetles are catching fish. We've started fishing a hippie stomper with a bead head dropper with quite a bit of success too. Subsurface fishing has been excellent on leeches and smaller streamers in the stained water. In the clearer water, thin bodied flies in brown to black have been effective as have brush hogs and coulee scuds.
Partly sunny, with a high near 80. Southeast wind 8 to 11 mph becoming south in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 30%. Sunny and warm today. The creeks are in good shape, but the sun will make fishing difficult mid day. Expect clear to stained water area wide with the creeks running in the mid to high 50s and in rare cases lower 60s. Sulphurs, ants, beetles and a few craneflies and caddis are still getting fish to eat on top. We've started fishing dry/dropper with a larger foam pattern and a smaller bead head down below. Subsurface fishing has been great on brush hogs, and ice cream cones. Leeches and buggers are working well in the stained water. Look for fish to be deep in holes and near undercuts in the sun, then out in the riffles and runs to feed when the sun is off the water.
Partly cloudy, with a low around 55. West wind 5 to 7 mph becoming calm in the evening. Perfect conditions to get out and fish! Recent rain had muddied up the water, but things dropped and cleared quickly. Look for clear to stained water with only the larger creeks running murky. The sulphur hatch is still going strong, and we are seeing a handful of march browns hatching as well. On top of that fish are still eating craneflies and caddis as well as terrestrials throughout the day. Subsurface fishing has been excellent on leeches on creeks that have a bit of a stain on them, and on the clear water, heavily weighted thin bodied flies as well as scuds are the ticket. Creeks are flowing at a normal level with temperatures in the mid 50s to lower 60s.
Mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming sunny, with a high near 75. West wind 6 to 13 mph. Brief, heavy rain last night has things up and murky this morning. No forecasted rain means thing will begin dropping mid day. Expect stained to milky conditions area wide. This rain will cool down water temperatures are get fish eating! We needed this rain and things will pick up quickly starting this afternoon. Look for leeches and scuds to be effective as well as San Juan worms. The sulphurs are still hatching and we will see dry fly activity on the clearer water. Terrestrials will be slow until things dry out a bit an they start crawling around bankside.
Mostly cloudy, with a high near 80. South wind 8 to 11 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. Recent rains have been brief, but heavy. Expect to encounter clear to murky water area wide. If the creek you first visit is muddy, either fish a leech or bugger or dive a valley or two over as heavy rain is localized and can be nonexistent in a nearby creek. Fishing has been solid on the clearer creeks thanks to the sulphur hatch and terrestrials on the surface. Subsurface fishing has been great on brush hogs, scuds, and heavy bead head nymphs with a thin profile such as midge larvae and pheasant tail type nymphs. It's the time of year to start using your thermometer again. Some larger creeks are hitting a peak temperature in the upper 60s where fishing slows down quite a bit. The prime temperature is 55-65 degrees.
Mostly sunny, with a high near 80. Calm wind becoming southwest 5 to 7 mph in the afternoon. Fishing has been solid after some nice rains lately. Creeks are back to normal flows and running clear to cloudy with water temps in the mid 50s. Leeches, scuds, and streamers on the cloudy water. Sulphurs, craneflies, and midges as well as ants and beetles on the surface of the clearer water. Subsurface fishing has been best on midge larvae and heavy bead head nymphs.
Mostly cloudy, with a high near 76. Light south wind increasing to 6 to 11 mph in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 60%. What a difference a little rain makes! Creeks are clear to slightly stained, but the fish are in a much better mood thanks to the influx of water. We're seeing terrestrials, craneflies, a few caddis, sulphurs and midges hatching. Subsurface fishing has been great on scuds, midge larvae, and heavily weighted thin bodied nymphs.
Scattered showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 2pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 78. South wind 8 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. Low chance of rain today, and the recent rains did little to muddy up area waters. Expect clear to slightly stained creeks area wide. Fishing has gotten a bit better from the past few days of bright sun and low water. The creeks are still low with water temperatures in the mid 50s to low 60s and the fishing is still best early in the morning and later in the evening when the sun is off the water. If cloud cover stays in everything will be fine. We're still getting fish to eat craneflies and caddis on the surface with terrestrials also getting fish to eat up top (ants and beetles specifically). Subsurface is still best on gray patterns in size 14-18, heavily weighted. Midge larvae and other small bead heads are also effective right now. Remember to move your flies. The trout are keying in on movement lately.
Rain in the morning, then mostly sunny high near 84. Some much needed rain this morning! And as I am looking out the shop windows, the sun is already peeking out. Look for some invigorated fish early with a few streams showing some stain after the brief heavy rains early this morning.. Everything should drop and clear very quickly as most of the rain will be soaked in by the dry ground. On the cloudy creeks, fish leeches scuds and even San Juan worms subsurface. On the clear creeks it has been scuds and heavy bead head nymphs subsurface. On the surface we are seeing egg laying caddis, craneflies, midges, and even a few lighter colored mayflies, especially in the evenings. Terrestrials (ants and beetles specifically) have been fantastic lately, don't hit the stream without a few in your fly box! Creeks are low and stained to murky with temperatures in the mid to high 50s.
Showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 3pm. High near 78. East wind 7 to 13 mph becoming south in the afternoon. We have seen no rain over the past few days making streams low and clear and fishing very difficult. We're hoping the rain comes today and some much needed cloud cover with it! Water temperatures are in the high 50s to low 60s, unseasonably warm. Fishing s best early and late when the sun is off the water. Fish will rise the first couple and last couple of hours of the day. They are eating craneflies, caddis, and smaller terrestrials. Subsurface fishing is best on tiny bead heads fished deep, and leeches and buggers twitched along undercut banks and in shady areas.
Mostly cloudy, with a high near 80. Southwest wind 6 to 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. The rain didn't materialize again yesterday leaving us with mostly sunny skies all day long. It will be warm again today, so make sure you find shade and stay cool. The same goes for the fish, they will be deep in pools and underneath undercut banks unless we get some cloud cover. Look for fish to feed on terrestrials on the surface until the sun is off the water, then a few bugs are hatching especially craneflies. Subsurface fishing is best on tiny bead heads rolled along the bottom as well as cranefly larvae. Creeks are low and crystal clear with water temperatures in the high 50s to low 60s.
The last day of hot and sunny weather for a few days! Sunny, with a high near 81. Breezy, with a south wind 10 to 18 mph. Fishing has been difficult mid day, but water temperatures are still in the mid to high 50s meaning fish are happy early and late, and in spots where the sun is not beating down on them. We're looking at some rain ahead (which is much needed). The creeks are low and clear and with the warmer and windy weather lately, the terrestrial fishing has really heated up. Fishing ants and beetles underneath trees and overhanging vegetation and plopping hippie stompers along undercut banks has been a ton of fun lately. Hatches have slowed down a bit as we are waiting on sulphurs, sallies, cahills etc to show up. The craneflies are still around and getting fish looking up. Subsurface is solid on heavy bead heads rolled along the bottom in smaller sizes and thinner profiles as well as cranefly larvae.
Sunny, with a high near 76. Northwest wind 5 to 7 mph becoming north in the afternoon. Hot and sunny. Treat the fishing like summertime. Fish early and late and chase shade throughout the day. Craneflies are still hatching, and we have started to see some lighter colored mayflies and even a few yellow sallies hatching here and there. The terrestrial bite is picking up steam too. Subsurface fishing has been best on leeches, tiny bead heads fished slowly along the bottom and on scuds.
Sunny, with a high near 70. Light south wind increasing to 5 to 9 mph in the morning. Despite the sunny weather, the fishing has been fantastic! Caddis and craneflies are the ticket on the surface and we have rising fish throughout the day, especially in the evenings. Watch for splashy rises to indicate fish feeding on craneflies and caddis. Subsurface fishing has been solid on coulee scuds in gray and tan, ice cream cones, and dirty birds. Don't forget your hippies! Hippie stompers have been starting to catch a lot of fish, and some larger fish too. Creeks are low and clear with temperatures in the mid to high 50s.
Sunny, with a high near 65. Light and variable wind. Warmer, sunny weather has brought the caddis back! While not as thick as it was a couple of weeks ago, fish will key in on them again along with the craneflies. Don't forget to move your flies! Twitched and skittered caddis and craneflies are deadly right now. Subsurface fishing continues to be strong on pretty much anything gray in a size 14-16 as it represents caddis and cranefly larvae. We are also having success on tan scuds and frenchies.
A slight chance of showers, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 65. West wind 7 to 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. After a bitterly cold (and it even snowed in some spots briefly!) Saturday, the fishing rebounded yesterday thanks to a really solid cranefly hatch area wide. With the sun in the sky, expect the same. We should see rising fish right around lunchtime. Subsurface fishing has been solid on scuds and cranefly larvae patterns as well as midge larvae and leeches. Creeks are low and clear with water temps in the mid 50s.
Periods of showers, mainly after 2pm. High near 54. Northwest wind 7 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible. Fishing remains solid in the Driftless! The craneflies are out and fish are feeding well on the surface, especially to twitched flies. Subsurface fishing continues to be strong on scuds, copper johns in red, and midge larvae. Creeks are low and clear with temperatures in the mid 50s. We have not had any rain to speak of and every creek is fishing well.
Isolated sprinkles between 2pm and 3pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 65. West wind 7 to 13 mph. Fishing has been fantastic the past few days. The cloud cover has fish in a good mood and the cranefly hatch, midges and egg laying caddis have trout looking up. Subsurface fishing has been hot on anything grey and size 16 (cranefly larvae) Creeks are low and clear with temperatures in the mid 50s.
A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 5pm. Patchy fog before 11am. Otherwise, cloudy, with a high near 67. Southeast wind 3 to 8 mph. We've only received about half an inch over the past 24 hours. Nothing to muddy up or even stain creeks significantly. Everything is clear to slightly stained with water temps in the mid 50s. The cooler weather and clouds have fish feeding very well subsurface on scuds and leeches as well as cranefly larvae, and tiny bead head nymphs. The caddis hatch has stalled with the cold front, but the craneflies are still popping all day long. Look for sporadic, splashy rises and tie on a cranefly or orange soft hackle! Mousing has started and fishing larger subsurface patterns at night has yielded some nice fish too.
Periods of showers, mainly before 1pm. High near 56. East wind 9 to 11 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible. Cooler, cloudy and drizzly weather has made fishing fantastic. While the caddis have slowed down a bit, the cranefly hatch has really kicked into high gear. Look for splashy rises. Subsurface fishing is excellent on gray anythings. Scuds, cranefly larvae, anat-o-may, pink squirrels as long as it is grey the fish seem to be eating it! It has only drizzled and rained lightly a bit, creeks are clear and a bit low with water temperatures in the mid 50s.
A slight chance of showers before noon, then a chance of showers after 2pm. Cloudy, with a high near 62. Breezy, with an east wind 10 to 17 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. Looking at some nice clouds and a cooler week this week! Expect the fish to respond, especially on scuds and leeches subsurface. The cloudy weather will blunt the caddis hatch a bit, but the craneflies will be strong and a few olives will be seen under the clouds. Don't forget to try your hippie stompers! Fish are looking up and can go after a big meal. Creeks are low and clear with water temps in the mid to high 50s. We are not supposed to get dumped on with rain, so things should remain clear all week.
Mostly sunny, with a high near 67. North wind 10 to 14 mph. Today is the regular season opener. The creeks are a zoo, it would be a good weekend to get some stuff done around the house. If you do fish this weekend remember to fish nice! Give other anglers space, do not hop in above another angler! If there is a car at an access point and you can not check in with the angler, move to another spot. Caddis and craneflies are hatching daily, especially in the afternoon and evening, and fish are feeding subsurface on scuds, leeches, and cranefly larvae. Creeks are clear and low with temps in the mid 50s.
Sunny, with a high near 82. West wind 7 to 13 mph. Another warm and sunny day. Pleasant to be outside, but the sun is making fishing a bit difficult unless you are on a creek where the craneflies and caddis are hatching. Then it can be really fun! Creeks are low and clear with temps in the mid to high 50s. Caddis and craneflies are hatching daily with fish starting to feed in the afternoon and into the evening. Subsurface fishing has been best on leeches, gray scuds, pink squirrels, and frenchies. Keep in mind that this weekend is opening weekend, and can be quite busy. Remember to fish nice! If there is another angler at an access point or bridge check in with them to see which way they are fishing. If you can not check in, move on to another spot. Don't be the angler to hop in upstream of somebody already there!
Mostly sunny, with a high near 64. North wind 5 to 7 mph. A chilly night last night will have things moving slowly first thing in the morning, as the creeks warm up a bit, we will see an increase in caddis and cranefly activity and more active fish. Creeks are low and clear with temperatures in the mid 50s on average. Twitching a caddis or cranefly has been deadly lately on the surface. Don't forget to move your flies! Subsurface fishing has been best on gray things. Scuds, squirrels, cranefly larvae, jiggy hare's ears etc. Followed closely by small, thin bodied dark flies such as pheasant tails and frenchies.
Mostly sunny, with a high near 57. North wind 9 to 15 mph. A brief, heavy rain storm last night dumped half to 3/4 of an inch of rain last night quickly. While this will not have a lasting effect, look for a creek or two to run with a bit of a stain first thing this morning. Expect clear to slightly stained water area wide with temperatures in the mid to high 50s. The sun is doing us no major favors right now early in the morning as it keeps fish deep and hiding under the banks. Luckily, the caddis and cranefly hatch are bringing them out in the afternoon! Subsurface flies that are working best are dirty birds, coulee scuds, and leeches. On the surface we are having luck with craneflies and caddis in darker colors. Do not forget to move your flies! Caddis and craneflies are active swimmers and messy hatchers. This time of season movement can be more important that size, silhouette or color.
Increasing clouds, with a high near 68. Breezy, with a west wind 5 to 10 mph increasing to 11 to 16 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 25 mph. The caddis and craneflies are back in a big way. Tan caddis are the main hatch, but there are still a few black showing up too. The fishing fish start to show up in the late morning or early afternoon. Before they start to rise, look for fish to feed on small bead head nymphs, leeches, and caddis larvae/pupae subsurface as well as chase orange soft hackles. The creeks are crystal clear and flowing well with water temperatures in the mid 50s. Remember the sun will drive non rising fish to deeper pools and undercut banks.
Mostly sunny, with a high near 61. Northeast wind 3 to 5 mph. Light rain over the weekend did not do anything for water clarity, it is still crystal clear and running cold. Now that the sun is out, the olives will be less of a factor, while the caddis will return. We also saw our first major cranefly hatch yesterday. Look for fish to eat craneflies from here on out! Subsurface fishing will slow down a bit with fish holding deep and under cover to get out of the sun. A heavily weighted scud or pheasant tail type fly twitched along the bottom will do the trick. Orange soft hackles will be in play now with the cranefly hatch on, and of course leeches are still working!
Showers, mainly after 3pm. High near 53. Breezy, with an east wind 11 to 18 mph, with gusts as high as 26 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible. Drizzle later and breezy all day. Watch for olives to hatch as they came off strong yesterday afternoon. They are the freakish looking size 16s. We also saw quite a few craneflies area wide. Subsurface fishing was best on frenchies and scuds and other tungsten weighted bugs. We have had little to no rain lately, which means creeks are clear with water temps in the low to mid 50s.
Mostly cloudy, with a high near 54. North wind 5 to 8 mph becoming east in the afternoon. It's warming up! After a couple very chilly days we're looking much more comfortable coming into the weekend. Look for increased fish activity throughout the day. We did not receive much rain at all, the creeks are clear and flowing a bit low. We saw some nice olive hatches in the cloudy weather the past couple of days, and as long as the clouds stay in, look for gently rising fish. The sunny weather predicted for Sunday will bring the caddis back out. Subsurface fishing has been solid on scuds and leeches (especially in olive) as well as smaller, heavy bead head nymphs. Fish are in the deeper holes unless a hatch is coming off.
Rain likely, mainly after 4pm. Cloudy, with a high near 44. East wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 28 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible. Cold, windy and rainy. Perfect fishing weather! The clouds have helped quite a bit making scuds more active, and the little rain has put a tiny bit of water in the system (not nearly enough to stain the water) but the bump of water has fish on the feed. Look for olives to hatch more strongly than caddis in this weather, although fish will eat pretty much anything in a size 16 if they are rising. Hippie stompers have been particularly effective... Creeks are low and clear with temps in the in mid 50s.
Showers likely, mainly after 5pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 53. Breezy, with an east wind 18 to 22 mph, with gusts as high as 36 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible. Windy today as a storm system blows in. The weather will not get too dicey it looks like the short term forecast is calling for light rain on and off all week and into the weekend. The creeks could use the rain at this point, especially as nice soaking showers! Fishing has been lots of fun lately. The creeks are low and a touch clear with water temperatures in the mid 50s. Caddis are still the main hatch, but we have started to see craneflies appear, and the olives are still hanging on in the mornings and evenings. Subsurface fishing has been great on scuds, as well as dirty birds, frenchies, and leeches. Remember to twitch your bugs! Fish have been responding positively to a little wiggle, especially on the caddis and cranefly dries.
solated showers and thunderstorms between noon and 1pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 73. Breezy, with a southeast wind 9 to 16 mph becoming southwest in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 25 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%. Windy with a small chance of rain. We have yet to get ANY rain which means creeks are low and clear with temps in the 50s. The caddis hatch is still around, especially on the Timber Coulee, but it is significantly stronger on sunny days. When the clouds roll in the hatch dies down. We're doing well on the cloudy days on scuds and she hulks, something with a larger profile subsurface. There are still a few olives hatching when the sun is off the water too.
Mostly sunny, with a high near 66. South wind 9 to 11 mph. The caddis weather continues! We're seeing tan and black caddis daily on most creeks, and have even started to see some craneflies show up in the mix. Olives are slowly fading, but fish will still pick up on size 18-20 parachutes in the early morning and late evening. Trout are also eating larger parachutes (12-14) in the riffles mid day. Subsurface fishing is best on small pheasant tail type flies (frenchies!) as well as dirty birds and caddis pupae. Do not forget olive leeches as the creek lamprey are spawning right now. Creeks are low and clear with water temperatures in the mid 50s.
Partly sunny, with a high near 58. North wind 6 to 10 mph. Between the caddis and the creek lamprey, fishing has been fantastic lately! The caddis hatch is still going on strong, both black and tan caddis are hatching mid day. There are still a few olives hatching as well, but they are far more active on cloudy days. The other big food event is the creek lamprey spawn. Look for little bowls of brushed gravel and fish a big olive leech in the holes nearby! Subsurface fishing has also remains steady on franchise, pheasant tails, she hulks, caddis pupae, and leeches. Creeks are clear and a touch low (we received no significant rain the past few days, just some sprinkles) with temperatures in the 50s. We've been getting more and more complaints about poor angling etiquette. Please remember that if there is somebody parked at an access point that you should check in with them to see where they are fishing and fish the other direction. If you can't see the angler you should move on to another access point. There is plenty of water to fish in the Driftless. Please do not hop in the water above another angler!
mostly cloudy, with a high near 66. Light and variable wind becoming west 5 to 9 mph in the morning. Wow, have the caddis been thick lately. While not on every creek, they are out and about in the afternoon getting fish to rise, even on the sunniest of days. There are some black caddis out, but tan seem to outnumber them. Creeks are clear and a bit low with temps in the 50s. Subsurface fishing is still solid on frenchies, dirty birds, and midge larvae. In addition to the caddis on the surface, fish will still take pretty much anything small and purple, as well as ants and beetles. We have had a few anglers report success on mice in the evenings already too!
Mostly cloudy, with a high near 65. East wind 7 to 11 mph. Chance of showers after 5 p.m. Back to normal spring weather, and the fish have responded. Subsurface action is much more consistent without the sun shining down on fish, and water temperatures have gotten back to normal averaging 50 degrees area wide. When the sun peeks out from the clouds, caddis will hatch. Otherwise look for fish to eat olives and some larger mayflies and some midges. There is also a sporadic spinner fall of olives in the early morning too that can have fish rising before the sun climbs high in the sky. Subsurface fishing has been hot on scuds, dirty birds, and leeches are still going strong right now. Creeks are a bit low and running clear with temps around 50 degrees. Hatches are beginning around mid day.
Scattered showers before 9am, then scattered showers after 10am. Cloudy, with a high near 61. East wind 10 to 13 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible. The unseasonably hot weather is finally gone, now back to our regularly scheduled good Aril fishing. There should be much more activity subsurface today with scuds leading the charge. Fishing blue winged olive nymphs as well as midge larvae and other small, heavy bead head nymphs will be good underneath the clouds. Hatch wise, the weather has turned much more to mayfly weather, although the caddis hatch will still go on, just not as heavily as it does on sunny days. Creeks are crystal clear and flowing normal to a bit low with water temperatures in the low to mid 50s. The ground is very dry, and any light rain will be soaked in keeping creeks flowing clearly this week.
Mostly sunny, with a high near 80. Southeast wind 7 to 9 mph. Unseasonably hot again today. Fish early and late and avoid the sun if possible. The warm sun has brought out the caddis, but where they are not hatching heavily the fish are hiding from the sun. Caddis are the main hatch with both black and tan flies present. Splashy rises mean fish feeding on caddis or caddis emergers. There are also olives still hatching and some creeks getting a morning spinner fall. Subsurface fishing is best on midge larvae, scuds, leeches in the mid day to get fish to come out from undercut banks, and caddis larvae/pupae. Creeks are very clear with water temperatures in the 50s to high 50s.
Sunny, with a high near 76. Southeast wind 9 to 13 mph. Caddis. That's really all that needs to be said. Tans and blacks hatching area wide starting around mid day. We've been fishing dries most of the day on our guide trips with success. On the creeks that aren't getting a heavy hatch, fishing subsurface with a dirty bird or frenchie has been effective.
Sunny, with a high near 72. Southeast wind 9 to 14 mph. The warm sunny weather has brought the caddis! The Timber Coulee has been the most prolific for the caddis, but most of the creeks are seeing rising fish and caddis hatches. Trout are also still eating olives on the surface even in the bright sun! Subsurface fishing has been best with tiny pheasant tails, frenchies, leeches, and caddis pupae/emergers. Water is clear and flowing well with temperatures in the mid 40s to low 50s area wide. The sun will shine all weekend, remember your sunscreen!
Sunny, with a high near 64. South wind 7 to 15 mph. Caddis are starting to show up slowly but surely on area creeks. With this warmer, sunny weather we should see more as we head into the weekend! Creeks are clear and flowing well with water temperatures in the mid 40s to 50. The bright sun will be difficult to fish until bugs start to show up, so find some shade and concentrate on deeper pools and undercut banks. Subsurface flies that have been best are Dirty Birds, scuds, leeches, and pheasant tails. On the surface fish are liking simple parachute adams and hippie stompers. Where the caddis are hatching we have seen both black and tan caddis.
Mostly sunny, with a high near 57. South wind 11 to 13 mph. We're still on caddis watch! Some caddis hatching yesterday and a handful of fish rising, even in the bright sun. The hatch is not here quite yet, but with the warm and sunny weather on its way we might see them by the end of the week. We will keep you updated. Fish are feeding happily when the sun is off the water on scuds, frenchies, and prince nymphs. In the deeper pools mid day, leeches have been the ticket to get fish to come out from under structure and from the depths to eat. Creeks are clear and flowing well with water temperatures in the mid to high 40s area wide.
Sunny, with a high near 50. Calm wind becoming south 5 to 7 mph in the afternoon. The weather has turned for the better! Consistent weather is excellent for the driftless, and although the sun will be shining through the weekend, the warming of the creeks should bring the caddis out to play! We have seen light and sporadic hatches here and there of black (and even a few tan) caddis already. Olives have also been hatching in the later afternoon and evening giving us rising fish the past few evenings. Subsurface action has been excellent on leeches, pink squirrels, she hulks, dirty birds, and scuds as well as simple pheasant tail and copper john patterns. Creeks are clear and flowing well with temperatures in the mid 40s.
Sunny, with a high near 45. Breezy, with a west wind 13 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. Olives showed up yesterday, as did some caddis (not a ton of caddis, but enough to get us to take notice!). The caddis watch has officially begun. Creeks are clear and flowing well with water temperatures in the mid to high 40s area wide. Typically in the cooler mornings we are fishing sub surface with scuds, leeches, dirty birds, and heavy bead heads rolled along the bottom. As things start to warm up, fish will start to look up and are feeding mainly on olives and olive emergers. Watch for caddis any day now, and do not be afraid to tie on a smaller terrestrial if the fish are not responding to olive dries!
Mostly sunny, with a high near 39. Northeast wind 7 to 9 mph becoming south in the afternoon. Sun is shining all day today which should give us an olive hatch in the afternoon. Otherwise, subsurface fishing has been best on leeches, franchise, she hulks, and dirty birds fished int he deep pools. Do not be afraid to throw ants or beetles to rising fish if they aren't interested in your olive patterns! This can be deadly this time of year.
Mostly cloudy, with a high near 36. Breezy, with a northwest wind 17 to 24 mph, with gusts as high as 33 mph. The weather outside is..... interesting..... chilly, breezy and lightly snowing (which may or may not turn to drizzle lately). The thing is, fishing is still good in the afternoon, when things 'warm up' a bit. Fishing has been solid bouncing bottom with scuds and dark bodied bead head. Leeches have been the meal of choice, often hitting them aggressively on the first pass. We're still seeing pods of blue winged olives sporadically getting a pool of fish to rise. We've been fishing olives until the fish will not take them any more, then switching over to a hippie stomper and getting more fish to eat! Saturday's weather looks good, as does Sunday morning.
Scattered sprinkles and flurries before 11am, then scattered sprinkles between 11am and noon. Cloudy, with a high near 44. North wind 10 to 14 mph. Despite some pretty mediocre weather for humans, the fishing has been really good! Dry flies most of the afternoon yesterday had fish eating on the surface on olives, midges, and hippie stompers. Creeks are clear to slightly stained and flowing well with water temperatures in the mid 40s. Subsurface fishing has been the most consistent with fish taking scuds, dirty birds, leeches, and BWO nymphs as long as they are fished along the bottom. In the afternoons you can switch to soft hackles and emergers as well as dries when fish start rising.
Rain before 10am, then a chance of showers after 3pm. Patchy fog before 9am. High near 48. Breezy, with a south wind 6 to 11 mph becoming northwest 12 to 17 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible. Another kind of dreary day... Great for fishing! The cloud cover gives us a bit of an edge sneaking up on the fish, especially on the clear flowing creeks! Fishing has been solid lately, mostly subsurface in the mornings on scuds, leeches, and heavy bead heads. In the afternoons we are seeing a few olives hatching and get rising fish.
Showers, mainly after 11am. High near 39. Breezy, with a south wind 9 to 18 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible. Drizzle this afternoon, but nothing that should mess up water clarity at all. We're in our spring soaking shower phase of the season! Creeks are clear to stained with water temperatures in the low to mid 40s area wide. Nights have been very cold, so getting up first thing in the morning is not necessary. Still olives hatching, although it has slowed down with cooler water temps, and fish are still eating well subsurface on scuds, she hulks, leeches, and small dark bodied bead heads.
Mostly cloudy, with a high near 39. North wind 5 to 8 mph. Creeks are in great shape, and fish are very happy! Water is clear to slightly stained with temperatures in the mid 40s area wide. The recent rains have done an excellent job in filling the springs, but have not been enough to stop the fishing! On the clear waters, we are fishing scuds, smaller bead head nymphs, and midge larvae subsurface, while olives have been hatching pretty well on a daily basis giving us the chance at some dry fly fish on mergers and flush riding surface patterns. On the stained waters leeches, buggers, and streamers have been a ton of fun!
A 30 percent chance of snow, mainly before 9am. Mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming sunny, with a high near 35. Windy, with a northwest wind 22 to 29 mph, with gusts as high as 44 mph. Really crummy wind today. Casting will be very tough! Creeks are in good shape with clear to stained conditions area wide. The olive hatch is still going on, but due to the wind dry fly activity is going to be slim at best. Look for fish to eat subsurface on scuds, leeches, and small bead heads in darker colors. Tomorrow the wind mellows out and the temperature climbs back to something a bit more comfortable.
Showers likely, mainly before noon. Patchy fog before 8am. Otherwise, partly sunny, with a high near 42. Breezy, with a light west wind becoming northwest 11 to 16 mph in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible. Creeks have dropped and cleared well overnight. There was no significant rain late yesterday and the murky water started to subside in the afternoon. Overall expect clear to milky water area wide with water temperatures in the low to mid 40s. The weekend looks good condition wise, but windy which means fishing the olive hatch might be difficult! Find a sheltered area to get out of the wind. It looks like a leech, scud, and streamer Saturday. Sunday will be warmer and sunny again with the wind still prevalent, but still blowing.
Scattered showers before 8am, then a chance of rain after 8am. Cloudy, with a high near 45. Northeast wind 8 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible. Creeks are in pretty good shape after recent rains, clear to murky area wide. Yesterday's rains were never too heavy averaging an inch in the past 24 hours. We are seeing stain and some murky water, which will start to clear up quickly today. Most of the rain soaked into the ground (it smells like worms outside this morning!) Reports of olives hatching all day yesterday with fish rising all day too! Today will see clouds and possible showers again. It should not be enough or heavy enough to blow anything out significantly. These have been good soaking spring rains. Creeks are running in the low to high 40s water temperature wise, and running clear to murky. In the dirty water, fishing leeches and buggers as well as larger scuds and san juan worms is effective. On the clear waters, trout are eating heavy bead heads in dark colors and small (16-20) as well as scuds. There are hatches of olives and fish will eat olive emergers and dries when rising. Do not be afraid to try a small terrestrial to rising fish too!
Showers and thunderstorms likely, then periods of showers and possibly a thunderstorm after 11am. High near 53. South wind 10 to 14 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible. Fishing has been fantastic the past few days with fish feeding well subsurface, and surface feeders in the afternoon on creek with temperatures over 45 (even on hippie stompers already!). Overall the Driftless is in excellent shape with good flows and clear water. We're slated for some rain the next day or two and we will keep you updated on clarity and conditions. It isn't supposed to be a heavy rain which means much of it will soak into the ground and make its way into the springs! Hatches of midges and olives daily, we have started to see a small number of black caddis on a few creeks as well. Subsurface leeches, franchise, and dirty birds have been excellent lately.
Mostly sunny, with a high near 59. South wind 7 to 14 mph. Sunny today, then clouds roll in for the next few days. Creeks are clear and flowing well with water temperatures in the 40s to 50. These are excellent conditions for spring! We have seen olives in the afternoons with many creeks giving us the opportunity to fish for rising fish. The best success is still subsurface on small bead heads, dirty birds (which won the one fly contest again!), scuds and leeches. Do not be afraid to throw small terrestrials as fish have already begun to pick up on ants and small beetles fished on the surface as well as sunken. We have also started to see some rodents moving around on the edges of the creeks. If the evenings stay warm, mousing is possible!
Sunny, with a high near 53. North wind 5 to 7 mph becoming calm in the afternoon. A nice warmer spring day today! Look for fish to feed subsurface early in the riffles and runs, then retreat to shade as the sun climbs in the sky. Around 2:30 or 3 start to look for olives which were hatching in decent numbers all weekend long. Creeks are flowing well and very clear with water temps in the mid 40s to 50.
A 10 percent chance of rain after 5pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 49. Southeast wind 7 to 9 mph. Great looking day to fish! We saw olives yesterday pretty much area wide. Fish were happily feeding subsurface and some looking up in the mid to late afternoon. Creeks are clear with temps in the low 40s to high 40s.
Sunny, with a high near 42. South wind 6 to 9 mph. Not much snow on the ground, only 2-3 inches total. We had a nice slow melt yesterday which should continue today and into the weekend. It should not be enough to make water temperatures tank (they are still 40-50 degrees) or to muddy up the water considerably with the exception of areas that see heavy runoff. Fishing has been solid the past couple of days with fish happily ignoring the weird weather outside of the water. They are eating mostly subsurface on heavily weighted scuds and nymphs rolled along the bottom. Larger fish are still chasing streamers and leeches too. Dry fly activity has been spotty, with fish eating midges and small stonefly dries as well as ants and beetles. Creeks are flowing well and crystal clear to slightly stained.
It's pretty messy out there! Be careful if you are driving. Mix of snow and ice again today with an inch accumulation expected. High near 33. Breezy, with a northeast wind 14 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. There was not as much snow as predicted. We only received 2-3 inches of snow total, sitting on top of 1/8 an inch of ice. Look for this to begin melting tomorrow. It should be a nice slow melt as the ground is not frozen and it will not be too warm tomorrow (high of 41). So we are not expecting muddy water, however creek temperatures could drop a bit tomorrow. Today things are clear and flowing at about 40 degrees area wide. Midges and leeches are still on the menu and olives probably will not appear again until things warm up a bit over the weekend.
Rain, snow, and freezing rain before 3pm, then rain or freezing rain between 3pm and 5pm, then rain and freezing rain, possibly mixed with snow and sleet after 5pm. Temperature falling to around 32 by 5pm. Breezy, with a northeast wind 17 to 21 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. Little or no ice accumulation expected. Total daytime snow and sleet accumulation of less than a half inch possible. What a jumble of a weather forecast for today! The bottom line is this: The creeks are in great shape for early season, but the existing will be miserable today with a falling temperature and wind. Add to that a winter storm coming tonight, and this will be a good day to stay home. Things mellow out a bit for the weekend and as usual, we will keep you posted.
Get out and fish! This is the last nice weather day until we hit the weekend. We're looking at wind and snow (5-9 inches forecasted Wednesday night!) heading our way tomorrow. Things mellow out by the weekend. Fishing has been great on scuds, midge larvae, and dirty birds as well as leeches. There are hatches daily, with a few pods of fish rising to the midges and winter stoneflies coming off. Water temperatures are in the low to mid 40s area wide which means we are close to our early olive hatches appearing again!
Partly sunny, with a high near 47. Calm wind becoming south 5 to 9 mph in the afternoon. The cool weather continues (and gets even chillier the next couple of days before the weekend). which means there is no need to get up early to fish! Fishing has been solid as creeks are running at 40 degrees to 45 degrees with clear to stained water area wide. Fish are eating mostly subsurface on tiny bead heads, scuds, dirty birds, and leech patterns. In the afternoons we are seeing some hatches of midges and winter stoneflies which have sporadic pods of fish rising. The dry fly bite is not predictable however.
Scattered rain and snow showers between 2pm and 4pm, then scattered rain showers after 4pm. Cloudy, with a high near 42. North wind 3 to 6 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. Finally the wind has calmed down! Despite the winds, fishing has been good recently. Creeks are clear and flowing well with temperatures hovering right around 40 degrees. The weekend is looking good weather wise, it will not be warm and evenings are getting below freezing again which means an early start is not at all necessary. Fishing will start as water temperatures rise (remember your thermometer!) around 10 a.m. and continue until temperatures start to drop in the evening. Fish are eating scuds and leeches subsurface as well as heavy bead head nymphs. Hatches are sparse and consist of midges and winter stoneflies with a trickle of olives popping off on the warmer creeks. Rising fish will appear in the late morning and early afternoon.
Scattered showers, mainly after 2pm. Increasing clouds, with a high near 45. Breezy, with a west wind around 18 mph, with gusts as high as 31 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%. Despite the wind (which was terrible yesterday!) the creeks are in good shape with the majority clear to slightly stained. Things have cooled down a little bit, so the surface activity has gone back to a few stoneflies and midges in the afternoons. If water temperatures rise above 45 again, we will see the olive hatches we had last weekend. Fishing has been great subsurface on heavy bead head nymphs, scuds, and leeches. On cloudier water San Juan worms and dirty birds have been excellent.
UPDATE: 11:15 From reports in the field, the Timber Coulee system is more than fishable, and lots of clear to stained water area wide. The larger creeks are still showing some milky/murky water. Rain. High near 45. Windy, with a west wind 24 to 34 mph, with gusts as high as 55 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible. Drizzly and very windy. The rains yesterday fell pretty heavily, things are murky as of now, but are already clearing. Overall expect stained to murky water with all creeks rapidly clearing today. However, the wind is howling right now and it will be difficult at best to make a good cast. Under conditions like these, fishing a leech or streamer with a San Juan worm or other "meat" fly behind it can work well as you do not need an accurate cast or perfect drift.
Periods of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 10am. High near 57. Southeast wind 10 to 13 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New rainfall amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible. A bit of rain will not hurt right now. It isn't going to rain too heavily if it is supposed to only accumulate half an inch or so. Watch for fish to put on the feed bag before the rains. Water temps are 40-50 and running clear. This rain should not be enough to muddy things up to an unfishable level, but we will keep you posted.
Areas of fog before 10am. Otherwise, cloudy, with a high near 57. Light and variable wind. A great weekend of fishing. The sun has warmed up the waters well with temperatures in the 40s to even 50 degrees in some cases! This has caused quite a few bugs to become active. Midges and winter stoneflies are the major bugs right now, but on the warmer creeks (45-50) we have seen even a few olives! Creeks are clear and flowing well. The snow has disappeared and bankside vegetation is nowhere to be found! Fish are eating scuds and midge larvae very well, especially on overcast days. Otherwise fishing leeches and larger nymphs such as a dirty bird or brush hog is catching fish.
Mostly sunny, with a high near 62. Light and variable wind becoming south 5 to 7 mph in the morning. Fishing solid! We have seen quite a few bugs hatching including midges, stoneflies, and even a random caddis! A few anglers were catching rising fish on beetles. Water temps are in the mid 40s to 50 and creeks are running clear. The sun is making fish spooky, so make sure to approach with a bit of stealth.
Sunny, with a high near 59. Light southeast wind becoming south 8 to 13 mph in the morning. Incredible weather today and through the weekend. Creeks are clear and flowing well, with temperatures in the high 30s to high 40s. The sun warming the stream bed has flies hatching in the afternoon/evening. Midges and stoneflies will be around today and tomorrow. Sunday will be drizzly and should have some very active subsurface fishing. Fish have responded well to heavily weighted nymphs and scuds as well as leeches all day long. Tiny dark flies are excellent right now as they represent both midges and stones! They will move out of the holes and runs and into the riffles as the water temperature increases and start to feed on midge emergers. When the sun is out, make sure to be as stealthy as possible as fish can be spooky!
Cloudy through mid morning, then gradual clearing, with a high near 51. Calm wind becoming northwest 5 to 7 mph in the morning. Looks like an excellent afternoon for fishing. Creeks are clear to slightly stained with temperatures around 40 degrees area wide. The clouds yesterday held surface fishing back a bit, the sun today should get some sporadic hatches of midges and winter stones and some fish rising. Otherwise subsurface fishing has been great, as long as the fly is sinking deep. Make sure to fish tungsten bead flies or add a little weight to your rig to get your fly down! The sun actually helps things out quite a bit in the early season. It needs to warm the stream bed to get things going right now. Just make sure you approach stealthily as high sun and clear water will get things going, but it also makes fish a bit spookier!
Cloudy, with a high near 49. West wind 7 to 10 mph. A pretty normal day today. Creeks are clear and a bit low with water temperatures in the low to mid 40s. There is little to no snow on the ground anymore so fear of any snowmelt dropping water temperatures is gone. Winter stonelifes and midges have been hatching the past few days with fish feeding on them sporadically in the afternoon. Subsurface fishing has been excellent lately on midge larvae, scuds and heavy bead heads fished along the bottom, and leeches or smaller streamers. Water temperatures are at the point that fish will feed well throughout most of the day with the major activity in the early afternoon.
Rain likely, mainly before 11am. Cloudy, with a high near 65. Breezy, with a south wind 13 to 17 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch. Weather change today, but it should not mess the fishing up too much. Things were great yesterday with midges hatching almost all day and fish gorging on larvae and pupae and even some rising fish in the afternoon! Creeks are still clear as the light rain was not enough to muddy up the water, nor was the snowmelt heavy. There is little to no snow left on the banks, and walking around is quite easy. Look for fish to continue to eat their early season menu of midges, scuds, leeches, and other heavy bead head nymphs fished on the bottom. With warmer water temperatures (average 40 right now) fish will move out of deeper holes and into the riffles and runs, especially mid day, to feed.
A 30 percent chance of rain, mainly after 5pm. Increasing clouds, with a high near 61. South wind 8 to 10 mph. Fantastic weather for the Driftless! Fishing has been quite fun with fish eating leeches, midge larvae, and heavy tungsten bead head nymphs. Water temperatures are 40 and above which means fish are still predominately in the deeper holes but have started to move out into the riffles and runs. There have been rising fish eating winter stoneflies and midges sporadically. Look for hatches mid day and into the afternoon.
Mostly cloudy, with a high near 38. North wind 5 to 13 mph. Creeks are clear to slightly stained with temperatures in the high 30s to mid 40s. Warm and cloudy weather today means good fishing but probably limited dry fly action. Look for the fish to eat subsurface on midge larvae, scuds, and leeches. Tomorrow will be warm and sunny early, then start to cloud up. Another excellent early season day weather wise! When the sun shines on the water, we see more hatch activity.
Rain and snow likely, mainly after 5pm. Cloudy, with a high near 36. South wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. Little to no snow/rain is expected to fall. The warming trend continues! The slow warming is really getting the fish going eating mostly subsurface, but Saturday and Sunday's sunny weather should get more midges hatching. These are excellent conditions in the Driftless. A slow melt that percolates into the ground and doesn't have too much of an affect on water temperatures. Creeks are clear and flowing well with water temperatures in 39-45 area wide. Midge larvae, heavy czech style nymphs, scuds, leeches, and pink squirrels subsurface. Smokejumper midges and unweighted pheasant tail nymphs fished in the film for rising fish.
Scattered flurries before 10am. Cloudy, with a high near 34. East wind around 6 mph becoming north in the afternoon. The Driftless is warming up quickly! With these temperatures, fishing will really pick up. There is little snow left on the ground, and we are getting a nice, slow melt and lots of it absorbed into the ground. Creeks are flowing well and are clear to slightly stained with temperatures in the high 30s and low 40s. Hatches of winter stones and midges are sparse still, but with steady warmer temperatures they should pick up in the next few days. Subsurface fishing has been very solid on midge larvae, heavy nymphs, scuds, and leeches. Try tossing a streamer right now for bigger fish!
Increasing clouds, with a high near 28. Wind chill values as low as -2. Southwest wind 5 to 7 mph becoming southeast in the afternoon. A chilly winter day, but the forecast for the weekend gets into the 40s thankfully! Fishing is still solid as water temperatures have not plunged to shut fishing down, however it is downright uncomfortable out there today. Fishing is best mid day when water temperatures have increased a bit. Trout are eating leeches, scuds, midges, and other heavy nymphs fished along the bottom.
Snow, mainly before 10am. High near 26. Northeast wind 9 to 13 mph becoming northwest in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 100%. Total daytime snow accumulation of less than one inch possible. Snow last night dropped about an inch or two area wide. Nothing to make life difficult for anglers, and it is much needed water in the system! Fishing has been really good after the warm weekend, but with chilly nights ahead it will start to slow down and the good fishing will be compressed into the 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. time slot again. Trout have been eating midge larvae, leeches, scuds, and copper johns subsurface. The hatch activity has been limited with sporadically rising fish that are eating midge mergers. Creeks are flowing well and clear to slightly stained.
Mostly cloudy, with a temperature rising to near 37 by 11am, then falling to around 30 during the remainder of the day. Breezy, with a west wind 9 to 17 mph becoming north in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 33 mph. Happy Leap Day! The early preview of spring ends today as the warm front rolls out of the area and colder temperatures settle in for the rest of the week. Fishing was fantastic with the warmer water temps with fish happily eating leeches, scuds, an midges. We even had some dry fly and soft hackle activity in the afternoons. Although things are getting cold again, the good news is that most of the snow is gone, making parking and getting around stream side easier. Creeks are low and clear with water temps in the high 30s to mid 40s.
Cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly sunny, with a high near 34. West wind 6 to 9 mph. The wind has died down and the weather is getting absolutely gorgeous! Fishing has been good the past couple of days and should continue to get better into the weekend. Look for fish to eat leeches, scuds, and heavy czech style nymphs as well as midges. Hatch activity has been low, but with the warm day on Saturday they might show up. The snowpack is light, but there is still some snow on the ground. Make sure you use your thermometer. Water temperatures are in the mid to high 30s which is perfect for winter fishing. You just want to make sure that you are fishing a rising temperature as opposed to a falling temperature. Snowmelt puts icy cold water into the creeks and can slow fishing down quickly.
Mostly cloudy, with a high near 32. Breezy, with a northwest wind 15 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 28 mph. Despite breezy conditions (which end tomorrow), fishing has been pretty good. Hatch activity has been slight lately with the clouds in the sky, but fish have been happily eating leeches, scuds, and midge larvae subsurface. The weekend is looking very warm! The snow pack is low with many bare spots on the ground so runoff will not be horrible even with temperatures hitting near 50 on Saturday. The shoulders of roads are clear and parking is easy.
Cloudy, with a high near 37. Breezy, with a north wind 10 to 16 mph. Windy today and tomorrow, but temperatures are still great for February fishing. Finding a sheltered area, or fishing leeches and streamers will help when the wind is up. Creeks are low and clear with no significant snowmelt the past few days. There is not a lot of snow on the ground with bare patches visible and shoulders roadside all clear (easy parking!). Look for fish to be most active from about 9 to 3 on most days. Dry fly fishing is spotty as we need the sun to bring up water temperature just a bit more. Once we get sun, we see fish rising steadily again in the afternoon.
Cloudy, with a high near 40. Southeast wind 5 to 7 mph becoming southwest in the afternoon. Solid winter fishing is here! There is still just a little snow on the ground, making parking and getting around very easy. Creeks are low and clear to slightly stained with temperatures right around 40 degrees. There have been rising fish in the afternoon with midges hatching sporadically on pretty much a daily basis at this point. Most of the fishing is subsurface however, with trout feeding on midge larvae, bright bead head nymphs, scuds, and leeches.
Cloudy, with a high near 35. Calm wind becoming west around 5 mph. After a a warm weekend of good fishing, our streams are running clear to slightly stained with water temps 38-45 degrees. Limited dry fly activity over the weekend, most fish ate leeches, midge larvae and scuds subsurface. The entire week ahead looks good, not too warm to muddy anything up with snowmelt, and not too cold to be outside!
Increasing clouds, with a high near 44. West wind 10 to 13 mph. Fishing has been solid with the warmer weather. Just be wary of runoff. Take water temperatures and if they are falling fishing will be poor. And some creeks might turn muddy if it gets too hot today.
Increasing clouds, with a high near 48. Windy, with a south wind 15 to 20 mph becoming west 21 to 26 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 45 mph. Good news, the rain is out of the forecast, so runoff is not a major concern anymore, even the nights are cooler which will lock up any real runoff. Bad news, wow is it windy today! Find a stream where the wind is at your back, or somewhere sheltered. Leeches do not need a nice dead drift, so those are a go to on windy days. The bonus is that they are working incredibly well too! With the warmer temperatures, look for fish to move out of the deeper holes and into the runs. Tomorrow is warm and sunny, we should see hatches in the afternoon. PLUS, the wind dies down to normal on Saturday. Shop is open today from noon to five, all day Saturday, and Sunday from nine to noon.
A slight chance of drizzle after 5pm. Cloudy, with a high near 40. Breezy, with a southeast wind 14 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 28 mph. Water is incredible! Warmer temps have kept water temps at 40 degrees. It has not gotten quite warm enough for any real snowmelt. There is some so be sure to use your thermometer. When the water temperatures start to drop fishing will slow down. Although the weather is still excellent, and we have seen hatches of midges and winter stones, the thing to be wary of today and tomorrow is the wind. It will be gusting pretty heavily today and tomorrow, but looks like it calms down for Saturday. As usual, we will keep you posted if anything major changes, but it looks great for Saturday and Sunday!
Sunny, with a high near 28. Northeast wind around 5 mph becoming calm. Creeks are in great shape with the warming weather! Fishing has been good for the winter the past few days, with anglers catching a few fish in the afternoon. Water temperatures are hovering close to and above 40 area wide. Creeks are low and clear, which means spooky fish. With the water temperatures warming, we have seen winter stoneflies and a few midges. There have been a few rising fish, but expect more as we head into a warmer weekend. Leeches fished deep have been the hot fly all winter long, and as things warm up we have been catching more fish on scuds, midge larvae, and other small bead head nymphs.
cloudy, with a high near 34. South wind 5 to 9 mph becoming northwest in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 40% Wow what a good week of winter fishing we have. Things started out strong yesterday with fish happily eating scuds, midge larvae and leeches rolled along the bottom of deeper pools. Water temps were 35-40 yesterday. With warmer weather coming, look for the fish to move out of the deepest spots and start feeding in the runs. The weekend weather is supposed to hit 40 degrees! If that happens watch for some hatches to come off mid day. Also when the temperatures get above 40 make sure you are using your thermometer, as snowmelt later in the day will drop the water temperature and cause fishing to shut down.
Glad to have that weekend behind us! Patchy fog before 9am. Otherwise, cloudy, with a high near 27. Southwest wind 3 to 7 mph. A bit more welcoming weather this week as things warm up. The weekend we're looking at 40 degrees. Fish are eating leeches and scuds well, and when the sun is out they will feed heavily on midge larvae and other small bead heads. Creeks are low and clear with water temps ranging from 35-40 depending on the influence of the springs.
Sunny, with a high near 9. Wind chill values as low as -23. Northwest wind 3 to 6 mph. No fishing today. Shop is closed.
Mostly Sunny High 13 Wind NW 17-21 MPH Cold and windy, with windchill below zero again today. The good news is that the sun is shining and actually getting a bit of melt on the front of the shop! The solar warmth is excellent, but it is miserable to be out in the wind and cold. Sunday/Monday gets back to better temperatures. HEADS UP: We will be closed this weekend. Saturday's forecast is grim. Sunny, with a high near 9. Wind chill values as low as -23. Northwest wind 3 to 6 mph.
Sun, then clouds in the afternoon High 16 Windchill as low as -12 Wind 6 MPH NW changing to SW Another cold day out there. Fishing will be difficult as your line will ice up pretty quickly. The good news is that the sun has been out and has kept stream side ice formation lower than it would would be on cloudy days. We're still looking at Sunday and Monday as decent weather and more fishable days ahead.
Sunny High 12 Windchill down to -15 I'm just going to stop after the windchill. Today is not a great day to fish! If you do go out today, make sure you are covered and warm! Doesn't look like it will warm up much until Sunday/Monday.
Cloudy and Cold High 13 Wind NW 14-16 Wind Chill down to -10 Cold and windy today. Time to tie some flies! The entire week looks pretty chilly. There is some sun in the later part of the week, but air temperatures remain cold.
Cloudy, Light Snow High 21 Wind NW 14-20 Creeks low and clear water temps 35-42 Not the best day to be fishing... The early part of the week looks cold. Later on the sun starts to shine which will get fishing moving, but the air temperatures stay pretty low. This week will be a gamble as the creeks will be warm, but the anglers will not! The warmer weekend got fish moving, but no real dry fly activity.
Cloudy, Light Snow High 21 Wind NW 14-18 Windy and chillier today, the entire week looks to be chilly. We will see what the sunnier weather does for the fishing later in the week, but colder than 25 with clouds is not the best to be out fishing in! The warm weekend gave us some pretty good fishing on leeches and midges. It has not been good dry fly weather as it has not been sunny enough.
Partly Sunny High 25 Wind W 5-7 Creeks Clear Water Temp 37-42 A decent day to be out fishing (rule of thumb, 25 degrees and sunny is decent fishing) but things get better tomorrow and Sunday when temperatures hit 33-36! Fish have been responding very well to leeches twitched throughgh the deeper holes and below springs. As water temperature rises and the sun warms the stream bed, look for increase feeding activity on midges and other small bead heads. Creeks are mostly ice free and flowing well for the winter. Snowshoes are helpful as snow is now boot to calf deep.
Mostly Cloudy High 25 Wind S 6-9 MPH Wind Chill as low as -4 Another fly tying day! We ventured out fishing yesterday and while the water temperatures were warm enough (38 degrees average) it was just cold to be outside! Fish ate leeches twitched through the holes, but overall fishing is pretty slow. The weekend warms up a bit and should be much more angler friendly!
High 28 Cloudy NW Wind 14-16 Creeks clear Water temps 35-40 Nearly a foot of snow fell yesterday and into today! While it temporarily made access to the stream, we were low on our snowpack and this is a much needed injection of moisture for the warmer part of the season. The weather remains pretty chilly until the weekend. Fishing will be pretty average until things warm up a bit or we get some sun. Focus on deeper pools and creeks that have heavy spring influence. The snow will not monkey with water temperatures too badly. Fish will be active mid day eating small bead heads, leeches and streamers. Time to get the snowshoes ready and scout the creeks, or stay home and tie flies!
Winter Storm Warning High 32 Wind E 15-21 Decent temperature today, but we are forecasted to get heavy snow and blowing winds! A good to day stay home and tie flies. Temperatures dip a bit mid week, but then get back to the mid 20s to low 30s and sunny for the weekend.
Sunny High 34 Wind W 5mph becoming calm in the afternoon Creeks low and clear Water Temps 35-44 Hurry up and fish today! After today, we are under a winter storm warning for Tuesday. We're forecasted for some much needed snow Tuesday to the tune of 6-10 inches. Fishing over the warmer weekend was fantastic with fish chasing leeches and streamers, feeding on midges and scuds, and even some eating dry flies! That will continue today until water temperatures start to drop in the afternoon as the sun drops in the sky.
Sunny, increasing clouds in the PM High 39 Wind S 6-8 Creeks low and clear Water temps 35-45 A gorgeous day to fish today! It is already warm (for January!) and pleasant out. Look for fish to feed earlier in the day after a warmer night and the sun hitting the water this morning. Your most important piece of equipment right now is your thermometer! A rising water temperature means fish will feed. As water temperature starts to drop, fish activity starts to shut down. Fish are feeding on small bead head nymphs with a bit of flash, as well as midge larvae. There is a chance for rising fish with the temperatures today. Hatches include midges and winter stoneflies. Leeches have been excellent lately, and with warmer water temperateres, do not hesitate to tie on a larger streamer to find some hungry big fish!
Partly Cloud High 30 Wind S 8-13 Creeks low and clear (winter flows) Water temps 36-44 The temperatures over the next few days are ideal! Not too warm to cause rapid snowmelt, and not too cold that it stinks being outside! Look for midges and winter stoneflies to hatch if the sun is out most of the day. Water temperatures are key. Fish will eat on rising water temperatures, and will begin to shut down on falling temperatures. Creeks are ice free for the most part, and the snow on the banks is not too deep to make walking impossible. In other words, for January we are looking at pretty much ideal conditions for the weekend and into next week. Fish are eating micro nymphs and small flashy bead heads. Scuds, midge larvae, and pink squirrels are also in the mix. Leeches and streamers are always a fantastic winter fly, and you can find some surprisingly big fish this time of year. Just remember to keep your retrieve a bit slower than you normally would.
Cloudy High 34 Wind NW 13-17 with gusts Creeks Low and Clear Water Temps 38-44 Warmer weather the next few days and heading into the weekend! The slightly warmer temperatures gave us midge hatches and we even saw some winter stoneflies yesterday. Fish were feeding on the surface. Fishing is solid for winter time! Fish are eating just below the riffles and into the runs. You can also find pods of fish in the deeper pools. The water is low and clear with fish being a bit spooky, so use some caution as you stand out quite a bit with a white background! Trout are eating leeches and streamers in the deeper pools, and are feeding on small, flashy bead head nymphs and midge larvae in the runs and riffles. An unweighted pheasant tail greased and in the surface is deadly for rising fish when the standard midge dries are not getting them to eat.
Sunny with clouds in the PM High 31 Wind SW 7-15 Clear and low water Water Temps 35-42 Gorgeous, sunny morning this morning will start to wake the fishery up. Yesterday was a bit cooler than expected and fishing was difficult. We're looking at some pretty excellent temperatures the next few days (pushing 40 on Saturday) with a slight chance for some precipitation. With days in the 30s and sunny and nights only dropping down into the 20s, we are in great shape for winter fishing in the driftless. Midge larvae, smaller pink squirrels, copper johns, leeches and streamers are all still the foods of choice. With a touch warmer water temperature do not be afraid to throw some larger streamers at the fish too!
CLoudy High 26 NW Wind 10-16 Creeks low and clear Water temps 35-40 The wintry weather is starting to fade after today. We got about 2 inches of snow last night, and today will be windy as the storm leaves the area. Tomorrow looks better, and Thursday through the weekend we are going to have 30 degrees and warmer. Looks like another good winter weekend!
High 33 Partly Cloudy Changing to a Wintry Mix and Snow in the afternoon/evening Wind E 6-8 mph Looks like we are going to get a little bit of precipitation tonight. Nothing disastrous, they are calling for an inch or two to fall total. The temperatures for the week look fantastic! With mid 20s to low 30s every day, and fairly mild nights look for fishing to be solid all week long! The weekend had fish feeding on the normal stuff, midge larvae, smaller pink squirrels, leeches, scuds, and buggers. Nothing changes in the winter for fly selection really. There were some sporadic rising fish eating midges on the surface in the afternoon. Not a major hatch, but some fish were looking up and some were caught on the surface.
Sunny, Cloud in the later afternoon High 27 Wind S 7-10 Creeks low and clear Water temps mid 30s to 40. Sun is your friend! The sun is bright this morning in a cloudless sky. This sets up a good fishable day. Focus on the creeks that get the most solar energy during the day. The water temperatures on those creeks will rise more rapidly which kickstarts fish feeding activity. Fish are feeding on small scuds, midge larvae, leeches and buggers.
Partly Cloudy High 24 Wind N 5-7 Creeks low and clear Water temps 38-40 Decent daytime temperatures followed by chilly nights this weekend. The fishing will be pretty good all weekend with favorable temperatures to be outside and not too cold to freeze gear up all day long. Earlier this week the frigid temperatures put some ice on sections of the creeks, so make sure you are fishing near springs or on streams that get a good amount of solar energy all day long. Fishing in the shade probably isn't going to work all that well! There is no need to get up early to fish. Water temperatures do not start warming up until about 10 a.m. Sleep in, grab an extra cup of coffee or a late breakfast and relax this weekend! Fishing has been solid on midge larvae, leeches, and wooly buggers. Nothing special in terms of flies, the fish just want things slowly rolled along the bottom of pools and runs below riffles, especially where springs are dumping in.
Cloudy High 25 Wind Light and Variable Creeks low and clear with a bit of ice still on them from a cold past few days Water temps 38-40 25 degrees is what we consider the lower end of the temperature range to fish. Anything below 25 will be frustrating with iced guides. Anything above 25 (especially on full sun days) will be good winter fishing. Today and tomorrow will be decent, setting us up for some fun. Fish are holding in the deeper pools (especially those with springs on the bottom or flowing into them) and below runs. It might take a bit of extra drive time today to find ice free spots but this will get easier the next couple of days. Fish are eating midge larvae and pupae, pink squirrels, leeches and buggers, and very small bead head flies.
Cloudy High 20 Wind SW 5mph Creeks low and clear Water Temps 38-40 The cold front is gone, and things will warm up a bit heading into the weekend! The mid to high 20s is the trigger for decent winter fishing conditions, so it looks like this weekend (highs in the mid to high 20s) might be a good one to get out of town and spend some time on the creeks! Fish have been eating leeches and buggers slowly drifted through the holes, and midge larvae in the runs below riffles. The best fishing is between 10 and 2. Remember your thermometer as it is very important to see what water temperatures are throughout the day. The minute they start to climb, the fish will feed. The minute they start to drop, the fishing will start to shut down.
Partly CLoudy High 11 (windchill as low -17) Wind W 11 Still cold for a couple more days. Thursday is looking like the first comfortable day this week. The weekend is forecasted for light winds and temperatures in the high 20s and low 30s. Excellent conditions for winter fishing! Creeks are low and clear with water temps below 40 due to the frigid weather of the past couple of days. Tomorrow starts a warming trend that will push water temps closer to the magic 40 mark and they will continue to stabilize and warm through the weekend. Midge larvae, scuds, squirrels, leeches and buggers are all the foods of choice this winter. Saturday and Sunday may see a midge hatch in the afternoon.
Sunny High 1 Wind W 8 MPH Water low and clear Water temps 35-40 Bitterly cold again today and lots of creeks will have ice after a couple of days of wind chill at 20-30 below! Things will get back to normal on Wednesday it looks like. Until then, tie some flies and stay warm! On days that the temperature is below 20 the shop is open by appointment. Call us and we will open up for you if you are in town.
Mostly Sunny High 9 Creeks low and clear Water temps 35-40 Sunny but cool with the temperature dropping throughout the day. Not the best conditions for fishing, but you can still find a few active fish early on. Tomorrow looks brutal with wind chills to almost -30! Things normalize by Wednesday when temperatures return to normal. Anything in the 25 degree range (especially with sun) will be tolerable to fish. Colder than that it is just rough on your gear and yourself! Fish are in deeper pools as water temps are in the high 30s to 40. Don't overlook colder (35/36 degree) water that is in the sun. It has been some of the better fishing lately as the water temps rise from the sun's heat! Midges and squirrels have been excellent subsurface, as have leeches and thin mints. No real dry fly activity lately as midge hatches have been sparse with the changing weather.
Cloudy, chance of flurries High 29 Wind NW 10-15 Creeks low and clear Water Temp 35-40 Today is the last day to get in some decent fishing before the weather turns too chilly! Despite some colder weather, yesterday was excellent fishing as water temps were warm enough to have some active fish. There were not a lot of midges hatching, but fish were happy to eat leeches, pink squirrels, and midge larvae. Some streams have some ice on them, so be prepared to drive a bit to find the springs and warmer water. Also, be careful walking around on the shelf ice! REMINDER: Winter hours M-F 9-Noon Saturday 9-4 Sunday 9-Noon
Mostly Cloudy High 36 Wind SE 9 mph Today and tomorrow are the days to fish! Warmer temperatures mean active fish. Remember to use your thermometer and make sure you are fishing warming water, not cooling water. The peak of the day is between 10 and 2. Fish are eating midges and leeches, and with the warmer temperatures we may see some rising fish the next couple of days. Unfortunately the temperature plunges over the weekend with Saturday at a high of 6 and Sunday a high of -8! So call in sick today and tomorrow.
Cloudy Cold with wind chill below zero Creeks low and clear Water temps high 30s After some brutally chilly weather, things are mellowing out over the next couple of days. It looks like Thursday and Friday will be the fishy days this week. The winter routine applies. Fish 10-2 especially on sunny days as the increase in water temperature is what switches fish on to feed.
Partly Sunny High 33 Wind S 9 Water low and clear with temps near 40 The next few days through Saturday are looking good. Sunday the mercury dips and will be quite chilly. Fishing has been very strong with the temperatures staying warm for January. Fish are responding subsurface to midge larvae, smaller thin bodied bead heads, squirrels and scuds. Leeches and streamers are still catching some bigger, aggressive fish too. The shop will be open this Saturday, and starting Wednesday of next week will have regular hours (not just Saturdays!)
Not terrible winter weather at all! Partly Cloudy High 26 Water Temp in the high 30s to low 40s We'd like to see the sun again to help warm up the creeks, but cloudy nights also trap heat and make fishing better a bit earlier in the day! Fish are pooled up in the runs and deeper holes and will eat nymphs and slowly fished streamers and leeches readily. It looks like it will warm up a bit this weekend which should really kick things into gear. The shop is open on Saturday 9-5 and starting Tuesday the 12th we will be open full time again!
