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.
Driftless Angler Fly Shop
Wisconsin's Premier Fly Shop and Guide Service
Blog
August 2016
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.
