It's another ugly cold day. The entire week is a stay inside and tie flies type week. The weekend is looking just a touch warmer with Saturday's high being 17. While this isn't necessarily fishing weather, it will be pleasant enough to layer up, and take a walk along some creeks with the chance of catching some fish.
Driftless Angler Fly Shop
Wisconsin's Premier Fly Shop and Guide Service
Blog
2017
Wisconsin's trout season opens January 6th. It's quite cold out there right now, with the forecast for opener is, well, Wisconsin in January. Sunny with a high of 12 degrees is what they are calling for. We will be open on the 6th from 9 until noon. In the winter time, fishing is best mid day as things warm up. If you can catch a rising water temperature, you will run into fish. Because of our spring creeks, water temperatures are chilly, but stable and with the sun warming things up, bugs and fish get active mid day. The limiting factor is angler comfort.
Weird weather of up and down temperatures all week. Friday is forecasted to be in the low 50s, the rest of the week is all across the board in the 30s and 40s. Although the weather is decent, fish are in full on spawning mode. We highly encourage you to either not fish, or if you are over in Iowa please target the put and take stocked rainbow trout creeks.
Cold weather until Sunday. We're in the freeze overnight and hit the high 20s to mid 30s weather this week until Sunday (high of 65). Fishing is ok right now, but only for a few hours in the afternoon. We're seeing some rising fish, but most fish are eating small bead head nymphs and scuds bounced along the bottom. We're hesitant to head out, no because of the cold, but because fish are in spawning mode now. Please leave all spawning fish along and fish the deeper water below beds!
Wisconsin's trout season is closed. Thank you all for a fantastic season! Fishing has not stopped as Iowa's driftless is open all year. The olives are hatching over there right now, and fish are happy. If you head out and fish, please leave any spawning fish alone.
WISCONSIN'S SEASON IS CLOSED! We're taking a week off and will periodically update the fishing report for those of you heading to Iowa or Minnesota's driftless in the fall and winter. Thanks for a great season!
UPDATE 10:45. So far the major rains have stayed south of us. We've received some light rain that is already letting up. Dodged the first bullet of the day! Showers and thunderstorms likely, then periods of showers and possibly a thunderstorm after 2pm. High near 59. East wind 8 to 13 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible. Change to the forecast. The creeks are in great shape, but the wind will pick up today. The rain should not do major damage to the fishing, but we will keep you posted just in case. Please make sure to give other anglers space this weekend. It will be a busy weekend this weekend. Please do not hop above other anglers, make sure to check in before you fish!
A 30 percent chance of showers, mainly after 4pm. Cloudy, with a high near 62. Light and variable wind becoming southwest around 5 mph in the afternoon. Last weekend of season. Things close down on Monday the 16th. Conditions are excellent. Clear to stained water that is running cold. Clouds in the sky, olives hatching mid day into the evening and fish are happy. If you see rising fish, try and olive or hippie stomper. Subsurface fishing has been good on scuds and pink squirrels as well as pheasant tails. Deeper holes have been giving up some nice fish on leeches and streamers.
Patchy drizzle before 9am. Patchy fog before 10am. Otherwise, cloudy, with a high near 59. South wind 6 to 10 mph. 4 more days of season, and conditions are excellent. Scuds, leeches, and larger patterns subsurface. Olives hatching in the afternoon. Creeks stained and flowing well and cool. Get out and fish, it is excellent!
Areas of drizzle before 8am. Cloudy, with a high near 59. Northeast wind 7 to 9 mph. The season is finishing with a bang! Only 5 more days of fishing before season closes. We are able to fish through October the 15th. Creeks are cold, and clear to slightly stained area wide. We're forecasted for clouds and drizzle through Sunday! You really cold not ask for better fishing weather. There is no reason to get up at the crack of dawn. Things are cool enough that the fishing does not pick up until things have warmed just a bit. Fish are eating scuds and pink squirrels very well sub surface. They are also chasing leeches and streamers. On the surface, fish will rise to olives and midges, especially in the afternoon. Fishing a simple parachute adams or olive will work, as will a campara-dun or sparkle dun.
Mostly sunny, with a high near 63. North wind 9 to 13 mph. Clear to stained area wide, with good flows and excellent temperatures. Sunny today which will keep fish deep. We are due for some cloud cover over the next couple of days, that will bring the olives back out in the afternoon. Fish a dry/dropper with a smaller foam terrestrial and a thin bodied bead head below on the clear water, and fish scuds and pink squirrels or leeches on the water that still have a stain to them. Season goes through October 15th. Conditions are great and the weather is comfortable to end the season on!
High near 66. South wind 9 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 31 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible. Over the past 24 hours it looks like we got 1.5 to 3 inches of rain. Scouting around this morning I did find clear water though! It might take a bit more windshield time, and scouting some different creeks, but there is fishable to clear water out there! Remember that after a rain fishing really picks up and if you have a foot or two of visibility you can catch fish. Today might not be a perfect dry fly day on the larger creeks, so fish subsurface with a leech or wooly bugger, scud, pink squirrel, or San Juan worm. The creeks that are clear should see some surface feeding as olives have shown up over the past couple of cloudy days. It hasn't been a gigantic hatch yet, but conditions are right for fall olives for sure! Creeks are slightly stained to murky and flowing a bit high. Things are dropping and clearing quickly.
Showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 4pm. High near 62. Light east wind increasing to 5 to 9 mph in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 90%. Another round of light showers yesterday did not stain the water up significantly. We're still at stained to clear area wide. Fishing has been really good lately with the cooler temps and cloud cover. We are supposed to get some rain this weekend, but so far they are predicting showers and not thunderstorms. If this holds, we will be looking at slightly stained to medium stained water area wide, and while it may suppress the olive hatch activity a bit, the subsurface fishing should be excellent! We will keep you updated on the rain totals, but we are not panicking about it. Terrestrials have been the ticket, but only after things warm up and dry out a bit. Early in the morning fishing has been best subsurface on heavy tungsten nymphs and scuds. In the evening we have started to see some olives hatching, but have still had more success on small ants and beetles on the surface. The heavy nymphs have been solid all through the evening too!
Scattered showers before 11am, then a slight chance of showers after 2pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 63. Light and variable wind. Chance of precipitation is 30%. The creeks were surprisingly clear yesterday after Tuesday nights rain. They remain clear to stained and flowing very well with cool temperatures. Our guides did excellent on streamers and leeches in the morning, then switching to hoppers in the afternoon/evening. Expect much of the same today. Subsurface in the morning, then look for olives to hatch late afternoon. Fishing a small hopper or ant on the surface will get fish to eat after lunch time too. 10 more days of season! Conditions are just perfect right now. Get out and fish!
Sunny, with a high near 66. Light north wind becoming west 8 to 13 mph in the morning. An inch to two inches of rain fell quickly and heavily last night. Look for stained water this morning that will drop and clear very quickly. Break out the San Juan worms and leeches after the rain! This is another weather adjustment and looking ahead the forecast is for cool weather and drizzly days. This means olive hatches in the afternoons! With the cooler and wetter weather, terrestrials will not be as effective until later in the day when things have a chance to dry out. Most of the action early will be subsurface. Season is open through October the 15th! Get out there and enjoy the weather, and the excellent fishing fall gives us!
EDIT: I mis typed this morning. Season is open through the 15th, not the 25th. Typing the report a bit too quickly! We have 13 days of fishing left in the Wisconsin Driftless. Mat Isolated showers between 9am and 10am. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 76. Breezy, with a light south wind increasing to 12 to 17 mph in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 10%. Season is open through October 15th and conditions couldn't be much better. A bit of cloud cover through the day means fish will be happier. Look for a possible olive hatch in the late afternoon if the clouds stay in. Otherwise surface activity will be terrestrials and fish rising to mayflies and midges in the evening. Subsurface activity has been solid on scuds, and tungsten bead head bugs fished in the shin to thigh deep water. Fish will retreat into the deeper water if the sun comes out mid day, but will return to the runs later in the day. Things are great right now in the Driftless!
Sunny, with a high near 65. Light east wind becoming south 5 to 10 mph in the morning. Look for fish to feed more heavily subsurface today due to the sun. When the sun is off the water, the surface feeding will increase. While there should not be any major visible surface feeding, trout will still come up to eat a smaller terrestrial even in the bright sun, so fishing a hopper with a dropper is not a bad idea. The creeks are in excellent shape, with good flows and cool temperatures. Expect clear to stained conditions area wide. Most fish will be in the riffles and runs until the mid day sun when they will retreat into deeper pools and underneath the banks. They will come out to play again when the angle of the sun drops a bit.
Sunny, with a high near 64. Calm wind becoming north 5 to 9 mph in the morning. A cool, crisp fall weekend ahead of us. Things are quite good in the Driftless right now. Water flows are really good and temperatures are quite chilly after a few nights that have dipped down into the 40s. Creeks are clear to slightly stained area wide. Fish are eating midges and a few trico spinners in the mornings on the surface. Subsurface they are liking scuds and squirrels early. Mid day fishing has been best on smaller terrestrials on the surface, and smaller thinner profile bugs subsurface. In the late afternoon and evening, look for some olives (size 18-20 mayflies) as well as some larger (14-16) mayflies to hatch and potentially create a spinner fall in the evening. With the cooler temperatures, do not hesitate to fish a leech or streamer as fish are starting to kick into fall mode and seek larger meals. Your best fishing on larger bugs is when the sun is not shining directly on the water, or on the handful of creeks that have a stain to them.
sunny, with a high near 70. Light west wind increasing to 8 to 13 mph in the morning. Conditions couldn't be more pleasant in the Driftless right now. The cool fall weather has both anglers and trout very happy! Look for sporadic rising fish in the mornings on a mix of tricos and midges. As the day warms up a bit, the terrestrial surface bite turns on with fish eating ants, beetles, and smaller foam attractor patterns. In the evening, our bug soup comes out and has fish looking up yet again. Midges, olives, craneflies and more will be out at night. If you are having trouble getting fish to eat on the surface, tie on an emerger and give it a twitch or two! Subsurface fishing has been good on both larger, thicker bodied patterns such as scuds and pink squirrels and on clear water with smaller thinner bodied bugs (zebra midges, frenchies). Fish are pushed up into the riffles and runs most of the day retreating to the undercut banks and bottoms of pools when the sun is at its mid day peak. Mousing is still going strong, and will continue to be good until it gets really cold. Slowly fishing a mouse pattern on the surface can yield some explosive eats as well as some larger trout!
Sunny, with a high near 63. Light northwest wind increasing to 8 to 13 mph in the morning. Wow. It really couldn't be better in the Driftless for the fall. Our season ends October 15th, and creeks are flowing well with very cool water temperatures. The recent rains stained things up a bit, but most of the creeks were fishable yesterday, and have cleared up quite a bit overnight. With the drop in water temperatures, we have seen the return of the olive hatch and spinner fall. That on top of remaining tricos in the morning and terrestrials mid day means some fun dry fly action potentially all day. Subsurface fishing has been hot. With frenchies and pink squirrels leading the charge. Scuds have started fishing well again when cloud cover is overhead or the creek is showing a bit of stain. We're forecasted for a week or so of very mld fall weather with temperatures not topping 70 degrees and cooling down into the 40s at night. This is what you want for end of season fishing!
Showers likely, mainly between 9am and 4pm. Patchy fog before 11am. Otherwise, cloudy, with a high near 71. Light and variable wind becoming west 8 to 13 mph in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible. The worm has turned! The rain last night (1-3 inches, the heavier rain was south of Viroqua) has many of our creeks stained to muddy, however the guides are all out on clear to stained water this morning, so it is out there! Things will drop and clear quickly as today's rain is supposed to be lighter drizzle and showers. The temperatures drop back to fall levels starting this evening. The night time lows in the 40s are key for late season fishing to really turn on (remember out season lasts through October 15th!). Leeches, scuds, and San Juan worms in the cloudy water, then scuds and pink squirrels in the stained water. Today we may see some olives hatching in the afternoon too.
Mostly sunny, with a high near 84. Calm wind becoming south 5 to 8 mph in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 40%. The last day of the hot weather! We should see some rain tonight and into tomorrow then the temperatures drop back down to the 60s during the day and 40s during the night. In other words, it's going to get really good again soon! Look for trico spinners in the morning, terrestrials all day, then the bug soup in the evenings. As things cool down the bug soup should turn into a bit more consistent olive hatch. This won't happen right away, but over the next few cold days we should see them again in noticeable numbers. Subsurface fishing is still best with heavy and thin bodied bugs. As things cool down, fish will move out from undercut banks and deeper pools and start to push up into the riffles and runs again too. Season is open through October 15th, and the fall fishing can be some of the best in the Driftless!
Sunny, with a high near 88. South wind 7 to 10 mph. Enough with the hot weather already! Warmer again today, and will start to cool down come Monday/Tuesday. Fishing is good in the early morning and late evening. Mid day, find some shade on a smaller tributary creek or cast as tight to the banks as you can to find fish. Tricos and midges in the morning, small terrestrials all day, and rising fish again in the evening that will fall for small parachutes and comparadun patterns. Subsurface flies should be heavy, small, and thin profiled.
Sunny, with a high near 91. Heat index values as high as 97. South wind 8 to 15 mph. Looks like summer is trying to desperately hold on. This is the last hot day in a while. Fortunately the earlier summer was cool and rainy which means water flows and temperatures are actually still good as of today. Just fish early and late and avoid the mid day heat. Creeks are clear to stained and flows are quite good for early fall. Fish are eating midges and trico spinners in the mornings, then seeking shade and deeper water during the day time. Fishing a small foam attractor pattern or a terrestrial neat the bank can be deadly this time of year. Especially if you have a bead head tied below your terrestrial! Fish will eat subsurface all day. Just make sure that your patterns are heavy and bouncing on the bottom. In the evening fish are eating on the surface again (once the sun goes behind the bluffs). Try fishing a midge, cranefly, or mayfly emerger for best success. Also, do not overlook night fishing right now. Putting on a headlamp and hiking back to some slower flowing pools and tossing a mouse pattern on the surface or large leech subsurface can be excellent!
Patchy fog before 9am. Otherwise, mostly sunny, with a high near 83. Northeast wind 5 to 7 mph becoming south in the afternoon. Despite the warm front, fishing has remained solid in the mornings and evenings. Look for trico spinners in the early mornings with fish rising until about 9-10 a.m. After that fish will feed subsurface on small beadheads fished deep in the runs and near undercut banks. In the evening, fish will start to rise right at dark to a mix of midges and mayflies. Creeks south of the shop got some heavy rain yesterday. Expect muddy to stained water. Things are more clear north of the shop. The sun will be the limiting factor right now. Fish early and late, find shade and undercut banks, and you will find more trout!
A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms before 10am, then scattered showers and thunderstorms after 2pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 79. Southeast wind 5 to 9 mph becoming southwest in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 40% Cloudy and warmer today. The warm weather might be a bit uncomfortable after the past few chilly weeks, but the cloud cover will do wonders for the fishing. Creeks are still in great shape with good flows and colder temperatures than normal for late summer. Look for trico spinner falls in the morning. Fish will be rising until about 9 or 10. After that, fishing smaller terrestrials and foam patterns is working well, especially with a bead head nymph dropped below. In the last couple hours of the day, we are seeing fish rising to a mix of mayflies and midges. A small parachute pattern will work well. Subsurface fishing has been the most consistent. Make sure your patterns are heavy and get down right away. Early and late, fish are feeding in shin to thigh deep water. Mid day, many of them will retreat to the deep pools. Do not overlook fishing mouse patterns at night. It has been a good mousing year!
Patchy fog before 9am. Otherwise, mostly sunny, with a high near 76. Southeast wind 3 to 6 mph. Fishing has been a ton of fun lately! Tricos in the mornings, then small terrestrials through the day. In the evening we are seeing some sparse hatches of olives and midges. Subsurface fishing has been very good on midge larvae, frenchies, and black leeches. Creeks are flowing at good levels and clear with temperatures staying very solid thanks to an unusually cold and rainy summer.
Scattered showers, mainly before 9am. Cloudy through mid morning, then gradual clearing, with a high near 85. South wind 8 to 11 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%. Some much needed cloud cover this morning! Look for fish to eat as long as the sun is off the water. The sun has been the limiting factor for fishing the past couple of days. Today will be hot again, with a really nice cool down tomorrow (Sunday). Tricos in the A.M., terrestrials with a small nymph dropper all day long, then fish will rise to sparse mayfly hatches in the evenings. Creeks are clear to stained and running in the mid 50s to mid 60s area wide.
Mostly sunny, with a high near 87. South wind 7 to 11 mph. Hotter today, but things cool off later in the weekend. Despite the hot weather, the fishing has been solid. However, it has been good when the sun is not shining on the water (normal summertime rhythm). There have been a few tricos showing up in the mornings, then we are fishing a terrestrial with a dropper until mid day. When the sun is high overhead, take a break and wait for early evening when things cool down. There are still hatches in the evening that have fish rising to olives, midges, and they are also eating smaller terrestrials at night. Don't forget to skitter and twitch your dries, as movement is triggering some great eats! Once the sun goes down, fish are eating mouse patterns and larger leeches and streamers. Grab a headlamp, enjoy the cooler weather, and go night fishing! Creeks are clear to stained with temperatures in the high 50s to mid 60s.
Sunny, with a high near 82. South wind 5 to 10 mph. Warmer and sunny again today. Fishing has remained good, but the sun is starting to slow things down a bit. Make sure you are fishing shaded areas and undercut banks and try to avoid mid day fishing if you can. We're fortunate enough that the cold days the past few weeks have made water temperatures cool enough that we are not finding superheated late summer creeks and the fish are still pretty happy when the sun is off them. Terrestrials are key. Smaller varieties such as ants and beetles are more effective now, but grass hoppers and larger foam patterns are catching a few fish. Try one as an indicator fly! Subsurface fishing has been very good with the fish in shin to thigh deep water early and late, then taking cover in deeper pools and underneath the banks when the sun is shining brightly. Soft hackles have been the guide's hot fly lately. Swinging a simple soft hackle has been very effective! Mousing is picking up with the warmer weather and quite a few larger fish are showing up when most anglers are going to sleep!
Sunny, with a high near 79. Light and variable wind. A bit warmer this week which means we should see more trico spinner falls in the mornings! It also means that mid day fishing will slow down quite a bit unless you can find shade The evening fishing has been solid still with fish rising to a mix of mayflies, midges, craneflies and some egg laying caddis too. Creeks are low and clear and running in the high 50s to mid 60s area wide. The sun is your limiting factor. Fish early and late, and find shade and you will find more fish.
Sunny, with a high near 79. Light south wind. The next few days will be sunny and calm and will still pleasant, a bit warmer than the past few weeks. This means we will see the return of the trico spinner fall in the morning, and that terrestrials will be come more important throughout the day as the ground will warm up more quickly and get them moving earlier. We will also see the evening olive hatch slow down a bit. Fishing will remain good overall, just with a few tweaks to the menu for trout. Subsurface fishing will remain solid, especially in the shady areas of the creek and underneath undercut banks. Creeks are flowing clear and with good water levels for summer. Temperatures are in the mid 50s to mid 60s area wide.
Sunny, with a high near 74. South wind 3 to 7 mph. The unbelievably fishy weather continues! Your limiting factor is the sun right now, so plan to fish shady areas and when the sun is off the water for best success. The cold nights have fishing a bit slow in the morning. Rolling a bead head along the bottom of the runs is the best way to get fish while they are groggy. Once the sun comes up and warms things up a bit, then fishing terrestrials with a bead head dropper is key. In the evening fish are rising in the flats and slower water to a mix of olives and midges with a few egg laying caddis thrown in for good measure (they will also eat a small terrestrial). Creeks are clear to stained and flowing very well for summertime with temperatures in the mid to high 50s.
Mostly sunny, with a high near 66. East wind 7 to 11 mph. It's downright chilly this morning. 50 degrees at 7 a.m. The creeks are taking a bit to wake up lately due to the colder weather. There is no need to get out fishing at dawn. Things are in incredible shape for summertime with cold water temperatures and good flows thanks to the cold nights and a rainy summer. Look for fish to feed heavily subsurface in the riffles and runs on smaller thin bodied bead heads today. In the afternoon, terrestrials on the surface will be effective and we may see a hatch or two late afternoon. The evening brings 3 or 4 different species of bugs hatching or laying eggs. Try a trailing shuck caddis like an X caddis or an olive parachute or emerger. The full moon has made night fishing a bit easier to maneuver, but the fishing during a full moon tends to be a bit less productive numbers wise. Look for fish to be holding underneath structure at night or deep in the pools.
Mostly cloudy, with a high near 66. West wind 3 to 8 mph. We're sounding like a broken record, but holy cow are the conditions perfect right now! Creeks are clear to stained area wide with unseasonably cool water temperatures. This is the first year we have not had to double check water temperatures to make sure things haven't warmed up. The creeks have stayed cold and flowing well throughout the middle of summer! Fish are eating pretty much anything subsurface right now. On sunnier days, thin bodied patterns are working better while on could days, scuds and pink squirrels are working better. Streamers and leeches have started to pick up thanks to recent light rains and cloud cover too. On the surface, terrestrials are the best throughout the day, while we have a mix of mayflies and midges in the evening hatching as well as some egg laying caddis.
A 20 percent chance of showers after 4pm. Increasing clouds, with a high near 62. Northwest wind 5 to 9 mph. Perfect trout fishing weather continues all week! It is fishing much more like June than it is September!!! We've had a few showers that have not been enough to muddy thing up, but have helped keep flows very good for this time of year. We're seeing emergences in the afternoon and evening of mayflies and midges and fish are looking up for hoppers and other terrestrials from late morning into the evening. Subsurface fishing has been great on pheasant tail type nymphs as well as midge larvae. Leeches, scuds, and streamers are working well on the creeks that have a bit of color to them, and when the sun is off the water. Mousing has been good lately with a few larger fish eating just after dusk.
A slight chance of showers between 1pm and 3pm, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 3pm. Increasing clouds, with a high near 62. Northwest wind 8 to 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. The incredible late summer weather continues! Cool nights and short rain storms have the creeks running well and quite chilly for this time of year. Things continue to fish very well with fish eating subsurface in the mornings, then switching to hoppers and other terrestrials mid day. In the evenings fish are looking up to quite a few hatches including olives (if it is cloudy). Subsurface fishing has been best on pheasant tail type bugs on clear water, and scuds, leeches and brush hogs on the creeks with a bit of stain. Creeks are clear to stained with water temperatures in the 50s.
Sunny, with a high near 70. Southeast wind 5 to 8 mph. 50 degrees walking into the shop this morning! The mid summer has been more like mid June and the fish are responding. Early fishing has been slower on the surface due to colder morning temperatures, but they will respond to a midge larvae or brush hog fished on the bottom. During the day, a hopper/dropper will work as will sunken ants and beetles. Tiny bead heads continue to catch fish through the middle part of the day too. The sun is still a limiting factor so find some shade and you will find more fish! Most of the hatch activity is happening in the evening. We're seeing a couple species of mayflies as well as craneflies, caddis, and midges. The rising fish can be tough to crack, it seems they will eat one type of fly for a few minutes than want you to switch. Mousing has been great lately thrown on a headlamp and head out at night, you might be surprised what you find on the end of your line at night!
Mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming sunny, with a high near 69. East wind around 9 mph. The incredible weather continues through the rest of the week and into the holiday weekend. It's late August and we have not seen 80 degrees but once or twice in a month!! Creeks are flowing well (we received a brief, heavy rain last night) and are mostly clear to mildly stained. Water temperatures are in the 50s area wide. Tricos are doing their spinner fall in the mornings, although the action is sparse due to colder morning temperatures. Mid day fishing have been best on smaller terrestrials (ants and beetles) on the surface. Hoppers are just starting to show up in numbers creekside and the fist are starting to look for them too. Subsurface fishing has been best on tiny bead heads fished in the riffles as well as scuds fished deep. This summer weather and stream conditions are the best we have had in over a decade. Take advantage of it if you can!
Mostly sunny, with a high near 79. Calm wind becoming northwest 5 to 7 mph in the morning. Summer rears its head today (much cooler through Saturday). Fish early and late and find shade to catch fish. The tricos should show up a bit earlier in the day today as air temperatures and water temperatures will rise a bit more quickly. Otherwise, fishing small terrestrials on the surface with a bead head dropper will catch fish. There are rising fish in the evening that are feeding on a bug soup as many different summer flies have been coming out right around dusk. Mousing is prime right now, with quite a few fish eating mice at dark. Don't forget your headlamp!
Widespread fog, mainly before 10am. Otherwise, partly sunny, with a high near 73. North wind 3 to 5 mph. Things are still looking good in the Driftless. The foggy morning will suppress the trico spinner fall first thing, and the humid morning means terrestrials will not be as active early. In other words, subsurface early, then hopper dropper mid day, followed by fishing the hatches in the evening. While there are not a ton of rising fish, we have seen sparse hatches of craneflies, olives, midges, and we have some egg laying caddis around too. Creeks are in great shape with good flows and cool water temperatures for August.
Scattered showers, mainly between 2pm and 5pm. Cloudy, with a high near 71. North wind around 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. Cool and cloudy again today! This weather has been fantastic for trout fishing. Fish are eating heavy tungsten flies subsurface in the ankle to knee deep water, and the afternoons have given us hatches of olives, tricos, and other dark colored mayflies (and even some caddis!). Creeks are flowing well and water temperatures are excellent for this time of year. Take advantage of it if you can!
A 30 percent chance of showers, mainly after 3pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 70. Southeast wind 8 to 13 mph. Some light rain fell last night. It wasn't enough to do anything to the creeks, but the cloud cover forecasted throughout the morning and through the day should make fishing solid all day long. Hatches are sparse with a few fish rising to midges and mayflies. With the weather, there is a slim chance of seeing some olives hatching this weekend. Subsurface fishing has been more reliable on midge larvae, frenchies, brush hogs, and with the cloud cover we should see scuds and squirrels more effective. Creeks are running well with temperatures in the 50s to low 60s area wide.
Isolated showers between 10am and 3pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 67. Southeast wind 5 to 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%. Cool, cloudy and drizzly. This is spring weather, not mid summer! The weekend forecast is the same and it is looking excellent for fishing. Creeks are flowing well and are clear to slightly stained area wide. Temperatures range from the low 50s to 60. Surface fishing has been best on smaller terrestrials and midges. There are a few rising fish that are eating trico spinners in the mornings, then terrestrials and craneflies through the day and into the evening. There is a slim chance of seeing olives hatch this weekend as the air and water temperatures are chilly enough that conditions are right. Subsurface fishing has been really solid and should only get better with the cloud cover the next couple of days. Scuds, frenchies, and brush hogs have all been effective. Just think heavily weighted and thin bodied. Trout are in the riffles and runs feeding thanks to the favorable water temperatures! Night fishing has been a ton of fun with fish eating mice on the surface, and streamers and larger leeches sub surface.
Mostly sunny, with a high near 70. East wind 3 to 5 mph. Wow! The forecast for the next few days has gotten even better. Not only will we barely top 70 for a daytime high, clouds and drizzle are forecasted throughout the area through the weekend! This is a very fishy forecast as water temperatures are low, creeks are in good shape, and the limiting factor of the sun will be taken out of play. If ever there was an August to fish the Driftless, this is it!! We're still seeing spotty tricos in the morning, but the creeks that have them are getting the spinner fall later in the morning and the fall is lasting a bit longer (roughly 8-11). Otherwise surface fishing has been good on ants and beetles even during the mid day sun. Hoppers have been mediocre as the hopper crops in early summer were drowned out by rains. Trout will still come up and eat a larger indicator pattern, but 'match the hatch' hoppers aren't hot right now. Subsurface fishing is best with anything small, thin bodied, and heavy. Rolling a micro mayfly or midge larvae on the bottom will catch fish right now. As the clouds roll in again, break out the scuds! Night fishing has been an absolute blast. Mousing and larger streamer fishing have been very successful lately.
Mostly sunny, with a high near 70. Northwest wind 6 to 9 mph. The incredible cool weather continues this week! Tricos are doing their spinner fall in the morning, giving us rising fish on quite a few creeks. The cooler weather means fish are looking up a bit longer than usual! After the spinner fall, we are fishing ants and beetles on the surface, especially in shaded areas and close to undercut banks. Subsurface fishing has been great on midge larvae and other small bead head nymphs. Creeks are a bit low and clear to slightly stained. Water temperatures have been incredible this summer as the unseasonably cool conditions this month have kept them very comfortable for trout. Night fishing with mice and large streamers have been a ton of fun this summer! Your limiting factor is still the sun, so fish early and late and find shade to find more fish. Hot flies: Magic Beetle Zebra Midge Mini Hankey
Mostly sunny, with a high near 71. Northwest wind 8 to 14 mph. Absolutely gorgeous string of weather ahead of us this week as high temperatures do no top 71! This unseasonably cool and wet summer has kept our creeks fishing very well. Despite a limited trico spinner fall and few hoppers (thanks to all the rain), fishing has been solid all August long. Fish are eating smaller terrestrials (ants, beetles, and hippie stompers) as well as generic mayfly patterns (para wulff adams, klinkhammer style flies) on the surface and feeding very well on micro mayfly nymphs, midge larvae, and brush hogs subsurface. The night time fishing has been a blast, tossing a mouse or streamer pattern is getting a lot of action and quite a few larger fish too! The renovations in the shop are almost complete. The sale hallway and bathrooms are done, and the back room is near completion. Look for an announcement and open house party soon. In the mean time, come in an see the new layout and take advantage of this fishy August!
Patchy fog before 10am. Otherwise, sunny, with a high near 78. Calm wind becoming west around 6 mph in the morning. A slight uptick in temperature this weekend, but things cool down again early next week after summer rains. Fishing is still best early and late when the sun is off the water. Look for a few trico spinners early in the morning, then switch to a indicator/attractor foam pattern with a small bead head dropper for the rest of the day. Tiny micro nymphs and other small bead head flies fished deep are also very effective right now. Mousing has been a blast lately with some aggressive fish and even some larger fish being caught at night.
Partly sunny, with a high near 76. East wind 3 to 5 mph. Gorgeous weather today, and gets stormy tomorrow. Temperatures are still excellent as high temps will not reach 80 all week long. Fishing has been good when the sun is off the water. Hatches are sparse, but fish are still looking up for terrestrials and some smaller mayflies and midges. Subsurfea fishing is best on tiny bead head nymphs and midge larvae. If the water clouds up with the rain tonight and tomorrow, fishing scuds, leeches, and san juan worms will be great! Creeks are clear and a touch low with water temperatures in the high 50s to mid 60s.
Scattered showers before 11am, then a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2pm. Cloudy, with a high near 72. South wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. Cool. cloudy, and a chance of some rain. An excellent day to be in the Driftless. Look for some midges in the mornings as well as trico spinners if there isn't too much moisture in the air. If the clouds stay in, the scud fishing should be fantastic and trout will also chase leeches and small streamers. Creeks are in good shape, and the forecasted rain shouldn't do much to change the clarity. If anything weird happens, we will let you know.
Sunny, with a high near 75. North wind 3 to 6 mph. Happy Saturday! Temperatures continue to be low for the next few days. Creeks are in good shape; clear to stained area wide. Fishing is best early and late when the sun is off the water. We're still seeing sparse trico spinner falls, and fishing a hopper or larger foam pattern with a dropper during the day. Ants and beetles are also very effective on the surface. Subsurface fishing is best on midge larvae and micro nymphs (tiny, thin bodied bead heads)
Cloudy through mid morning, then gradual clearing, with a high near 74. North wind 9 to 11 mph. A very pleasant weekend ahead! Rains last night were only half to 3/4 of an inch tops which means creeks are in great shape throughout the weekend. The limiting factor will still be the sun. Fish early and look for the trico spinner fall. While it isn't widespread, if you do find tricos the morning bite can be fantastic. If you do not find them, fishing an ant, beetle, or other smaller terrestrial will get rising fish to eat. During the day, and when there are no trout feeding on the surface, fishing a hopper or other terrestrial pattern with a small bead head dropper is the way to go. Fish will mostly focus on the subsurface pattern, but we are starting to get trout causing across the creek or from underneath the banks to crush a larger meal on the surface. In the evenings, there can be a few rising fish again. A small parachute or ant/beetle should get them to eat. If not, twitch a leech through the pod. Finally, mousing has been quite fun this summer. Slowly fishing a mouse pattern across the surface at night can get some very aggressive eats and some larger fish!
Partly sunny, with a high near 75. South wind 7 to 9 mph becoming west in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. The cooler weather hits the area today which might produce some rain. It isn't predicted to be anything terrible and a bit of rain and cloud cover will do wonders for the fishery. Hatches are still fairly sparse, with the trico spinner fall spotty on a handful of creeks in the morning. Most of the surface activity is on terrestrials and attractor patterns and you can fish they throughout the day (although fishing is more productive early and late). Subsurface fishing has been best on tiny bead heads fished slowly along the bottom. Using these flies as a dropper tied below your terrestrial can be very effective this time of year.
Mostly sunny, with a high near 78. Light south wind increasing to 5 to 9 mph in the morning. Sunny and a bit warm today. Avoid the mid day sun when you can as things will slow down when the sun is on the water. Creeks are all still in great shape with clear to slightly stained conditions area wide. Fish are feeding well on terrestrials with small bead heads fished below them. When choosing a dropper, go for the smaller and thiner profiled patterns. In the evenings mousing has been quite fun lately1 We're predicted to get some rain tomorrow and another cool few days of weather with high temps only into the mid 70s! Flies to try: Spring Creek Hopper Hippie Stomper Tungsten Zebra
The great August weather continues! Today is supposed to be sunny and warmer with a high of 78. Tomorrow will be similar. Later in the week we have a chance at some showers and temperatures cool back down to the mid 70s!!! Hatches are sparse and fish are feeding much better on ants, beetles, and attractor dry flies on the surface. They are eating brush hogs, pink squirrels, and midge larvae sub surface. Creeks are clear to stained with water temperatures in the mid 50s to mid 60s. The conditions are the best they have been in August for a long time! Hot Flies: Training Wheel Brush Hog Magic Beetle
Mostly sunny, with a high near 75. Calm wind becoming north 5 to 7 mph in the morning. It has been an absolutely incredible early August so far with mild temperatures and good water conditions. Fishing is still best early and late when the sun is off the water, however a hopper with a bead head tied below will catch fish in shady areas and near undercut banks throughout the day. Creeks are clear to slightly stained with temperatures in the mid 50s to mid 60s. Hatches are sparse, but you can still find some trico spinners in the mornings on a few creeks. You are much better off using an attractor dry fly right now. Subsurface fishing is best on midge larvae and other tiny mayfly imitations. Think small and thin profile!
Partly sunny, with a high near 71. Breezy, with a northwest wind 15 to 17 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. Gorgeous weekend ahead! Although we are in the dog days of summer, the creeks are in great shape. Flows are good and water temperatures are unseasonably cool. The rain yesterday was brief and did not muddy anything up significantly. We are still seeing clear to mildly stained water area wide. Fishing is still best when the sun is off the water, however with the wind today (it calms down for tomorrow) throwing terrestrials mid day will be a good idea as lots of food will be blown into the creeks. There are still a few tricos in the mornings, although the spinner fall has been spotty as of late it is still a good idea to have a couple patterns in your fly box just in case. The best fishing has been on indicator dries with bead head nymphs dropped below. The dry dropper rig has been hot with fish coming up to the bigger dry throughout the day. In the evenings, mousing has been quite fun! We're getting some aggressive fish and a few nice ones on mice from dusk until we can't keep our eyes open any more. The weekend forecast is a continuation of the cool weather with a slight chance of showers. Cool, cloudy and drizzly.
Update 3:00 Rain fell, but did little to muddy up the waters. Creeks remain clear to mildly stained. Update 11:40. Brief heavy rain hitting the area. Quick and heavy storm. We will keep you posted on what happens to the creeks.. UPDATE 11:00 a.m. Looks like the bigger storm is missing us. That is great news as we have only had drizzle so far in Viroqua! Looking good for the weekend. Photo is 11:00 radar photo, the split in the middle is Vernon county. Showers and thunderstorms, mainly after noon. High near 71. East wind 6 to 9 mph becoming southwest in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible. Not a terrible rain forecast, as usual we will keep you updated if anything weird happens rain wise. Overall the forecast for the next few days is crazy good for August. Highs will not top the low 70s and clouds/drizzle most of the days into the weekend. Look for fish to feed heavily subsurface under the cloud cover on scuds and leeches. Hatches are sparse and consist of a mediocre trico spinner fall as well as midges and the occasional larger mayfly. Creeks are clear to slightly stained and temperatures are great for mid summer with only a couple creeks hitting the mid 60 mark mid day.
A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 3pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 79. Northeast wind 3 to 5 mph. The gorgeous summer weather this week continues. Fishing is still best early and late while avoiding the mid day sun. The trico spinner fall has been sparse, however activity all day long on smaller terrestrials has been great! Fishing dry dropper all morning and evening has been productive. Creeks are clear to mildly stained with water temperatures in the high 50s to mid 60s. While we are still cooler than normal, please use your thermometer as anything over 65 degrees will mean poor fishing and a chance to be lethal to trout. Hot fly this week has been the mini training wheel (size 14 and 16)
Scattered showers and thunderstorms, mainly between 4pm and 5pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 80. Calm wind becoming west around 5 mph in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 30%. While on the calendar the dog days of summer are on us, the rainy July coupled with a week of temperatures reaching only 80 degrees (only predicted to hit 70 as a high later this week!!!) and some clouds later on this week will continue the excellent trout summer we have had so far! Creeks are clear to mildly stained and flowing at good temperatures across the board. The mid day sun is still the limiting factor. Trout just are not happy when the sun is directly overhead. You are far better off fishing early (chasing the trico spinner fall) and late (midges and mice!) and avoiding the mid day sun. Tricos on the surface in the morning, terrestrials mid day, then midges and mice in the evenings. Subsurface fishing has been best on smaller, thin bodied flies sub surface and on leeches, scuds and even San Juan Worms subsurface.
Sunny, with a high near 78. Northeast wind 6 to 9 mph. We have a nice summer weekend ahead of us! Creeks are in good shape with clear to medium stained water area wide. The rains in the past week have pushed down bankside vegetation, and scoured out the creek bottoms as well as kept water temperatures lower than average for this time of year. The thing that will influence the fishery negatively this weekend is the sun. Fish early, fish late, and find shade. Trico spinners are showing up on some creeks in the mornings. Fishing hopper/dropper throughout the day has been very successful, then having some midges and mayfly dries for the evening rise is a good idea. Subsurface fishing has been the most successful lately however. In the stained water, fishing a leech, larger scud, pink squirrel or San Juan Worm under an indicator has worked very well. On the clear creeks a frenchie, brush hog, or pink belly pheasant tail will do the trick.
Sunny, with a high near 79. Northeast wind 6 to 10 mph. A gorgeous string of days heading into the weekend! Creeks are clear to mildly stained with good water temperatures for July and some happy fish! Surface fishing has been mediocre lately with a few fish rising to the handful of tricos spinners available in the mornings. They are far more willing to eat a small grasshopper or indicator fly right now. In the evenings simple parachute patterns in smaller sizes (18-22) are also working. Subsurface fishing has been the way to go lately with fish eating San Juan Worms, Leeches, Pink Squirrels, Scuds..... etc. The sun will be your limiting factor right now, so fish early and late and find the shade. Hot Flies: Royal Stacker Midge: Brush Hog Magic Beetle
Cloudy, with a high near 79. Southwest wind 3 to 6 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%. Rain showers moved throughout the area yesterday bringing some mild to heavy rains. It was not enough to do any permanent damage to the fishing and the creeks remain flowing unseasonably cool and clear to mildly stained. Fishing has been quite nice lately, especially with the stain on the water making fishing a bit easier as the fish are feeding better thanks to the safety the stain gives them. Hatches are mild right now, with a few creeks getting a trico spinner fall in the mornings, and a handful of midges and mayflies hatching. The real surface activity is on terrestrials and attractor flies. Subsurface fishing has been really fun on the off color water with leeches and san juan worms being very effective right now. It isn't pretty, but the fish are responding well. On the clearer water fishing a smaller, thin bodied bead head underneath a hippie stomper has been deadly. Bankside vegetation was pushed over and wiped out last week with the heavier rains, and fishing is pretty pleasant now compared to a normal July!
Cloudy early, then gradual clearing, with a high near 75. East wind 5 to 7 mph. Incredible weather for July! Creeks are clear to a few being still muddy enough to be virtually unfishable. Most creeks are slightly to mildly stained and running a touch high after heavy rains late last week. This stain gives anglers an edge as you can get closer to fish, and they will eat all day long! On the stained waters; leeches, San Juan worms, and larger scuds/pink squirrels are doing well. On the clear creeks, frenchies and pheasant tails are fishing well subsurface especially underneath a hippie stomper or training wheel. Hot Flies: Hippie Stomper Leeches Pink Belly PT
Patchy fog before 7am. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a high near 81. Calm wind becoming northeast around 6 mph in the morning. The big storm missed us last night! We're in best case scenario as of this morning with a couple of creeks clear already and many more dropping and clearing. It isn't perfect area wide, and you will run into unfishable creeks, but it isn't a total waste of time to be out this weekend. Look to be fishing San Juan worms, scuds, streamers and leeches in the stained to murky water. In the clearer creeks, a hippie stomper or training wheel with a pink squirrel below will clean up.
Wow! We may have dodged the bullet. The major evening storm passed well south of us. The weekend isn't a complete write off any more. We will be up early and scout some waters and update the report as soon as we can.
Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly after 3pm. Some of the storms could produce heavy rain. Patchy fog before 9am. Otherwise, partly sunny, with a high near 85. Light east wind becoming southeast 5 to 10 mph in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 60%. Things are still pretty muddy here in the Driftless. We did have a couple of headwater creeks that were stained last night and even saw some rising fish! But before you get too excited about the weekend, we are predicted to get some heavy rain again this afternoon and evening. Best case scenario is we have just a handful of fishable water by Sunday. If your travel plans allow it, Monday and Tuesday are looking to be fantastic with stained water and cold temperatures. It isn't worth the drive as tonight and tomorrow will be ugly if we get the rains. After Saturday, stock up on San Juan worms, leeches and scuds as the fish will put the feed bag on in the stained and cloudy water! The silver lining in all the heavy rains is that the creeks are flushed, water temperatures colder than normal for this time of season, and the bankside vegetation is knocked down or uprooted completely in some areas!
A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms before 1pm, then a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2pm. Patchy fog before 10am. Otherwise, partly sunny, with a high near 84. Northeast wind 5 to 7 mph becoming northwest in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 20%. Another heavy rainstorm hit last night dumping anywhere between 2-6 inches. Things are muddy to very muddy. We will keep you posted as conditions change. Looking at the silver lining, this unusually rainy July keeps filling up the springs which means as things clear up water temperatures will be lower than normal!
Sunny, with a high near 85. Light and variable wind becoming northeast 5 to 7 mph in the morning. Major storms passed us by in Vernon County last night. We received half an inch to an inch of rain total with no major gully washers. Creeks remain clear to stained. Fishing has been good in the mornings on midges and tricos. The trico spinner fall has not been predictable with the humid mornings, but on the creeks that they show up fishing has been fun! Mid day fishing has been best on terrestrials with a small nymph dropper. On the creeks with a stain, San Juan worms, scuds, and pink squirrels have been deadly. These creeks are fishing a bit better thanks to the stain hiding the sun from the fish. With the recent hot days, it is a good idea to check water temperatures. 65 degrees means poor fishing, and anything much above that can be lethal to land trout in.
A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 5pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 88. Heat index values as high as 95. Southwest wind 5 to 10 mph. We're in the summer pattern now. Tricos early in the morning on some creeks, on others fish will be rising to midges. Mid day, either take a break (or a nap!) if it is sunny, or fish hopper/dropper against the overhanging vegetation and undercut banks. The sun and water temperature are going to be your limiting factor right now. In the evening, fish are rising to a handful of lighter colored mayflies and they will continue to eat terrestrials on the surface. Subsurface fishing has been best on smaller and thinner bodied patterns. Creeks are clear to slightly stained in our area with water temperatures in the mid 50s to mid 60s. The recent rains have kept water temperatures cool, but make sure to use your thermometer. Anything over 65 will be poor fishing and much higher than that can be lethal to trout.
Patchy fog before 8am. Otherwise, mostly sunny, with a high near 84. Southwest wind 5 to 11 mph. Still very mild weather for July this morning. Creeks are clear to mildly stained after the heavy rains earlier in the week. Fishing has been solid subsurface on scuds, pink squirrels and leeches on the stained water, while a hippie stomper or foam hopper are getting the job done on the surface on the clear water (especially when you tie a small bead head as a dropper below!) Hatches are sparse and most of the surface activity is on terrestrials and attractor flies. However we are still seeing some mayflies and midges hatch especially when the sun is off the water early morning and late in the day. We are in the summer season, so it is not a bad idea to use your stream thermometer often. Water temperatures over 65 degrees mean poor fishing, and much higher than that can be lethal to a hooked trout.
Partly sunny, with a high near 73. North wind around 7 mph. With a break form the rain, creeks have finally had a full day to drop and start clearing. Expect slightly stained to medium stained water area wide with a handful of creeks running clear. Fishing is still best early and late when the sun is off the water. You may find some fish rising early and late to midges and some lighter colored mayflies, but the majority of the surface action will be on small terrestrials. Subsurface fishing is really good on san juan worms and leeches in the stained water, and on frenchies and pheasant tails in the clear water. Temperatures are supposed to get warm again this weekend, so make sure you are utilizing your thermometer. Anything over 65 will be poor fishing and potentially lethal to fight trout in. The good news is that all the rain will keep the springs pushing a good amount to cold water into the system for a while, and water temperatures should be cooler than normal for this time of year!
Mostly cloudy, with a high near 74. Northwest wind 7 to 9 mph. We did receive more rain last night, about an inch or so overall, but it fell heavily. There will be limited fishable water this morning, with more coming into play later on in the day. Fishing leeches, larger scuds, and san juan worms will be effective in the stained and murky waters. Attractor terrestrials with small, thin bodied bead heads trailed below will be effective on the clear to slightly stained creeks. We are not forecasted to receive more rain through the weekend, and in the long term these summer showers will keep the springs flowing well and keep water temperatures lower but for the next day and a half we will not have lots of options of fishable creeks.
Cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly sunny, with a high near 88. Heat index values as high as 96. Southwest wind 6 to 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. Muddy water today as we had a storm front drop 2-4 inches throughout Vernon county. It was 1-3 inches over in Richland county as well. As long as we do not get much more rain today, things are supposed to cool down over the next couple of days which will mean more comfortable summertime fishing!
A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1pm. Areas of fog before 9am. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a high near 81. Calm wind becoming south 5 to 8 mph in the afternoon. Summer fishing has hit. Early fishing has been good on midges and a few mayflies (tricos are starting to show up, but not in big numbers yet), mid day terrestrials, and then a few fish eating adams in the evenings. Subsurface fishing is best on small, thin bodied flies such as midge larvae and pheasant tails. If the clouds are overhead, smaller scuds and pink squirrels are effective too. Creeks are clear to stained with temperatures in the high 50s to mid 60s. A few of the larger creeks are warming up mid day, so make sure to use your thermometer. Anything over 65 degrees will be pretty slow fishing!
Partly sunny, with a high near 81. Calm wind becoming southwest 5 to 7 mph in the afternoon. Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly after 3am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 65 tonight. Southeast wind 3 to 6 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New rainfall amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible. We're still getting out early and hopefully seeing some PMD's, resting mid-day, then going back for the evening bite. Terrestrials, and scuds are working. Try a streamer or a mouse for evening fishing. Water is clearing and levels are pretty good, but streams are starting to warm up, so put a thermometer in the water before fishing.
A few storms the last couple of days, most went north of Viroqua. Some streams are clear and the larger streams have slight to heavy stain depending on location (last night's storms). No real hatches coming off, terrestrials are starting to fish well. Try a Hippie Stomper or Training Wheels with a Pink Bellied PT, or small Brush Hog dropper. A few Crane Flies are hanging around. Water is warming up some, so please make sure and drop a thermometer in the stream before fishing.
Partly sunny, with a high near 74. West wind 5 to 10 mph. Happy July! Creeks have had ample chance to drop and clear with only a handful still showing a heavy stain. Clear to mildly stained and flowing with good water temperatures for July, this weekend could be quite a bit of fun in the trout world! Midges and a mix of mayflies are hatching in the morning and evening, while surface action mid day is on terrestrials especially ants and beetles. Subsurface fishing is back on track with success being had on pink belly pheasant tail nymphs, ice cream cones, and brush hogs. Leeches and streamers are getting some nice fish, especially in stained water and at night, and mousing has started up again now that things have dried out.
A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 9am. Patchy fog before 8am. Otherwise, partly sunny, with a high near 75. Calm wind becoming northwest 5 to 8 mph in the morning. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. No major rain last night means creeks are clear to mildly stained today! Creeks are looking good water temperature wise thanks to the rains recharging the springs. We're still seeing mid 50s to low 60s area wide. Fishing on the stained water is best with san juan worms, scuds, and leeches. The clear water has been fishing well with an attractor dry fly, such as a hippie stomper, with a thinner bodied nymphs dropper like a pheasant tail or ice cream cone. Fish are also still gorging on pink squirrels and scuds when clouds are in the sky. Mid day fishing has been solid on sunken ants and beetles. Get them just below the surface film for the best fishing.
EDIT: From reports rolling in, anywhere outside of Vernon county got pounded with rain. Some creeks were out of the banks and into the fields as of this morning. We received approximately 1-2 inches total last night which is enough to muddy things up, but they should be fishable fairly quickly today in Vernon county. A 10 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 5pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 80. West wind 6 to 9 mph. The good news is that the major thunderstorms missed us. The rain that fell in the Viroqua area was a good soaking rain, heavy at times, but not terrible. We have stained to murky waters today with the exception of the larger waters (West Fork, North Fork) that are running very muddy. There was no gully washer yesterday as the bad storm split around us. On the murky water, fish san juan worms and leeches and larger scuds. As water clears up, and on the creeks that are already clear to stained, fish scuds and pink squirrels when there is some cloud cover in the sky, and pheasant tails and midge larvae when it is not. Surface wise, hippie stomper season is on us. An attractor foam fly with a dropper is excellent all day long. Fish are rising really early in the morning and late in the day when the sun is off the water to a mix of mayflies and midges. Mid day terrestrial fishing has been solid. There is now only a less than 50% chance of scattered storms tonight and into tomorrow, while the creeks are not crystal clear, we dodged a rainy bullet yesterday for the most part. Bring your stained water tactics this weekend, this morning may be tough to find clear, fishable water but by this afternoon and evening (barring another rain storm) we will catching fish! Hot flies: Hippie Stomper Coulee Scud Dirty Bird Hale Bopp Leech Film Critic
Periods of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 2pm. High near 72. Breezy, with a south wind 13 to 21 mph, with gusts as high as 34 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New rainfall amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible. Stormy day today. Don't fish when there is lightning. It will be a good day to tie flies and catch up on chores etc. If you do decide to head out and fish, look for fish to eat leeches and streamers before the rains and some scuds being active while the clouds are overhead. It is forecasted to storm all day today, but the rest of the week will be better.
Sunny, with a high near 74. South wind 5 to 10 mph. Creeks are clear to slightly stained and flowing just a bit low with water temperatures in the mid 50s to mid 60s area wide. Mayflies and midges hatching in the mornings, ants, beetles and even some small hoppers catching fish on the surface mid day. In the evening, lighter colored mayflies and caddis are around as well as some craneflies. Subsurface fishing is best on thinner bodied nymphs in the clear water, and scuds and hare's ears in the stained creeks.
Isolated showers and thunderstorms after 3pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 66. Northwest wind 7 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%. Cold snap continues and it is a great thing for the creeks. The cold nights and mild days have put water temperatures below normal for this time of year. We have seen re-emergence of mayflies and midges whenever the sun is off the water, and we are still getting terrestrial action on the surface. The sun is still the limiting factor, when it is shining on the water fishing is much slower. Fish are eating random mayflies and midges on the surface in the morning. We call it the parachute adams hatch as a simple parachute fly or a film critic will do the job well. Subsurface is still best on gray coulee scuds and brush hogs along with pink belly pheasant tails.
Mostly sunny, with a high near 65. Breezy, with a west wind 8 to 16 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. Weather mix today. The forecast does not predict a lot of rain which is good after the heavy rains from a couple of days ago. Things have dropped and cleared quickly. There are still quite a few creeks that have not cleared, but many of the tributaries and smaller creeks are clear to slightly stained. The stain on the water really will give the anglers and edge over the next couple of days. Look for fish to be feeding subsurface on scuds, pink squirrels, and leeches. As things start to clear, look for midge larvae and pheasant tails to start to be effective again. On the surface, attractor patterns will be effective on the clearer waters and we should get back to our mayfly and midge hatches early and late. On the clear creeks mid day, look for ants and beetles to be effective.
Mostly sunny, with a high near 72. Breezy, with a light northwest wind becoming west 11 to 16 mph in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 20%. It's a draining day! We received 1-4 inches of rain (more south of Viroqua). That means muddy water for most of the day. Things will hopefully drop and clear quickly which means expect stained to muddy water tomorrow. We will keep you updated. Leeches, San Juan Worms and larger scuds and pink squirrels will work in the muddy water. We will have eyes out on the creeks all morning this morning and keep you updated on whats going on. It won't be a wasted Saturday/Sunday, but fishing will probably not be pretty and if we get any more rain (slight chance 20-30% all weekend) things will blow out again pretty quickly.
A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 3pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 80. Southwest wind 8 to 14 mph. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible. As of this morning creeks are clear to stained and fishing quite well. Temps are in the mid 50s to low 60s. We're predicted to get some summer rains today! It could be upward of an inch overall after today and tomorrow. Things will come up and get muddy, but the mud shouldn't last too long (we will keep you updated for sure). Cooler weather, cold rains, and the weekend COULD be lining up for some fun fishing. It all depends on how much rain we get today and tonight. Keep tuned for updates.
A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 77. Light south wind increasing to 5 to 10 mph in the afternoon. It feels like things are back to normal for June! After the heat wave a couple of weeks ago, flows and temperatures have gotten back to normal for late spring and early summer. Fish are feeding on the surface in the mornings and evenings to midges and a mix of mayflies, craneflies, and a few caddis. Mid day they are eating ants and beetles and indicator dry flies especially those fished close to banks or underneath overhanging cover. Subsurface fishing is really good on thin bodied bead head nymphs such as pheasant tails, frenchies, and ice cream cones. On the stained water and when the clouds are overhead, scuds are a great choice. Mousing has been fun lately with some aggressive hits and some nice fish being pulled out at dusk and after dark.
Periods of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before noon. High near 72. West wind 7 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. The rains have been a blessing! While some things are mildly stained, the rains have not been heavy enough to make things super muddy. We still have clear to stained water area wide, with temperatures in the mid 50s to low 60s. There have been fish eating midges in the mornings and evenings as well as the occasional mayfly hatch (still seeing sulphurs and cahills). Craneflies and caddis are fishing well on the surface too. Subsurface fishing will be solid on scuds and larger nymphs when it is cloudy, then slimmer and smaller bead heads when the sun is out and on the clear creeks.
Scattered showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 3pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 71. Northwest wind 8 to 13 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50% We're in the weather pattern where it might rain, and it might not! Creeks are clear to stained with temperatures having dropped a bit. They are in the mid 50s to mid 60s area wide. With the cooler temperatures and when the clouds come in, the fishing has been really solid. Early we are getting rising fish to eat parachute adams and midges. Mid day surface fishing has been hot on ants, beetles, and hippie stompers. Late in the evening we are getting fish on lighter colored mayflies and caddis too. Subsurface fishing is all across the board. The cloudier the water and the cloudier the sky, use a thicker bodied pattern such as a scud or hare's ear. The clearer the water and clearer the sky, use a thinner bodied pattern like an ice cream cone or pheasant tail.
A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 5pm. Patchy fog before 8am. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a high near 79. Calm wind becoming west around 5 mph in the morning. An inch to inch of a half of rain fell quickly and heavily last night. Expect murky and muddy water this morning that will hopefully clear up to at least a fishable level by this evening. Leeches, scuds, and San Juan worms will be effective in the murky water. If you have a couple feet of visibility you can catch fish. And, there will be some surprise fishable and possibly clear water in the area. Just don't head out expecting it this morning.
A 10 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 5pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 84. Light southwest wind increasing to 5 to 10 mph in the morning. Things are getting back on track! The recent rains have not hit our area hard so creeks are mostly clear to stained area wide. The cooler temperatures are a great break from the heat wave of a few days ago! Cloud cover will help quite a bit too. There is a chance of storms this weekend, but as of now they are predicting less than 50% chance and little to no accumulation. Keep your fingers crossed! The hatches have returned and we saw rising fish yesterday in the morning, then again in the late afternoon into the evening. There are craneflies, a few lighter colored mayflies, midges, and egg laying caddis around. The most surface action has been on small terrestrials lately. Even when hatches are coming off, fish can not resist an ant pattern! Subsurface fishing has been solid on brush hogs, frenchies, ice cream cones, and atomic mayflies.
Patchy fog before 9am. Otherwise, sunny, with a high near 86. Light west wind increasing to 6 to 11 mph in the morning. Hot and humid today, but the temperatures are dropping over the next few days. We had another heavy and brief rain yesterday that dumped an inch of rain area wide. This gave us a mix of muddy to crystal clear water throughout the area. Creeks with a steeper valley and those with a larger, more open meadow will clear the quickest. We do not expect the creeks to stay murky for very long. Hatches are sparse and found in the mornings and evenings. Surface fishing has been good on terrestrials and craneflies even throughout the day. Subsurface fishing has been good on leeches, brush hogs, and pink squirrels.
UPDATE 1:30- A brief but heavy rain just hit the area. Dumped about another inch area wide. Look for things to temporarily blow out but should drop and clear quickly as long as there were no bank collapses. Scattered showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 7am. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 85. Light and variable wind becoming south 6 to 11 mph in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible. Things are still warm here, but stabilizing to normal temperatures over the next couple of days will really help things after the heat wave. Luckily, the fishing is still pretty good! Fishing early and late is the key and avoiding the mid day sun and water temperature peaks. We're seeing fish still rising to craneflies and generic mayflies in the morning and evening (parachute adams hatch!!) and we are getting more and more fish on terrestrials such as hippie stompers and training wheels. Subsurface has been solid on brush hogs, frenchies, and ice cream cones.
A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after noon. Partly sunny, with a high near 87. Southeast wind 6 to 10 mph. We're still slogging through some unseasonably hot weather. Water temperatures are getting a bit high in the afternoon so make sure you use your thermometer. Anything over 65 will be poor fishing and the couple creeks hitting 70 thanks to this heat wave, can be lethal to hook trout in. The good news is that we received an inch or two of rain last night. It has been dry enough that it will not put a major stain on the creeks as the ground is dry enough to soak most of it up. The bad news is we are still forecasted for hot weather until Friday. Fish early and fish late. Rising fish have been pushed to time of day when the sun is off the water. Otherwise most of the action is subsurface on midge larvae, pheasant tails, and brush hogs.
Sunny, with a high near 89. Breezy, with a south wind 11 to 16 mph increasing to 18 to 23 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 34 mph. The forecast isn't pretty today. It will be hot, sunny, and windy. Creeks are low and clear with water temperatures in the mid 50s to mid 60s. In this type of weather, the key is fishing when the sun is off the water. It is far more comfortable for anglers, and the fish are much happier in the shade. You can also seek out cooler tributary creeks and fish small terrestrials underneath overhanging vegetation for some success. Stay cool and hydrated out there this weekend!
Sunny, with a high near 82. Calm wind becoming north around 5 mph. Gorgeous day to be out fishing. We're still seeing sulphurs hatching and fish rising to them in the morning and evening. We're also having some success on craneflies and smaller terrestrials. The subsurface action has been very good on pink squirrels, pheasant tails, small dirty birds and ice cream cones. Creeks are clear and a bit low with water temperatures in the mid 50s to mid 60s. Make sure you are fishing early and late and avoiding the mid day sun and heat. We are looking at very hot temperatures this weekend (highs in the 90s Saturday and Sunday) so make sure you take extra water and don't fish mid day this weekend. We should not see too many creeks get too warm, but if you are on a larger body of water it is not a bad idea to have a thermometer to check water temps this weekend.
Scattered showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 4pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 80. Light southwest wind increasing to 5 to 10 mph in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 30%. Some much needed cloud cover today and into tomorrow! Look for the sulphur hatch to continue mid day, and then the spinner fall in the evening. Add into the dry fly mix craneflies and smaller terrestrials! Subsurface fishing is heading towards the small to tiny bead head nymphs, but scuds and brush hogs are still really effective too. Creeks are low and clear with temperatures in the mid 50s to low 60s.
Sunny, with a high near 79. South wind 3 to 5 mph Another sunny and pleasant day in the Driftless. Fishing has been good from first light until it gets hot mid day. It picks up again in the later evening as the sun starts to go behind the ridges and things cool down a bit. Creeks are low and clear to stained with water temperatures in the mid 50s to low 60s area wide. We are still seeing rising fish to sulphurs in the mid morning, then if you are at the right place at the right time, sulphur spinners at last light. Subsurface fishing (especially below an indicator dry such as a hippie stomper or training wheel) has been great with a mix of patterns from ice cream cones to dirty birds being effective. Keep changing flies and the fish will let you know what they want!
Sunny, with a high near 77. Northeast wind 3 to 7 mph. Absolutely gorgeous weather to be outside! The creeks are low and clear and running with temperatures in the mid 50s to low 60s. Fishing is best early and late when the sun is off the water. Perfect conditions for a mid day nap! Sulphurs are slowing down, but fish are still rising to lighter colored mayflies in the later morning and again in the evening. Craneflies are fishing well, as are smaller terrestrials, especially when fished in shady areas and under overhanging vegetation. Subsurface fishing is best on small scuds, pheasant tails, ice cream cones and brush hogs.
Mostly sunny, with a high near 75. Northeast wind 7 to 10 mph. The heat wave is over! We're back to normal temperatures and fishing should get back on track. We're still focusing our efforts early in the morning and late in the day and avoiding the mid day sun. Sulphurs and craneflies are the main courses, with hatches in the mornings and an occasional spinner fall of sulphurs in the evening. Terrestrials are taking on a large role on the surface, especially in the shade and around overhanging vegetation. Subsurface fishing is good on scuds and medium bodied patterns, but that too is starting to trend towards smaller and thinner bodied bead heads, especially when the sun is in the sky. Creeks are clear and a bit low with temperatures in the mid 50s to low 60s.
Isolated showers before 9am. Mostly sunny, with a high near 86. Southwest wind 5 to 13 mph. Chance of precipitation is 10%. Still sunny, but the fishing remains good! Sulphurs and craneflies are the main course on the menu and we have seen rising fish throughout the day. Your best dry fly action is from daybreak until about noon, then again in the evening when the sun comes off the water. Mid day we have been fishing dry/dropper with beetles and hippie stompers as our indicator fly. Creeks are clear to slightly stained with temperatures in the 50s to low 60s.
Sunny, with a high near 82. Calm wind becoming southwest 5 to 8 mph in the morning. The Driftless is fishing well The sun is the limiting factor on the clear creeks (creeks are low and clear with temps in the mid 50s to low 60s) so fish early and fish late and avoid the high sunny part of the day. The good news is that the sulphurs are hatching late morning and lasting until it gets too warm, then you can see them again sometimes in the evenings. Mid day terrestrial fishing has been fun. Fish are even starting to eat hippie stompers and training wheels! In the evenings, fish are rising again to a mix of mayflies, craneflies, and caddis. Subsurface fishing has been best on pink belly PTs, brush hogs, and scuds fished deep. There is a slight change of some rain this weekend, but they are not predicting anything heavy at this time. Some cloud cover and rain would really get things going and make fishing easier!
Sunny, with a high near 76. West wind around 5 mph. Fishing has been good, but really only when the sun is off the water. Make sure you fish early and late, and seek out shade or fish deeper pools and undercut banks. Sulphurs and craneflies are the major hatches and we have been seeing yellow sallies around too. Surface bugs should be orange to yellow to match the hatches. Subsurface fishing has been best deep. Tungsten beads are your friends right now. We're fishing everything from pheasant tails, to brush hogs and even jiggy prince nymphs. As long as they are bouncing bottom you will hook fish. Creeks are low and clear to slightly stained and running in the 50s temperature wise.
Mostly sunny, with a high near 70. West wind 8 to 13 mph. Fishing has been good in the Driftless! We're still flowing clear to slightly stained and have not received much rain the past few days. The sun is the limiting factor right now, so fish early and fish late. Fish have been rising in the evening to sulphurs and craneflies as well as simple attractors such as smaller hippie stompers. Subsurface fishing is best in the high sun, fish deep and slow in the heads of pools and the deeper water as well as near lunker structures. It is not a bad idea to fish some terrestrials especially near overhanging trees and grass.
Partly sunny, with a high near 63. Breezy, with a west wind 7 to 12 mph increasing to 15 to 20 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 28 mph. Fishing has been solid this holiday weekend with sulphurs hatching as well as craneflies in this sunny weather. Creeks are clear and flowing well with temperatures in the high 40s to high 50s.
Increasing clouds, with a high near 74. South wind 3 to 7 mph. Go away sun! Things are much better when cloudy. We're seeing clear to stained water with temperatures in the mid 40s to high 50s area wide. Hatches are best in the evenings and include a ton of bugs; olives, hendricksons, black and tan caddis, craneflies, sulphurs, and even some yellow sallies! Fishing a dry dropper with a attractor foam pattern has been excellent mid day, and fishing leeches and scuds on the water with a stain is still getting some larger fish to eat right now. The sun is the limiting factor right now, and it looks like a cloudy weekend ahead of us!
Patchy fog before 9am. Otherwise, partly sunny, with a high near 70. North wind around 6 mph becoming southeast in the afternoon. Finally, the creeks have had a chance to drop and clear. Expect clear to slightly stained water area wide today Things are going well with a large variety of bugs hatching and fish feeding on the surface in the later afternoon and evening on sulphurs, caddis, and craneflies. During the day, we are fishing dry dropper with a hippie stomper or training wheel up top and a scud or pink belly PT below. Leeches are still great on the stained water, and on the clear water we are getting fish to eat on scuds, heavy pheasant tails, ice cream cones, and brush hogs.
Scattered showers, mainly before 10am. Cloudy, with a high near 59. Northeast wind 6 to 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible. Things are finally starting to dry up and clear out! We're catching fish and have found some clear water, but the majority of our creeks are stained with a few still muddy. These conditions beg for leeches and wooly buggers, and they have been quite effective lately. We have seen many hatches with the cloud cover including olives, hendricksons, sulphurs, craneflies, and even some yellow sallies, but most creeks have limited surface activity due to the cloudy water. We're not forecasted for much more rain so things should start to get back on track quickly.
Scattered showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 1pm. Patchy fog before 8am. Otherwise, cloudy, with a high near 59. North wind 5 to 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. More rain last night has things high and muddy. Anywhere from 3/4 to a full inch fell last night making things muddy again. Things will drop and clear quickly but this morning will be rough. Look for fish to continue to feed on leeches and scuds as things clear out. We did have caddis, sulphurs and craneflies yesterday in the clear water, but that is doubtful today!
Isolated showers and thunderstorms after 4pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 67. Northwest wind 7 to 9 mph becoming southwest in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 20%. The sun is nice to see this morning! Creeks are clear to medium stained and running with water temps in the mid 40s to mid 50s. Fishing is still solid on san juan worms and leeches, but as things are dropping and clearing, look for your regular spring time bugs (brush hog, pheasant tail, two bit etc). Look for the return of some caddis and possibly some lighter colored mayflies hatching this afternoon. Craneflies are still THE bug on the surface. You can't go wrong fishing a cranefly right now.
Showers likely, mainly between 10am and 11am. Cloudy, with a high near 51. East wind 10 to 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible. The good news is that area creeks have had a day and night to drop and clear up a bit. The bad news is it look like more rain is coming in on Saturday. Creeks are stained to muddy area wide. There are only a couple that are clear. Today is the day to be out fishing as we are looking at another bout of rain over the weekend. Fishing has been best on leeches, San Juan worms, larger scuds and pink squirrels. On the handful of clear-ish creeks hippie stompers and brush hogs were catching fish. There were even rumors of an olive hatch on some headwater creeks. It's a busy weekend in the Wisconsin Driftless so please make sure you observe stream etiquette and check in with other anglers before fishing behind them, or just drive to the next access point!
EDIT: Had a few anglers reporting in this morning already having caught fish! Mostly subsurface on scuds and brush hogs but there are a few clear creeks out there too! A 30 percent chance of showers, mainly before 10am. Cloudy, with a temperature falling to around 51 by 2pm. West wind 9 to 15 mph becoming north in the afternoon. More rain last night has things up and muddy again this morning. There are a few clear creeks, and more will free up this afternoon but things are muddy now. Leeches, San Juan Worms, Scuds are on the menu for murky water. As things clear out, look for terrestrials and craneflies to be effective on the surface, and more gray bead heads effective subsurface.
EDIT 1:00 PM. Looks like the first big storm pushed north of us a ways (La Crosse looks to have been hit). That is great news. Unfortunately there are still storms behind the first. We will keep you updated. Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly after noon. Cloudy, with a high near 76. Breezy, with a south wind 11 to 17 mph, with gusts as high as 26 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible. Things had cleared to a fishable level on small smaller creeks yesterday and we're sitting on the edge today. If the storms miss us we will continue to have good fishing on the dropping and clearing creeks. If the storms hit, expect murky to muddy waters throughout the area. The major rains hit north and west of us, but we still received about 3/4 of an inch of rain yesterday and into last night. The silver lining is that we needed this rain as creeks were pretty low for this time of year. Leeches, san juan worms and large scuds on the murky waters, smaller scuds on the clear creeks.
Partly sunny, with a high near 83. Breezy, with a northwest wind 13 to 20 mph becoming south in the morning. Winds could gust as high as 28 mph. Lots of heavy rain last night (2+ inches area wide) mean we have muddy water today. We will keep you updated as we are due for more storms all week.
A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 78. Southeast wind 9 to 14 mph. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. Some much needed cloud cover and rain coming the next few days. The sun has been brutal on the fishing the past couple of days, and the creeks are a bit low so a bit of rain will get things hopping again. Mornings have been best fishing midges. Both surface and subsurface as we are getting a morning rise. Mid day has been rough, but fishing a deep scud or an ant right next to an undercut bank has gotten fish to eat. Evenings have been best when the sun is off the water as caddis and craneflies come out to play. With the storm clouds rolling in, look for fishing to get better immediately when the sun is hidden. We should see some mayflies hatching along with the craneflies. Subsurface fishing has been best on heavy scuds, brush hogs, ice cream cones, and tungsten pheasant tail nymphs.
Mostly sunny, with a high near 76. Northwest wind around 10 mph. Downright balmy out there this weekend. Caddis and cranes are hatching, and the terrestrial fishing (ants and beetles specifically) has been ganging steam. Subsurface fishing has been incredible on scuds and tiny pheasant tails the past couple of days. Creeks are low and clear with temperatures starting in the mid 40s and hitting 60 degrees in some cases. The mid day sun has not been friendly. It is a good idea to take a break mid day as fishing has been best mornings and even better in the evenings!
Sunny, with a high near 68. North wind 5 to 9 mph. Despite the high sun, fishing has been pretty dang good the past couple of days! Caddis are re-appearing and the cranefly bite is great. Creeks are low and clear with water temps in the high 40s to high 50s area wide. The mid day sun is becoming a limiting factor making fishing difficult when it is directly overhead. Fishing early and late is highly recommended. Caddis and craneflies on the surface, scuds brush hogs and tungsten bead pheasant tails subsurface. Do not forget about streamers and leeches at dawn and dusk as well as mice in the dark!
Showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 4pm. High near 65. South wind around 6 mph becoming northeast in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 80%. The clouds have been excellent for the fishing! We've seen olives and craneflies hatching as well as a few larger mayflies throughout the day. Expect the fishing to stay solid as long as the clouds stay in the area. Subsurface fishing has been best on brush hogs, cranefly larvae, and red copper johns. Creeks are low and clear with temperatures in the mid 40s to high 50s.
Mostly cloudy, with a high near 60. Calm wind becoming east around 5 mph. A good weather change for fishing! After days of brutal sunshine that was slowing the fishing down a bit, we are getting some much needed cloud cover. While caddis and craneflies will still hatch today, it will be in much smaller numbers. However, this is mayfly weather so keep an eye out for olives and possible some larger mayflies hatching throughout the afternoon. Creeks are low and clear with water temperatures in the mid 40s to high 50s.
Mostly sunny, with a high near 61. Southeast wind 8 to 10 mph. It's cold again this morning! No rush to get out early today. The sun will warm things up quickly bringing out the craneflies and caddis again. Just be careful mid day as the sun will slow things down a bit. Fishing will pick up in the later afternoon and into evening. Caddis and craneflies are on the menu on the surface and are hatching throughout the day with locally heavy emergences. We are also doing well fishing ants and beetles! Subsurface fishing is a mix of thicker bodied patterns in tan and grey, as well as midge larvae/pupae. If the larger pattern is not catching fish, switch to something tiny. As long as it is near the bottom, fish will eat it.
Sunny, with a high near 62. North wind 7 to 13 mph. It's opening day and it's already a zoo out there. Please be respectful of other anglers and especially of property owner's rights today! Fishing is best when the sun is off the water.
Sunny, with a high near 67. Light and variable wind becoming north 5 to 10 mph in the morning. Fishing has been good lately! We are still seeing some caddis and craneflies hatching throughout the day. The best fishing seems concentrated in the morning and early afternoon with a tailing off later in the day on most creeks. Creeks are low and clear to slightly stained with water temperatures in the high 40s to high 50s area wide. Surface fishing has been good on caddis dries and emergers as well as on cranefly dries. Swinging an orange soft hackle or coulee cranefly pattern can be deadly this time of year. We have also seen an increase of fish willing to eat terrestrials both big and small! Subsurface fishing has been best on brush hogs, tan scuds, and other thicker bodied patterns especially in tan or gray as they represent caddis and cranefly larvae.
A 20 percent chance of showers after 1pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 65. Light northeast wind becoming north 6 to 11 mph in the morning. Caddis were strong yesterday! Creeks are clear to slightly stained running in the high 40s to high 50s. Fish are moving into the runs and riffles early in the day with the bright sun and starting to feed on caddis and craneflies both subsurface and surface. Scuds, pink squirrels and leeches are effective subsurface too.
A 20 percent chance of showers after 1pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 65. Light northeast wind becoming north 6 to 11 mph in the morning. Caddis were strong yesterday! Creeks are clear to slightly stained running in the high 40s to high 50s. Fish are moving into the runs and riffles early in the day with the bright sun and starting to feed on caddis and craneflies both subsurface and surface. Scuds, pink squirrels and leeches are effective subsurface too especially in the mornings and after the hatches slow down a bit.
Increasing clouds, with a high near 62. Calm wind becoming south 5 to 7 mph in the morning. Weather is finally shaping up for fishing! Bright sun this morning will get the caddis and craneflies moving. Even yesterday the flies were popping off in the afternoon giving us some solid dry fly fishing! With the increase in water temperature and light winds, the next few days should be fun. Subsurface fishing is great on scuds and caddis pupae, pretty much any pattern with a thicker profile that mimics a caddis or cranefly will do right now. Creeks are clear to mildly stained with temperatures in the mid 40s to mid 50s.
A 20 percent chance of showers before 10am. Cloudy, with a high near 50. Breezy, with a northwest wind 14 to 16 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. Rains have all but shut off finally and our creeks are running clear to muddy area wide. They are dropping and clearing quickly and we have a limited amount of fishable water that will increase by the end of the day and into tomorrow. It has been very cold overnight, with no need to get out their early as things are not picking up on the creeks until mid morning. Enjoy that extra cup of coffee! With the sunny weather coming, we should see the caddis hatch re appear. As for now dry fly action has been limited but you can still find rising fish eating a handful of mayflies and midges. Subsurface fishing has been best on scuds and leeches as well as San Juan worms in the murky water, while in the clear water we are still fishing scuds, brush hogs, and prince nymphs.
Showers and possibly a thunderstorm. High near 48. Southeast wind 8 to 13 mph becoming west in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. We did not get a significant amount of rain. An inch or inch and a half tops. Creeks will be clear to murky this morning and if we do not get any heavy rain, they will clear up fairly quickly. The rains are cold and have dropped the water temperature down quite a bit so don't expect high quality fishing early in the morning. We're still in hatch limbo where the water is too cool and weather too cloudy for caddis, and olives are sputtering out at this point. We're still catching fish on simple parachute patterns when we see them rise, but the wolf packs of rising fish are few and far between lately. Subsurface fishing is a different story. Leeches, scuds, San Juan worms are great on the cloudy water as long as they are fished slow and low. On the clearer creeks scuds, caddis pupae, brush hogs and psycho princes have been really solid, again fished deep and slow.
Cloudy, with a high near 44. West wind 9 to 14 mph. Very odd waking up to snow this morning! Fishing will slow down with the cold front rolling in. There is a frost advisory for this evening. What this means is you get to sleep in a bit as there is no reason to be on the water until it starts to warm up! Caddis have slowed down a bit, they need warmer and sunnier weather. However, the mayflies and craneflies have picked up the slack. While there are not a ton of rising fish, you will see pods rising to olives and craneflies as well as midges in the later morning and through the day. Subsurface fishing has been best with fish eating scuds, pink squirrels, cranefly larvae, and hare's ears patterns well. We are still getting big fish to eat leeches in the deeper pools too. Creeks are clear to murky after last nights rain and a bit low with water temperatures in the mid 40s to mid 50s.
Showers likely, mainly before noon. Patchy fog before 1pm. Otherwise, cloudy, with a temperature rising to near 58 by 11am, then falling to around 53 during the remainder of the day. South wind 7 to 10 mph becoming west in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible. That is a strange weather forecast... Fishing has been good lately and things will cool down a bit and we will get some light rain/drizzle the next few days. It should not be near enough to blow things out unless we get a freak storm rolling through, but we will keep you updated. The change in weather means a slight change in bugs. We will still see caddis mid day, but there is a high probability of seeing some leftover olives and other mayflies hatching too. Oddly enough, we have started to have success on the surface on terrestrials, specifically ants and beetles. Subsurface fishing has been good on caddis larvae, scuds, and leeches. The cloud cover should get fish feeding a bit more heavily throughout the day especially on scuds and pink squirrels. Creeks are clear and a bit low with temperatures in the mid 40s to high 50s area wide.
A chance of showers between 1pm and 4pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 68. South wind around 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible. Spring in the Driftless has been great! Creeks are clear and a touch low with water temperatures in the mid 40s to high 50s area wide. Caddis are still the main source of food with the hatch coming off late afternoon and fish feeding on them until the evening. There are a smattering of mayflies around too. Subsurface action has been strong on thicker bodied nymphs and caddis pupae and when the sun is off the water the fish have been bonkers for leeches and buggers. Weather is changing one the next couple of days with clouds and rains coming in. This should help the fishing a bit and make fish more comfortable than they are on the bluebird days, but it will suppress the caddis emergence a bit.
Mostly sunny, with a high near 70. Breezy, with a south wind 10 to 17 mph, with gusts as high as 31 mph. Another gorgeous day in the Driftless! The sun is starting to be both a positive and a negative. It warms the creek bed and gets the insects going early, but by mid day it is starting to slow fishing down. The best times to fish are now 9-11 and 1- dark. We're still seeing caddis mid day, but with the wind the surface activity may be limited. Fish a heavy bead head with a caddis emerged tied behind it and you will do fine. Caddis are the main hatch, both black and tan, and subsurface fishing is best on thicker bodied bead head nymphs, scuds and leeches are still holding strong. Creeks are running clear to slightly stained with water temperatures in the high 40s to high 50s.
Sunny, with a high near 64. East wind around 5 mph becoming calm. Another gorgeous day in the Driftless! Look for caddis to hatch in the afternoon and fish eating subsurface on thicker bodied bugs all day. Nice weekends can get quite crowded so please make sure to follow the rules of Driftless etiquette. If there is a car at an access point, do no hop in on that water (unless you can check in with the angler and see which way they are fishing). Drive to a different access point, there is plenty of water to explore! High holing is frowned upon here.
Mostly sunny, with a high near 58. North wind 9 to 14 mph. Much better conditions today and into the weekend, The rains did not hit at all yesterday leaving our creeks clear to stained with the exception of only a couple creeks still running murky. Water temperatures are in the mid 40s to mid 50s. With the sun the next few days, look for the caddis hatch to return around mid day! We are seeing both black and tan caddis hatching as well as a smattering of mayflies throughout the day. Subsurface fishing has been best on thicker bodied patterns fished deep (brush hogs, beaded caddis pupae etc). Leeches and streamers are phenomenal on the waters that have color to them, and are a great way to entice fish after a hatch.
Patchy drizzle before 9am. Cloudy, with a high near 51. Breezy, with a northeast wind 7 to 16 mph becoming west in the morning. An inch to two fell area wide last night, and it came quickly and heavily in some areas. Expect stained to muddy water this morning. Things will drop and clear pretty quickly as there is no more major rain forecasted. The smaller creeks will typically clear quicker, and the creeks with a large meadow for a flood plain will also start out much clearer than most. In the murky water fish large scuds, pink squirrels, san juan worms and leeches. As things clear out, look for fish to still eat subsurface on scuds, brush hogs, and other thicker bodied nymphs. Hatches will be a bit more sparse except on the clear creeks. With the dreary weather we will see a few mayflies (olives and even possibly some Hendricksons), As the sun starts to pop out again look for caddis.
Cloudy, with a high near 57. North wind 7 to 10 mph becoming east in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 40%. Fishing has been a ton of fun lately. The caddis hatch, while not as heavy due to the cold weather, still has fish looking up mid day. Creeks are clear to slightly stained and running at temperatures in the low 40s to low 50s. Look for black and caddis and tan caddis.
Mostly sunny, with a high near 62. Northwest wind 6 to 8 mph. After some rains, things are looking good here! We had rising fish yesterday and some crystal clear water. You will find various levels of clarity today from clear to a mild stain depending on which creek you are fishing. Caddis are still the bugs of choice with fish rising to them in the mornings, then sporadically feeding on egg layers in the afternoon and evening. Fishing is best mid day during the hatch, afterwards the fishing slows down a bit and is mostly subsurface. Subsurface fishing has been best on thicker bodied nymphs (caddis larvae imitations) with a caddis emerger tied behind. On the cloudier parts of the day, scuds have been awesome.
Isolated showers, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1pm. Cloudy, with a high near 61. Southeast wind around 11 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%. Nice looking caddis hatch you have going on there, it would be a shame if it stared to rain and suppress it... We're keeping an eye on the rain as if it falls heavily we will be switching from dries (midges and olives are still about and the caddis showed up briefly but in a BIG way yesterday on some creeks) to subsurface patterns. The predicted rainfall will not be enough to muddy thing up for the most part. Subsurface fishing has been great on scuds, ice cream cones, and bead head pheasant tails. Creeks are clear and flowing just a touch low with water temperatures in the 40s to low 50s.
Cloudy, with a high near 56. East wind around 11 mph. The cooler evenings have fishing sluggish right now. When the sun pokes out and warms the stream bottom the fishing gets good. As things stay cloudy and cool it is fair. Creeks are low and clear with temperatures in the 40s to low 50s. Olives are hatching along with midges. The caddis are hibernating with the cooler temps. They are not as prolific right now. The hatch will return, but we need a sunny and warm day. Fishing has been best subsurface on scuds, midge larvae, small and thin bodied bead heads, and leeches twitched slowly through the holes.
A 30 percent chance of showers, mainly after 4pm. Increasing clouds, with a high near 61. South wind 5 to 10 mph. The cooler nights and cold front have slowed down the hatches a bit. There are still midges and olives about mid day, and as temperatures stabilize these hatches will get stronger again. The black caddis we saw were due to a super heating of the water and they will show up again once it gets warmer and sunny. Subsurface action is where it's at right now. Fishing emergers and soft hackles as well as smaller, thin bodied bead heads has been productive. Fish are deep early, then will push into the runs and riffles to feed right around mid day. Creeks are clear and a bit low with water temperatures in the 40s.
Cloudy, with a temperature rising to near 59 by 11am, then falling to around 54 during the remainder of the day. West wind around 10 mph. The super warm weather over the weekend made for some bug soup! We had caddis, craneflies, midges, and olives and fish eating different bugs on different sections of the creeks! The weather is settling down a bit and we may lose the caddis for a few days as it cools off a bit, but the midges and olives will still be around getting fish to look up in the late morning to early evening. Subsurface fishing has been best on midge larvae, scuds, and prince nymphs as well as the ever popular leech pattern! Creeks are clear and a touch low with temperatures in the low 40s to low 50s.
EDIT: We have confirmed reports of hatching black caddis on the Timber Coulee system yesterday. Mostly sunny, with a high near 71. Breezy, with a south wind 9 to 17 mph, with gusts as high as 32 mph. Excellent bug soup weather! Yesterday we saw midges, olives, spring stones, craneflies and even a couple reports of caddis! (We're not getting too excited about the caddis yet, we MIGHT see some this weekend, but the olives are still the main course for now). Creeks are clear and running a bit low with water temperatures in the high 30s to just at 50.
Mostly sunny, with a high near 48. Breezy, with a north wind 14 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 32 mph. It's still olive hatch time! This has been an excellent dry fly spring so far, and conditions over the next few days should not change that too much! (With as warm as it is going to be on Saturday we may be brushing off some caddis and stoneflies too!) We did not get the rain other places received last night. We're dry here in the Driftless! Creeks are clear to stained with water temperatures in the high 30s to high 40s. Look for fish to eat in the deeper pools in the morning, then as water temperatures start to climb and the midges and olives hatch, they will push up into the runs and riffles to feed. Around 3 or so when the hatches slow down, the fish will drop back to deeper water and happily eat leeches if all else fails.
A 30 percent chance of rain, mainly after 1pm. Cloudy, with a high near 49. Light north wind becoming east 5 to 10 mph in the morning. Fishing is good all day long, but mid day is the best thanks to the Olive hatch going on around lunch time and wrapping up around 3. Fish are rising pretty much all day to midges and olives and will even eat small terrestrials and caddis dries skittered across the surface. Subsurface fishing has been really good on scuds and olive nymphs (thin bodied, dark, and heavy) as well as leeches and streamers. The creeks are clear to stained after light rains the past couple of days and have a water temperature in the high 30s to high 40s.
A 50 percent chance of rain before 11am. Partly sunny, with a high near 56. North wind 9 to 13 mph. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible. Rained this morning, now the sun is out and shining! We received about 2 inches of rain over the past 24 hours and some creeks are showing some color. Overall we have clear to murky water. It's still midges in the mornings and olives in the afternoon on the clear water and leeches and san juan worms in the murky water. Fishing has been great lately and as things settle a bit, look for the spring time dry fly fishing to pick up again!
Periods of showers, mainly before 2pm, then rain after 2pm. Patchy fog. High near 50. East wind 7 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible. Midges for breakfast, Olives for Lunch, Leeches for dinner. We've had some really fun fishing the past few days rain or shine. Creeks are clear and a touch low, but that has not prevented the midges and olives from hatching starting mid morning and lasting until late afternoon. After that fish are happily eating leeches and streamers. Water temperatures are in the high 30s to high 40s area wide. The rain we are getting today is an excellent light, soaking rain that is not predicted to fall heavily so it should not stain the water up significantly.
Mostly sunny, with a high near 57. Light and variable wind. It doesn't get much better than today for a spring fishing day in the Driftless! Look for olives to hatch around mid day along with midges. We should have a repeat of yesterday where fish were rising all day long! Subsurface fishing is still good on scuds and leeches as well as emergers and small bead head nymphs.
Cloudy, with a high near 49. North wind around 11 mph. The cold front is fading through today and into tomorrow. While fishing was still solid, the couple chillier and drizzly days suppressed the dry fly action a bit. We did not get the heavy rains, our creeks are clear and a bit low and fishing well. Water temps are in the high 30s to high 40s. Midges have been hatching daily, and with warmer days (especially Saturday!) we should see some olives popping mid day. Subsurface fishing has been solid on scuds, midge emergers, midge larvae, and other heavy bead heads fished on the bottoms of pools and runs. Trout will sulk in deep water early, then start to push up into the runs and riffles as water temperatures start to climb a bit.
Periods of showers. High near 39. Breezy, with a northeast wind 15 to 18 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible. EDIT: We did not get any heavy rains. We have only received an inch or an inch and a half tops. Creeks are in great shape and flies are hatching! Drizzle this morning, but it hasn't muddied anything up or affected fishing. Things are still good area wide with clear creeks and water temperatures in the low 40s to high 40s. Dry fly fishing has been a ton of fun the past few days with fish rising to midges, olives, and a few left over winter stones mid day and into the afternoon. Subsurface scud fishing has been fantastic with the cloud cover. Otherwise fishing a midge larvae, leech, or thinner bodied bead head is catching fish below the surface.
Rain likely, mainly after 3pm. Cloudy, with a high near 45. East wind 5 to 13 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible. Cloudy but fairly warm with some light showers in the afternoon. It should still be great dry fly fishing weather as the sun yesterday really got water temperature back up to springtime levels. Creeks are clear and a touch low with water temperatures in the low to high 40s area wide. Look for midges and a few olives to hatch in the afternoons when water temperature is the highest. Subsurface scuds are becoming very important, and on cloudy days like today there will be more moving around. Other subsurface trout food includes pheasant tails, midge larvae, and leeches.
Patchy fog before 10am. Otherwise, cloudy through mid morning, then gradual clearing, with a high near 51. Northeast wind 3 to 7 mph. Fishing continues to be solid! Midges and olives hatching mid day, and strong subsurface action on scuds, midge larvae and pupae, as well as leeches and buggers. Fish are sluggish first thing in the morning as the evenings cool down water temperature, but they gradually become more active and push out of their holding lies into the runs and riffles to feed on the hatching midges and olives. It's still early season where the fishing will slow down quite a bit in the evening, but each day we are able to fish later and later as things slowly warm up. Creeks are flowing clear to stained with water temperatures from the high 30s to high 40s area wide.
Patchy fog before 10am. Otherwise, cloudy, with a high near 46. North wind 3 to 5 mph. Fishing was decent over the weekend with surprisingly good dry fly fishing considering it was in the middle of a cold front! This week looks more stable weather wise with temperatures in the mid 40s to low 50s. Creeks are running clear to stained due to some rain over the weekend, but everything is dropping and clearing very quickly. Temperatures are in the high 30s to high 40s. Fish are feeding on olives and midges on the surface which are hatching pretty much daily in the afternoons. Subsurface fishing has been best on scuds, pink squirrels, and other heavy bead heads fished in the deeper spots below riffles. Trout tend to go deep early in the morning and later in the day, while mid day they will push up into the riffles and runs to feed on the hatching bugs.
Showers, mainly after 1pm. High near 42. Breezy, with an east wind 16 to 18 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible. The drizzle continues! We have, so far, dodged the bullet with rain. While the creeks are stained to muddy, there is quite a bit of fishable water in our area, and some creeks are clearing out very quickly to the point that we even had some dry fly fishing yesterday! The olives and midges are still hatching, and not he clearer water you should see some noses this afternoon. Otherwise fish scuds and other thick bodied patterns like She Hulks. On the dirty water, leeches streamers and San Juan worms are the ticket.
A 20 percent chance of showers after 3pm. Cloudy, with a high near 53. Northeast wind 5 to 10 mph becoming southeast in the morning. Some brief, heavy rains yesterday has things running with some color today. Fishing larger patterns like leeches, san juan worms, and scuds will work on the cloudy water. We are slated for some more rain tonight and into tomorrow. On the creeks that are clear, smaller bead heads nymphs and scuds along with leeches. Hatches will be a bit sparse today relative to the past few days.
A slight chance of showers between 2pm and 4pm, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 4pm. Cloudy, with a high near 43. Breezy, with a south wind 14 to 16 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. Blowing in a new weather system today! Look for hatches to be a bit slower with the new front today. Subsurface fishing should still remain solid. We will be keeping an eye on the rain for the weekend. As it is forecasted at this point it should not be enough to mess our creeks up thankfully! Creeks are clear and a bit low with temps in the high 30s to high 40s. We have been seeing olives and midges hatching. Subsurface has been best on scuds, smaller dark bodied nymphs and scuds.
Sunny, with a high near 40. Southeast wind 7 to 9 mph. Things are fishing well in the Driftless! We have been fortunate enough to find rising fish the past few days. Midges, olives, and a few winter stoneflies are on the menu. Creeks are clear and flowing a touch low with water temperatures in the the mid 30s to mid 40s. Subsurface fishing is still solid on leeches, scuds, and small, heavy bead head nymphs.
Mostly sunny, with a high near 42. North wind 13 to 15 mph. Spring fishing is here! We saw midges and olives yesterday afternoon, and subsurface fishing has been hot too. Look for fish to feed on smaller nymphs subsurface as well as leeches and scuds. On the surface fishing an emerger in size 18-20 or an olive dry fly when the noses are coming up can be excellent! Creeks are clear and a touch low with water temperatures in the high 30s to mid 40s.
Partly sunny, with a high near 55. North wind 6 to 13 mph. Happy spring! We have an incredible week ahead of us with some sunny skies and mild temperatures. Fishing has been a ton of fun mid day lately with fish rising to midges and even a few olives starting to appear. Creeks are clear and a touch low with water temperatures in the high 30s to mid 40s. We're slowly transitioning form the larger subsurface bugs of the colder part of the early season into more match the hatch flies. We're getting more fish on micro mayfly nymphs, ice cream cones, and frenchies rather than the larger leeches and big ugly patterns. While you shouldn't stop fishing the bigger stuff, just be aware that things are just starting to turn.
Partly sunny, with a high near 48. South wind 7 to 15 mph becoming west in the afternoon. Best case scenario, the rain is not predicted to fall at all today! That means the sun will warm things up again and we will have rising fish mid day! Fishing has been quite good lately thanks to the sun in the sky. Between 9 and about 2 fishing is best as the water temperature climbs. Make sure to use your thermometer! Although there is not enough snow on the ground to blow things out, it is still enough to put cold water into the system in the later afternoon. Once this starts happening and water temperature drops, fishing shuts down. Creeks are clear and flowing with temperatures in the high 30s to mid 40s. Midges and winter stoneflies are the main hatches/emergences. Look for bulging rises mid day and tie on a smoke jumper or unweighted pheasant tail. Leeches have been lights out good most days this early season. Fish them slowly with a lot of twitches. The best subsurface flies have been pink squirrels, she hulks, copper johns, scuds, and pheasant tails. The entire weekend looks good to be out fishing with temperatures between 40 and 50 degrees and sunny. Water temperatures are at a point that on Sunday we might (temps need to stay over 45 degrees) see some spring stoneflies and olives hatching too.
A 10 percent chance of rain after 5pm. Increasing clouds, with a high near 39. South wind 6 to 11 mph These sunny day have been incredible! Mid day yesterday fish were rising all over the place to midges and winter stones. We're slated to get some cloud cover and possible light rain tonight and into tomorrow, but it should not affect the water. Expect clear to slightly stained water with temps in the high 30s to mid 40s area wide. The forecast for the weekend looks great! Fish are keying in on larger subsurface patterns in the deeper holes and runs in the mornings, then as the sun warms things up they are switching to midges mid day both surface and subsurface. As the water temperature cools from melting and the angle of the sun changing, fish start to shut down. Use your thermometer, as soon as temperature starts dropping the fishing starts to shut off.
Sunny, with a high near 31. Northwest wind 5 to 8 mph. We were spoiled in February with a few days that were unseasonably warm. If we re-calibrate expectations, today is a fantastic day on paper! It has been sunny all morning and will continue to be so throughout the day. It feels warm in the sun and the creeks are already starting to warm up a bit. Even a slight bump in water temperature will get the fish feeding on a day like today! We may even see some midge hatches mid day and rising fish. Just make sure you are fishing creeks that are more open and get more sunlight throughout the day. Leeches, scuds, she-hulks, pink squirrels, brassies, copper johns, and pheasant tails are the flies of choice subsurface. On top smoke jumper emergers and single bodied midge dries (not clusters) have been great when we are seeing bulging rises.
Sunny, with a high near 26. Wind chill values as low as zero. Northeast wind 7 to 9 mph. One of those odd winter days. Although the air temperature is chilly, the sun is making it feel warm out (there is melting on the front of the fly shop already). Fishing can be unexpectedly great on days like today, it just depends on your comfort level. There is not a lot of snow on the ground, the last storm only dumped a couple of inches which will melt over the next few days and soak into the springs. We're looking at 40 degrees and warmer starting Wednesday and going throughout the weekend.
Partly sunny, with a high near 24. Wind chill values as low as -4. Northwest wind 6 to 9 mph. Just cold today that to a north wind. The water temperature will be stable and fine, but it will be pretty uncomfortable to be out for long with the windchill. Things will warm up again in a couple of days.
Today Sunny, with a high near 22. Northwest wind 9 to 13 mph. Apologies as out employee watching the shop is sick. We're closed today (Friday the 10th). Saturday and Sunday are covered. Fishing is good, despite the chilly temperatures. The water has not supercooled and is in the high 30s to low 40s area wide. Creeks are clear and a touch low. Fishing has been best on the early season staples. Leeches, She Hulks, scuds, pink squirrels, and brassiere. We have seen flies hatching mid day on sunny days like this. If you dress for chilly weather, you will catch fish!
Mostly cloudy, with a high near 37. Northwest wind 6 to 9 mph. The winds are gone! It will be chilly the next few days, but it will have very little impact on water temperatures. We're still in the early season mode of fishing between 9-3 but without any snowmelt, the water temperature can not take a nose dive each evening. So bundle up and come and fish! Creeks are clear to stained and flowing a touch low. Water temps are in the high 30s to low 40s.
Sunny, with a high near 41. Windy, with a west wind 25 to 30 mph decreasing to 16 to 21 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 48 mph. Stinking wind! Creeks dropped and cleared out pretty quickly after the weird heavy rain storms. Creeks are clear to milky with water temps in the mid 30s to mid 40s. When the wind subsides, the next couple of days, it will be chilly but the fishing will remain solid as there is no more snow to impact water temperature.
Partly sunny, then gradually becoming sunny, with a high near 49. Windy, with a west wind 20 to 26 mph, with gusts as high as 43 mph. Nice day, if it was not for the wind! Your best bet is to try and find some shelter near bluff faces and in deeper valleys. Creeks are stained to muddy after the brief heavy rain last night. Look for things to drop and clear pretty quickly. Water temps are in the high 30s to mid 40s.
Cloudy, with a high near 59. Breezy, with a south wind 17 to 22 mph, with gusts as high as 36 mph Wind the next few days, take shelter in the valleys and against bluff faces and fish leeches and streamers (flies that do not need to be casted all that accurately to be effective). Creeks are clear and flowing a bit low with water temperatures in the high 30s to mid 40s. Fishing has been good lately with midge hatches and winter stonefly emergences mid day. There will be pods of rising fish around lunchtime, sometimes they are hard to find! Subsurface fishing is best. Leeches have been incredible this early season! Fishing them along with scuds, deep brassies, she hulks, and copper johns will catch fish.
Mostly sunny, with a high near 41. Breezy, with a southeast wind 15 to 17 mph. Sunny and warming up! Fishing has been good and fish will be happy this weekend. Look for midge hatches mid day.
Increasing clouds, with a high near 28. Northwest wind 5 to 7 mph becoming southeast in the afternoon. Nothing super special about today, but with the early sun we have, the water temperatures will start to climb earlier and get the fish moving. We do not have a ton of snow on the ground. The last snow only dumped a couple of inches on the ground and between yesterdays melt and today there is little left. Saturday and Sunday look like fantastic weather! Saturday 43 and Sunday 58 for the highs! Creeks are clear to slightly stained and running in the high 30s to mid 40s water temperature wise. Fishing has been solid lately with the same stuff working well all early season. Midges are still our only hatch (it is not warm enough for olives yet) but we are seeing fish eat them mid day on the sunnier days. Subsurface fishing is best on leeches, scuds, brassies, ice cream cones, and She Hulks. Do not be afraid to fish a steamer slowly through the water as well, as we have seen some larger fish chase streamers the past week.
Snow, mainly before 3pm. High near 32. Breezy, with a northwest wind 13 to 17 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. Heavy wet snow falling this morning. Fishing has been spotty with the ever changing weather patterns. The good news is that things will start to pick up and steady starting today. Fish have been happily eating scuds and leeches as well as brassies subsurface. The midge hatches have slowed down a bit, but we should see them again starting Friday. It is now March, which means the shop is open 7 days a week! M-Sat 9-5 and Sunday 9-Noon
Cloudy, with a high near 48. East wind around 7 mph becoming west in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 60% Drizzle and rain on and off today. It might get heavy enough to accelerate the snow melt and put some color into the water. Fortunately there is not a ton of snow remaining and any muddy water should not last long at all. Mediocre weather mid week that will be fishable, but not outstanding comfort wise. Looking forward to the weekend we are looking at 50 degrees! Fishing remains good mid day before snowmelt hits the creeks. Fish are eating leeches, scuds, copper johns and prince nymphs fished right on the bottom. There have been midge hatches mid day, but if the drizzle keeps up, they will be fewer today.
Sunny, with a high near 45. South wind 7 to 9 mph. Gorgeous day in the Driftless! There is not a ton of snow on the ground after the snowy weekend, and the roads are in good shape. The creeks are clear and flowing well with water temperatures in the high 30s to low 40s. The weather has started to warm up again early this week, then we get a couple days of colder normal weather before the weekend gets to a very comfortable 50 degrees! Fish are eating scuds and bead heads fished deep as well as leeches and wooly buggers. There are midges hatching mid day on many creeks which are getting fish to rise for a short period of time. Water temperature has become important again due to colder nights. Make sure you use your thermometer and take advantage of the mid day window of good fishing.
Snow, possibly mixed with rain and freezing rain. Some thunder is also possible. Patchy blowing snow before 5pm. High near 30. Blustery, with a north wind 16 to 22 mph, with gusts as high as 32 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. Total daytime ice accumulation of 0.1 to 0.2 of an inch possible. Total daytime snow accumulation of around an inch possible. And we're back to winter! Really bad roads out there today, if you are in the are, be extremely careful. Tomorrow's weather will be very cold as well. Things get back on track and normal Sunday with the high near 36. In other words, avoid the weather today and tomorrow and start fishing again on Sunday.
A 30 percent chance of rain, mainly after 5pm. Cloudy, with a high near 45. Northeast wind 10 to 13 mph. Nothing special about today as a new storm front blows in. Look for fish to be back in the deeper pools and runs and the midge hatch to be suppressed a bit. Creeks are clear and flowing well with water temperatures in the high 30s to mid 40s. Scuds, streamers, leeches, and small bead heads fished deep are catching fish, and we are seeing noses most days around mid day during the midge hatch.
Mostly sunny, with a high near 63. South wind 6 to 13 mph. Gorgeous day to fish in the Driftless! We're past any melting right now and things are fishing really well. There will still be a handful of creeks that have a stain to them from the rains on Sunday, but overall conditions are great with creeks running in the high 30s to mid 40s temperature wise. We are seeing midges hatching mid day, but the majority of the action is still subsurface on leeches, scuds, midge larvae, and prince nymphs. The weather gets a bit colder later this week but it will not be enough to slow the fishing down!
Areas of fog before 9am. Otherwise, sunny, with a high near 61. South wind 5 to 10 mph We didn't get a gully washer of rain last night so there is a bit of clear water out there. There is little to no snow left on the banks and things a just a little muddy walking stream side. Fishing has been fantastic for winter due to the unseasonably warm February. Fish are eating leeches and streamers very well throughout the day, while sipping hatching midges mid day. Water temperatures are in the high 30s to low 40s and are much more stable now that snowmelt isn't much of an issue anymore.
High near 59. South wind 13 to 15 mph. Looks like we will get some rain this afternoon and evening too. Snow is mostly gone from the area, and creeks are running clear. Fishing has been fantastic due to the unseasonably warm winter with fish rising to midges and eating leeches and scuds subsurface happily along with small bead head nymphs. The rain will get rid of the last bits of snow and will stain the water a bit through the evening and into tomorrow. We will keep you updated.
Sunny, with a high near 60. South wind 7 to 9 mph. Today and through the weekend look like excellent weather, and the fishing has been great for winter, however beware water temperature. There is not a lot of snow on the banks and things shouldn't get muddy (there might be some localized color in the creeks) but water temperature will be an issue during this unseasonably hot weather. Remember to use your thermometer and check temperature often. When water temperature starts to drop, the fishing slows down and will eventually shut off. Fishing has been best on leeches, pink squirrels, and tiny bead heads fished deep. There have been midge hatches mid day that fish are feeding on too.
Mostly sunny, with a high near 44. Southeast wind 7 to 11 mph. A nice warm, sunny day! Look for fishing to be best before 2 or 3 when snowmelt begins to drop the water temperature, fishing will shut down. Creeks are clear and fishing has been quite good lately. There is not a ton of snow on the banks, and we have dodged the bullet of having muddy water in the system so far. It looks like Friday might be a bigger melting day, but thankfully all weekend the night time temperatures drop enough that it should lock some of the runoff up while we sleep. Leeches and scuds have been the ticket lately, as have pink squirrels and small bead heads rolled along the bottom. Mid day we have seen some pretty solid midge hatches and rising fish too.
Mostly cloudy, with a high near 32. Northwest wind 7 to 11 mph. A brief cool down today will help lock up the little runoff we have going on. There is not a ton of snow on the ground anymore, and creeks have remained very clear throughout the warmer days. Fishing has been quite solid on leeches and scuds subsurface, with mid day midge fishing becoming more consistent on the warmer days! The forecast for the weekend looks incredible. Temps in the high 40s to low 50s with overnight temperatures getting close to freezing (again slowing down any runoff).
Mostly sunny, with a high near 39. Breezy, with a west wind 11 to 21 mph, with gusts as high as 29 mph. Slow melt, re-freeze going on! This is the best case scenario for snowmelt that we can run into. While snow is entering the creeks it has not been enough to put a stain on the water. Fishing is solid between 9 and about 2 during the day while water temperature is warming and at its warmest. Once the temperature drops, fishing slows down and you would think the fish disappeared. Leeches are incredible right now, with small copper johns, pink squirrels, and frenchies being the top nymphs. For rising fish (they are showing up mid day) a simple single bodied midge or smoke jumper will catch trout. Creeks are clear with temps from mid 30s to low 40s.
Sunny, with a high near 44. Southwest wind 7 to 13 mph. Fishing has been very good lately with warmer temperatures kicking the winter fishing into high gear! We have avoided muddy water from runoff, and there is not a lot of snow left on the banks so walking around is fairly easy. We're in for a good week with sunny skies predicted and warm to downright balmy winter weather headed our way. Creeks are clear and flowing a bit high with water temperatures in the high 30 to low 40s. Fishing is best mid day when water temperatures are climbing or holding steady at their peak. Once they start to drop, fishing will slow down or shut off completely. Leeches have been incredible lately and we are also having luck on small bead head nymphs fished in the riffles and pockets. Mid day, the fish are pushing up into the riffles and runs feeding on the surface on midges and some winter stoneflies too.
Cloudy, with a high near 40. Northwest wind around 5 mph becoming light and variable in the morning. Warm and calm today! Sound like a perfect winter dry fly day! We're in a good loop of weather right now, pleasant during the day, then re-freezing at night keeping any snowmelt to a minimum. Fish are responding to leeches, scuds, pink squirrels, zebra midges, and dry midges and winter stones. Creeks are clear and fishing well!
Partly sunny, with a high near 40. South wind 9 to 15 mph becoming southwest in the afternoon. Excellent weekend conditions! The days will be warm, and the nights are below freezing which means that any melting will be locked up again while we sleep. Look for fishing to be best from about 9-3 when water temperatures are rising or peaked. The minute that water temperatures start to drop, the fishing slows down. Creeks are clear and flowing well right now with water temperatures in the mid 30s to low 40s area wide. Fish are happily eating leeches, pink squirrels, and scuds. Keep an eye out for mid day midge hatches and winter stonefly emergences too. This could be a good weekend for some winter dry fly fishing!
The bad news: Today, Sunny, with a high near 17. Wind chill values as low as -12. Northwest wind 6 to 11 mph. The good news: Friday Mostly cloudy, with a high near 42. South wind 10 to 14 mph, Saturday: Cloudy, with a high near 45. Northwest wind around 5 mph becoming light and variable. Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 38 Even with the cold snap, things will not take long to get moving thanks to the sun yesterday and today. The cold snap ends tonight, and temperatures are going to be incredible for the weekend! Look for midges and winter stones mid day, and for leeches, pink squirrels, and smaller bead head nymphs to be effective.
Partly sunny, with a high near 18. Wind chill values as low as zero. Northwest wind 11 to 13 mph. Very cold today and tomorrow! But, things rebound very nicely on Friday. The water temperatures will not tank too much over the next day thanks to the sun! Friday,Saturday, and Sunday look fantastic to where we are extending our shop hours on Saturday from 9-4! We have been seeing midge hatching daily, and winter stoneflies emerging when the water temperatures are over 40 degrees. Otherwise fishing small bead heads low and slow and twitching leeches and streamers through the holes has been very effective.
Cloudy high of 35. Great winter conditions! Tomorrow and Thursday will cool down quite a bit, but Friday and Saturday will touch 40 degrees! This weekend will be fun. We saw dry flies hatching yesterday and should see them again today (and probably this weekend too!). Otherwise leeches,scuds,midge larvae, and other small head heads are catching fish.
Increasing clouds, with a high near 37. Southeast wind 6 to 8 mph. Great winter conditions today (tomorrow will also be good despite the slight chance of rain). It cools down again Wednesday Thursday, but rebounds for the weekend with temps hitting 40. Fishing has been quite solid lately with fish eating scuds, squirrels, leeches and streamers. The key is fishing the good part of the day. Typically between 9 and 3, when the water temperature is climbing and when it is at its peak. Once water temperatures start to drop, the fishing shuts off. Creeks are clear with water temperatures in the mid to high 30s.
Cloudy, with a high near 31. Breezy, with a south wind 11 to 17 mph, with gusts as high as 29 mph. Warmer weather continuing to blow in today which will set up the net few days to be good winter fishing (sick day anyone??) Fishing has been good when the water temperature climbs a bit. Look for the sunnier days to be the most productive. Fish have been eating thin bodied bead heads rolled along the bottom, as well as pink squirrels and leeches. There have been winter stoneflies and midges hatching on the warmer days too. Water temperature is key. Make sure you use your thermometer and fish a rising temperature. The minute the water temp starts to drop, the fishing shuts down.
Sunny, with a high near 20. Wind chill values as low as -4. West wind 8 to 10 mph. Quite cold again today, but the sun is intense enough that there is melting going on outside the shop window right now. Later tonight the weather turns warmer as a south wind pushes the cold air out. That means far better fishing tomorrow and Sunday as well as next week with temperatures in the high 20s to mid 30s! Fishing has been solid on leeches, scuds, and small nymphs rolled along the bottom. On the warmer days, we have seen quite a few winter stones emerging as well as some midges hatching. There are rising fish, and there will be even more as the weather turns warmer! Streets are mostly plowed and shoulders are clear enough to park on on the larger creeks. Just remember to make sure you can pull off the road completely and safely!
Sunny, with a high near 16. Wind chill values as low as -7. West wind 11 to 14 mph. It's cold! It looks like it will stay pretty cold until Saturday. While the sun will warm the streams a bit, it will be pretty uncomfortable to be out on the creeks until Saturday based on the weather forecast. We will keep you updated. The sun will keep the creeks temperatures stable for the weekend too which means we should see the emergence of the winter stones again this weekend!
Mostly sunny, with a temperature falling to around 17 by 5pm. Northwest wind 10 to 13 mph. Bad news: It is getting chilly outside for the next couple of days. Good news: Creeks are at the point that the water temperature will still be fishable mid day. The window will just 'close' a little bit making it very important that you use your thermometer and fish the rising water temperature. Yesterday we had fish rising with winter stones and midges hatching starting at about 10. The fishing shut off completely for us around 1, unless we found a spring coming in. Creeks are flowing clear and well for winter. Water temperatures are in the mid to high 30s with a few hitting 40. We are seeing rising fish mid day to winter stones and midges, but most of the action is subsurface on heavy bead head nymphs, scuds, and leeches.
A slight chance of snow before 11am, then a chance of snow after noon. Cloudy, with a high near 35. Breezy, with a west wind 13 to 22 mph. If it weren't for the wind, today would be fantastic for fishing. These little warm spots in the week can bring about some of the best fishing in the winter time (when the sun isn't shining). Creeks are flowing clear with temperatures in the high 30s into the low 40s. Leeches have been he food of choice, and we're also having success on heavily weighted nymphs fished right on the bottom. As always, when in doubt, tie on a pink squirrel.
Snow, mainly between 11am and 2pm. High near 32. Breezy, with a south wind 7 to 17 mph, with gusts as high as 26 mph. Despite the wind, fishing has remained good this winter. Keep in mind that these are not springtime good fishing days, but the peak time of day (11-3) has been a lot of fun lately! A pretty normal few days of winter ahead with a dip in temperature Thursday and Friday (Saturday recovers into the mid 20s). Fishing has been best on squirrels, leeches, scuds, and pheasant tails. The dry fly activity has slowed down as water temperatures have stabilized in the mid to high 30s. We need some sunny days to warm the water up a bit before we see consistent midge hatches again.
Cloudy, with a high near 29. Northwest wind 11 to 15 mph. We had quite a bit of wet, heavy snow fall over the past day. There is now about 6 inches of new snow on the ground. The snow has not negatively impacted the fishing! Fish are still happily feeding subsurface on leeches, midges, and scuds as well as starting to pick up on smaller, flashy nymphs fished deep. Although the days are getting cooler than last week (looking at mid 20s to 30s through the weekend), fishing will still be good mid day. Plus, the runoff has slowed to a crawl meaning creeks are all running clear.
It snowed a couple inches last night. Snow day today! Shop will be closed today, but we are still answering the phones. Snow. High near 33. Northeast wind around 14 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. Total daytime snow accumulation of 3 to 5 inches possible. Fishing will be on hold until the snow gets through the area. Although it was nice to enjoy the warm weather and good winter fishing last week, this is some much needed moisture for the system. Things start to cool down the rest of the week and get back to normal winter fishing. Remember, the rule of thumb is 25 degrees and sunny means fishing weather mid day. Any colder than that, or cloud cover, can make things difficult to miserable out there.
Patchy fog before noon. Otherwise, cloudy, with a high near 36. Light southeast wind becoming east 5 to 9 mph in the morning. Another great day to be fishing early season in the Driftless! Creeks are clear and fishing well, we have been lucky enough to avoid any major runoff so far. Only a couple of creeks are murky in our area. Fish have been responding well to leeches, scuds, and midge larvae. We have even been fishing dries (yes the first few fish have already been caught on indicator dries even!) during the midge hatch mid day. We are looking at some heavy snow tonight and into tomorrow, so if you are heading down here, or in the area, you may just have to call in sick and fish an extra day or two!
Patchy drizzle before noon. Areas of fog. Otherwise, cloudy, with a high near 37. Northwest wind around 6 mph. Many of our creeks remain clear with water temperatures in the mid 30s to low 40s. It has been a surprisingly good winter so far as runoff has been slight. Only a couple of our creeks are murky. Fishing is best when water temperatures are climbing. Once they start to drop, things shut down. We are seeing a few midges and a few rising fish each afternoon. The best fishing has been on leeches, scuds, and pink squirrels.
Cloudy, with a high near 42. Southeast wind 6 to 8 mph becoming southwest in the afternoon. We're still dodging the run off bullet! Creeks remain mostly clear with only a couple showing a stain. We are experiencing some snow melt, but it has not been enough yet to turn the creeks into a muddy mess. Fishing has been solid mid day on midge larvae, san juan worms, wooly buggers and scuds. We're also seeing midge hatches daily and a few pods of rising fish right around lunchtime.
Areas of drizzle. Patchy fog. Otherwise, cloudy, with a high near 38. East wind 6 to 8 mph. We didn't get a ton of rain yesterday. It fell as a light drizzle, and while it did start melting some snow, the creeks did not turn into a mess at all. The slow melt will continue today, and we're not too worried about muddying up of the creeks. However, make sure you keep checking your thermometer. Once the water temperature drops the fishing will shut off. Fishing has been solid the past couple of days. Creeks are flowing clear to slightly stained and trout are picking up on scuds, midges, and leeches subsurface. We have seen midges hatching and had some rising fish yesterday and should see more mid day today!
Widespread dense fog, mainly before 8am. Otherwise, cloudy, with a high near 39. South wind around 6 mph. Conditions are right to be out fishing! Yesterday fishing was solid mid day, but did drop off a bit in the evening as we are receiving a slow melt which drops the water temperature a bit. Look for fishing to be prime between 10 and 2:30. Fish are eating small bead heads fished deep and slow as well as leeches dead drifted near the bottom with a twitch. As things warm up some fish are moving out of the holes and into the runs to feed mid day. Creeks are running clear and do not have a ton of snow bankside. While it is still trudging through the snow, it is shin deep or less on average. Be careful in parking and make sure your vehicle is pulled off the side of the road completely.
Patchy fog before 10am. Otherwise, cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly sunny, with a high near 39. Southwest wind 8 to 10 mph. Downright balmy today and into the weekend! Conditions look really solid for mid day fishing. You want to make sure you have your thermometer with you as water temperature is key right now. Fish rising temperatures, and once any snowmelt hits the creeks and drops the water temp, the fishing shuts off. Fish have been eating tiny dark flies fished near the bottom as well as squirrels. They are also responding (and will do so even more as water temperatures climb) to leeches fished dead drift with a twitch. Creeks are clear and flowing well for winter with water temperatures in the high 30s to low 40s.
A chance of freezing rain before 10am, then a chance of rain between 10am and 4pm. Areas of fog before 10am. Otherwise, cloudy, with a high near 36. Northwest wind around 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. A word salad of a weather forecast! We're looking at icy conditions for the last day this week, be careful driving and walking stream side. The good news is this has all fallen and frozen, which means the creeks are still running clear! Snow isn't super deep with most areas calf deep at the worst. There is a thin crust on top of the snow, so take your time walking. The next few days of weather look fantastic, especially for January. Look for fish to continue to feed deep in pools and near the springs bringing warmer water into the system. Water temps are in the high 30s to 40.
Sleet likely, possibly mixed with snow before 1pm, then rain, possibly mixed with freezing rain between 1pm and 4pm, then freezing rain, possibly mixed with sleet after 4pm. High near 33. Southeast wind 6 to 8 mph becoming east in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 100%. Total daytime ice accumulation of less than a 0.1 of an inch possible. Total daytime snow and sleet accumulation of less than a half inch possible. It's icy out there! If you are out fishing be extremely careful driving and on any larger bankside rocks. It is very slippery. The icy stuff goes away mid week and conditions become fantastic for January fishing! Sunny with highs in the high 30s to low 40! Fishing has been solid lately on small frenchies and midge larvae as well as leeches dead drifted with a twitch every now and then in the deeper pools. Water temps have been in the mid to high 30s and even pushing 40 on sunnier days. Creeks are crystal clear and running a bit low.
Sunny, with a high near 23. West wind 3 to 7 mph. Good enough to be out and fishing today. Possibility of dries in the afternoon, even more so tomorrow. Fish small and dark and in the deep pools and near springs.
A chance of flurries between 4pm and 5pm, then a slight chance of snow after 5pm. Cloudy, with a high near 10. Wind chill values as low as -16. North wind 5 to 7 mph becoming light and variable. Today is cold again. With the chilly wind, it is not really worth it to be out fishing. However, Saturday and Sunday look like good winter days to be on the water! Sunny skies with temperatures in the mid 20s means we should have the window of opportunity to see active fish in the middle part of the day. On Sunday, there is even a chance to get some dry fly activity on midges if the weather doesn't change. Fishing will be best mid day on smaller, darker, subsurface patterns and leeches fished slowly through the holes.
Still cold and pretty miserable out there. The good news is that it will be nice this weekend and will continue into next week! Fishing has been slow as it has been too cold to get out there recently!
We're on our way back from the fly fishing show in Denver. Weather was terrible and we are stuck (but safe) in northern Iowa. We won't be able to open the shop until Thursday 1-12. Sorry for the inconvenience.
Rain, snow, and sleet, becoming all snow after 1pm. Patchy blowing snow after 2pm. Temperature rising to near 35 by 11am, then falling to around 24 during the remainder of the day. Breezy, with a south wind 8 to 13 mph becoming west 18 to 23 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 38 mph. Ugly driving conditions out there today. Be safe! The trout will be around another day. Wednesday looks decent with temperatures bearable and we should be shoveled out by then after the storm today. Temperatures take a bit of a nose dive later this week, then rebound for the weekend! Creeks are clear and flowing a bit low which is normal for winter time. The fish that have been caught have been caught mid day when the water temperatures is the highest. Small, dark bodied nymphs rolled along the bottom are the ticket right now, with leeches getting some grabs too.
A high of 25 today, however it is no longer sunny. We're getting light snow that is supposed to turn to slush later in the day. If you're coming to fish, drive carefully! Fishing has been spotty due to cold temperatures. The shop will be closed until Wednesday.
Sunny, with a high near 9. Wind chill values as low as -19. Northwest wind 8 to 13 mph. Happy trout season opener! The creeks are cold, but clear and most are ice free. It's cold enough out that we don't recommend fishing, but salute the braves souls who will go hook a fish just because it is opener. If you do fish, please be careful not only for yourself, but for the fish. Prolonged exposure to this type of cold can freeze their gills! Weather gets considerably nicer Monday and Tuesday.
Nothing much more to tell. It is frigid outside and will not warm up significantly until Monday. Season opens Saturday, but the wind chill will be -19. The shop will be open on Saturday only from 8-Noon.
Very cold and blustery today and tomorrow. Crummy weather to head into season. Shop will be open on Saturday from 8-noon, closed Sunday The better weather looks like early next week. While it will still be cold, it will be within the low end of the magic winter fishing zone. 25 and sunny.
Sunny and cold, with a high near 5. Wind chill values as low as -19. Blustery, with a west wind 13 to 17 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. It's ugly out. The cold front is here and will stay here until about Monday. Season opener is on Saturday but the high temperature will be 9.
Cloudy, with a temperature falling to around 18 by 5pm. Breezy, with a northwest wind 17 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 29 mph. A little precipitation last night and some crazy wind the next couple of days. A cold front is blowing in. Looking ahead, Saturday will be cold, but sunny meaning there will be a brief window of opportunity in the afternoon for some active fish. However with how cold it is going to be, guides will be freezing and you might be too! Monday's weather is looking much nicer with a high near 28.
Wisconsin's season is closed. It re-opens Saturday January 7th! A chance of snow before noon, then a chance of rain, snow, and sleet between noon and 2pm, then rain after 2pm. High near 34. East wind 8 to 14 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. Little or no snow and sleet accumulation expected. A slight melt today will drop water temperatures down a bit (not that they are all that warm, as it is still winter!) but will not cloud up anything significantly. Creeks are low and clear with water temperatures right around 40. There have been some sporadic midge hatches on the sunny days and a few fish rising. The next couple of days will see a drop in temperature that will slow things down a bit for opener. Saturday will not be warm, but the sun will help to get the creeks rolling in the afternoon.
