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.
Driftless Angler Fly Shop
Wisconsin's Premier Fly Shop and Guide Service
Blog
September 2017
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!
