A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before noon. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 76. South wind 7 to 11 mph. The Driftless is still reeling from the recent heavy rains. There is fishable water south of the shop, but getting there is still tricky due to closed roads and bridges out. If you are insistent on fishing this weekend, please keep south of the shop as north (Timber Coulee and West Fork) sustained major damage. The creeks are mostly muddy and unfishable up there as well as people are still putting together the pieces of their lives. Again, if you are planning on fishing the area, stay south of Viroqua. The good news is that water is finally beginning to recede. The bad news is we are starting down a potenital 3-4 inches of more rain over the holiday weekend. We will, as always, keep you posted. If you travel plans allow it, this is a good weekend to skip,
Driftless Angler Fly Shop
Wisconsin's Premier Fly Shop and Guide Service
Blog
August 2018
Flood waters are beginning to recede with some springs finally running clear and not pumping chocolate milk. The damage to the creeks is staggering and we have cancelled all of our guided trips through the weekend so the area can recover and we can wrap our heads around what we have going forward. There are still multiple road closures, mostly on the smaller county roads that cross the creeks. Please give it another day or two as creeks are still unfishable and it is still dangerous driving around the area.
The area is recovering from heavy flooding. Multiple road closures and detours make it difficult to even get around locally right now. It's not worth even showing up as things are unfishable and will be for a couple of days. We will keep you updated.
High near 79. South wind around 7 mph becoming northwest in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New rainfall amounts between three quarters and one inch possible. Our luck ran out last night! Anywhere between 3 and 8 inches of rain fell in our area. Central Vernon county and north to hwy 90 got the largest amount of rain, while south of us got a bit less. This means creeks will be blown out. Thankfully our fishery rebounds quickly, but most of today, expect there to be little to no fishing. As things crop and clear, fishing leeches and San Juan worms will be very effective in the murky waters. We will keep you posted with creek conditions as things change. EDIT MAJOR flooding north of us near Coon Valley. Roads closed and smaller bridges out. Do not try to fish north of the shop! Let the crews clean up and observe all road closed signs. South of us a ways we found fishable water and some clear stuff. If you are here for the next day or two, please focus your fishing south of the shop.
Partly sunny, with a high near 85. South wind 13 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. Cold front returning to our area after some rains tonight! Creeks are in great shape (clear to slightly stained) with good flows and great water temperatures for late August. Tricos have been super spotty lately, while the olive hatch and spinner fall has been better to fish in the early morning and late evening. Subsurface fishing has been solid on smaller scuds, perdigons, and pheasant tails. The week is setting up to be excellent on paper as we are not supposed to see anything over the mid 70s for a high starting Wednesday!
Areas of dense fog before noon. Otherwise, cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly sunny, with a high near 81. West wind 3 to 5 mph. Creeks are in good shape, and outside of the sun poking its head out from behind the clouds later today, fishing conditions are great. Cool creeks after recent rains, and cool temperatures last week have everything falling into place for some good late August fishing. We are seeing olives in the mornings and evenings, with a smattering of trico spinners in the morning as well. When the sun does come out and dry out the ground, hoppers appear and other terrestrials become the main course. Subsurface fishing has been good, both as droppers below an attractor pattern or hopper and fished on the bottom of deeper pools.
Cloudy, with a high near 69. South wind 8 to 11 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, Cool and cloudy weather means rising fish through most of the day! The major rains that flooded Madison all but missed us and our creeks have been clear to slightly stained most of this week. The rains we are forecasted for are not worrying. If we get some sort of heavy rain we will let you know. We are seeing olives hatching in the mornings and evenings, and a reduced trico spinner fall in the mornings. Mid day fishing has been solid on hoppers and droppers as well as beetles and ants. We're at the tail end of another summer cold and wet front which has really made fishing pick up. On cloudy days like today, do not neglect fishing scuds subsurface. They move around quite a bit more when the sun is off the water. For this weekend, keep in mind that parts of highway 14 out of Madison are still closed. You can keep heading west on the highway 12 and hook south near Black Earth of Sauk City (follow the detour signs) or head in via I-90 and south on highway 27 (Sparta exit). We did not get any flooding here, it is just a pocked in Madison that was hit hard.
Sunny, with a high near 75. Northwest wind 7 to 10 mph. Gorgeous weather continues! The flooding that hit the Madison area did not reach us. Our creeks are clear to stained and flowing well. Just keep in mind that driving here can be tricky if you do not take the freeway over the next couple of days as many bridges in near Madison are out. Trico spinners and olives in the morning followed by terrestrials with a dropper all day long. Deep nymphing is also working well on the sunny days when fish seem to be magnetized to the bottom. In the evenings we are seeing action on olives and even a few caddis dries.
Patchy drizzle before 10am. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 71. North wind 8 to 14 mph. Rains yesterday were good soaking rains that dropped up to 2 inches. This means many of our creeks will be murky to muddy this morning, but will drop and clear rapidly through the day. Smaller tributary creeks and headwaters will be stained to murky this morning changing to clear to stained this evening. Don't get stuck thinking that everything is blown out if your favorite creek is muddy! Hop into the car and drive around a bit and you will find fishable water. If you have even a couple inches of visibility, you can catch fish. When we get rains, the most effective bugs are leeches, san juan worms, and larger scuds. On the creeks that are clearer, scuds, frenchies and pink squirrels will do well today. On the creeks that have cleared up a bit by this evening, look for the olive hatch the latter part of the day. The cold weather and rain will set us up for a coupe of days of fantastic fishing ahead! Cooler water temps, a nice flush, and springs that will be pumping out water a bit more than normal in the middle of summer mean solid trout fishing!
Scattered showers and thunderstorms, then periods of showers and possibly a thunderstorm after 10am. High near 74. East wind 6 to 13 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New rainfall amounts between three quarters and one inch possible. After the rain rolls through today, we are set up for a handful of incredible weather days. The rain will cool down the creeks a bit and push more water through the springs. It is also going to drop air temperatures all week long!! Look for olives early and late as the cooler temps are more favorable for those hatches while the tricos will appear later in the mornings after cool nights. Subsurface fishing has been excellent on brush hogs, midge larvae, and other smaller, thin bodied nymphs such as perdigons and Liberace jigs. Hopper fishing has been fantastic, but with cooler and wetter weather, they will not kick around as much until later when things dry up and warm up a bit. Look for the terrestrial bite to be on in the afternoon and into the evenings.
Cloudy through mid morning, then becoming mostly sunny, with a high near 82. Northeast wind 3 to 5 mph. Creeks have mostly cleared after the rains a couple nights ago. Only the larger creeks (West Fork, North Fork etc) still have a stain as of this morning. Overall fishing is good for mid summer! Tricos have been spotty, but when you find a cloud first thing in the morning, the fishing has been fantastic. We've started tos ee some micro olives in the mornings and evenings too. Most of the action right now is on ants and beetles on the calm days, and hoppers when the winds are up a bit blowing them into the creeks. Subsurface fishing has been quite good, but be patient as it seems to have to hit fish on the nose to get them to eat right now. Creeks are clear to stained with water temperatures in the low 60s. Remember your thermometer as temps over 65 mean slow fishing and much higher than that can be harmful to trout.
EDIT: 4:30 pm. Larger creeks are still murky/muddy. Smaller tributaries and meadow creeks have dropped and cleared to a fishable level (clear to stained). Guide trips early in the AM did well on hoppers! It rained about 2 inches in town and north of us. South of the shop received 3-4 inches and east into Madison got way too much rain in the past 24 hours. Expect creeks to be stained to muddy this morning, but many of the smaller waters will drop and clear quickly. With no more rain in the forecast, things should be back on track for the weekend. On the murky water, fish San Juan worms and scuds as well as black leeches. On the clearer water your normal bead heads will work just fine. It will take a while for things to dry out so the hopper fishing will be off until later today. Try an attractor pattern on the surface through the day, and look for small olives in the evening. This flush is not a bad thing, it will recharge the springs and drop water temperatures a bit!
Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly between 4pm and 5pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 80. Calm wind becoming northeast around 5 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. Fishing remains strong in the Driftless. The middle part of the day is not the most pleasant fishing, but a hopper dropper fished tight to shady banks can be deadly. The real action is early and late. Fish will rise to tricos and small mayflies in the morning, then feed on midges and olives in the evening. Last night fish would happily slurp a beetle alongside the natural bugs too! Creeks are low and clear with water temperatures in the low 60s. The storm tonight would be a blessing cooling things down and dropping the humidity. We will keep your posted if anything odd happens.
A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after noon. Partly sunny, with a high near 80. Calm wind becoming southeast around 5 mph. Some much needed cloud cover today! The sun being the limiting factor as we roll through the mid summer. Fishing has been good early and late, but can feel a bit tough mid day. Tricos and other small mayflies are hatching early, and late at night we are getting a midge and tiny mayfly hatch. In the middle part of the day fish are feeding on terrestrials. Ants and beetles on calm days, and hoppers on windy days. Creeks are low and clear with water temperatures in the low 60s. Only a couple creeks are warming up into the high 60s. Make sure to use a thermometer as anything over 65 will be slow fishing and much higher than that can be harmful to trout.
Sunny, with a high near 82. Light and variable wind. Normal summer conditions will sit over us the next couple of days. Look for fishing to be best early (look for trico spinner falls) and later on in the day when the sun is off the water. It isn't too awful mid day if you are tossing ants and beetles near overhanging vegetation, or fishing a hippie stomper with a dropper. If you find shady areas, you will find more catchable fish! Creeks are low and clear to slightly stained with temperatures in the low 60s. Make sure to check water temperatures as anything over 65 means slow fishing and can start to harm fish around 70 degrees.
Sunny, with a high near 83. Light west wind becoming southwest 5 to 9 mph in the afternoon. About an inch of rain fell last night which means creeks will be running with a slight stain this morning, with most dropping and clearing very quickly. South of us is still recovering from the heavier rain a couple of nights ago. We're in our summer rhythm of tricos in the mornings, then hopper or hippie stomper with a dropper during the day. Smaller beetles fished right along the grassy banks have also been deadly. On creeks with a stain, fishing a scud or even San Juan worm is a good idea as fish will eat a bigger meal with some color in the water.
Scattered showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 2pm. Cloudy, with a high near 77. Light east wind. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. Scattered storms continue to roll through our area. Yesterday south of Viroqua was hit pretty hard by rain where the shop, and north of us were mostly spared. Expect clear to stained water with decent water temperatures area wide. Creeks to the south will be stained to muddy. Tricos in the mornings, then terrestrials through the day. Don't forget to fish a dry/dropper to double your chances!
Scattered showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 1pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 78. West wind 3 to 6 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. We're in a pattern of summer storms, which, outside the potential lightning, is not a bad thing. Creeks are clear to slightly stained as the rains that have hit lately have done so quickly and soaked right into the ground. It has also (mercifully) dropped the humidity briefly. With the sun being the limiting factor, days like today can be quite good. We're still seeing tricos in the mornings, then switching to terrestrials through the rest of the day. Fishing a hippie stomper with a dropper has been fantastic lately!
Partly sunny, with a high near 86. Breezy, with a south wind 5 to 10 mph increasing to 11 to 16 mph in the afternoon. Hot and sunny today. Keep yout fingers crossed that the clouds roll in as the sun will be the limiting factor. Creeks are low and clear with water temperatures in the low 60s. WIth the warmer day today, make sure to use your thermometer. Any creek over 65 will be slow fishing, and much higher than that can be stressful to trout. There are still plenty of creeks running in the high 50s to low 60s. Tricos in the mornings, and hopper dropper through the day. We're in our standard summertime pattern! Fish early, fish late, and find the shade to catch more fish. Your casts have to be right next to the banks on sunny days to tempt trout out from cover.
Partly sunny, with a high near 81. Light southeast wind becoming south 5 to 10 mph in the morning. Fishing continues to be good here in the Driftless. Tricos are showing up in the mornings, and on calm mornings like we have today, the fishing can last from sunup to about 10 am! Look for the clouds of bugs over the stream and rising fish as they fall. It might not be consistent rising, but when a cloud drops the fish go nuts and feed on the tiny mayflies with abandon. The rest of the day, fishing a hopper or hippie stomper with a bead head below is still fantastic. We're getting very aggressive strikes from fish on hoppers! Unlike the past few years, our hoppers were not washed away from the spring floods, so there are quite a few more around which means fish are seeing more of them through the day. Terrestrials start working when the tricos shut down. It takes a while for the ground to warm up and dry out for them to get moving. When in doubt, fish deep. A competition style (heavily weighted) bead head nymph rolled along the bottom or underneath undercut banks can get even the fussiest summer trout to eat. Creeks are low and clear with temperatures at 60 degrees. There are a couple of creeks who are reaching the 65 degree mark. Fishing shuts down over 65 degrees and can be lethal to trout if it gets near 70. Please use a thermometer and avoid the larger, warmer creeks this time of year.
Cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly sunny, with a high near 70. Northwest wind 5 to 7 mph. Wow, what a day! Mini cold front coupled with a soaking rain last night has water temperatures and air temperatures excellent today! We received right around an inch of rain last night, but the ground was dry enough to absorb most of it. This means creeks will be clear to slightly stained this morning. The cold and misty morning will keep the trico spinner fall to a minimum. The action until about mid day will be subsurface. Scuds, brush hogs, leeches, and pink squirrels will shine as long as clouds stay overhead. As things get sunny hopper dropper will be deadly again.
Mostly sunny, with a high near 81. Light northwest wind becoming southwest 6 to 11 mph in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 30%. Overnight temperatures have been quite pleasant, which means morning fishing has been quite good. During the day, the sun is shining brightly and we are waiting for clouds to show up. Later afternoon water temperatures have climbed quite a bit, so make sure to use your thermometer. Anything over 65 will be poor fishing. Fish early, fish late (when the sun is off the water) and find shade to find fish! Creeks are low and clear with water temperatures in the 60s. Tricos in the morning. Terrestrials and droppers all day long. When the sun is off the water, fish will be right below the riffles. During the middle part of the day they retreat to deeper pools and undercut banks.
