A chance of flurries between 1pm and 3pm. Increasing clouds, with a high near 26. South wind 6 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 28 mph. Winter weather is back. There will be a brief warm up on Wednesday then normalizing to chilly, but not awful temperatures for the weekend. Fishing has been solid, but you need to slow things down quite a bit. Scuds and streamers and leeches fished slowly are the key. Fish are holding deep in pools on the cloudier days, and will come up into the shallower runs to feed when the sun is out and warming the water temperature.
Driftless Angler Fly Shop
Wisconsin's Premier Fly Shop and Guide Service
Blog
January 2018
Scattered flurries before 10am. Partly sunny, with a high near 21. Northwest wind around 9 mph. We're getting into a good rhythm of melting, then re-freezing over the past few days! Things are clear to stained with water temperatures in the low 40s. Chilly to mild early this week, but if the sun peeks out then fishing will be solid. We will see another lockup of runoff late in the week, then back to chilly over the weekend. If the sun is out and water is clear, watch for winter stones and midges hatching. Fish will also pick up on scuds and tiny bead heads fished slow and deep/. If the clouds are in the sky and things are a bit cooler, fish a streamer or leech very slowly and very deep. There have been some really nice fish picked up lately swinging streamers through deep pools.
A chance of sprinkles after 4pm, mixing with flurries after 5pm. Increasing clouds, with a high near 39. West wind 9 to 13 mph. Creeks are clear to stained with temps from 40-45. Make sure to use your thermometer! A rising water temperature means good fishing. Once it starts to dip, things shut down. Conditions are quite good right now for winter. We had a few creeks yesterday that had rising fish throughout the sweet spot of the day (10-2). Otherwise, fish are hunkering down in deeper pools and runs eating midges, scuds, and streamers and leeches swung like soft hackles.
A slight chance of showers between 11am and noon. Partly sunny, with a high near 47. Breezy, with a south wind 15 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 36 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%. Warm and cloudy today. The clouds staying overhead will keep things from running off too quickly. As it is, we do not have a ton of snow cover left on the ground so we are not too afraid of muddy water for the weekend. Fishing has been solid on heavy bead heads fished deep in the pools, and fish are also chasing leeches and streamers fished slowly. A stream thermometer is very important this time of season. Fishing will be good only when the water temperature starts to climb (roughly starting at 9 am) and will shut off once snowmelt starts to drop the water temperature (roughly 2 p.m.). make sure you are checking temperatures often!
Patchy fog before 10am. Otherwise, mostly sunny, with a high near 38. Southeast wind around 8 mph. Looking good in the Driftless! Warmer weather through Saturday will have fish eating again. Look for midge hatches and winter stonefly emergences mid day, and look for fish feeding on midge larvae and smalls scuds during the warm part of the day. A thermometer is a must as fishing is only good when water temperatures are rising. Once snowmelt hits the creeks, things slow down quite a bit and fishing can shut down. Typically fishing is best between 10 and 2. Do not overlook fishing streamers this time of season. Some larger fish will eat a big meal in the winter!
Patchy fog between 10am and 11am. Otherwise, increasing clouds, with a high near 29. West wind 3 to 7 mph. After some gnarly winter weather, things have gotten back on track. We had some melting a couple days ago, then freezing rain and a small amount of snow. With the weather the next few days we are expecting a slow melt and the creeks to be in great shape! Fish will be rising to midges and winter stones, especially on days when the sun is out early to warm the water. Otherwise subsurface fishing is the way to go. Heavy midge larvae, leeches, scuds, squirrels and streamers are catching fish right now.
Snow, mainly before 8am. High near 28. Northwest wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 28 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. Total daytime snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible. Weird day yesterday, we had melting, then rain, then snow. A lot of creeks experienced run off and turned cold and murky. Nothing special to note about weather today, except it is cold and will lock up some of the run off. There is still not a lot of snow left on the ground. We get another nice warm up starting Wednesday which will set us up for another nice late week and weekend of fishing. Midge hatches and winter stone emergences are happening daily, and subsurface fishing on scuds, midges, and leeches has been effective too. Just remember to fish your flies deep and slow, and keep an eye on the water temperature. As it is climbing, fishing is good. Once it falls, fishing shuts down.
Rain before 9am, then rain and possibly a thunderstorm between 9am and 3pm, then rain likely after 3pm. Patchy fog before 9am. High near 37. Breezy, with a northeast wind 14 to 23 mph, with gusts as high as 31 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible. The weekend was good for fishing! The next couple of days are chillier and dropping some precipitation. Not very pleasant until Wednesday when the sun comes back out. Mid week looks decent, Friday and Saturday look ideal again! Fish have been feeding on the surface on midges and winter stoneflies, and subsurface on midge larvae fished deep, heavy scuds, and some are chasing leeches and streamers. Use your thermometer this time of year. A rising water temperature is important as that is when things happen on the water. Once the temperature starts to drop it is time to pack it up and head back to basecamp.
Mostly sunny, with a high near 41. South wind 7 to 13 mph. Downright balmy out there the next few days. This should be a great weekend for fishing. Look for fish to feed as the water temperature rises through the late morning and mid day. Once snow starts to melt into the creeks and the water temperature drops, the fishing shuts off. It is very important to carry a thermometer right now. There is a high chance of a midge hatch mid day, and possibly winter stoneflies too. Subsurface fishing is best on heavy, thin bodied nymphs rolled along the bottom as well as slowly twitched leeches. With the warmer water temps, scuds should start to pick up some fish too. There is not a ton of snow bank side, most parking areas are pretty clear too.
Sunny, with a high near 35. Southwest wind 8 to 13 mph. What a glorious day outside today! The conditions on paper could not be better for some early season fishing. Fish are rising mid day with the sun out and heating the water up. Look for midges on the surface. Subsurface fishing has been best on small, dark bodied nymphs as well as on leeches and larger scuds. The weekend is supposed to be in the 40s, with the overnight lows 20. These conditions are excellent as we get a window of fishing from about 9-2. When the snow starts melting and trickling in, things shut down. Luckily the colder nights lock up the runoff and resets the fishing for the next day!
Mostly cloudy through mid morning, then gradual clearing, with a high near 23. Wind chill values as low as -14. Southwest wind 9 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. Warm front rolling in! Today is fishable, but windy. Look for fish to feed on midge larvae and leeches subsurface as well as larger scuds. There is a chance to see some dry fly activity mid day in places that are out of the wind. The next few days have us pretty excited. Temperatures will be in the mid to high 30s through the weekend with nights chilly enough to re-freeze any runoff we receive. On paper it looks like a recipe for some great winter fishing! The fishing will be best as water temperature rises. So make sure to grab a thermometer and check it often.
Mostly sunny, with a high near 13. Wind chill values as low as -7. Northwest wind around 9 mph. Crummy cold day again today. Over the weekend we received about 3 inches of snow. The next couple of days are cold and wintry, however things change starting on Thursday where we are looking at temperatures hitting 32. Friday and Saturday will be 39! Mark your calendars for this weekend as it is the best weather we have had so far in January!
Sunny and cold, with a high near 5. Wind chill values as low as -24. Northwest wind 5 to 8 mph. Too cold to fish. It will not be good for anglers to be out there, and if you were crazy enough to go out and fish, their skin and gills would flash freeze in this cold of weather if exposed to the air.
Sunny, with a high near 11. Wind chill values as low as -12. North wind 11 to 13 mph. Just when the waters clear up and fishing gets good. ...... It's cold again. As in stay home and tie flies cold. High temperatures will not hit even 20 degrees until Thursday. We're open on Saturday from 9-2 just in case you are itching to scout some water.
Areas of fog. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a high near 43. South wind 9 to 13 mph. Looks like the last excellent winter weather day before the weekend. Fishing has been quite good during these warmer days with fish midging mid day and feeding on tiny bead heads and leeches subsurface. Remember to fish warming water temperature for best results. Take your thermometer and use it! We're open by appointment during the week, and 9-2 on Saturday during January.
Partly sunny, with a high near 38. Southeast wind 7 to 11 mph. Well this is a much more pleasant weather forecast! Today and tomorrow are great conditions for fishing. There is little to no snow on the ground right now and with the warmer temperatures, fishing starts a bit earlier than normal for this time of year. Look for midges hatching mid day and possibly some winter stoneflies. Fishing subsurface is still the best with heavy midge larvae and leeches being go to flies. Scuds are starting to pick up quite a few fish too. Later in the week we're forecasted for a bit of snow and a cool down before the weekend. The shop is open by appointment during the week and 9-2 on Saturday. Call if you are going to be in town and we will open up for you!
A slight chance of freezing drizzle after 2pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 27. Wind chill values as low as zero. Southwest wind 9 to 13 mph, with gusts as high as 28 mph. A brief warm up is heading our way starting today. That will make fishing start to pick up after the brutal cold we have endured the past few days. It is still winter fishing so make sure you are on the water as temperatures rise. A thermometer is your friend this time of year, use it often to see what water temps are doing throughout the day. Fishing is best on midge larvae and small dark beadhead nymphs rolled along the bottom, as well as leeches and small streamers twitched through deep pools.
Sunny, with a high near 10. Wind chill values as low as -14. Calm wind becoming south 5 to 9 mph in the afternoon.\ Still cold in the Driftless. If you are ambitious enough to head out and fish bundle up and please keep the fish in the water! We don't want their gills freezing. Tomorrow and Monday look far more pleasant weather wise as temperatures creep up into the mid 30s. Look for midges hatching mid day, and subsurface action on leech patterns fished slowly as well as tiny bead heads rolled below the riffles. The best time to fish is late morning until late afternoon. Use your thermometer as fish are happiest as the water temperature climbs. Once it starts to fall fishing shuts off.
Sunny and cold, with a high near 5. Wind chill values as low as -19. Northwest wind around 7 mph. It is still very cold here. And looks to be so through Saturday. Season opens on Saturday but we are not expecting a fantastic start to the season. We have quite a bit of frozen water. If you need to get out of the house this weekend, come and visit. With temperatures as chilly as they are on Saturday (Sunday/Monday looks much better) it might we worth while to avoid a drive and fish another weekend. Having said that, we will be open on Saturday from 9-Noon.
Sunny and cold, with a high near 1. Wind chill values as low as -25. West wind 7 to 10 mph. Bitterly cold again today. The opener is January the 6th. Looking at the weather and the creeks (there is a lot of frozen water out there) I would say you might want to consider staying home and staying warm. Weather all this week is sub zero or less than 10 degrees for a high. While there will be a handful of fishable water Saturday, it will not be worth a long drive to find it. If you are in need of a mental health day, then by all means come and enjoy walking the creeks, just don't expect too much on the fishing side of things. Having said that, we will be open on Saturday the 6th from 9-noon. Happy New Year!
