Isolated showers before 9am, then a slight chance of showers after 5pm. Patchy fog before 10am. Otherwise, cloudy, with a high near 53. Northeast wind 5 to 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
Weather couldn't be better! Remember we still have until October 15th to trout fish in October and fall has been fantastic. The olive hatch has really kicked into high gear with the cool and cloudy weather with fish rising throughout the afternoon and into the evening. We're also still having quite a bit of success on hippie stompers and training wheels (larger attractor type terrestrials) with bead heads tied below.
Leeches and streamers are also picking up fish lately, especially on the drizzly days and on stained water.
Overall creeks are clear to stained with excellent water temperatures.
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Widespread frost, mainly before 9am. Otherwise, increasing clouds, with a high near 55. East wind around 5 mph becoming south in the afternoon.
Fall fishing is great right now!
Temperatures are more than pleasant to be outside, and the fish are quite happy. Look for trout to be sipping olive emegers in the afternoon and into the evenings. Otherwise they will be eating terrestrials on the surface, but nothing too huge size wise (12 and smaller). A training wheel and a dropper right now is deadly.
Subsurface bugs are doing quite well too. A mix of thicker profiles like scuds and pink squirrels and tiny nymphs with a lot of flash.
Don't forget leeches and streamers! They are getting some nice fish to eat especially on stained water and at night.
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Cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly sunny, with a high near 54. West wind 6 to 13 mph.
Fall is on us and the fishing is fine!
Creeks are in great shape (excluding the Timber Coulee) and fish are pretty happy. The sun is the limiting factor, fishing is best when it is cloudy out or early and late when the sun is not shining directly on the water.
Fish are eating hoppers, beetles, and ants on the surface. We have olives hatching later in the day and fish are eating them quite well in the evenings.
Subsurface fishing has been best on smaller, thin bodied bugs fished below a hippie stomper or a hopper. Anything with a bit of flash seems to be fine right now.
We couldn't ask for better weather for the weekend! Tonight is supposed to be cold, so no need to get up early Saturday morning.
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Mostly sunny, with a high near 59. West wind 7 to 14 mph.
Rains yesterday dropped right about an inch. Enough to start to muddy things up yesterday afternoon. They stopped in the early evening leaving our creeks today clear to stained. Overall, things could not be better (outside of the Timber Coulee), tempeartures are incredible right now and fishing is pleasant. Fish and trees are putting on their fall colors.
There is slight surface activity lately with some fall olives hatching when the sun is off the water. However, even without hatches, fish are looking up to terrestrials and flashy attractor bugs.
Subsurface fishing has been excellent on scuds, pink squirrels, and perdigons. When the sun is high in the sky, scaling down your size and thickness of your bug is not a bad idea. Fish are happy if they are rolling along the bottom!
At night, streamers and leeches are starting to pick up some big fish as they move into the creeks to prepare for the pre spawn.
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High near 63. Northwest wind 5 to 14 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
Fall has arrived! Cooler nights and pleasant days with the leaves starting to change colors and the fish getting into fall feeding mode.
We're seeing a few small olives hatching later in the afternoon and into the evening. Fish are looking up to smaller terrestrials and other attractor patterns. Fishing a dry dropper right now is deadly!
Subsurface fishing has been best on tiny bead heads fished below the riffles. Mid day, when the sun is bright in the sky, it is best to roll a larger scud along the bottom of the deeper pools.
This is THE time of year to fish leeches and streamers when the sun is off the water. There are some bruiser fish cruising around right now putting on some pounds before the spawn starts.
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Partly sunny, with a high near 73. South wind 7 to 11 mph.
Gorgeous fall weather in the Driftless!
Creeks are clear to stained area wide with excellent water temperatures. There are some olives hatching when the sun is off the water, but most of the topwater action has been on beetles, ants, and small hoppers.
Subsurface fishing has been solid on pheasant tail type nymphs as well as heavy Euro style nymphs rolled along the bottom. Leeches and streamers are picking up lots of fish too as trout start to put on the feed bag before the spawn.
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Mostly cloudy, with a high near 59. Breezy, with a west wind 15 to 22 mph, with gusts as high as 34 mph.
Lots of wind today!
It rained an inch or two overall last night so expect creeks to be stained to milky this morning. It will be a good leech and san juan worm morning! There are a handful of clear creeks out there, and that list will grow later in the day and through the weekend.
Fishing has been solid as water temperatures are really good for this time of year. Cool weather and an abundance of water means the springs are working overtime keeping the trout cool!
Look for olives to hatch, especially later in the day and when the sun is off the water.
Terrestrials are important and will become even more so as things dry out.
Subsurface fishing is best on heavy bead heads rolled along the bottom or dropped below a larger indicator fly.
The weekend weather could not be better for fall fishing!!
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Showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 1pm. Some of the storms could produce heavy rain. High near 82. East wind 8 to 14 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Rains passed south of us for the most part. Fennimore had around 3 inches while Viroqua had less than 1 inch of rainfall last night. It is currently drizzle/light rain and looking at the radar it is supposed to be the same throughout the day. Creeks are clear to stained this morning. Perfect olive hatch weather!
Fish are eating subsurface really well on scuds, pink squirrels and squogs, leeches and, on the heavily stained water, San Juan Worms. On the clear creeks, heavy midge larvae and thin bodied bugs fished deep are doing quite well.
Surface action will be best on mayflies and midges today. Terrestrials and attractors will work well, but a bit more limited as the rains keep terrestrials away a bit.
Do not neglect streamers in this weather! With the cooler days and cooler water temperatures, fish will chase larger bugs right now.
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Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly before 2pm, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 5pm. Cloudy, with a high near 69. Southeast wind 6 to 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Things are in good shape right now with a few creeks running stained from yesterday's rains. We are supposed to get a bit more rain tonight and will keep you updated on what the effect is overall.
As of now, with the cooldown and bump in water flows scuds and leeches have been excellent as have San Juan Worms in the heavily stained water.
We are seeing some midges and tiny olives hatching and are still getting a few fish to eat foam terrestrials on the surface (hopper/dropper is still strong).
Subsurface fishing is best on heavy bead head nymphs rolled right along the bottom. Creeks are finally showing signs of recovery after the heavy flooding a couple of weeks ago. Things are back on track in the Driftless. Now just keep your fingers crossed that we don't get dumped on too heavily tonight!
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Periods of showers and thunderstorms before noon, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm between noon and 1pm, then scattered showers and thunderstorms after 1pm. High near 75. East wind around 6 mph becoming northwest in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New rainfall amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible.
1-2 inches of rain last night area wide. The rains were heavy at times which means creeks will be showing a stain with a few muddy this morning. We will be getting a bit more rain throughout the day and will keep you updated.
After these rains it is time to dust off the San Juan Worms and Hale Bopp Leeches again! Fish will also be responsive to scuds and larger nymphs like the Squog.
The good news is the temperature and humidity in the air has dropped and it is far more comfortable to be out on the creeks now! Just remember your rain jacket (or pick one up at the shop, they are on sale!) in case the rains show up while you are out there.
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Mostly sunny, with a high near 85. Calm wind becoming southwest 5 to 7 mph in the morning.
Creeks are clear to slightly stained with water temperatures in the low 60s area wide.
Most every creek is in good shape right now as we have had over a week since the major rains. We're a bit warm weather wise, but a cold front is coming in over the next couple of days that will bring temperatures down to a very pleasant level!
Fish are eating on the surface when the sun is off the water, rising to midges and small olive mayflies. During the day they will not hesitate to take a well placed terrestrial on the top too!
Subsurface fishing is best when the water is clear and the sky sunny. Roll a heavy nymph along the bottom of any deeper spot and you will run into fish.
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Mostly sunny, with a high near 82. South wind 3 to 8 mph.
Outside of the Timber Coulee and West Fork, the area creeks are in good shape! Expect clear to stained water with excellent water temperatures for this time of year. Fish are most active eating on the surface early and late (watch for micro olives) as well as continuing to eat hippie stompers and beetles. For the wild card, have a few flush riding caddis patterns and twitch them along the surface.
Subsurface fishing is best with either a midge larvae dropper behind your larger attractor fly or terrestrial, or heavily weighted nymphs rolled along the bottom wherever there is a dark spot in the creek.
Bankside vegetation is knocked down, or in some cases washed away, so walking and casting is easier than normal!
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Sunny, with a high near 79. Light south wind increasing to 5 to 10 mph in the morning.
Warmer today, but sunny and dry again. Things are back on track for most of the Driftless.
The Timber Coulee was majorly beat up, and the West Fork is still draining the reservoir where the dam burst. Other than that, the area creeks are in good shape running cold (water temps in the high 50s to 60) and clear to slightly stained. One silver lining from the high waters is that many banksides had their vegetation washed away, or knocked down making getting around and casting easier!
We are seeing hatches of tiny olives and midges when the sun is off the water. On the surface, fishing with an attractor foam pattern (hippie stomper, user friendly, training wheel etc) is doing quite well, especially when a bead head is tied below it.
The most effective fishing right now is with very heavily weighted nymphs rolled along the bottom. Since much of the gravel was washed clean, look for any dark spot and cast your heavy nymphs there and chances are you will find fish!
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Sunny, with a high near 75. Light south wind increasing to 8 to 13 mph in the morning.
Creeks are in pretty good shape today (excluding the Timber Coulee and West Fork). with clear flows and excellent water temperatures. The recent rains have the springs working overtime and we have even seen temperatures in the mid to high 50s on some creeks!
On the surface, larger and brighter flies such as hippie stompers, user friendlies, and hoppers are working well. Add into the mix a few royal parawullfs and you will have a good selection. There are some olives hatching early and late too.
Subsurface is all about the bottom rolling. Fish heavy nymphs deep as fish are seeking refuge in deeper holes during the day. Leeches have also worked well and can tempt some nice fish out of their hiding spots.
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Sunny, with a high near 71. Calm wind becoming southwest around 6 mph in the afternoon.
The pleasant late summer weather continues over the next couple of days.
The flooding and high water are behind us now and creeks are clear to stained. Things have changed quite a bit on some waters, and we are far from perfect, but things are more than fishable and fish are pretty happy right now. The Timber Coulee is the most beat up by far, with the West Fork close behind. Creeks to the east of us and south of us are in pretty good shape and fishing well.
Everything is higher than normal for this time of year, and the springs are kicking out a ton of water making water temperatures excellent. Fish are feeding on midges and olives when the sun is off the water (hatches are sparse, but there) and large attractors and terrestrials on the surface through the day.
Subsurface fishing has been best on scuds, pink squirrels, leeches, and heavy bead heads rolled along the bottom of deeper pools.
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Sunny, with a high near 69. East wind around 8 mph.
It's time to release our breath we have been holding the past week. The creeks are starting to clear up and we are starting to catch fish again. It is not all back to normal though as there is still a bunch of damage on the Timber Coulee and West Fork and we politely ask that if you are on those waters that you make sure and ask landowners if you can lend a hand for part of your day.
South of the shop and to the east, things fared a bit better with normal, non-catastrophic flooding.
Fish have been quite willing to eat on the surface, and as they start to settle into the new holes and runs, they will key in on larger attractor patterns and terrestrials. A bright beetle or hippie stomper right now is deadly! We have also seen a few olives hatching and fish keying on them when the sun is off the water.
Subsurface fishing has been solid on heavy nymphs rolled along the bottom as well as on leeches and streamers.
While there is fishing available, things are not perfect as the creeks are just beginning to recover from a pretty big change in the area! Be patient with the fishery, and please give back if you are able.
As a final note, watch where you are wading. There is quite a bit of debris that has been moved around by the floods. Barbed wire can be a nasty surprise when submerged or hidden by bankside mud!
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Partly sunny, with a high near 70. Light north wind becoming east 5 to 10 mph in the morning.
Creeks are continuing to drop and clear and the ground dry out after a week of rains. Please note that people are still recovering from the floods so take some time to pitch in and help landowners this weekend!! We are also asking you to please avoid fioshgi the heavily impacted areas on the Timber Coulee and West Fork.
Creeks are in better shape south of town and to the east of the shop too. Things have changed quite a bit on many bodies of water, but there are still fish to be caught.
On the fishable water, trout are responding to leeches, scuds, and attractor dries as well as simple parachute adams. On the cloudy water, add some San Juan Worms into the mix! More water will be available through the weekend as things continue to drop and clear.
Be very away while you are wading as debris can be anywhere right now. There were quite a few barbed wire fences specifically that have washed downstream. Watch where you step!
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Partly sunny, with a high near 70. Light north wind becoming east 5 to 10 mph in the morning.
Creeks are continuing to drop and clear and the ground dry out after a week of rains. Please note that people are still recovering from the floods so take some time to pitch in and help landowners this weekend!! We are also asking you to please avoid fioshgi the heavily impacted areas on the Timber Coulee and West Fork.
Creeks are in better shape south of town and to the east of the shop too. Things have changed quite a bit on many bodies of water, but there are still fish to be caught.
On the fishable water, trout are responding to leeches, scuds, and attractor dries as well as simple parachute adams. On the cloudy water, add some San Juan Worms into the mix! More water will be available through the weekend as things continue to drop and clear.
Be very away while you are wading as debris can be anywhere right now. There were quite a few barbed wire fences specifically that have washed downstream. Watch where you step!
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Sunny, with a high near 70. Northeast wind 5 to 8 mph.
Yes, SUNNY! We have finally passed 24 hours without some significant rains. The creeks are still high and stained to muddy but now have a chance to clear up a bit over the next couple of days. We're not forecasted for any more rain through the weekend as well.
There are still quite a few road closures, especially along the main Kickapoo. Be cautious driving around as some smaller bridges are also still out and are not well marked.
Please remember to avoid the Timber Coulee and West Fork (unless you are there to help landowners!) and other areas impacted by the major flooding as people are still picking up pieces of their lives.
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Periods of showers and possibly a thunderstorm before 10am, then scattered showers and thunderstorms, mainly between 10am and 3pm. Some of the storms could produce heavy rain. High near 72. West wind 7 to 9 mph becoming north 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.
A merciful 1-3 inches fell last night in Vernon county (much worse north of us). Today is the last forecasted day of rain. Creeks are high and murky, but things are better than the past couple of days. The rains today will more than likely muddy everything up again, but the creeks will begin to clear and drop quickly after this (hopefully) last push of rain.
It has been a bit nuts here for sure, and the creeks have been changed especially the Timber Coulee and the West Fork. We are still asking people to avoid those creeks for a few extra days, even when they become fishable in order to let landowners pick up the pieces of their lives.
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A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 11am. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 81. Southwest wind 6 to 9 mph. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch.
More rain last night and more road closures this morning...
The forecast shows the rains letting up Wednesday. There is very little fishable water in the area, but a break is coming later in the week! Again, if you are in the area, there is still a need to pitch in and help out with the cleanup effort north of us and all along the Kickapoo river.
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Periods of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 10am. Some of the storms could produce heavy rain. High near 78. Southwest wind 6 to 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
While things are getting better here, we are still dealing with road closures and bridges out after the flooding earlier in the week. We are currently getting some light rain, and are forecasted for rain pretty much all weekend.
It might be good over the next couple of days to stay home sitll. Fishing is mediocre right now with only a handful of fishable creeks, and the area is still getting back on its feet after the high waters.
There will be many volunteer opportunities area wide coming up soon if you are in the area and would like to help out.
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