Snow and freezing drizzle likely before 10am, then snow. High near 32. West wind 8 to 14 mph, with gusts as high as 29 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. Little or no ice accumulation expected. Total daytime snow accumulation of 1 to 3 inches possible. Catch and release season opens up January 4th! As ugly as it looks today, it is not a big deal at all. We have little to no snow on the ground, and it will warm up again mid week. The opening weekend looks quite nice with temperatures in the mid 30s on Saturday then high 20s on Sunday. Creeks are in great shape with clear flows and a at normal winter levels. To prepare for the weekend, focus on midges for the mid day hatch, and dark, thin bodied bugs subsurface. Think black copper johns, spanish bullets and zebra midges. Do not neglect leeches! A black leech twitched through a run or hole can be deadly in the winter!
Driftless Angler Fly Shop
Wisconsin's Premier Fly Shop and Guide Service
Blog
December 2019
Mostly cloudy, with a high near 39. West wind 8 to 10 mph. Wisconsin's season is closed. We are fishing and guiding over in Iowa. Our season opens up January the 4th. Holy cow has the weather been warm! There has been a lot of fishing going on over the river in Iowa, and it is setting up for a good Wisconsin catch and release opener on the 4th. The warm weather means there is no snow on the ground, and none forecasted for the few days. As of now, January 4th is predicted to be in the mid 30s! That means happy fish, and a longer fishing day as snowmelt will not shut things down as quickly. Fish in Iowa have been eating leeches and streamers fished slowly in the pools and runs. They have also been happily eating pink squirrels and scuds in the shin deep riffles.
Sunny, with a high near 34. Light and variable wind. Wisconsin's season is closed until January 4th. Iowa is open and a few creeks in Minnesota are open too. Check your regulations! 34,37,39,42. Highs for the next few days! This is winter fishing weather. If you can get away and head over to Iowa, it is a great time to escape all the holiday stuff and get some fishing in during December before things get cold again! Nymph deep runs and pockets or slowly twitch leeches along the bottom. With the warmer temperatures trout will also chase some larger streamers. Mid day, watch for midge hatches. While not prolific you might happen on a pod of rising fish! Creeks are in great shape and there is not a ton of snow stream side to create muddy water. These are the type days we wait for during the winter! Call the shop if you are heading to fish this weekend and want to pick up bugs. We will not have regular hours but will be there in a couple minutes when you call!
Mostly sunny, with a high near 16. Wind chill values as low as -10. Calm wind becoming south 5 to 7 mph in the afternoon. Wisconsin's season is closed. Re opens January 4th. Iowa is open and limited water in Minnesota is open during the winter. Check your regulations! Today stinks. Tomorrow through the weekend looks great. Temperatures pushing 40 degrees Saturday and Sunday means fish will be active through the middle part of the day! Nymph deep and slow, swing some streamers, or look for midge hatches mid day!
Wisconsin's season is closed. This report is for Iowa and Minnesota. Only a few Minnesota creeks are open, check your regulations before heading out. It's chilly out! We're in full on winter mode. The general rule of thumb is fish 25 degrees and sunny, or 35 degrees and cloudy for a chance at fish. The fishing day is short, typically from 10-2 when the water temperature is the warmest. Expect very limited surface action (sparse midge hatches) and lots of deep nymphing or slow twitching of leeches. The weekend looks rough with high temperatures barely reaching 10 without windchill. It might be a good weekend to clean gear, tie flies, or just relax! Wisconsin's season opens January 4th. Shop is open Saturdays from 10-2 the next couple of weekends.
Drizzle and snow, possibly mixed with freezing drizzle before 2pm, then freezing drizzle, possibly mixed with snow. Areas of fog before 4pm. Temperature falling to around 19 by 5pm. Breezy, with a northwest wind 10 to 15 mph increasing to 17 to 22 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 31 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. Little or no ice accumulation expected. Total daytime snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible. That the long way to say it is yucky outside. Temperatures take a dip early this week with highs near 10 on Tuesday and Wednesday and a cold, but more tolerable mid 20s Thursday. Low 30s Friday and into the weekend. It's winter condition time. Fish when it is 25 and sunny or 35 and cloudy and focus on mid day when water temperatures are the warmest! Slowly twitch leeches or nymph deep.
Wisconsin's season is closed until Jan 4th. We are fishing over in Iowa and on the select creeks in Minnesota that are open. Check your regulations! Creeks are clear to slightly stained with cold temperatures. Things don't get moving until later in the morning after chilly nights. It looks like Saturday and Sunday will be our last warm-ish days for a while. Get out there and fish! Fish are eating leeches very well, and are also happily munching on pink squirrels and scuds. There are a few risers late in the morning into mid day, but unless you luck out, the rising fish are sporadic and not predictable. Having a couple midge emergers in your fly box is still not a bad idea though!
Wisconsin's season is closed. We are fishing over in Iowa. There are also a limited number of creeks in Minnesota that are open during the winter. Check your regulations before heading out! Sunny, with a high near 28. North wind 5 to 8 mph becoming calm in the afternoon. After a messy Thanksgiving weekend, the weather looks pretty decent mid week and later this week. A couple of cold days early, but sunny-ish with Tuesday through Thursday predicted to have temperatures in the low to mid 30s. Saturday/Sunday are looking good too! Fishing has become true winter fishing. It starts slow in the mornings, then picks up as water temperatures start to creep up. You want to make sure you are fishing rising water temperatures as that is the best fishing! Heavy nymphs fished along the bottom under and indicator or tight lined are key this time of season. On the warmest days there can be sparse hatches of midges and some brief surface activity, but plan on fishing low and slow most of the day.
