A 50 percent chance of snow, mainly after 3pm. Increasing clouds and cold, with a high near -3. Wind chill values as low as -36. Southwest wind 3 to 6 mph. Total daytime snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible. Still dangerously cold out there today. Tomorrow remains quite cold with windchill, then Saturday we hit almost 40 degrees. This is a bizarre weather pattern for sure as we are forecasted for rain on Monday! We will be out tomorrow scouting creeks and updating you on conditions. Today, we're inside trying flies again and trying not to get cabin fever too heavily.
Driftless Angler Fly Shop
Wisconsin's Premier Fly Shop and Guide Service
Blog
January 2019
Sunny and cold, with a high near -15. Wind chill values as low as -53. West wind 11 to 14 mph. It is really dangerous to be outside in the cold today. Please stay warm and stay safe. We are expecting a 90 degree change in temperatures (it feels weird to even type that) and are looking at favorable temperatures for Saturday and Sunday. We will keep you posted as the weekend gets nearer.
A 20 percent chance of snow. Patchy blowing snow after noon. Partly sunny and cold, with a temperature falling to around -13 by 5pm. Wind chill values as low as -39. Breezy, with a west wind 17 to 21 mph, with gusts as high as 33 mph. Ugh. Record setting cold possible this week. Don't bother fishing as it could be dangerous even to be outside for long periods of time! The good news is the weekend is going to reach the mid 30s! Just a few more days and we will be able to get outside and play on the trout streams of the Driftless again!
Not much to report. Lots of snow last night up to 12 inches in some areas and it is still snowing lightly this morning. It will be quite cold the next few days with Wednesday a balmy -17 for a high before wind chill. No reason to go fishing. On the tolerable temperature days it is quite nice snowshoeing right now though!
Cloudy early, then gradual clearing and cold, with a high near 2. Wind chill values as low as -16. West wind around 6 mph. Yup, still cold.
A chance of snow before 1pm, then scattered flurries between 1pm and 3pm. Cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly sunny, with a high near 20. Northwest wind 7 to 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. As of mid day, the snow has stopped and the sun is out! If you are around, the afternoon should be some good fishing! We're expecting a really cold snap coming up through the weekend with super cold temperatures and wind chills. Stay home and stay warm.
Winter storm warning in our are. Snow and possible ice predicted. In other words, stay home and stay safe. The snow is needed as we had some pretty bare ground so far this year. Creeks are clear and cold with some shelf ice forming after a cold snap. It's winter, and we are waiting for another warming spell so we can get out and fish again!
Mostly cloudy, with a high near 14. Wind chill values as low as -11. Southeast wind 7 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. Nope, too cold to fish today. The next few days don't look great either with some more snow coming and a high of -1 coming on Friday.
Sunny, with a high near 16. Wind chill values as low as -2. North wind around 10 mph Cold, and we just had about 6 inches or more dumped on the area. Good weekend to stay home and tie flies!
Snow and freezing drizzle before 1pm, then a chance of freezing drizzle between 1pm and 3pm. High near 29. Southeast wind 5 to 9 mph becoming northwest in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 90%. Little or no ice accumulation expected. Total daytime snow accumulation of less than one inch possible. Not the prettiest of days, but the last warm day for a while. Fish midge larvae deep all day and you will catch fish! The chance of a hatch is slim as the sun is not out today. Creeks are clear and cold with water temperatures hovering around 36.
Sunny, with a high near 26. Northeast wind around 6 mph becoming light and variable in the afternoon. Just barely tolerable to be out fishing today as the sun is shining and the wind is low. There will be active fish, but you will be fighting icy guides most of the day. It doesn't look like it gets much better condition wise from here on out. A slight warmup flirting with 30 degrees tomorrow and below 20 for the weekend. Looks like a good few days to tie flies! The shop will be closed this Saturday as we will be at Cabin Fever Days in Appleton. Not a bad way to spend a Saturday this weekend! https://foxvalleytu.org/cabin-fever-day-2019/
Patchy drizzle between 3pm and 4pm, then patchy freezing drizzle after 4pm. Cloudy, with a high near 33. Southwest wind 8 to 11 mph. Mild for January, but very slippery out there today. Be careful driving and walking if you are out fishing. Conditions are not the best, but better than normal for January. We are still seeing midge hatches mid day, but most of your fishing is subsurface on tiny, heavy bead heads rolled along the bottom of runs and pools.
Patchy fog before 4pm. Otherwise, cloudy, with a high near 30. Southwest wind 6 to 9 mph. Pretty ho-hum day today, nothing really exciting condition wise. Fishing has been decent mid day with fish responding well to midge larvae fished deep, and some soft hackles fished below the riffles when the water temperature is at its peak. Today and tomorrow looks nice while the rest of the week starts getting quite chilly. Remember your thermometer! You want to make sure you are fishing rising water temperatures. The only silver lining to chillier weather is there is little to no snowmelt that will rapidly chill the creeks down in the late afternoon.
Cloudy, with a high near 32. East wind around 9 mph. Still nothing fantastic condition wise. Fishing is good, but winter good. Make sure you are fishing rising water temperatures. That is, by far, the most important variable for catching fish in the Driftless in the winter. We're seeing midges and a few winter stoneflies on the banks, and pods of rising fish in the middle part of the day.
Sunny, with a high near 16. Wind chill values as low as -1. Northwest wind around 15 mph, with gusts as high as 28 mph. Winter is here. Too cold to fish! The weather warms up a bit (for Wisconsin) starting tomorrow and we will see 30 degree temperatures again by the weekend.
Cloudy, with a temperature falling to around 24 by 5pm. Windy, with a west wind 14 to 19 mph increasing to 21 to 26 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 41 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. The weather is trying to return to normal winter weather. It looks like a cold snap until the weekend. The good news is that the runoff we had yesterday has stopped leaving creeks clear to slightly stained again. Fishing has been good for winter. Anglers having the most success are fishing the middle part of the day during the warmest water temperatures and seeking out the springs and seeps to find even warmer water. Midges are hatching on the sunny days and there is a chance to see rising fish in the afternoons. Otherwise, fishing deep and slow with tungsten bead nymphs and heavy leeches is the key.
Rain, mainly before 11am. High near 45. Southeast wind 7 to 13 mph becoming west in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible. Light rain this morning and warm temperatures to start off the morning. This weather has snow melting and entering the creeks. Expect some stain on the water, and cooler water temperatures. These are not excellent conditions as the snowmelt dumping cold water into the creeks slows things down quite a bit. The weekend was quite good fishing with midges and winter stoneflies hatching/emerging and water temperatures in the high 30s to 40. We should see that again this coming weekend, but after today and tomorrow we get a cold snap. Midges and tiny tungsten beads rolled along the bottom are the key, as are small leeches and buggers. On sunny days, larger attractor patterns subsurface work too.
Sunny, with a high near 45. West wind 5 to 10 mph. Happy catch and release opener!! Unseasonably warm weather this weekend means being outside will be more than pleasant. Make sure you are using a thermometer as there will be a little snowmelt today. Once that happens it will slow fishing down quite a bit. If it is severe it will also make things cloud up in the afternoon. Scouting yesterday we saw midge hatches and emerging winter stoneflies. Today should be more of the same which means you may have a shot to rising fish. Otherwise roll some heavy, black or brown, and small (16-22) nymphs along the bottom or slowly twitch a leech under an indicator and you will run into some fish.
Sunny, with a high near 42. West wind 3 to 6 mph. This is not normal January weather! This opening weekend will be unseasonably warm. Just beware of snowmelt as once it starts hitting the creeks, things will shut down quickly. Make sure to have a thermometer along. Plan on fishing small, dark patterns tight to the bottom in the deeper pools in the morning, then starting to target the runs as the sun warms the stream bed up and midges start to (hopefully!) hatch. We have also started seeing winter stoneflies crawling around. As of now, creeks are in great shape!
Wisconsin's early season opens Saturday! Sunny, with a high near 35. Southwest wind 5 to 10 mph. Unseasonably warm weather is headed our way starting today and through the weekend. Saturday's opener is forecasted to be 45 degrees!! Creeks will start to slightly stain up in the afternoons with the warmer days creating some snow melt. There is not a ton of snow on the ground and the color of the water should not matter, but water temperature will. Make sure to use your thermometer and fish rising water temperatures! Once snowmelt starts hitting the creek and dropping the temperature fishing will slow down or even stop completely. Heavy, dark bodied flies in smaller sizes (16-22) are key right now. Midges are the main food source both subsurface and surface. You can also catch fish on leeches and streamers fished slowly.
Wisconsin's season opens this Saturday (the 5th) for catch and release! Partly sunny, with a high near 23. Southwest wind 8 to 11 mph. Total daytime snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible. Creeks are in good shape right now. The first real snowfall of the season hit yesterday and today, but only dumped a couple of inches on us. We're supposed to warm up enough starting tomorrow through the weekend that much of that might melt. Creeks are clear and cold (it is winter....) and flowing well. Make sure to come ready with some heavy bead head nymphs and small leeches for opener. If the weather is warm enough, look for a mid day midge hatch too. You'll be surprised at the dry fly activity on warmer winter days. Shop will be open Saturday 8-Noon.
