Mostly sunny, with a high near 73. North wind around 6 mph. Chilly nights and mild days the rest of the week! We have started to see some tricos spinners in the mornings!! It is still in the early stages, but clouds of tricos are in the air on some creeks right now. Fishing through the day with a foam pattern and a bead head is still key. Hatches, outside the tricos, are sparse so throw terrestrials on the surface. Subsurface fishing is best on smaller, thinner bodied bugs like zebra midges, purple drink, and perdigons. The best fishing is still early and late when the sun is off the water, however in these cooler temperatures it is more comfortable for trout (and anglers!) to feed mid day. Make sure your casts are right on the bank and near overhanging vegetation for the best results.
Driftless Angler Fly Shop
Wisconsin's Premier Fly Shop and Guide Service
Blog
July 2019
UPDATE: Eyes on the creek are telling me that the Timber Coulee and tributaries are clear and the West Fork even looks good. The rains were far more severe south of us. So head north of the shop to find clear and fishable water! Partly sunny, with a high near 78. Northwest wind 6 to 14 mph. It did rain last night with at least 1/2 an inch falling and in some cases up to 1.5 inches. This means we will have murky water on some creeks this morning but it should drop and clear very quickly on all but the largest creeks. Otherwise, the fishing conditions have been excellent for mid summer! Water temperatures are very good (again with the exception of the larger creeks) and these summer rains help keep things cooler than normal for late July. We have started to see some trico spinners in the mornings! It's just about time to start waking up early and chasing risers to these mayfly spinners. Otherwise, fishing a terrestrial with a bead head dropper has been fantastic. Chubby chernobyls, hippie stompers, even small hopper patterns with a brush hog, purple drink, or frenchie tied below has been great all day long. Fishing is still best when the sun is off the water, but mid day temps are such that bombing the banks with a hopper/dropper is productive and comfortable for anglers! (all week we are looking at highs in the high 70s or 80)
A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 3pm. Sunny, with a high near 85. West wind 6 to 9 mph. Creeks are clear to stained with water temperatures in the low to mid 60s. Remember anything over 65 will be poor fishing and much higher than that can be lethal to trout! Mornings have been good, but a tad slow on the surface. Nymphing and hopper/dropper in the mornings and through the day is effective. The evenings have been where the action is the past couple of days. Fishing ants, beetles, training wheels, and purple parachute have been quite a bit of fun! Subsurface fishing is decent all day. Go deeper as the sun gets higher in the sky. Fish will pod up in the pools mid day and push into the riffles and runs to feed when the sun is off the water. With stable weather and water levels, mousing is picking up!
Cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly sunny, with a high near 81. Breezy, with a south wind 10 to 17 mph, with gusts as high as 29 mph. A consistent week of weather means stable fishing. Great water temperatures this summer mean happy trout. Things are great this summer in the Driftless! Creeks are clear to stained with only a couple still showing some stain (bigger creeks are still heavily stained). Early in the day and later at night (when the sun is off the water) you will see some rising fish. These fish are eating stacker midges and purple haze. As the sun comes out and dries things up, terrestrials start moving around and become the preferred meal for trout on the surface. Ants, beetles, even small hoppers are effective right now. Fishing a large foam patterns (hippie stomper, training wheel) with a bead head tied below it is the way to be fishing. Not only will the fish eat the subsurface fly, but they are crushing the indicator bug too. In the deeper water, leeches and streamers are turning some significant fish.
Mostly sunny, with a high near 81. Light south wind increasing to 5 to 10 mph in the morning. Another gorgeous summer day in the Driftless! Creeks are mostly clear with a few showing a persistent stain. The smaller waters and tributaries are all clear. Fishing has been great for summer early on bead heads below hippie stompers and hoppers, then later in the day going to smaller terrestrials on the surface fished right next to vegetation and overhanging trees. Of course you can also keep your foam/bead head dropper on and catch fish all day! Actual hatches are sparse this time of year, but you will still get fish rising to some rusty spinners in the morning, and midges and craneflies in the evenings.
A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1pm. Sunny, with a high near 82. Northwest wind 5 to 7 mph. Solid summer conditions! Stable temperatures and good water temperatures have the fish very happy for late July. The limiting factor is the sun. Fish early and fish late and avoid the mid day sun. Spotty showers yesterday especially east of Viroqua have a few streams running with a stain again today. While it might take a little windshield time, each valley received a different amount of rain so while one may be murky, another is crystal clear. Most of the hatches have dwindled as we wait on the trico hatch/spinner fall. Fishing midges and generic mayflies early and late works for rising fish. The main tactic right now is fishing terrestrials right up against the bank and near overhanging vegetation, or fishing a hopper or foam fly with a bead head dropper.
Sunny, with a high near 79. Northwest wind 6 to 10 mph. It felt chilly first thing this morning! Weather has stabilized and it looks amazing for the next week. Creeks have calmed down from the storms late last week and most are clear to slightly stained. The high waters moved some things around and changed some holes, so expect some new holes and runs out there. The rains insulated water temperatures from skyrocketing with the heat wave last week too. Things are in more than great shape right now. While there are no major hatches, sporadic mayflies, midges and craneflies are getting fish to eat when the sun is not shining on the water. During the middle part of the day, fishing a beetle, ant or even hopper is very effective! Fish are hitting terrestrials with abandon right now. Subsurface fishing has been great lately with scuds, leeches, and squirmy wormies working on the stained water, and zebra midges, perdigons and brush hogs getting the job done on the clear creeks.
Sunny, with a high near 76. North wind 6 to 10 mph. Weather is back to normal! After a weird last few days with heavy rains, flash floods, and a heat wave... Things are back on track in the Driftless. There are still quite a few creeks running with a heavy stain. Many are fishable and all are dropping and clearing quickly now. Fishing leeches and streamers, squirmy wormies, and scuds on the stained water has been very good. We started to see the return of rising fish yesterday too on the clear waters. They're eating terrestrials and attractor patterns on the surface as well as midges at night. We're looking forward to a week of stable conditions and comfortable summer weather. Creek temperatures are quite good for this time of year as the recent rains have everything a bit cooler than normal.
Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly after 1pm. Some of the storms could produce heavy rainfall. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 81. Southwest wind 5 to 8 mph becoming northeast in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible. Things are SLOWLY clearing and dropping. Unfortunately we are predicted to get some scattered heavy rains again this afternoon. There is a little fishable water. Lots of leech and San Juan worm opportunities with a few headwater creeks clear enough to dry fly or nymph regularly. If you are out this morning, it might take some drive time to find the surprise creek that is running clear to slightly stained. It isn't pretty out there, and if we get the rains predicted then things will blow out again. The only piece of good news is the rains have kept the water temperatures from rising rapidly in the heat wave of last week.
Mostly sunny, with a high near 93. Heat index values as high as 107. South wind 6 to 10 mph. Bad news: We got some heavy rain that has creeks high and muddy this morning. Bad news #2: It is supposed to be over 100 degrees with the heat index Good News: The high water and rains will help keep water temperatures down Good News #2: The temperatures are predicted to return to normal tomorrow (high of 85 Saturday and 79 Sunday) Expect muddy water this morning. The storm that looked like it was going to miss us last night ended up pouring the area with rain this morning. Looking at the precipitation totals, there has been about 4 inches give or take in the past 24 hours. We're not supposed to get any more rain which means we will have fishable water by this evening and though the weekend, but today is pretty much a bust until much later on. The heat wave is supposed to break tonight too. So giving the creeks a day off (and not roasting in the heat today) means cooler temperatures and cleaner water for angling tomorrow.
Partly sunny, with a high near 91. Heat index values as high as 102. Southwest wind around 11 mph. Might be a good day to not fish.... Rains hit harder south of us dumping 2-3 inches. North of the shop was only 1-2 inches, but enough to muddy things up this morning. While the creeks will bounce back quickly, the heat will be rough today. We're looking at very hot an humid conditions. Be safe if you are out fishing and drink tons of water, sit in the creek to cool down etc. Or better yet, wait a couple of days for the heat wave to dissipate! Fishing has been quite good so far this summer especially in the evenings on terrestrials.
Patchy fog before 8am. Otherwise, partly sunny, with a high near 86. Calm wind becoming south 5 to 8 mph in the afternoon. Despite the heat, the fishing has been good. Just make sure to use your thermometer as some of the larger creeks are hitting the 65 degree mark. Once water temps get there, fishing shuts off. The fish are not boiling in the water, the just hunker down near the springs and relax. Otherwise, fish early and late and find some shade! Creeks are clear to slightly stained due to the spotty rains we have had the past few days. Hatches are sparse. Midges and parachutes in purple and adams get rising fish to eat right now, as well as craneflies. Most of your trout are being caught on terrestrials. Fishing a larger foam indicator pattern or even a hopper with a bead head below is deadly this time of year. Rolling heavy nymphs along the bottom on a tight line is another great way to catch fish that are deeper in the pools. Don't neglect ants! They are excellent in the summertime, both dry and fished as a dropper below foam.
A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 4pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 87. Southwest wind 3 to 7 mph. It's still hot here in the Driftless. Fishing has held on for the most part, but larger creeks are starting to get warmer and slow down. Look for the smaller headwater streams and fish early and late (when the sun is off the water) for the best fishing. It doesn't look like the heatwave will last forever, we just have to get through the weekend then things are predicted to normalize. Midges and purple parawullfs in the morning and evenings on the surface. Hopper or hippie stomper with a dropper all day long.
A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before noon. Partly sunny, with a high near 88. Southwest wind 7 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 26 mph. Hot time, summer in the Driftless... Creeks are clear with a couple still stained. Water temperatures are in the low to mid 60s. We're starting to carry thermometers again with this heat wave. The larger creeks are creeping above 65 degrees which means slow to no fishing. Otherwise, the smaller creeks are still in good shape for mid summer. Look for the best fishing when the sun is off the water. This means getting out early, taking a break mid day, fishing late, and finding shade through the day. Hatches are sparse, but that does not mean you are forced to fish subsurface. Terrestrials during the day and into the evening are a hoot, while early in the morning and at dusk, fish are rising to midges and some egg laying caddis. Subsurface flies are thinner profile, small-fish(16-20) and heavy. Fish them in the bottom of the pools and below undercut banks.
Sunny, with a high near 85. Light southwest wind increasing to 5 to 9 mph in the afternoon. Summer in the Driftless. There are still trout to be caught! Creeks are clear to stained with water temperatures in the low 60s. The main factor will be the sun. Try not to fish hard when the sun is on the water. Concentrate your efforts early and late when there is shade. There are sparse hatches early and late. Mostly midges and random mayflies (parachute adams or purple hatch!) and craneflies. During the day it is terrestrial time. When the sun dries the dew on the grass, ants and beetles are out and about. We're even seeing baby hoppers now. Fishing a single terrestrial tight to vegetation, or a larger foam bug with a bead head dropper is excellent right now. At night, mousing and throwing larger streamers can be effective. It hasn't been the best mousing year so far, but with a string of drier weather for the next few days it could pick up quite a bit!
Mostly cloudy through mid morning, then gradual clearing, with a high near 78. North wind 6 to 9 mph. Looks like the last cool day for a while. We have low to mid 80s coming up for the next few days. Water temperatures, thankfully, are holding steady right around 60. Creeks are clear to slightly stained. Midges and parachute adams early and late when the sun is off the water and fish are rising. During the day, we are in summertime mode. This means fishing an ant or beetle near overhanging grass and vegetation, or fishing a hopper/hippie with a dropper below.
Increasing clouds, with a high near 82. South wind 5 to 10 mph. Cloudy and 82 in the summertime? Excellent! Fish have seemingly stuck in summer mode. They are feeding on midges in the mornings and evenings when the sun is off the water, then feeding on hopper/dropper through the day. Tiny hoppers, hippie stompers and training wheels on the surface, perdigons, purple drinks, and food subsurface. Nothing too tricky right now in the Driftless! Creeks are clear to stained with the exception of one or two larger creeks. Water temperatures are in the low 60s.
HEADS UP: There is a roofing job going on across the street on main street and traffic is being re-routed. This means there will be no main street parking for the next few days! Please park on the side streets and municipal lots to the west of the fly shop. Mostly sunny, with a high near 81. Calm wind becoming southeast around 6 mph in the afternoon. Summertime in the Driftless! It's getting warm mid day and a wee bit uncomfortable to be out fishing for humans. Luckily with the recent rains, water temperatures are still hovering right around 60 degrees on most of our creeks. The larger ones are getting a touch warmer, but we have not found anything to be in the 65 plus range yet. If we keep up the night time temperatures in the 60s and daytime not quite topping 80, then all will remain well. Midges on the surface in the morning and evening, then fishing terrestrials with a dropper throughout the day! There are still a few light colored mayflies and caddis hanging around, but not in huge numbers. It's all about ants and beetles right now!
Partly sunny, with a high near 84. North wind 3 to 5 mph. Creeks are clear to stained. The recent rains the past couple of days have water temperatures a touch cooler than normal for this time of year. Look for fish to rise early to midges and small mayfly spinners. Once the sun hits the water the rising activity will stop. After a couple hours of nymphing terrestrial fishing will start to pick up (wait for the dew on the ground to dry). Fishing a hopper or indicator pattern with a dropper will catch fish all day long. Some deep nymphing will also be effective below the riffles and under cut banks during the day. In the evening fish will start rising again to midges, caddis, craneflies and a few mayflies. The hatches are sparse so don't expect magic. If there are not a ton of rising fish, continue fishing your foam pattern with a dropper.
Shop will be closed July 4th. Back to regular hours on Friday the 5th!
Partly sunny, with a high near 84. Calm wind becoming southeast around 6 mph in the morning. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. Little to no rain yesterday has creeks clear to medium stain today. The larger creeks are still running murky. Fishing was solid yesterday as water temperatures are unseasonably cool and flowing well. The hatches are not strong this time foyer, which is very normal. You can catch fish on midges and skittered caddis as well as parachute purple things when trout are rising early and late, but the main surface activity is on terrestrials. While we have not seen much in terms of hopper activity yet, ants and beetles are quite good. The vast majority of feeding is subsurface with fish eating scuds, perdigons, pink belly pheasant tails, and purple drinks. On the murky water leeches and San Juan worms are still deadly.
Mostly cloudy, with a high near 81. Southeast wind 5 to 9 mph becoming west in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 20%. Quite a bit of rain again last night has creeks stained to muddy this morning. The relentless rain has really narrowed down the number of fishable creeks. They are out there, but the number is shrinking as we get more rains. Today looks like a break from the rains thankfully with a small chance of scattered showers through the day. Again, these rains, although temporarily annoying, are a good thing heading into summer as they keep the springs pumping cold water into the creeks, and will keep things cooler than average. Fish are feeding well on ugly bugs. Leeches, San Juan and Squirmy Wormies as well as large scuds and black streamers. As things drop and clear, the hippie stomper hatch is in full swing!
Scattered showers and thunderstorms before 1pm, then isolated showers and thunderstorms after 4pm. Some of the storms could produce heavy rain. Partly sunny, with a high near 84. West wind 3 to 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. We're looking at a chance of storms all week long. This is a double edged sword as the rains are keeping things cooler, and the stain is definitely helping with fishing on sunny days, however the ground is saturated and enough heavy rain will cause things to muddy up quite a bit, When the rains come, spend some extra windshield time as certain valleys tend to clear quickly even after heavy rains. Yesterday and this morning's rains were heavier south and east of the shop (Fennimore area got pounded again!) so head north and you have a better chance of finding fishable and clear water. In the murky water, black leeches, San Juan worms and squirmy wormies work quite well. On stained water, scuds are your best friend as are other larger bead head nymphs. When things clear up, an indicator dry (hippie stomper, training wheel, unsinkabeetle) with a bead head below will catch fish. Hatches are spotty and sporadic. There are still some caddis and light colored mayflies around, and midges are becoming a popular menu item for trout recently too.
