Sunny, with a high near 40. West wind around 9 mph. What an end to the month! Fishing is quite good here in the Driftless with clear creeks and water temperatures in the mid 40s. Nights are still chilly, so there is no need to be up at the crack of dawn to catch fish. The best fishing of the day is between 9 and 5. We're still seeing some olives hatching, and we started to see some of our spring stoneflies flying around. Leeches and streamers are deadly, as is tight line nymphing a heavy bead head on the bottom. When you see noses coming up, do not be afraid to toss a small dark foam pattern as well as olive emerges and dries.
Driftless Angler Fly Shop
Wisconsin's Premier Fly Shop and Guide Service
Blog
March 2019
Mostly sunny, with a high near 50. Northwest wind around 6 mph. Things continue to get better day by day in the Driftless! Creeks are clear and flowing well with water temperatures in the low to mid 40s that will touch 50 degrees when the sun is shining on the water through the day! We're seeing more and more olives, and even a few really early caddis have been reported out there. It is still chilly in the mornings and the fish are sluggish. Giving them something larger (leech/streamer) will wake them up. Mid day nymphing in the runs with heavy bead heads has been very productive. Later in the afternoon is when we are seeing the dries come out. It has been sporadic and localized, but make sure you have some emergers and dries (blue winged olives) just in case!
A slight chance of rain before 2pm, then a chance of sprinkles between 2pm and 3pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 51. North wind 7 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%. Things are still quite solid in the Driftless! With the increased cloud cover we have seen a few more olives hatching. Still not the major hatch, but noticeably more bugs are beginning to show up. Creeks are clear and flowing well with water temperatures in the low to mid 40s. Things are still cooling down at night, so getting up at dawn is not necessary. Leeches, streamers, and larger nymphs early in the day are getting sluggish fish to eat. Once things warm up a bit, switching to heavy nymphs fished deep in the runs has been deadly. At the peak water temperature (keep using that thermometer!) we are seeing some sporadic hatches of midges and blue winged olives.
Partly sunny, with a high near 62. Breezy, with a south wind 11 to 16 mph increasing to 17 to 22 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 36 mph. Windy day today! Find some shelter in the trees or up against bluff faces. Creeks are clear to stained and flowing well. Temperatures are in the low 40s. We're still doing well with leeches and streamers early, showing the trout a larger meal for breakfast. Mid day nymphing has been best, just make sure you are getting down to the bottom, fish heavy bugs! In the later afternoon we have seen some dry fly action. Both midges and olives. It isn't a mega hatch yet, but you do have a shot at finding a pod or two of rising fish.
Sunny, with a high near 49. Southeast wind 5 to 10 mph becoming southwest in the morning. Only a tiny bit of snow hanging on in the shaded areas and north facing slopes now! Spring is in full swing with clear creeks and good fishing. We're still getting chilly nights, so fishing something larger in the morning to wake the fish up has been very effective. Later in the morning switching to nymphing deep with heavy tungsten flies has been deadly. Once things really top out water temperature wise, switching to a dry dropper or just a dry can be a ton of fun. We have already started to catch some fish on small foam patterns! Creeks are clear and a touch low (sneak up on the fish as they are spooky on sunny days!) with water temperatures in the low to mid 40s.
Partly sunny, then gradually becoming sunny, with a high near 44. Northeast wind 6 to 10 mph. Fishing is strong in our part of the Driftless! Creeks are clear and flowing well with water temperatures right around 40 degrees. We still have a bit of snow on the hills, but nothing significant. Make sure you have your thermometer ready for the afternoon as snowmelt is still cooling things down on area creeks. Streamers and leeches are strong early. As the sun warms the creeks a bit (we have even gotten peak day water temps at 50!) we are switching to nymphs and emergers. Midges and a handful of olives are hatching making it possible to see some noses mid day and into the later afternoon. Make sure you are getting right down to the bottom as fish are still a bit sluggish and don't want to chase flies right now. Roll those nymphs deep!
A 30 percent chance of showers, mainly before 2pm. Cloudy, with a high near 52. Light east wind becoming northeast 5 to 9 mph in the morning. We are still getting melting snow in the later afternoons that is cooling the water down and slowing to shutting down fishing. However, with each passing day, there is less and less snow and things are shutting down a few minutes later each day! Fishing has been quite good for the winter/spring season. The streamer bite is on early with fish chasing some larger patterns and leeches slowly twitched or swung through deeper pools. As water temps rise, the fishing switches to nymphing the runs. We are seeing some dry fly activity, but it hasn't been as predictable the past couple of days. Mainly midges are hatching and we are seeing some olives still starting to show themselves later in the day. Creeks are clear to slightly stained with water temps in the low to mid 40s.
Sunny, with a high near 45. North wind 5 to 11 mph. Fishing remains solid for early spring. We still have a bit of snow on the banks which means we are getting a trickle of snowmelt each afternoon. This snowmelt, while not muddying up the waters significantly, will put a stain on the water, but more importantly it will drop the water temperature and slow fishing down quite a bit. Your best bet is to fish early-ish and make sure you are on the water for the peak of the day (10-2). Frenchies, midge larvae, dark spikes and other heavy, thin and dark bodied nymphs are working well. Hatches of midges are still around, although they have slowed down a bit the past couple of days. On the warmest springs, we have started to see olives hatching. Creeks are clear to slightly stained with water temperatures in the low 40s.
Mostly cloudy through mid morning, then gradual clearing, with a high near 49. North wind 7 to 14 mph becoming west in the afternoon. Spring fishing continues to be good in the morning and into the afternoon. Late afternoon snowmelt is dropping the water temperature and shutting fishing down. The smaller creeks are clear to slightly stained while the larger creeks are stained. Things lock up at night due to colder temperatures so we do not expect things to get muddy. Fishing has been good on midge larvae, small dark bead heads and leeches fished slowly on the bottom. Streamers twitched through the deeper spots have also been quite good right now. Midges are hatching mid day and there is a good chance you will see some risers mid day. Creeks are running in the low 40s.
Increasing clouds, with a high near 44. West wind 8 to 11 mph. Creeks are clear to slightly stained in the morning with water temperatures in the high 30s to low 40s. In the later afternoon, snowmelt is still cooling water temperatures down and increasing the stain on the water. Make sure to use your thermometer as once the water temperature starts to drop, fishing slows down considerably! Midges are still hatching mid daily and fish are rising for them. We have seen mayflies (olives) here and there, but not a major hatch yet. It is coming soon. Most of the action is sub surface on small (16-20) thin bodied dark nymphs rolled along the bottom. Scuds, leeches and even San Juan worms have been very effective too. We have also had some success twitching large streamers for larger trout.
Mostly sunny, with a high near 48. Southwest wind 5 to 10 mph. Major runoff is over. We're still left with some snow and the clear creeks (there are quite a few out there now!) will start to cloud up and have the temperature drop in the later afternoon. Creeks in more open valleys have far less snow than ones with shady banks. Overall creeks are clear to stained with water temps right around 40. Midges are still hatching mid day, and we have started to see the beginning of the olive hatch. Subsurface fishing has been quite good on heavy, small bead heads in black as well as on large scuds and leeches.
Patchy fog before 10am. Otherwise, partly sunny, with a high near 39. West wind 3 to 8 mph. Our runoff ended this weekend and things are starting to shape up nicely! We've had a few guide trips this past weekend that were catching fish on dries! We have about 20% of our snow left, and this week is going to give us very pleasant days and nights that drop down below freezing again, making the chance of any major blow outs of the creeks quite slim. As of now creeks are clear to stained and running with temperatures right around 40 degrees. Midge hatches are still happening, and we have started to see some olives here and there too. Subsurface fishing has been best on tiny bead heads rolled along the bottom of the runs. Spring is here is here in the Driftless!!
Mostly sunny, with a high near 36. West wind 6 to 8 mph. Things are calming down! Runoff peaked early yesterday and things are beginning to drop and clear. There is fishable water out there, not a lot, but it exists. Look for even more stuff to start opening up later today. Creeks are muddy to stained but dropping and clearing. Water temps are in the high 30s to low 40s. Look at smaller creeks and headwaters to clear up first.
Cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly sunny, with a high near 36. Breezy, with a northwest wind around 18 mph, with gusts as high as 33 mph. Most of our snow has melted over the past couple of days! Things are quite high and muddy right now, but should start dropping slowly. With the colder weather and overnight lows dipping below freezing again, any remaining runoff will freeze up again giving the creeks a chance to flush out. We will keep you posted on what the creeks look like, but there is a bit of optimism for smaller creeks this weekend!
Showers before 11am, then a chance of showers after 1pm. Patchy fog before 11am. High near 53. Southeast wind around 9 mph becoming southwest in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible. Snowmelt continues through today. We're getting rid of a lot of snow and ice area wide. Don't expect fishing today as it did not cool down enough through the night to lock things back up again. The good news is that tonight and into the weekend, the temperatures dip back to normal which means pleasant weather to be outside, and overnight freezes that will keep runoff from ruining fishing!
Rain, with thunderstorms also possible after 4pm. Some of the storms could produce heavy rain. Widespread dense fog, mainly before 2pm. High near 49. Southeast wind 6 to 14 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. A good light rain most of the day yesterday and overnight temperatures above freezing means we already have snowmelt first thing this morning. We have two more good days of melting ahead of us before things lock up again over the weekend. Today and Thursday will be dicey fishing, while on paper the weekend is looking good.
Rain likely, mainly after 4pm. Increasing clouds, with a high near 43. South wind 11 to 14 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible. Creeks are in really good shape for this time of season. We're getting some melting every day the sun pokes out or we get some rain. Most of the melting so far this week has been slight. Enough to drop water temperatures in the later part of the day, but not enough to blow things out on the small to medium sized creeks. We do have a couple of warmer days with a chance of rain coming up tomorrow and Thursday. Things cool down again on Friday just in time for any runoff to lock up a bit for the weekend! Midges are still hatching and if we get the warm up over the next few days, it would not be shocking to start to see olives hatching too. Creeks are a bit low and clear with temps in the mid 30s to mid 40s.
Sunny, with a high near 32. West wind 7 to 9 mph. After a weekend of rainy and snowy weather, things are back on track this week as spring start to show up. We have a few days of decent temperatures ahead. Just keep an eye on water temperature. As the bankside snow slowly melts, the temperature will drop and shut fishing down. As we start to warm, look for olives to hatch along side of the midges and winter stones. They haven't appeared yet, but they are due to show up soon! Creeks are flowing clear to stained with water temperatures in the high 30s to low 40s.
Mostly cloudy, with a high near 34. Southeast wind 3 to 6 mph. Today is one of those perfect winter days on paper. Warm enough to get fish to eat, but not too warm to cause significant melt. Unfortunately the weather report for the weekend turned sour. They are forecasting wind and snow now. The temperatures are still solid for winter fishing, but getting around might be a bit difficult. If you are out fishing this weekend, look for quite a bit of subsurface activity on midge larvae, and smaller bead head nymphs in dark colors (black/brown etc). The chance of dry flies is good, but not as good as a sunny day. Still, look for midges to hatch mid day and hopefully get some fish to rise for them. Creeks are clear and flowing winter time low so you still need some stealth approaching fish.
Mostly cloudy, with a high near 23. Wind chill values as low as -1. Southeast wind 3 to 6 mph. Cold and cloudy today, not the best weather for fishing. Yesterday was surprising as the sun really warmed things up and got the fishing going. The sun is the key right now! The weekend forecast changed to look pretty grim. While the temperatures are quite good for winter fishing, there is now snow and wind in the forecast as well as potential freezing rain. Friday looks excellent, while Saturday and Sunday will still be good days to be fishing, but might get a bit tricky with the wind and winter weather.
A chance of flurries between noon and 5pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 21. Wind chill values as low as -4. West wind 5 to 11 mph. Still winter conditions. WHen the sun has peeked out from behind the clouds fish have been rising, even in subzero temps. It is just too dang cold to be out fishing! Things warm up for the weekend. Friday and Saturday look like considerably better weather than we have had the past week or so. The shop is closed this Thursday, but will be open regular hours (9-5) on Saturday and 9-Noon on Sunday.
Scattered flurries before 4pm. Mostly cloudy, with a temperature falling to around 11 by 5pm. Wind chill values as low as -5. Breezy, with a west wind 15 to 18 mph. Still winter, but warmer weather is coming this weekend! We're supposed to get a warm (for winter) weather system rolling in and we should see 30 degrees on Friday. The shop will go to normal hours (9-5 M-Sat 9-Noon Sunday) starting this Saturday!
Increasing clouds, with a high near 6. Wind chill values as low as -29. West wind 5 to 14 mph. Cold. Again. The good news is that the days have been sunny meaning the streams have been keeping warm during this cold spell. Near the springs over the past few days we have been getting water temperatures pushing into the mid 40s. This cold weather releases its grip starting on Friday. We will see normal temperatures in the 30s to 40 over the weekend!
Scattered flurries before 11am. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 24. Northwest wind 8 to 11 mph. Typical winter day. If the sun peeks out fishing will get good like it did yesterday. It is still a bit too much of a gamble to travel too far to fish, but after next week's cold front, warmer weather is finally predicted! Midges hatched yesterday when the sun was shining on the water, and nymphing with small bead heads took fish most of the middle part of the day. There is still quite a bit of snow on the banks and getting around can be tricky in some of the drifts.
Snow, mainly after 1pm. High near 25. Calm wind becoming southeast around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. Total daytime snow accumulation of around an inch possible. Yes it will snow again today.... The temperature is good, but tomorrow drops back down to too cold to fish. It isn't worth much of a drive to come and fish unless you are also skiing, snowshoeing, fat tire biking (there are trails here!) etc. Wait for better conditions for fishing. They will be here soon.
