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Creeks are clear and a bit low, with very little snowpack on the banks. We are getting a warming trend through Friday with highs touching 40 degrees. Some good fishing conditions for wintertime! Just watch the snowmelt. If things get too warm then cold and muddy water enters the creeks and shuts things down.
Not horribly cold this weekend, but not exactly great weather for anglers until Wednesday.
Next weekend looks amazing with temps around 40 degrees!
Creeks are flowing low with a little snow on the banks. The warmer temperatures mid week will cause some melting which will slow things down quite a bit, and potentially put some cold, stained water into the system if it gets too warm.
Focus on fishing mid day, approximately between 10 and 2 when the water temperature is rising.
Midges, scuds, leeches are the main items on the Driftless menu right now!
Cold, but sunny on Friday, a little nicer Saturday, and Wisconsin warm on Sunday.
Not the best temperatures, but tolerable to be out there fishing. The peak time is always between about 10 and 2 when water temperatures are climbing. Once they start to fall, things shut down quickly. We have seen some sporadic midge hatches on some creeks, but the main fishing will be subsurface on small black nymphs and dead drifted leeches.
Quite possibly the go to dry in our guide Flybox. Sometimes the simple answer is the best when chasing trout in the Driftless. Have a few of these in 12/14 and a few in 20s and you will be dangerous for pretty much any hatch the creeks throw your way.
The film Star series of flies rides super low in the surface film, and is easy to see thanks to the high vis post.
This little bead head combines a little flash, movement and color, but most importantly it has a ton of contrast to it. The neutral color to bright color alone is worth its weight in gold when it comes to selective trout in the Driftless.
Either the sample’s caddis Pupae or the pearl core caddis.
These flies are the most important aquatic insect in the Driftless. Fishing the pupae is essential for success!
Ants. They are like candy to trout. From spring to fall, fishing an ant either on the surface or sunken is one of the top ways to catch trout. Be aware of overhanging trees and other vegetation, these are ant hot spots.
note: some people got different styles of ants (hi-vis etc) from what is shown here. Fear not, any ant pattern with some segmentation and legginess works very well!
Another caddis dry that has a different profile than what we are used to. The sparkly, thicker abdomen on this fly works as an adult, hatching or dead pupae, and even an egg layer. Sometimes a different impression on the water is all it takes to fool trout.
A different profile that sits low in the surface film making it look oh so tempting to trout. Added messiness of CDC in the wing bring out even more life in this pattern. In various sizes and colors you can match everything the Driftless throws at you!
