CategoriesFishing Report

July 21st Fishing Report

A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 1pm. Increasing clouds, with a high near 78. South wind 3 to 8 mph. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
It’s just nice to be outside right now! Mild temperatures and cool creeks makes for some excellent mid summer fishing!
Creeks overall are clear to stained with only a couple showing a medium stain. In other words everything is fishable and in good shape.
While hatches are sparse and fish are not really rising consistently except for very early and very late, fish are still looking up to terrestrials (ants, hoppers beetles) and midges on the surface.
Subsurface fishing has been best on thinner bodied bead heads in the clear water, and thicker profiles (scuds!) in the stained water.
Big flies such as mice and leeches have been good at night and streamers are turning some larger fish with the cooler temps.

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July 20th Fishing Report

Partly sunny, with a high near 79. Calm wind becoming northwest around 5 mph in the afternoon.
Great today, possible rain Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday are forecasted to remain below 80 degrees!
Creeks are clear to slightly stained with temperatures in the low 60s thanks to recent rains!
While hatches are sparse, fish will still rise in the early morning and evening to midges and small parachutes (generic purple or something flashy). This is terrestrial time! Fish will eat ants and beetles on the surface when they are cast close to the bank or under overhanging structure. We continue to do well fishing a large foam pattern with a dropper below too.
Subsurface fishing is starting to trend towards smaller and thinner bodied. Spanish bullets, zebra midges and perdigons are hot right now.

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July 18th Fishing Report

A chance of showers and thunderstorms between 10am and 11am. Partly sunny, with a high near 91. Heat index values as high as 103. Breezy, with a southeast wind 6 to 16 mph becoming south in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 28 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
Rains this morning, and looking at one more storm heading our way in about an hour. Creeks are in good shape but with a heat index of over 100 it is a good day to swim instead of fish! To avoid the heat fish early and fish late. If you are out today make sure to drink a bunch of water and keep cool.

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July 17th Fishing Report

Partly sunny, with a high near 85. South wind 5 to 9 mph.
The weekend is going to be a hot one. 85 today and Sunday and a heat index over 100 on Saturday. Fish early, fish late, and avoid the mid day heat. Stay cool and hydrated. Wet wading is recommended in the heat.
Hopper dropper time is on us! Fishing foam with a dropper below has been the way to do. For fussy fish rolling/tight lining heavy bead heads below the riffles is good too.
Hatches are sparse but fish are still rising at first and last light for an hour or two. Eating midges and tiny parachutes.

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July 16th Fishing Report

Patchy fog before 9am. Otherwise, sunny, with a high near 80. Calm wind becoming southwest around 6 mph in the afternoon.
Creeks are clear to stained with good summertime water temps! Larger creeks and those below flood control dams will be the most cloudy but continue to clear out rapidly (think squirmy wormy, leeches and streamers).
It’s terrestrial time in the Driftless. Ants, beetles, and small grasshopers are starting to get fish excited. We’re still fishing a dry/dropper set up with a visible foam indicator fly (hippie, training wheel with food or purple drank below). Hatches are sparse, but fish are rising to midges and some micro summer olives as well as a few random, large mayflies and egg laying caddis. When in doubt, toss an ant at rising fish!

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July 15th Fishing Report

A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Cloudy, with a high near 74. Northeast wind 3 to 7 mph. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Anywhere between half and inch and 2+ fell last night through the area. These rains are essential in the summer to cool things down and get the humdity out of the air. However with the intensity last night there will be some murky water this morning. Creeks will drop and clear quickly and there is fishable water out there right now, it just might take some valley hopping to find it.
On the murky water, fish a black leech or wooly bugger or a worm pattern.
On the clearer water, fish a scud or purple drank.
As things drop and clear up, going back to a hopper with a dropper will catch you fish.

CategoriesFishing Report

July 13th Fishing Report

Sunny, with a high near 82. Light southeast wind becoming south 5 to 9 mph in the morning.
This is the summer weather you wait for! Perfect conditions for some July trout fishing in the Driftless. Recent cooler temperatures and rains have water temperatures right where they need to be for happy fish!
There is quite a mix of bugs out there, mostly small to tiny (no tricos yet…..) with fish rising in the mornings and evenings. Try fishing a midge pattern or greased lightning to get risers to eat, or throw an ant in front of them.
Through the day the go-to rig is still a hopper/dropper. Training wheels, beetles, hippie stompers etc being used as edible indicators with food or purple drink below.
Mousing is picking up again too with the cooler nights bringing some nice fish out to play!

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July 12th Fishing Report

Sunny, with a high near 79. Calm wind becoming north around 5 mph in the afternoon.
Creeks are clear to stained with temperatures having dropped from last week’s heat wave. Only the larger creeks and those below flood control dams are still flowing with a medium stain which will continue to clear out over the weekend.
Hatches are sparse, midges and tiny olives popping off in the evening and you can catch a few spinner falls in the morning. Tricos have not shown up in numbers yet.
The terrestrial bite is on! It’s the time of year to tie on a beetle or hopper (or hippie stomper!) with a bead head below and have some fun. Cast close to the banks and shady areas.

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July 10th Fishing Report

Partly sunny, then gradually becoming sunny, with a high near 80. Northwest wind 5 to 14 mph.
Anywhere between 3/4 to 2 inches plus of rain fell last night area wide. Despite this amount, there is water to fish as of this morning (clear to slightly stained). Expect more to clear up by the afternoon, and the weekend should be just fine. The larger creeks and those below flood control dams will take a while longer to lose their murkiness.
The good news is that we are free of the oppressive heat! The rains dropped temperatures, both air and water, setting this weekend up to be an incredibly pleasant weekend for anglers and trout.
Fish will rise when the sun is off the water. Early and late are key to finding rising fish. They will eat rusty spinners and parachutes in the morning, then ants and parachutes in the evening. Through the day fishing a terrestrial with a bead head tied below is your best bet. The hippie stomper with a brush hog, food, or purple drank below is the go to rig in the summertime.
On murkier waters, leeches and worm patterns will be effective.

CategoriesFishing Report

July 9th Fishing Report

Update: Locally heavy rains have dumped up to an inch and a half in certain valleys today. The big storm is coming and should hit us around 3 or 4. Might muddy things up for tomorrow until the evening, but Saturday is still looking quite good with cool weather and cold rains in the system.

Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly after 2pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 85. Light and variable wind becoming southeast 5 to 8 mph in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
We WANT the rains to come! If the rains do not hit it will be a slow recovery to summer normal after a week of brutally hot weather and higher than normal water temperatures. If the rain does come, it will cool things down right away and get us back on track immediately. Temperatures dip the next few days and the cold rain could supercharge trout feeding.
Creeks are low and clear with temperatures in the low 60s to mid 60s. Please use a thermometer through the summer. Anything over 65 will be poor fishing and much warmer can be harmful to trout.
Hatches are sparse. We have not seen tricos early in the mornings yet, and in the evening fish are rising to craneflies and a few random mayflies (parachute adams hatch). Rising trout can be caught using ants.
A foam attractor or terrestrial with a bead head below is key all day long. Hippie stompers and training wheels with purple drank or food down below is the go to rig this time of season.

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