Blog

Open Saturday December 23rd from 10-2

We hope everyone is enjoying the off season. As we head into winter we are always keeping an eye on water levels and stream conditions.

Spawning this fall was solid. While we do not have scientific data, walks along creeks showed many beds and active fish on pretty much every creek. Thankfully we have had a ‘bit’ of precipitation which helped the flows a little before spawning which helped things along quite a bit.

Speaking of precipitation, we are still in a drought! We need some rain and snow to get things back to normal flows or we will see continued water levels dropping this winter.

While it is not disastrous, we are still hoping for a bit more to fall from the sky before season opens again. Not only for fishing, but to keep the eggs the fish have laid healthy and happy. While it could be worse, it most definitely could be better too.

For something different, we do have some openings for our March Patagonia trip! You will be fishing the South American fall and historically we enjoy some great match the hatch dry fly fishing and potential excellent streamer fishing as the minnows come out of the lakes on their spawning run.

Shoot us an email for details!

It’s the crazy time of the year right now! We mail almost everything via the Postal Service, and if you are worried about getting things before December 25th, it is a good idea to get your order in by the 16th!

However, if you are down to the wire and last minute shopping… Starting tomorrow, when you order a gift card we will send a digital certificate that you can give while you wait for the physical gift card to arrive. You do not need to do anything at checkout, just order the gift card as normal and we will send the digital certificate to the email address you provide during checkout.

(The digital certificate can not be used in place of the actual gift card)

REMEMBER: The shop is open Saturdays during the winter from 10-2. You can always email us at info@driftlessangler.com with questions too.

Patagonia is everything you have read about and more. Trout fishing that is what the streams in the US were in the late 70s and early 80s. Uncrowded, unspoiled, and happy big fish!

We’re changing things up a bit for 2025. We will be starting at the flagship Spring Creek Lodge for a week of floating and fishing as well as a day on the lakes taking advantage of the dragonfly hatch. Jan 4-11 2025.

After that you can extend your week, or join us at Casa de Campo. This is majority walk and wade and hunting trout on spring creeks and smaller glacial fed freestone streams. Jan 11-18.

More details will be posted on our travel page in the coming days, but these trips fill very fast, so if you are interested please email us!

Available now online and in the store.

Comfortable cotton t-shirts for the chillier weather ahead.

Normally $35, on sale now!

It’s the most wonderful time of the year (the heck with Christmas…) Dorado time!

Our hosted trip to chase these toothy predators starts soon. While gone we will not have a chance to answer voicemails, so please email us with any questions. We will be able to ship items while the trip is going on, so order away!

Interested in our dorado trips? Check out the information here!

St. Croix is a Wisconsin company designing and producing rods that fit our fisheries! They aren’t just guessing when they make a small stream rod for the driftless, or a bigger stick for smallmouth and muskies, they know the Midwest!!!

Their new top of the line EVOS rods are some of the finest rods we have ever fished and casted, while their budget friendly CONNECT series gives you an incredible rod with enough money in your pocket to enjoy Friday Night Fish Fry.

In celebration of their new rod lineup we are offering the following gift packages (to be picked up in store) from November 1 to March 1.

With a new EVOS rod you get: a dozen guide’s choice flies, long sleeve cow t-shirt, 6-pack of spotted cow, local cheese curds and a Driftless Provisions sausage.

CONNECT rod gets you a bag of local curds and a dozen guide’s choice flies.Can you get any more Wisconsin?

6 pack only available for 21 years and older. Substitute Wisco pop for spotted cow for those who prefer. Rods will ship for free, all other items to be picked up at Driftless Angler.

A string of cold days and a dusting of snow remind us that winter is right around the corner.

Wisconsin’s season is closed. Iowa is still open, but we recommend sticking to the stocked rainbow trout creeks as the brown trout are spawning and we suggest leaving them alone during the spwan. Minnesota’s state parks are still open to fishing as well.

The Driftless dorado tour starts again in early November, watch our social media (and doradoflyfishing’s instagram page) for updates. If you ever wanted to fish freshwater dorado, let us know! We have been hosting trips for the for years now and are totally addicted. April 6-13 2024 is our next upcoming dorado trip, but we can you chasing them anytime you want.

We will not have store hours until around the holidays, so please remember to shop online, and call or e-mail the shop with any questions.

Remember to check out our weekly sale items here

• WISCONSIN’S SEASON IS CLOSED TO ALL TROUT FISHING UNTIL JANUARY 6 2024! SELECT CREEKS IN MINNESOTA ARE OPEN AND IOWA IS OPEN YEAR ROUND. PLEASE CHECK YOUR REGULATIONS BEFORE YOU HEAD OUT!

Nothing too exciting this week. Potential for an inch or two of rain (still very much needed!) tomorrow.

Iowa has been fishing decently with sparse hatches but great subsurface activity. If you are heading out to fish, please leave spawning brown trout alone.

We will highlight an item or two each week for off season sales. This week is our super comfy performance pro full zip hoodie (you probably saw Mat wearing his pretty much every chilly morning!)