Fishing Report

Things feel chaotic out there, and many people are tired of the holidays already.

We’re not going to bombard you with special deals or limited time specials.

This holiday season we are offering a simple gift idea for Driftless Anglers. A large mug (20 oz) to hold your favorite beverage, a comfortable t-shirt, and a gift card to use at any time in the shop.

We are open on Saturdays during the off season (10-2) or by appointment. We just got a delivery of our locally made pink squirrel and gnome pottery, and a restock of logo shirts and hats.

The past few days have seen some light rain falling in the area. We will take any moisture we can as we slipped back into abnormally dry status late in the season. We’re all hoping for a good snowfall this winter.

Trout are happily enjoying their time off. They are in full spawn mode now and we have even seen some pretty happy fish feeding on midges in the afternoons on some creeks.

Remember Wisconsin’s trout season is CLOSED until the first Saturday in January.

We’ve restocked with logo hoodies, hats, shirts etc for the shopping season, and we have some of the new 50th anniversary Scott Rods in stock (but going quickly!)

We’re on our way down to Argentina for another Driftless Dorado Tour! Chasing some of our favorite fish in one of our favorite places on the planet. Orders will be delayed in shipping until November 18th. Thanks for your patience. Saturday hours will also start near the end of the month. We will have email access while away, so please feel free to emails us!

If you are interested in joining us to chase Dorado in the future (November 2025 dates coming soon!), take a look at our travel page for more information.

Season is CLOSED in the Wisconsin driftless. We do not open up again until the first Saturday in January.

Unfortunately, the dry spell that has lingered over us for a couple of months has continued, with some relief coming over the next couple of days. We’re back into the first stage of drought and really need some water!

Trout have started to spawn and are currently enjoying not having anglers harass them while on their spawning beds! We love that the season closes to protect trout during this vulnerable time of year.

We’re getting restocked with some logo and gift items, expect an update this weekend here and via our newsletter.

Hope you are all enjoying the fall! It will not be too long before we are back out there fishing our creeks.

In collaboration with Orvis, our popular low structure mesh backed hats with Velcro closure are back! 100% recycled fishing nets used in the brim of the hats too.

We’re still answering emails, phone calls, and online orders. Saturday hours will start in November.

Cow T shirts have been restocked. Hats, and logo hoodies coming soon!

Thank you all for another memorable season. The shop is now closed, we are taking a few days to sleep in, catch up things we put aside during the season, and relax a bit. During the off season the shop will be open limited hours. You can still call, email, or WhatsApp us at any time!

Partly sunny, with a high near 50. Northwest wind 9 to 11 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
Finally, some cloud cover the past couple of days of season. It’s chilly, windy, and partly cloudy today, then sunny and breezy tomorrow.

Season closes on the 16th (you can fish through the 15th of October). There is no fishing after that until the first Saturday in January in our area (even catch and release).

The shop will be open all day today, then until noon tomorrow. In the off season we will take a few days off, then open Saturdays (or by appointment) starting November. We will be answering the phone, checking emails, and social media through the off season as normal. Keep an eye on this report and social media for off season hours.

Isolated showers after 1pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 63. East wind 9 to 11 mph, with gusts as high as 21 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
We’re remaining hopeful that some clouds roll in today. The lack of clouds has kept the fishing very average overall. Hoppers with droppers and plumbing the deep pools has been successful in most spots.
Olive mayflies are here and hatching (and getting a spinner fall too) but up until today the surface ‘match the hatch’ activity has been poor. With the clouds this weekend we might see that change.

Keep in mind that there is major road construction going on in Viroqua. Use the municipal lots just west of the store, both the front and back entries to the shop are open for you (follow the signs for the back).

Mostly sunny, with a high near 78. Southwest wind 7 to 10 mph becoming northwest in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 20 mph.
Still unseasonably warm, still clear water, and still bluebird skies. We might get a slight break in the weather Saturday and Sunday with some cloud cover, but things remain stuck and sluggish right now.
With the cloud cover we might see fish feeding on the surface (micro olives and midges) and the hopper and dropper fishing will continue along with the small leech and streamer fishing.