CategoriesFishing Report

May 16th Fishing Report

A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 4pm. Increasing clouds, with a high near 76. Breezy, with a southwest wind 14 to 19 mph increasing to 20 to 25 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 39 mph.
The storm yesterday missed our area overall with only a small pocket or two that got any perceptible rain. Overall creeks remain super clear and still quite low. (See photo below. La Crosse is in the upper left, Madison in the lower right)
The wind will be a pain until Sunday. Spooky fish and gusty winds, it will be a difficult two days ahead.
Sunday looks fantastic and the weather just about perfect for the first few days of next week.

CategoriesFishing Report

May 14th Fishing Report

A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 3pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 80. Southeast wind 6 to 8 mph.
Creeks are still very low and clear and the fish are incredibly spooky! Temperatures are still solid, despite some unseasonably warm weather. Air temps get back on track for the weekend.
Caddis are the main menu item with aggressively rising fish mid day and into the afternoon. We are also starting to do well on craneflies (especially the yellows)
Subsurface fishing is best on smaller, thin bodied bugs in the riffles, then large scuds or small leeches in the runs and pools when the sun is off the water.

CategoriesFishing Report

May 13th Fishing Report

Isolated showers and thunderstorms after 1pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 77. Southeast wind 6 to 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
Creeks are low and clear with temperatures in the higher 50s area wide. The high pressure weather system has made fish incredibly spooky with clear skies and low water.
Check out the NEW SA Clear Tip trout lines we just got in… They will definitely help with spooky fish.
Caddis and craneflies are the major hatches, with fish rising throughout the day. The hatches and feeding are always better when the sun is off the water just a bit.
Subsurface fishing is great on pretty much everything. But focus on the riffles, undercut banks and other areas of choppy water. Fish in the slow, clear pools are insanely difficult under these conditions!

CategoriesFishing Report

May 12th Fishing Report

Sunny, with a high near 82. South wind 6 to 11 mph.
Creeks are quite low and clear with temperatures in the higher 50s area wide. It is unseasonably warm!
The good news is caddis are still hatching in the second part of the day, with fish rising through the afternoon and into the evening. Subsurface fishing has been solid all day long as well.
Fish are extremely spooky right now due to the low and clear water. Lengthen those leaders, and approach with as much stealth as possible! Everything is lined up for good fishing, we just need some cloud cover to make it excellent

CategoriesFishing Report

HUGE Drive In Show Updates

The Driftless Drive in Fly Fishing Show and Film Festival is almost here.

June 6th at the Starlite 14 drive in theater in Richland Center.

Your entry ticket gets you:

Drawing for the grand price of a FULL WEEK DORADO FLY FISHING TRIP IN ARGENTINA (Value $6900)

10 FREE bucket raffle tickets

A one time 20% discount in the shop for anything (outside of the apartment or guide trips)

Entry into the show, and a place for your car to enjoy the IF4 films when the sun goes down.

CategoriesFishing Report

May 10th Fishing Report

Sunny, with a high near 72. North wind 7 to 11 mph, with gusts as high as 21 mph.
It’s crowded out there right now, so please respect other anglers and landowners. Do not park blocking gates, access roads, driveways etc. Please do not crowd other anglers, if there is a car at a bridge, move on to the next spot. Please do not access the creek directly above another angler (high hole). There is plenty of water here to spread out on, fish nice!
. Creeks are low and clear with temperatures in the middle to high 50s. Caddis are the main menu item right now, with hatches of tan and black caddis showing up usually around mid day and later.
Subsurface fishing has been quite good on smaller, flashy nymphs fished in the riffles.

CategoriesFishing Report

May 9th Fishing Report

Sunny, with a high near 74. Calm wind becoming west around 5 mph in the afternoon.
Pleasantly warm weekend ahead! Creeks are low and very clear (which makes fishing difficult with the sun) with water temperatures in the mid to higher 50s.
We’re in the peak of season which means fish are happy pretty much all day long. Caddis are at the top of the menu, both black and tan, while a few mayflies are showing up when the sun is off the water.
Subsurface fishing has been best on thin bodied nymphs with a bit of flash.
Trout are SUPER spooky, so fish a bit longer leader, and use a bit of stealth when approaching the creeks.
The weather is gorgeous and fishing is good which means there can be a lot of anglers out there. Please remember to give everyone space. If there is a car at an access point, drive to the next open spot. Do not hop in above/upstream of another angler, and watch where you park! Do not block gates, or access roads, and make sure to pull your vehicle completely off the road an pull in your mirrors.

CategoriesFishing Report

May 7th Fishing Report

Partly sunny, with a high near 73. Northeast wind 7 to 14 mph.
Creeks are still a bit low and very clear right now. Temperatures are in the higher 50s area wide.
We are seeing caddis daily with pods of rising fish spread throughout the area pretty much all day long.
Subsurface fishing has been good on thicker bodied patterns in the runs and pools, and thin bodied nymphs fished right in the riffles.
When the sun is off the water, streamers and leeches are working well too.

CategoriesFishing Report

May 4th Fishing Report

Mostly sunny, with a high near 65. Northeast wind 6 to 9 mph.
Creeks are clear and still a bit low with temperatures in the low 50s.
Caddis are the main hatch right now with some olive mayflies leftover from earlier this spring. Watch for the heavier hatches in the afternoons.
Subsurface fishing is good on pretty much anything as long as it has just a bit of sparkle in it.
Remeber, our fly fishing show/Drive in Theater film fest is coming up soon! June 6th!

CategoriesFishing Report

May 1st Fishing Report

Fishing conditions remain strong, with some helpful rain overnight. We have fairly pleasant and stable weather through the weekend in the forecast as well! Streams have been clear to medium stain in the area, with nearly all water in fishable condition. On the surface, black and tan caddis patterns have been working well, as have blue winged olives and purple parachutes. A few craneflies have been seen already, so keep your eyes peeled for those as well. Under the surface, nymph and streamer fishing has been excellent too. Olive bodied nymphs such as Thread Frenchies and the Olive Drank have been great, along with the Pink Squirrel, Purple Drank, and various worm patterns. Black and olive streamer patterns continue to work well and make for an exciting way to fish – if you haven’t tried it, you should! Overall, excellent conditions and a great time to be here in the Driftless!

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