A Driftless Weekend, Fly Fishing SW Wisconsin

  This past Friday I loaded up my camper and fishing gear along with my good friend Joe. Despite traffic on I-90 being screwed up due to road construction, Joe finally made it to my house by 5 P.M. We quickly threw his gear into the truck and we where off to the land known as the Driftless Area of SW Wisconsin. We drove up watching the sun set and talking about what had been going on in our lives as of lately. Joe and I don't get to chat often, but when we do there is always something to talk about thus making the drive that much more enjoyable. Joe just picked up a flyrod for the first time last season and only got out on the water a few times, and unfortunately went fishless last year. This year there was a mission on my mind, to get Joe a fish to the net. On the drive up during the chit chat, we went over the basics of fly fishing to get him back to where he left off last year.

  We finally arrived at the campground we would call home for the next few days, Sidie Hollow Campground. Sidie Hollow sits in a valley just outside of Viroqua and is owned and run by the county. It is a beautiful place, and I highly recommend camping there if your ever in the area. We drove threw looking for a site for the weekend, and when we thought we found one, all hell broke lose. We pulled into the site and I could quickly tell something was not right. We where sinking. The site we picked out was defiantly not dry land. I came to a stop which was a mistake, and as I tried to back out and the tires began to spin, making things worse. It was dark and the ground was spongy. We disconnected the trailer pushing it back up onto the road, and then tried to get unstuck. To our misfortune things where not getting any better. Another camper down the way came over and offered help, but neither of us had a chain nor a strap to pull us out. We went to the local mans camper that watches over the campground and asked for help. Sure enough the gentleman was there in about 5 mins. and quickly retrieved us from the spongy grass. For  this we where very thankful. We set up camp on the opposite side of the road that was actually nicer due to the fact we where now stream side to a small stream loaded with small browns and brook trout. It always works out to be an interesting weekend right off the bat I guess. We cooked up some dinner, planned out the next day, and hit the hay.

The tire tracks the day after. Doesn't look bad, but if you walked in it you would know right away

  Saturday morning quickly came after all the chaos the night before. We ate some breakfast and we where off to achieve the mission we set out on. Get Joe a fish. Heading to one of my favorite spots to fish on the west fork I was amped up, and knew my good friend was going to connect. We headed back off the road to a hole I am very familiar with. I set my rod on the bank and stood next to Joe coaching him through his casts and presentations. About 5 drifts through the deep pool I saw the indicator twitch, and had an instant reaction by shouting " Set The Hook!" Joe set and connected. The smile on his face said it all as he retrieved line and bringing in his first trout on the fly.

 It was a decent Brown Trout that he could be proud of. In the few times he has driven a fly rod he achieved a goal many set forth on, but struggle to accomplish in there first few times on the water. I believe this was only Joe's second time on a trout stream. After a quick photo with the fish, it was back to casting. Another 4 or 5 casts in and Joe had another hook up. This time fighting much harder than the first fish. It was a large sucker, but a fun fight on the fly rod. Joe kept casting and I started to think I created a fishing monster as he hooked up once again.

 This time it was a bigger brown then the first. At this point I figured he had the hang of it, as I needed to start to catch up on the fish count. I started to fish the back half of the pool we where fishing in and connected after a few minutes.

 He wasn't a monster, but sure was a fighter. We continued to fish up stream as my friend Joe started to chump me up almost putting on a clinic, as he continued to hook up and catch fish. I believe Joe landed 4 fish on this stretch to my two as we wrapped up on this stretch. I had a few suckers in there, but we where only counting the trout. Here is a beautiful shot of part of the stretch we where fishing on taken by Joe.

 We headed back to camp for a quick lunch, and talked about the days events of fishing so far. Joe had bragging rights at this point, but as I told him the day was not over. We headed back out around 4 pm to another creek that I am not very fond of, but have always challenged myself to fish it. I couldn't tell you the number of times I have fished this stream and always come out empty handed. There are always hundreds of fish in this hole, but I can never get one to take my fly. I have tossed more patterns at them then I know of, and not a single fish. This time was different as we accomplished one goal for the day, it was time we accomplished another.

 This is the hole looking down off of the above bridge. Always loaded with a huge school of fish. I worked my way out and around to the back side of the hole trying not to spook any fish as the water here is gin clear. I started casting and felt a bump. Set the hook and the mission was accomplished. Although the first fish out of this hole wasn't big, I felt like I finally achieved something.

 I continued to fish the hole catching a few more fish of this size, and lost one really nice one. I finally did it though. I caught fish out of the hole that has skunked me time and time again. Of course I got a fish up on my good buddy for the day as well. It was a fabulous day on the water with great weather, a great friend, and great stories made to tell in the future. We headed back to camp to start a fire and cook some grub.

 We sat around the fire chowing down and enjoying a few barley pops. We reflected back on the days events, and couldn't have been much more happier about it. We caught fish and had a plethora of scenery to look at all day. What more could you ask for?

 The next morning came and we where kind of bummed that we had to head back home, but not before stopping at a few spots along the way. We ate and packed up and headed back down the road. We stopped at another stream that resides on the border of richland and vernon counties. This spot had always produced numbers, but something was different about the stream. It was loaded with algae and the size of fish where small compared to trips in the past.

 After the a few hours and going bust we headed back towards home. We stopped off at Black Earth Creek for one last hoorah in hopes of possibly catching some bigger fish for the day. Unfortunately I had one hook up and that was it. It was nice to fish Black Earth as this was one of my first Driftless streams I had ever fished, but I soon realized why I don't fish it much anymore. 

 We where back on the road after a quick stop at the coffee shop in Cross Plains, which has excellent coffee by the way. We made the trip back home over the border talking about how great the weekend was, and we were sad it had to come to an end. I had a great time putting a good friend on fish. I have a feeling Joe will be calling me soon to try and make an escape up to the Driftless in the near future. Until then, Happy Fishing!

High And Dirty

  This past Saturday I met with my good friend Joe. Joe just started getting into fly fishing last year. With all the happenings in life lately, Joe and I haven't been able to get together and share the water. So the day finally came and we headed down to a little smallmouth hole on the Kishwaukee River on the South side of Rockford. Driving over the bridge on the way there I knew it wasn't going to be the best day of fishing. The water was high and dirty. We tried to fish what holes we could without trying to wade through the rushing waters. Unfortunately we caught nothing. We did manage to see some cool wildlife roaming the banks. A goose on her nest, A few other geese that sparred and made a bunch of racket, and some remains of a Coyote that must have been hit by a car. All in all it was just nice to get out and enjoy some fresh air with a great friend. Due to my interest in trying to catch some fish, I failed to grab the camera out of the truck to snap some pictures.  Hopefully in the next few weeks we start to get some nicer weather and the rain goes away.

Colorado Day 4 The Epic Finale

    After the struggles I had on day 3 I came into day 4 with a ton of rest and ready to catch a lot of fish. It was that feeling you get sometimes while heading to water just knowing in the back of your mind that it was going to be a good day.

  I had thought about my week the night before while laying in bed, wondering what I was doing wrong this whole time. I compared my rig to Scott's rig as I laid there. They where almost exact to the "T". Except for one thing, split shot. We had been fishing deep holes all week, and I don't think I was getting down to where the fish actually where. It hit my like a ton of bricks, and made me feel like the newbie fisherman I once was. On the drive out to the river on day 4 we stopped at a little bait and tackle shop in the town of Gradby. We had stopped there earlier in the week so I could grab a fishing license. I purchased some fly weights and a couple flies known as "The 20 Incher". The 20 incher is a stonefly pattern. The temps where predicted to be warm on day 4 which meant melt off ,which also meant more stonefly activity.

  We arrived to the Parshall hole right around 8:30a.m. I rigged my rod up at the truck tying on the 20 incher followed by a red zebra midge, and a black zebra midge. I thought this rig would be perfect and I had the winning ticket tied on to catch a lot of fish. Also I added a number 4 shot about a foot and a half in front of my first fly. I walked down to the hole and slowly waded out working my rig closer and closer to where the fish had been hanging out all week. BAM! Fish on! I shouted to Scott with a grin on my face. I hooked the first fish of the day.

 A nice healthy brown! I told myself I had it, and today was going to be my best day yet. We fished on through the morning, and all I had after the first fish was one hook up that had gotten off before getting to my net. Scott was still empty handed as well. The thought of a killer day became a pipe dream really quick it had seemed. I was frustrated to say the least, along with my fishing buddy Scott. By 11 a.m. I mentioned to Scott that we needed a change of scenery, and I thought the hole was beat from the weeks worth of anglers that had fished it. He agreed, and it was time to move on.

 We made the long trek back to the new honey hole again, which is probably what we should have done in the beginning of the day. While walking threw the slushy snow I had started to think about the local gentleman that had caught numerous fish the day before right in front of me. I told myself I needed to get into the same spot he was and repeat his actions.

  In the pics above you can see we where standing on top of a submerged boulder. Casting into the seam as there was some fast water to the right and a really deep slow moving pool to the left in front of the rock that sticks out of the water. There where a bunch of large boulders in this deep hole where the fish would sit and watch the food trickle by in the faster water.

  I eased in the water to this spot hoping the day was going to get better. To my surprise it did indeed get better. No more than 4 drifts along this seam I hooked into a nice Brown.

 This guy was full of color and had some defined spots from head to tail. I was getting that fishy feeling again. Three more casts and BAM!

 You can imagine the grin that was on my face now. My good friend was starting to feel like he was doing something wrong now, as he watched me catch fish after fish. At one point an older gentleman walked up by us with his granddaughter and asked if we where doing any good. I responded by catching three fish before he moved on. He asked what flies where hot, and I gave him the inside scoop. The stonefly pattterns caught half our fish, and the zebra midges caught the other half no matter the color. I continued fishing and catching.

 We fished on throughout the early evening leaving by 5:30p.m. It was an amazing day for me to say the least. I caught and landed 14 fish to my friend Scott's 7. I also had quite a few hook ups that landed short of my net. It was an incredible day and week on the water with a good friend. Fish totals for the week Scott-20  Brian- 23 .

  On the drive back to the cabin we where staying in we reflected on the spectacular week of fishing, scenery, and times shared. It was an amazing trip, and plans have already been made for next year. I can't wait to make it back to the wonderful fisheries that Colorado has to offer.

 
                                The drive back every day after fishing almost leaves you speechless.

  If you are ever interested in staying in the Winter Park area I highly recommend renting out the place we stayed. It is referred to as Snow Dream. Nestled away in the pines with all the luxuries you could ask for while on vacation.

 It has a ton of wildlife running around as well. In the above picture the resident fox named trixie can be seen. I did see trixie a few times while at Snow Dream. There is also Moose and Deer in the area as well. For more info on Snow Dream follow this link http://www.vrbo.com/221902  .  You will be blown away by this place which is available for renting year round. It sits in the town of Fraser which is right next to Winter Park. The Fraser River is just down the street and is loaded with trout as well. During the winter most of the Fraser is iced up though. The Colorado River is a short drive away, and the Blue River is about an hour away in Dillon and Silverthorne. All gold metal waters for fishing big trout.

 I hope you all enjoyed the journey I had out west as much as I did!

Colorado Day 3

 Day 3 started out in a slight blur to me. I think maybe it was the gin and tonics, and the rum and cokes possibly. Either way we got up a little earlier than the day before due to the fact it seemed the fish where biting early in the day and later in the afternoon which would be typical for warmer weather. If it meant catching more fish, than I was all about it.

  First stop of the day was the tried and true Parshall hole. We started tossing the normal size 20 midges as they had been the best producers thus far. I started off the day with a nice healthy first fish taking my red bead headed midge.

 Notice I used the rod I built, and I must say it performed extremely well and received a ton of use. Shortly after Scott had landed a decent fish in which I didn't get a pic of due to the squirmyness of the fish. The Parshall hole seemed slow compared to the previous few days.

  After about an hour or so of fishing, a local showed up that we had talked to the day before in the parking lot. We chatted and pretty much fished together most of the day. He only ended up catching a small brown in the hole as well before moving on. Note that we made the mistake of telling this gentleman where we slammed the big fish the day before when we met in the parking lot.

 Shortly after the local moved up stream, Scott and myself decided to go back to the big fish hole from the day before, as that was our game plan from our morning drive conversation. So we started the trek back across the snow covered meadow.

 The spot was pretty much straight back where the uncovered hilltop sits in the picture above. It was a dreadful hike in the melting snow, but well worth it in our minds to get to the bigger and hungrier fish. Shortly after we arrived at the hole, we realized we made a mistake sharing a little info the day before with the local guy, as he was standing right in our spot fishing the very hole we came to fish. He noticed us coming through the trees and greeted us with a "hello again". He invited us in to the water to share the hole that we directed him to. He mentioned he had already caught one 15" Brown before our arrival. We thanked him for letting us squeeze in and started fishing. I think the situation might have come out a lot different if it happened here in the Midwest, but I can defiantly say Colorado folk are more than nice than your average Midwest Joe.

  For some reason, today just wasn't my day. I struggled to get a good cast and drift, and just became all out frustrated with myself. Hence the statement above about the drinks consumed the night before. I had miss casts, caught up in rocks, tangled in trees on back casts, and even hooked myself on a poor back cast right in the cheek. Laugh it up at my expense feel free because shortly after I did it I laughed as well. Some how in all the chaos I did however manage to hook another fish before the end of the day.

  In the midst off all my chaos Scott proceeded to land 3 fish, and with my frustrations and reties I did not get pictures of his fish. At the same time the local was putting on a clinic in front of us, catching a fish every other cast as he made it seem. He was catching a majority of his fish on an olive RS-2. He caught a few really nice rainbows with one stretching over the 20" mark for sure. I watched this gentleman fish for a bit, and took some mental notes. These mental notes will play a crucial role in my last day of fishing on day 4. 

 Fish count is now Scott-13 Brian-9 . Stayed tuned for day 4 because the fish count numbers are going to sky rocket. Also the morale of the story is to take it easy on the drinks the night before an outing.

Colorado Day 2

  Day 2 was a little more eventful than day 1. The temps warmed up a bit more, breaking the 40 degree mark. Which meant melt off and a little more hunger in the fish. We loaded up the truck and left Winter Park by 8:30 a.m. First destination was the Parshall hole again, and it was a great first stop. We landed 5 fish in the first 3 hours of fishing which was spectacular compared to the day before.

 Size 20 hooks where key to catching fish. Red and Black zebra midges did the trick along with the red mercury midge . The fish where not to friendly to any hook bigger than a 20 it seemed. It also didn't really matter what type of bead head was on the midge either. We caught them with crystal, red, black, gold, and no beadhead at all. If it resembled a midge they would eat it. We fished the hole till about noon and then went for a long hike up to the confluence of the Colorado and Williams Fork. We started fishing a section of the Williams fork, but found no fish, not even spooking one. We worked our way back down into the Colorado River looking for deep pools that where holding fish. Low and behold we stumbled upon a honey hole where we saw some fairly large fish rising to Blue Winged Olives.

 The fish where rising to the right and slightly in front of the rock sticking out of the water. They where hanging in the slow water really close to the seam of fast water. They where snatching bugs as they would come to the surface. We saw what was going on and quickly casted toward the rising fish. As soon as the fly would get in front of there face they would strike instantly. 

 This was indeed the type of whole we wanted to stumble upon. Scott's Brown measured 18 1/2" ans his rainbow came in at 16". I caught the split tail brown that looks like he had been attacked at some point in his life, and the big fish of the week was the last pic of me and my 20" Brown. He slammed my black zebra midge and ran for the hills but ended up forfeiting to my 4 wt. rod. We caught 8 fish total out of the hole making for a great ending to a great day. Low and behold this hole turns into a gold mine by the end of the week. Fish count is now set at Scott-9 Brian-7 . I got behind from the start making the old guy feel good about himself and having a lot to talk about, but that will all change by the end of the week. 

Colorado Day 1

   Day 1 in Colorado was interesting to say the least. It was a definite change from the normal driftless streams I am used to fishing. Not to mention this was the first time I had  gotten my fly line wet this year. I defiantly had to work out the kinks in my casting and line mending. It was a rough start in the morning making out to be a great day by the end of it all.

 We started out the morning at what is referred to as the Parshall Hole. It is tucked away right off the road side on the edge of the small town Parshall. The Parshall Hole is located on the Colorado river just downstream of the confluence with the Williams Fork. Here is a shot of the Parshall Hole.

 Just below the riffles lies a deep pool where fish where stacked up in numbers just waiting for food to come by. There where a few large boulders at the tail end of the riffles that where loaded with fish. Our main focus was drifting flies right on the edges of the boulders.

  My good friend Scott hooked up with this nice Brown for the first fish of the day. The fish was attracted to the size 20 red zebra midge topped with a red glass bead head. The size 20 was key during the whole week for being the hot fly in either red or black.

 Shortly after Scott caught his fish, I finally hooked up with my first Colorado Trout.

 It was a nice and healthy 16" fish. Not a bad way to pop my cherry for a Colorado Brown. 

 We fished the Parshall Hole till about 1p.m. and then moved on up stream to Byers Canyon on the Colorado River which is right outside of Hot Sulphur Springs. When we arrived we soon noticed that the water levels where low and there was lots of snow and ice on the banks.

 We fished these stretches even past the bridge up into the canyon and had no luck. We didn't even spook a fish, which seemed fairly odd to me. Either way it was a nice scenic adventure, and a ton of fun exploring some new water that my friend Scott had never fished. 

 We wrapped up the day at about 4p.m. as the temps never got above 32 degrees on Tuesday, but there was a warm up in the predicted forecast which made for an excellent week. So starting off on day 1 the fish count was at Scott-2 Brian-1 . I didn't get a pic of Scott's second fish. I was happy to only get one fish as it was my first big water trout. By the end of the week I was putting on a clinic compared to my good friend. Stay tuned the next few days to see how the rest of the trip turned out. 

Heading West!

  Well the time has come, and to say I am anxious is an understatement. I will be boarding a plane in a few hours and heading west to the mountainous state of Colorado. I have been day dreaming of snow capped peaks, and boulder filled streams all month long. I have spent numerous hours at the vise crafting flies that hopefully bring me a fishy surprise. I have a few streams and rivers on my radar that are chalked full of fish, it is just a question now of weather or not they will bite.

   The blog posts will be short for the next week until I get back . I am going to try and post a few that are short and sweet, but it all depends on cell service where I will be shacked up for the next few days. I can guarantee I will have plenty to post about when I get back though. Keep an eye out because the cameras, including video are packed and ready to shoot.  Here's to a safe trip, and I hope it turns out as good as I hope!

Cold Blue Nights

  I originally saw this short film by The Fly Collective a week or two ago on the Fiberglass Manifesto .  With my up coming trip next week to Colorado, the night fishing on the Blue River in Silverthorne  was put on the to do list while out there. Check this out!



Cold Blue Nights from The Fly Collective on Vimeo.

Looking West!

  This week has brought some amazing news to my near future. A good friend of mine approached me about making a fly fishing trip to Colorado. This has been on the bucket list for years. Out of all the adventures out west I have taken, I have never fished anywhere west of the Mississippi other than Lake Mead just outside of glorious Las Vegas.  When I was approached about this trip, it was almost surreal. Is this really possible?

  I pondered and went through the actual possibilities of this happening, and after some long thought out conversations with my wife, I had come to a conclusion. I am going! When an opportunity comes along like this you have to grab the bull by the horns.

  In the meantime I will be tying a ton of flies, prepping my gear, and day dreaming about snow covered banks with big trout filled streams. I am super pumped and can not wait for the day to come when it is time to board a plane and head to adventure. Keep an eye out at the end of the month for postings from some blue ribbon waters in the rockies.

Wisconsin Brook Trout Threatened By Gill Lice

  The Wisconsin DNR has released a statement about the growing concerns revolving around gill lice and they are looking for anglers help. The DNR and Trout Unlimited  have set up a website to report any cases of gill lice that anglers may encounter. The link to the site is http://wisconsintu.org/Default.aspx?alias=wisconsintu.org/gilllice  .  This is a growing concern and should be taken seriously due to the fact it could very well wipe out Wisconsin's native Brook Trout populations in some streams. The following is the news release from the DNR:

Trout anglers being asked to report incidents of gill lice in brook trout

FITCHBURG, Wis. – Alert trout anglers’ reports to state fish biologists have brought to light a potential threat to Wisconsin’s native brook trout, and all trout anglers are now being asked to help track that threat.

Populations of a small parasitic crustacean -- called a copepod by scientists but known commonly as gill lice -- appear to be increasing in some southwestern Wisconsin trout streams.

Brook trout and gill lice have always lived together in Wisconsin streams, according to Department of Natural Resources fisheries biologists, but recently the balance appears to be tipping toward higher gill lice numbers in some streams. The creature attaches to a brook trout’s gills making it difficult for the fish to breath and slowing normal growth and development. This increase in gill lice in some streams may be reducing trout numbers.

DNR fish scientists will be taking a closer look at gill lice in select Wisconsin trout streams during the 2013 field season seeking a better understanding of why gill lice populations may be increasing and where they are increasing. In addition to streamside research, a website has been set up to make it easy for anglers across the state to report the appearance or absence of gill lice in the streams they fish.

“Gill lice are not new in Wisconsin streams,” said Matthew Mitro, research scientist with the DNR Bureau of Science Services, “they’ve always lived in balance with our native brook trout with neither having a significant negative impact on the other. Many trout anglers are familiar with them and the lice pose no threat to human health. What is new to us was an increasing number of anglers telling our fish biologists about increases in gill lice in waters where they’d seen few or none previously. That’s what got our attention.

“Reports from anglers of a growing gill lice population in some streams first started coming in 2010 and 2011. Our early survey work in 2012 showed a dramatic increase in infections between April and October 2012 in one stream where in April, 42 percent of fish surveyed had the lice. By October we found 95 percent infected. This is far ahead of anything we’d expect to find. Many of the infected fish had high numbers of the gill lice. With so many fish infected so heavily the end result may be lower growth rates, smaller fish, a higher death rate and a smaller brook trout population in the stream.”

While researchers know that gill lice have been present all along they don’t have good knowledge of how widespread they are in Wisconsin’s trout streams or at what level. There are historic anecdotal reports of severe infections in Seas Branch, a small creek in Vernon County, and Duncan Creek in Chippewa County, but nowhere else. Wisconsin fisheries scientists know that gill lice are present in other states with native brook trout populations, such as Minnesota, but little hard data are available.

Partners lend a hand

“This is where Wisconsin trout anglers can really help us document the concern,” said Mitro. “It’s through a process called citizen-based monitoring and doesn’t require any science training to participate.

“All trout anglers are asked to do is go fishing, as they would otherwise, and for each location they fish, fill out a simple report on the species of trout caught and if they observed any gill lice on brook trout. It’s equally important to report when they didn’t observe any gill lice where they fished. Location information is general so favorite fishing spots are not disclosed.”

Survey information will go into a master database and will be available to the public as the information is entered.

A website has been set up for the angler reports with the help of Wisconsin Trout Unlimited which maintains the website and theRiver Alliance of Wisconsin (all links exit DNR). The effort is funded by a Citizen Based Monitoring grant.

Potential long-term impacts

Mitro says it is too early in this investigation into gill lice populations to identify trends but suggests the lice are appearing in younger trout more frequently than before, potentially affecting population growth.

During the 2012 field season researchers found trout less than one year of age with the parasites. Slower growth and development in young-of-the-year fish means surviving their first winter is more of a challenge. This in turn may negatively affect brook trout population growth rates.

“There are a number of factors we hope to evaluate as we look into this more deeply,” says Mitro. “We just do not know at this time how things like water temperature, fish population density, the presence or absence of other trout species and the physical characteristics of trout stream habitat may contribute to an increase in gill lice, if at all. These are some of the questions we hope to answer.”

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Matt Mitro, 608-221-6366

Visiting The Vise! Tying The Pink Army

  As I mentioned in yesterdays post I have been detained with Ice Fishing, and haven't put much thought into fly fishing as of recently. After realizing how close the early season opener was and how unprepared I am at this current point, I figured it was time to kick my ass into high gear. Last night I dusted off the tying vice and decided to start restocking the fly boxes. I was low on my favorite early season fly, the Pink Squirrel. So I decided I should start tying up an army to restock. I got about a dozen or so tied up, and still have some more to go. I only had size 14 hooks so I got those tied up in a couple small variations, and in the meantime ordered up some much needed size 12 hooks and 1/8" gold beads. Here are a few photo shots from last nights bench visit.