Trip Report: No Big Fishies!

This isn't where I fished today but wanted to post this picture because I think its purdy.

Today I got up early and decided to beat the crowd to a heavily pressured stream that runs around 20 minutes from home. The crowd beat me. I talked to a few fellas who must've got there around sun up on my way deeper into the Driftless Back-country. They all reported slow fishing. After a decent walk I began tossing the 'ol Pink Squirrel of Prey, plying the water to find where the trouts were hiding. (kind of like Elmer Fudd searching for a wabbit, only without a gun or wabbit)

I found this neat spring on my way in so I took this neat picture! The home spun 3wt cast well despite the heavy winds and the fish came in with consistency.

 The fish on the left was the biggest fish of the day. I found a lot of good water but the bigguns just weren't having it.

 I caught about a dozen of these average sized fish before tying into a bunch of small brookies. The first few fell for the Pink Squirrel of Prey but the majority were landed on a sz 20 BWO emerger.

 I just love catching brookies. In Montana I had a secret brookie stream that held tons of big brookies. It was my go to spot for when I wanted to fill the freezer. I don't usually keep trout but brookies are not native to Montana and are somewhat responsible for the decline in Cutthroat and Bull Trout which are native to Montana. Brookies often outcompete with Cutthroats for food and the best lies in the stream while Bull Trout are voracious feeders, but can interbreed with Brookies which can/does "dilute" the genetics of Bullies.

None of the Brookies caught today were any larger than these guys. It was fun to get out and catch 'em in the wind but hopefully tomorrow brings calm breezes and bigger trout.

Trip Report: More Walking Than Fishing

Today I got out in the beautiful weather to do more walking than fishing. Today marks the beginning of the catch-n-keep Minnesota trout season. I expected crowds on all of the area streams but was dismayed when I even spotted fresh footprints a few miles into the back-country. It was still a great day to be out and I got to explore some highly inaccessible water.

After initially hiking for around an hour I began fishing. I rigged up a pink squirrel of prey and tossed it in and BLAMO.

This was the big fish of the day. Not so big but still fun on the 3wt. I hooked into a few nice fish but was unable to land 'em. One snapped me off above the indicator and I watched my bright yellow indicator bob around the deep pool where the wiley trout sought refuge. Eventually with some ingenuity I was able to retrieve the indicator.

 I fished throughout the early afternoon landing a few over a dozen trout, all browns except for one little brookie!

After deciding to turn back I rigged up a small streamer. Numerous fish rolled at the streamer but I only hooked up with one smaller brown. The hike out was brutal but after two hours of hiking through the woods and bluffs the sky opened up a little.

This bald eagle flew over my head by about 30 feet. I saw two other bald eagles and at one point there were some turkey vultures circling above my dehydrated body. I talked to a few people on my way out and it sounded like everybody at least caught a few! With colder temps and a little more rain in the forecast I hope to get out fishing a few times throughout the next week.

Trip Report: After Work!

Got out for a quick second of fishing after work on Monday afternoon. I headed a few miles south of the town where I work and tossed my streamer into a big pool near the bridge. I fished here once before but only briefly. After fishing a total of five minutes I had three fish to hand and a hand full of short strikes.

 These trout had very different coloration. You can see my trout cruiser in the background. She's been to Montana and back (and to Montana and back and to Montana and back, etc) and has seen many wiley trout brought to hand. Stay tuned: With temps forecast to reach the high 60's over the next few days I'll definitely be fishing to the max!

Trip Report: Dirty Water and Another Fly Rod Build

I got out fishing for a few hours today in the wind and warmth. Temperatures reached near 70 degrees and the sky was blue while I fished. Winds were around 14 mph. I tied up a bunch of streamers over the last week thanks to some new hooks that I got from a guy my dad knows. I decided to test the bunny fur colored ones today.

This stream lies just 8 miles from home so after a short drive I was on this beautiful driftless spring creek. The river ran high but I was able to find some good sized fish.

These were the two biggest fish of the trip. They came out from behind rocks as the streamer swung past. I spotted a number of decent fish flash at the fly but they would not commit! Their bellies were full and I'd guess that they've been gorging themselves on worms.

 I stopped at another portion of the stream on my way home to test out my new bead headed San Juan Worm pattern. It worked great catching three fish in around 15 minutes. 

Today was not lights out fishing but it was nice to get out after the rains to chuck a few streamers. I hope to get out fishing later in the week. As the water warms and clears the trout will feed voraciously so stay tuned! In the mean time I'll be tying loads of flies for sale and summer (and hopefully building a rod too). I built this 9ft 5wt for my dad a few weeks ago.

I learned a few good things when building this one. I learned a better way to tie off the threads so they aren't visible through the finish. I learned a better way to epoxy the thread also. I got a little better at ordering the parts and figured out what components I prefer on my own rods.

Trip Report: Today Was A Good Day

This afternoon I got out for a quick 1 1/2 hour trip to a local stream known for low numbers but bigger fish. As I pulled up to the stream the winds seemed to pick up a little and the clouds broke. As I geared up the clouds disappeared and I began thinking it would be another tough day. I fished the first few sets of runs and riffles with no luck. I managed to spook a few decent looking fish from a prime run before heading further upstream.

I set the hook on what I expected to be a rock and to my surprise it shook! This chunky bow came to hand with little struggle. After releasing him I continued upstream. At a few prime spots I managed to find some average sized browns but nothing too great. I contemplated changed from the Pink Squirrel of Prey to a streamer but decided against that as most fish came from the middle of deep runs. I came to a spot where I know there are some good fish and set my fly to scrape the bottom.

Again assuming I'd caught a rock I set the hook tentatively. This chunker put up a short but exciting fight before I scooped him into my net. I know everyone says this but this picture doesn't do this fish justice. 

Neither does this one! I released him quickly and decided to try a streamer on my 3 wt. I managed to turn a number of decent sized fish but none took the hook. After a leisurely walk back to the car I decided to call it a day. I drove past a few good fishing spots on my way home and was surprised to find that most were occupied! That'll change when the undergrowth comes in.