The wife and I are headed to Viroqua for the afternoon but before we go I wanted to check out a spot that's always really productive for me this time of year. I arrived on stream by around 8am and fished until 930am. This spot requited a little hike made more strenuous by saturated soil along the banks. I managed to stay upright while tempting two nice trout beyond their restraint.
After trying numerous heavy nymphs fished deep with no success I switched over to a streamer. The first cast I ripped through the pool and on the second practiced more of a dredging slow twitch presentation. This fish ate the fly on that second cast. After a good battle the 5 weight proved overpowering and she swam right into the net.
This fish put up a great fight as well. After around 45 minutes without success I headed home early. On to Viroqua! By the way, the fish I've encountered have not been spawning yet but they're sure getting ready. That means fish are hungry and aggressive. We only have a little over a month before season changes restrict our stream options in Southeast Minnesota.
This rod is for my friend Jim who I met in college. It's a 7 piece 8ft 3wt backpacking rod that Jim plans to use while chasing trout in the alpine lakes of the Sierra Nevada range in California.
I really like the look of the brown thread on top of the green blank. I just got a bunch of blanks to work with including a 4pc 10ft 3wt euro nymphing rod. Can't wait to get started on those!
Great outing down south, and a gorgeous looking rod you made for your friend. That 7 piece should be great for backpacking and travel. Have a great trip down in Viroqua!
ReplyDeleteThanks Justin! It was a great trip...except that the Driftless Cafe and Driftless Books and Music were both closed:(
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