Closing in on opening day

With opening weekend in the crosshairs, I spent some time this weekend scouting streams and found plenty of good news as every stream I visited is ready to fish. That news is opposite of last year’s report when we still had plenty of snow on the ground and the rivers were unfit for any type of recreational pursuit.

The Upper Midwest spent much of last week feeling more summer-like than spring-like. Here in the U.P. we actually touched 70 degrees on Friday and stream temperatures have responded well. Water temps are now nearing 50 degrees and the aquatic insects are responding nicely. On Saturday, I saw a number of stoneflies in the air alongside many, many midges. The fish did not seem to be dialed into any of that part of their diet, preferring instead to chase streamers, the bigger the better. My best luck came throwing a size 4 Sculpzilla.

The weather is forecast to take a turn for the worse this week with temps in the 30s and snow likely to happen. I’m not about to complain, however, as we can use the moisture. Stream levels are surprisingly low and could stand a good dose of precipitation. All in all, I’d have to say that things are looking up compared to the past couple of opening days when ice fishing was the only game in town.

Way ahead of last year

Spring has been trying to arrive throughout the upper Midwest and the U.P. is certainly no exception.We are weeks ahead of last year, when April brought storms with snowfalls above the one-foot mark. Depending upon where you go right now, you will find anything from rivers that have seen the bulk of runoff to those that are still frozen. 

I did manage to fish a bit this week and found the fish very reluctant to cooperate. That is most likely due to the water temperatures, the warmest of which I measured at 36 degrees. However, barring a repeat of last April, I suspect that we will actually be able to do something other than go ice fishing when opening day arrives later this month.

Windshield time equals summer fun

This is the time of year when guides, outfitters and fly shops spend hours behind windshields on sometimes treacherous roads to fill their summers doing what they love … putting clients on fish. Certainly my life is no exception. Last weekend I was in Madison at the Badger Fly Fishers’ Spring Opener, a group I had the privilege to speak with not long ago. It’s always fun to go to shows to renew acquaintances and to visit with potential clients. Renewing acquaintances has gotten easier thanks to today’s technology and I offer the picture here as evidence. I received an email recently from Dean, who took a U.P. Fly Angler hat to the Great Wall of China. The Great Wall is an awesome sight enhanced, in my opinion, by his choice of headgear (look closely at the logo). Thanks to Dean for the picture. Speaking of technology, you can now find the U.P. Fly Angler on Facebook at this address. Please like us and visit often, especially during the season, where you’ll be able to receive up-to-date reports and photos.

Looking forward to the season, I was out and about on Saturday. Snow totals are behind last year, although we still have a solid 30 inches of snow on the ground after four inches of the fluffy stuff yesterday. Cold has been the operative term with the mercury dropping to -26 on Thursday morning. Needless to say, the rivers are iced over in most spots and it will be a while before fishable water appears. That being said, I know many folks are looking forward to the opener of Wisconsin’s early trout season on March 7. Good luck to those lucky enough to find themselves with a fly rod in their hand. 

Only a couple more days left

With the regular trout fishing season ending Sept. 30, there are only a couple more days to get out. The rivers are in great shape, the fall colors are at their peak, and the fish are still willing to eat a fly. Get out and catch a few more before the temperatures cool and the season closes.

Fish of 10,000 casts wins again

With a couple of days off this week, I headed for northern Wisconsin and continued on my quest for a musky. I replaced the 4-weight rods littering my truck with a 10 weight, tossed in the musky flies I had tied, and employed the services of a couple top-notch musky hunters. My first stop was in St. Germain where I met up with my buddy Greg. The weather had taken a definite turn for the worse with northwest winds howling at 20 miles per hour and crystal clear blue skies ushered in on the heels of a cold front. We fought the conditions for four hours on a nearby lake and never moved a fish. The next day the winds had died down and the temperatures had warmed up to 70 degrees (still not ideal conditions for my chosen prey).  I managed to get two follows, one from a fish in the upper 40-inch class, and soaked in the peaking fall colors. By now, my casting arm was sore and my hand was covered with blisters from tossing the big rod and flies. Day Three brought more sunny skies and warmer temperatures. I met up with Bob in Hurley and we fished a nearby flowage in the morning and lake in the afternoon.  Neither of us moved a fish. The bad news is that, after three days, the fish of 10,000 casts had won again. The good news? I have an excuse to try again when my schedule allows.

Another week of fine fishing

September has offered a flurry of activity for me. Heavy rain last week literally muddied the waters, but I was (pleasantly) shocked at how quickly they dropped and cleared.  Randy and Tom arrived just after 3.6 inches of rain and we spent the first day in the drift boat chasing pike. Hitting a lake after the high temperatures have dropped 20 degrees isn’t always productive, but the pike still went about their business, albeit a bit more slowly. They certainly needed some extra enticement, but when that happened Randy and Tom found themselves holding fast to their fly rod as a mean toothy critter pulled on the other end.  The next two days we chased brook trout (which were still eating hoppers) and hauled in many brookies in the foot-long category.  Jim then joined me for a day of fishing and had a marvelous time catching rainbows in the morning and brookies in the afternoon. The rainbows preferred a girdle bug, while the brookies were still inhaling hoppers. Fall is definitely in the air and the roads are filled with bear and grouse hunters. The trees are nearing their peak which means if you want to get out one more time before the regular season closes, you had better hurry.

Rainy weather slows fishing

The past week has been a tough one for trout fishing. Copious amounts of rain brought rivers up, turning those running through clay soil into muddy messes and making those which remained clear hard to wade. It didn’t do much for the fish either as they were reluctant to eat. Caddis and hoppers were the best producers on top and black buggers proved the best below the surface. The finest fishing came in the form of pike, which remain in the shallows and continue to eat savagely. The first few days of this week will be sunny, but the bottom is scheduled to drop out Wednesday as a cold front will lower highs into the 40s and 50s. Next weekend looks to be better if the forecast holds. Regardless of the weather, there is still time to be out chasing fish.