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a long time ago, on a stream far, far away… |
Justin is still picking up good numbers of steelhead in Norcal when conditions allow. He said they have been seeing a lot of rain and the larger drainage’s have been blown out for a couple weeks. Fishing the lagoons for sea-run cutties keeps him busy when the rivers are swollen and too dangerous to fish.
Dave and I headed for the hills of southwest Wisconsin yesterday hoping that the rain had stirred up some bugs, and in turn making easy prey of hungry trout. The morning started slow with just a couple fish nipping the tail end of my large streamer, but as the clouds gave way and the hot sun shined through the bugs started popping. Usually, you don’t see caddis like this until late April into May, but this year obviously has thrown everyone a curve ball, trout included. When the hatch first broke loose I watched a dozen or more trout in one riffle go airborne chasing the caddis that were laying eggs in surface film. When caddis lay eggs they sort of bounce along the surface of the water making a moving target for trout. Trout feed very aggressive when feeding on these egg laying caddis not wanting to miss their meal. A size 14 or 16 deer hair caddis was working as long as you made a good presentation. Adding a caddis emerger or small pheasant tail dropper 10-20 inches below you dry fly will also help keep a bend in your rod throughout the day. If you’re headed to fish Wisconsin’s spring creeks this weekend don’t forget to bring a variety of caddis just in case.
Best looking adipose fin you'll see all day!
The colors of a wild trout are unparalleled by any other fish in fresh water.
This happy trout seems excited to be released back to his home
Your basic deer hair caddis. Don't be caught in driftless without some caddis imitations the next few weeks.
I’ve been a bit behind on posting lately, but of course like most trout bums in Wisconsin or Northern Illinois I did get out to fish Wisconsin’s early trout season opener. No gnats, mosquitos, or tall weeds make early spring a great time of the year to fish the driftless area’s spring creeks. Trout also haven’t seen a fly in roughly six months and are willing to make a meal out of any buggy looking thing that floats past them. All this adds up to a hell of a good time for trout anglers seeking solitude and trout in a beautiful setting.
Fly tying for me lately has been all over the place tying everything from trout flies, muskie flies, steelhead flies, and even some saltwater stuff just in case I get down to the everglades this spring. As always I have the most fun tying steelhead flies and here are a few that spawned from streamers that I first tied for large trout. I soon changed the color scheme to accommodate a steelheads appetite and was quite pleased with my results.
Last fall while poking around online looking for some info on Michigan’s trout waters I came across a blog that midwest anglers might wanna take a look at. The guys writing for Angling Obsessions were kind enough to help me get my feet wet in southern Michigan’s waters last fall with some good info on where to get started and some possible places to chase steelhead through the winter months. These guys seem to spend a good deal of time chasing both lake-run and inland trout in Michigan’s beautiful northwoods setting. I look forward to reading more content from A.O. in the future.
http://www.anglingobsession.com/
My friend Justin who moved out to Northern California over a year ago called me a few weeks ago telling about a “once in a lifetime” day of steelhead fishing. Justin hooked about a dozen fish in one run swinging huge MOL leeches. A fellow fly angler fishing the top of the run ran down to assist Justin land one of the first fish he got near the beach and helped him out with a photo. Justin wanted to take a minute to embrace the victorious moment, so he stepped aside and offered up his spot to the gentleman who kindly helped him land the fish. After two strikes his new friend finally set the hook into a fish. He tired the fish out and Justin got his hand around the fish’s tail. The day continued with both anglers rotating spots and landing big, bright steelhead one after another. This is most likely a case of being at the right place at the right time. My guess is that these fish had just entered the river and had not seen much pressure and had not yet spread out throughout the river. Finding a school of fresh steelhead is definitely a magic moment that all steelheaders long for. I mean who doesn’t like big, strong, stupid fish? Not that steelhead are always stupid or easy to catch, but a fish that has just entered an unfamiliar environment is not quite as educated as a resident trout would be. Not knowing exactly what the food sources are it sometimes seems like they will hit anything that’s presented well.
Norcal's coastal rivers have seen an increasing number of coho salmon returning this year.
