Driftless Afternoon

Sunday's forecast called for temperatures in the low 50s and overcast skies - not most people's definition of good weather, but great for fishing. While sunny days are nice, they increase the visibility of trout to predators. The trout know this, and as a result they tend to be pretty spooky in the sun.

I hit a small stream I've fished a lot lately, hoping to find the fish more willing than usual. Willing they were, and I started off with this small brown on a BH prince nymph.

Small is ok! I like catching a variety of sizes

The BWO hatch is on in the Driftless

A few casts later my indicator dove, and I felt significant weight on the other end. This 12" brown put up a serious fight in the small stream, making every effort to get me tangled in the stream-side brush. I got him in though. I've seen fish this size that last few times I visited the stream, but never hooked anything over 8", so I was pumped!

Biggest trout I've caught in this stream

Released

As I was walking out I passed this small backwater section of stream. I always assumed this area was shallow and devoid of live, so I was surprised to see rising fish. As I walked towards the end I realized that it was much deeper than I had thought, reaching at least 4 feet deep in spots, and that it must be spring fed. There's almost no current, so I guess I found a miniature spring-fed trout pond!

Backwater

I hooked up with a small fish on my first cast, but was disappointed when I realized it was not a

Trout, but a small chub. A few casts later I had another hookup, and reeled in another chub. I worried that maybe there weren't any Trout here after all. Just as I was about to leave I saw another splashy rise, and I realized there was no way a chub could make that kind of splash. A few casts later I got what I was looking for - a nice "pond"-dwelling brown.

Resident of the "Pond"

Bloodroot - one of the first wildflowers of the year