Signs of Spring

Spring is finally here in Wisconsin. We had an unusually warm February, but March and April have been more typical. Lots of rain, but that's certainly not a bad thing as fishing goes.

I haven't been able to get out as much as I would have liked, but I have had a few good days recently.

Last weekend I decided to check out my current favorite stream in the area. Unlike the slow, winding spring creeks that are common in this area, this one is a swift, high gradient freestone where brook trout, rather than browns, dominate. It flows out of an ancient eroded mountain range, and although hills would probably be a more accurate description these days, the surrounding area is steep with dramatic rock outcroppings.

In the fall I had seen the leaves of one of my favorite flowers - Hepatica. Given that they typically bloom in early April, I was hopeful I would find some - and I did.

I couldn't go 10 feet without seeing a clump of flowers, in varying shades of pink, purple, blue and white (though they are all the same species). I also found a few other species in bloom - bloodroot and Dutchman's breeches (probably my favorite flower name), as well as the first leaves of numerous trout lilies (named for the mottled texture resembling a brook trout's back).

After taking in the flowers I decided I should probably get to fishing. Conditions were perfect for streamer fishing - the water was slightly high and off-color, but not so much that the fish stopped eating.

On my first cast I caught the best brook trout of the day from a fast riffle. As I moved downstream my luck didn't stop - I had hits in nearly every pool and pulled in several more trout - I lost count of the exact number.

Now is crunch time for fishing - conditions should be good throughout the state, but I don't have time to visit every place I want to. Do I keep coming back to this woodland stream to see the stunning variety of wildflowers before they disappear?  Or do I venture to the Driftless streams that will be nearly covered by prairie grasses and thus difficult to fish by July?

In any case, having too many fishing opportunities is a good problem to have - I'm certainly not complaining.