Yellow Rockets

Yesterday afternoon I got over to Wisconsin for the first time in about a month. It was a gray day, but Yellow Rocket was in full bloom along the streams and fields. Though it's a troublesome weed for farmers, I was happy to see a splash of color added to the landscape.

Fortunately those weren't the only yellow rockets I found yesterday. The wild browns were out in force.

At the first stream there were occasional rises, but nothing consistent, so I decided to try a small streamer. I worked my way downstream through a stretch of TU Habitat Improvement and started picking up fish right away. The TU work created some riffles in a stretch that was previously flat and shallow. In the first riffle I got a nice brook trout that got off before I could get a picture, but a little further downstream I redeemed myself with this brown.

I got another brookie and a few more small browns before reaching the end of the habitat improvement. Downstream there are plenty of fish, but the stream is shallow, flat, and choked with brush - not the most fun place to fish. I decided to head down to the larger river into which this stream feeds.

I realized immediately upon reaching the water that I made a good decision - fish were rising everywhere and I could see caddis skimming the surface. I found a nice, unoccupied stretch of river (this spot can get crowded), tied on an Elk Hair Caddis, and got to work. It wasn't long before I had my first take. The fish weren't rising consistently, but I found that I could usually get a strike if I put my fly over the fish a couple seconds after a rise to a natural.

I caught 3 and had many more strikes before I decided to call it a day. Glad to finally get back into some trout!