spin4trout

[spin4trout]

South Fork Bad Axe River

It got down below freezing on Thursday night, and there was ice on the car when I got up on Friday. As soon as I was done defrosting, I headed to the South Fork of the Bad Axe to do some chilly wading.

The trout were out in force. I waded a little over a mile and caught fifty-two browns.

After that long day of fishing, I headed to Viroqua for dinner and caught Michael Perry & the Longbeds in concert at the Temple Theater. The signs at the Driftless Angler were really photogenic at night after the concert.

#trout #fishing #spinning #ultralight

[spin4trout]

Blue River

Thursday I headed out to join Fox Valley Trout Unlimited in the Driftless for the Annual April Angling Adventure. On the way there, I stopped and tried my luck in a new section of the Blue River.

It was a drizzly afternoon - just the kind of weather the trout like. I caught six browns and enjoyed the scenery on this stretch.

After that, I had just enough time to set up camp at Esofea County Park and to head to the West Fork clubhouse in Avalanche for the April FVTU chapter meeting.

#trout #fishing #spinning #ultralight

[spin4trout]

Chaffee Creek

Yesterday, the weather forecast was off again. I headed to Chaffee Creek in Central Wisconsin thinking it was going to be cloudy, but I was greeted by bright sun and blue skies. The trout don’t like their weather that nice!

The water was clear, so I was able to see a lot of trout, including some big ones. Whenever I hear someone talking about big trout in small streams, I always think of Chaffee.

Eventually, I caught and released three brown trout, but they weren’t the big ones.

When I got back to the car, the GPS told me that I had covered 2.4 miles on foot this trip. I can’t complain about getting a good walk in on such a nice day.

#trout #fishing #spinning #ultralight

[spin4trout]

Mt. Vernon Creek

The weather forecast said it was going to be reasonably warm and overcast today, and I set out for Mt. Vernon Creek to chase some trout. The prediction of clouds was way off - it was sunny with clear blue skies all morning. Fortunately, that didn’t send all the fish into hiding.

I managed to catch six brown trout, and I saw some really big ones come close to taking the lure. I traveled about a mile and a quarter and spent a pleasant morning walking along the stream and casting to likely spots.

On the way back home I stopped for lunch in Lake Mills.

#trout #fishing #spinning #ultralight

[spin4trout]

Willow Creek

I spent the night in Redgranite on Saturday so I could do some more fishing yesterday. I waited for it to warm up a little before I went to tackle a section of Willow Creek.

It was still just below freezing when I started, but it warmed up to 35°F or so over the course of my wade. It was sunny with blue skies, and a nice day to be out on the river.

I saw significant numbers of trout and had some follows and some light bumps on the lure, but I did not land any fish. If you don’y get skunked once in a while, you’re probably not fishing enough. Right?

#trout #fishing #spinning #ultralight

[spin4trout]

Brrr…

I attended TroutFest 2024 in Wautoma today. Central Wisconsin Trout Unlimited did an excellent job with that. After all that talking about trout, I couldn’t leave central Wisconsin without actually doing a little trout fishing.

After the event, I jumped into the Pine River upstream of where I left off last time. It felt really cold. Even though it was in the upper 20s °F, the wind was blowing and that drove the wind chill down. My hands were too frozen to cast accurately or operate my camera well. I guess I’ve been spoiled this year - this was the first time I’ve fished below freezing. When I walked back to the car, my boot laces and wader legs froze so solidly that I couldn’t get them off.

For all that effort, all I got was one measly brown trout. But I did see quite a few.

#trout #fishing #spinning #ultralight

[spin4trout]

Pine River

The weather was all over the place for my trip up to the Pine River in Waushara County. It was foggy, then cloudy, then sunny, and then rainy.

The fish were biting through it all. I caught and released seven brown trout over a couple of hours of wading upstream. I even encountered another angler coming downstream toward the end of my session. That’s a pretty rare event in the Central Sands, but I guess the encounter might be because the region has only a limited number of streams open for the early season.

The beavers were busy on this stream, too, although I didn’t encounter and dams (yet).

It was raining pretty hard for my long back to the car. That, combined with a dunking I got when I took a tumble wading, meant I was a little soggy for the ride home.

#trout #fishing #spinning #ultralight

[spin4trout]

Lawrence Creek

I went trouting on Lawrence Creek today. It was foggy and overcast most of the way there, but on arrival the sky cleared and the sun came out.

Eventually, the air temperature passed 50°F and I ditched my coat for just a fleece.

The fish were very cooperative. I caught nineteen (mostly small) brookies. A few were big enough to get excited about.

#trout #fishing #spinning #ultralight

[spin4trout]

Neenah Creek

The weather has been miserably wet and cold lately, but the rain stopped long enough yesterday to let me take a run at Neenah Creek in Adams County.

I caught two nice trout right where I entered the river. That was a sign of good things to come. I fished for two hours and caught and released eight nice browns.

I would have fished more, but I hit some beaver dams and the water and stream bed got dark and mucky upstream of those. Still, it was a nice early season trip and I enjoyed covering over a mile wading and then bushwhacking back to the car.

#trout #fishing #spinning #ultralight

[spin4trout]

First Trout of the Year

Wisconsin’s early catch-and-release season opened on Saturday. Yesterday, I went on my first fishing trip of the year, choosing an old reliable spot on the Mecan River.

It was just slightly above freezing. In fact, at times it drifted below 32°F, causing ice build-up in my line guides.

There’s a hole at the beginning of this section that holds a lot of trout, but until this trip I never managed to catch one there. This time I was stealthier than usual so as to not scare them all away. I cast five times to different spots with no response. Then on the sixth cast I must have put it right in front of someone’s nose and he chomped on it hard. That one was the first of the year, as shown in the photo above.

I waded for about 3-1/2 hours and saw scores of trout. I managed to catch ten browns and I had a bunch of fun observing the ones that just chased the lure. Speeding up the retrieve was definitely more effective than slowing down to get them to take the spinner.

The sun was setting when I got back to the car and I stopped for dinner in Portage on the way home

#trout #fishing #spinning #ultralight

[spin4trout]

2023 Trout Year in Review

2023 was again a good year for trout fishing. I enjoyed both one-day and overnight trips to some of my favorite spots. While I didn't hit many new streams, I did try several new sections of rivers I had fished before, with mixed success. My trips were mostly in Wisconsin, but I did find a new hot spot while backpacking in the California Sierras.

I enjoyed the early catch-and-release season and experienced some relatively warm winter days and a Spring snowstorm in the Driftless.

My hand made spinners came through for me, as usual. Also, as usual, I used mostly silver. Recipes for my spinners can be found at http://www.angelfire.com/folk/lwfish/pdfs/LureRecipe.pdf  

Stats since I started trout fishing 17 years ago are tabulated below. This year, I caught 224 brown trout, 25 brookies, and 19 rainbows. 2023: 34 trips, 0 skunks, 268 fish. 2022: 32 trips, 1 skunk, 235 fish 2021: 31 trips, 2 skunks, 227 fish 2020: 23 trips, 2 skunks, 135 fish 2019: 47 trips, 0 skunks, 361 fish 2018: 43 trips, 0 skunks, 369 fish 2017: 51 trips, 1 skunk, 469 fish 2016: 43 trips, 1 skunk, 411 fish 2015: 36 trips, 3 skunks,194 fish 2014: 35 trips, 3 skunks, 230 fish 2013: 38 trips, 3 skunks, 245 fish 2012: 36 trips, 1 skunk, 253 fish 2011: 27 trips, 0 skunks, 216 fish 2010: 36 trips, 8 skunks, 168 fish 2009: 36 trips, 3 skunks, 167 fish 2008: 33 trips, 5 skunks, 135 fish 2007: 23 trips, 1 skunk, 80 fish 2006: 1 trip, 0 skunks, 1 fish

The 2024 early season starts on January 6 and I can’t wait to get back out into the streams. I hope to see you out angling or at a TU event some time.

#trout #fishing #spinning #ultralight

[spin4trout]

Cabin Fever Day January 20

Here is a box of 42 of my hand made spinners I put together for the Fox Valley Trout Unlimited Cabin Fever Day silent auction. The event is January 20, 2024 at Gordon Bubolz Nature Preserve in Appleton, WI. There will be bucket raffles, the silent auction, guest speakers, and a buffet luncheon. I hope to see you there!

#trout #fishing #spinning #ultralight

[spin4trout]

Willow Creek

The regular trout season comes to a close on October 15. The coming rainy and windy weather and my schedule pointed to today being my last chance for some stream fishing this year.

I drove up to Redgranite to fish a section of Willow Creek I haven’t visited in a while. Cloud cover faded in and out over the course of the morning, and it was a great fall day.

I caught a small trout on my second cast, but it was some time before I caught another. In the end, I managed to catch four brown trout and had a pretty good time doing it.

#trout #fishing #spinning #ultralight

[spin4trout]

Radley Creek

Friday morning I fished another place I hit about once a year, this time on Radley Creek. It was another beautiful day, but the murky water made wading a little harder than it had been on the West Branch.

I caught two small brown trout before heading back to camp to strike the tent and drive home.

#trout #fishing #spinning #ultralight

[spin4trout]

West Branch of the White River

Thursday I headed north for a late season camping trip at Hartman Creek State Park. On my way, I stopped to fish one of the sections of the West Branch that I hit once a year.

Nothing beats a nice Fall (well, almost Fall) day out in a stream. The water was reliably clear and I could see where the trout were holding. I waded about a mile and caught five rainbows and seven browns. That’s the most rainbows I’ve caught there in a while.

I went to Milty-Wilty for lunch, and then finished the drive up to the park to set up camp.

#trout #fishing #spinning #ultralight

[spin4trout]

Emmons Creek

On Saturday morning I headed over to Emmons Creek, which is just a short drive from the park. The section I waded was pleasant and pretty. Someone has been keeping it clear of brush and deadfalls.

I caught just one brown trout but thoroughly enjoyed the trip.

After fishing, I headed back to camp for one more day and night of music around the campfire.

It rained just a little on Sunday morning before I struck camp. That was OK - it’s not an official camping trip for me unless I have to take down a wet tent.

#trout #fishing #spinning #ultralight

[spin4trout]

Radley Creek

Friday morning started out overcast, and I headed to a section of Radley Creek that is further downstream than I’ve fished previously this year. The water was pretty murky and I couldn’t see my feet, so the wading was a little precarious at times.

The fish were biting, and I caught a couple of small ones right off the bat. Then I caught a nice one casting to a little pool under some brush. In all, I landed eight brown trout.

After that, I headed back to camp to play some more music.

#trout #fishing #spinning #ultralight