Minnesota - Wisconsin back to back

My wife Carole had a business trip to Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. and I was quick to saw I'm in as I hoped to be able to break out for a Driftless fly fishing adventure in either state or ideally both.

April weather was unpredictable but I was going fishing come hell or high water.  Having never fished Minnnesota, I dug thru my old Fly Fishing magazine articles I had cut out over the years, and found some water only about 30 minutes from Rochester.  The afternoon I arrived in Rochester Carole was in meetings all afternoon so I punched out and found some trout water.  Once I got to the stream I quickle geared up and headed upstream casting a black wooley bugger initially. I picked up one Brown trout and went back to the bridge, reassessed and walked downstream and fished back up.  I tried everything... I picked up one on a pink squirrel, one on a caddis and one on a parachute adams before calling it a day.  Four Minnesota trout - nothing to brag about, but another state to cross off the list for having caught a fish.  

States I've caught trout now include Maine, New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, Georgia, Tennessee, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, California, Oregon, Idaho and Utah.  I hope to add a few more states one of these days.

The next day I made a 2+ hour drive to my old stomping grounds in SW Wisconsin.  Weather wasn't great, it was raining off and on and I was worried the rivers could get brown and muddy with a good thundershower.  I hit up Knapp Creek and caught about a dozen browns on streamers below the bridge I parked at.  No big ones though. 

After a couple hours, I headed to Avalanche to fish the West Fork of the Kickapoo but the road was blocked and I couldn't fish the stretch I was hoping to.  I parked in a new spot and decided I wanted to nymph as I haven't done well nymphing for the past couple of years.  I'm glad I made the switch.  In my first run, I landed four Brown trout on pink squirrels, and over the next couple hours caught about 15 total on the squirrel and pheasant tail.  The action was steady and productive.  The rain picked up just as I got ready to head off the water. 

Hard to tell a Wisconsin trout from a Minnesota trout !

Connecticut River Grand Slam

Brown Trout, Brook Trout, Rainbow Trout and Landlock Salmon -- the Connecticut River Grand Slam. It requires some skill and equal parts luck to achieve it on a trip. But that's where the luck comes into play, and on this eventful trip, I managed to get the slam during a single afternoon, and all on dry flies.

Blue Ribbon Trout Stream is no joke - Provo River, Utah

I'm not sure if I have ever fished a "Blue Ribbon" trout stream before. Rivers like the Pere Marquette, San Juan, Henrys Fork, Davidson are all well known by their reputations as premier fly fishing destinations. I've just never been a blue ribbon guy, until this afternoon when I spent a couple of hours on the Provo River in Utah. As Carole and I had wrapped up our couple of days filming for The Chosen season six, we had some down time before flying home. She graciously gave me a hall pass to go fly fish for a couple hours. No waders or boots; I packed only the minimum as I really didn't have any expectation of fishing. I packed my 3 weight rod that I made back in my Project Healing Waters days, dry line, one fly box with a smattering of streamers, nymphs, wet flies and dries, and that was it... hindisght - I wish I had packed better!

Weather was 50s and water temp was probably high 40s. I ended up wading wet in a pair of sneakers as fishing from shore wasn't happening -- too tight for casting. I started witha streamer and prince, and saw that I was spooking a lot of fish... big fish too. I laned a little brown trout on the prince, then proceeded to lose both flies. Switched to a another streamer and pheasant tail, had a nice short hookset, then lost both those flies to a tree. You get the idea - I was quickly running out of flies - streamers and nymphs were gone. After a while, and partly due to no better options, I switched to dries. And about that time, I saw some fish sipping on the surface - tiny BWOs. I only had aabout 3-4 dries so I first tried a 14 mosquito but it was too big. I put on a griffiths gnat and had a nice hit, then lost that fly. No parachute adams... would have been the ticket. I put on a caddis even though there were no caddis anywhere to be found, but the fish were pretty active still on the surface. I had a narrow tight line to cast upstream as trees had gotten several of my other flies. I laid one cast up to the top of the run and BAM - fish on! It was a big Brown. I worked him away from the bushes and submierged branches to the back of the run and saw that he was hooked solid in the lower jaw. What a fish... about 17", and fat. I saw many fish bigger during my couple hours on the water. After a couple pics, I released him unharmed. Last cast - last fish. Perfect way to end on a high note. With the right gear, I have to believe some epic days could be had on that river... definintely a Blue Water stream.

Idaho never disappoints

 It's been 15 years since I last saw Brad Hinken.  We served together in the Coast Guard in Milwaukee where he was the Aids to Navigation Officer when I was CO.  We used to fish the Driftless Area of SW Wisconsin regularly, and even had a memorable trip together circumnavigating Lake Michigan visiting all 21 field units and casting a fly whenever the opportunity presented.  After I transferred to DC in 2006, we reunited in 2008 in Idaho of all places where we had an amazing trip again. 

Exploring new waters with my old friend Brad

Fast forward to 2024 and we met up once again and hit some of America's finest cutthroat waters in Central Idaho.  This trip we hit some new waters - the Big Lost above Mackay Reservoir and the North Fork of the Big Lost, as well as an old reliable - Camas Creek.  We passed on the Big Lost below the dam as the water was ripping at 370 cfs - I was dumb enough to attempt wading at the bridge and nearly got swept downstream (but I did catch several brookies and rainbows beforehand so it wasn't for naught). We passed on Big Creek, which is my favorite dry fly paradise for cutthroats and bull trout, as well as Challis Creek.  Just not enough time this trip. 

The trip produced lots of cutthroats, many rainbows, and a handful of brookies - mostly all caught on dries.  Swinging streamers and wet flies resulted in a good number of hooksets while nymphing , which hostorically was money really didn't produce this trip.  [Maybe my nymphng technique has been lost, but experienced the same result on the Connecticut last summer.]

The North Fork was the most productive water.  My dad and I explored this river 20+ years ago - he always liked to just drive and see what was at the end of the road.  We found cutthroats then and I always wanted to revisit the area, but never seemed to work it in.  I'm glad we did.  In addition to spectacular scenery, the winding creek was packed with bends, runs, riffles and small pools... one right after another.  The cutthroats were big for this small water: 10-14" was the norm.  The stream laid out well, allowing for long, unimpeded 30-45 foot casts with dries.  The stream also produced a new highlight - moose sightings... up close and personal sightings!  While walking upstream around a bend I came across a mama and calf about 50 feet away.  I'm sure they saw me first and didn't move.  I didn't move either, creating an old fashioned Mexican standoff.  After a few pics, I worked back out and around before reconnecting with the stream.  Six hours later I ran into them again - at close quarters this time as well!  In addition to incredible fishing, the moose encounters made the North Fork memorable.

Beautiful cutthroats on the North Fork of the Big Lost

The Big Lost on Trail Creek road fished as advertised by the fly fishing shops in Sun Valley -- nice pools but you need to hike a ways in between each one.  We didn't catch many fish, maybe about 10 between us on dries, but Brad hooked the monster of all monsters - a 20+" cutthroat that he fooled with a green wooly bugger drifted beneath a log.  

Camas Creek yielded its share of 13"-15" cutthroats as well -- on hoppers.  The scenery on the drive through this deep back country showcased severl healthy does and 2-3 sturdy bucks alongside the roadway.  We witnessed half a dozen spawning salmon that successfully made their final trek from the sea.  Amazing how they return from the Pacific, up the Columbia, up the Snake, up the Salmon, up the Middle Fork of the Salmon, and fuinally up Camas Creek where they spawn and ultimately die.  Tell me God's works aren't of this world!

The town of Mackay remains a personal favorite for me to serve as a base of fishing operations.  The charm of a small town (population 600), the friendliness of the townspeople, and the numbers of deer (does and bucks) wandering the neighborhoods every evening at dusk, including the front yard of the Beer Bottom Inn where we stayed.

Every Idaho trip is always too short, too memorable, and too much of everything I love about 'fishing in the great outdoors.'  That's why I'm already looking forward to returning in the not so distant future.