early winter action on the root river (racine, wi)

There are still some fish in the Root River. A trio of fisherman set out last Sunday looking for some last minute fish in the rivers before our local lakes freeze over. Moderate flows and clear water was what they found on the Root. The temperatures outside would freeze your boots the second they exited the water. To be able to last for any length of time out there, its sound advice to keep your feet dry.

The trio spent the morning drifting nymphs, streamers and egg patterns down in Island Park. The temps have been cold enough that sheets of ice were floating down river. Any misplaced cast could leave your line hooked on the edge of one of the pieces. The wrong speed on a drift and you would find your line stuck on or under the thin plate of ice.The hazards and the difficulty fishing that portion of the river quickly drove them upstream.


The trio found themselves at Quarry Park near the tailwaters of the Horlick Dam. Things looked a whole lot better there, no ice floating and some intermittent fish were being spotted in the pockets. The frozen 3 laid claim to their own respective spots and peppered their pools with an assortment of flies. They didn’t get one strike until one of them had a bright idea of downsizing to a size 10 yarn egg trailer. He tied this to a flashy streamer and instantly hooked up with a large fish that bulldogged its way to the center of the large pool. After a great big tug the tiny trout fly popped out of its mouth and the line went slack. That was all it took for them to dial in on a pattern. Two more fish were hooked after that. The big burly brown was lost in a small deep pool soaking the anglers arm as he tried to wrangle the fish. The last fish was landed and turned out to be a smaller coho. Cold day to get in the water.

early winter coho on the root