Next few casts brought a few 5-6 inch Browns to hand, time to move on. Headed upstream a bit in search of larger fish, but there where none bigger than the 5-6 inch range. Joe and I packed up and moved on to stream number 2.
Stream number 2 was also small water in Vernon Co. Very clear to the point fish where very spooky. I have sighted numerous 20+ inch fish in this stream, but have yet to hook into one. I have thrown the box at em with no go. This stream is one that will quality when a little dirty, or during some night fishing. Time to move on once again in the search for hungry fish.
As we approached stream number 3 for the day I was starting to worry if this trip was going to be a bust. The condition where a little screwy on Saturday. On and off rain, some sun, and windy at times. Stream 3 is one of the more well known streams in the Driftless and I have fished it many times before with success. I was pretty confident while walking up to the bank of the stream. Started tossing through a riffled bend as the sky started to clear up a little. Then the light switch turned on, and it was fish on from there on till the end of the day. Fish started rising to a fresh BWO hatch. I quickly tied on a size 20 BWO, and it was game on. I hand 10-12 fish to hand, all Browns with the smallest being 10-11 inches.
You have to love the magical hatch and catching fish on a dry fly. That hatch ended shortly after 6PM so we packed up and headed to camp. Camp was Sidie Hollow Park just west of Viroqua. The campground was nice, and we had a small stream running along the back side of the campsite that held a few small trout. The camping was fairly cheap at a whopping 15 bucks a night. I highly recommend the campground. Fish stories of the day were shared over the campfire, and the plan of attack for day 2 was laid out.
I wish I could say that day 2 was even better, but it was a true disappointment. One fish landed all day with several others missed on a dry. Either way the BWO hatch the night before made the trip well worth it. Season opens back up this Saturday. Good Luck out there and get ready for the dry fly season!
Slaying a load of trout followed by a night of camping. Sounds like a good way to spend some time. Post some pics of the campground. 15 bucks is hard to beat.
ReplyDeleteI couldn't agree more, but that night it was a low of 32 so it was a bit nippy.lol. I will get some pics up on my next venture up that way. Thanks for the comment Savage!
Deletetwo completely different days out there on Saturday, I didnt see a rise all day but glad you were able to take advantage of a hatch
ReplyDeleteMe too. I have been waiting all year to get into a decent hatch. Dreams do come true.lol. I think you had better numbers than me, but at least we both caught some fish.
DeleteBrian
ReplyDeleteLanding those numbers is always a plus--what length fly rod was you using on those small streams? Thanks for sharing
Thanks Bill! I use a 4 piece 4wt. 7'6" cabelas TQR rod with the cabelas prestige 4wt floating weight forward line on the cabelas RLS reel. Great rig! I am kind of mad at myself for supporting the big box stores but for the price I couldn't beat it. That TQR rod is perfect for the driftless though. I can get nice distance and it is nicely sensitive. I am now looking into buying a 3wt set-up. I think it will make catching a little more exciting. Thanks for the comment Bill!
DeleteI recently caught my first Brown trout on a dry fly and it was a lot of fun.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a good time no matter how many fish came to hand.
Any kind of top water action is always a blast. Congrats on landing your first dry fly trout. There are more to come in the near future. Thanks for the comment ed!
DeleteBrian
ReplyDeleteHave you checked out Ebay for a 3 wt? The Temple Fork is priced low on Ebay sometimes, in fact I bought my 3 wt on Ebay for a little over half of what it cost new. I really like the lightness and sensitive touch of this rod.
I will have to check that out. Thanks for the recommendation! I have heard good things about temple fork. Thanks Bill!
DeleteA few stories by the campfire, and a few cooperative trout...sounds like a pretty damn good time to me.
ReplyDeleteCheers
Always a good time! Thanks for the comment Sanders!
DeleteBeauty fish man. It's crazy how different fishing can be day to day. Thats trout fishing for ya. Finicky little creatures for sure. Great pics and Tight Lines.
ReplyDeleteYou have to love being deceived by the fish. That's why we fish. It was a challenge, but when they started popping on the dries it was game on! And it was a fun game for sure! Thanks for the kind words Trout!
DeleteFifteen bucks is quite a deal. I’m glad the first night didn’t disappoint, but it would have been so much better had your luck stretched over to the next day. Maybe next time.
ReplyDelete