Summer Fishing Report
Wasn’t that a nice week of spring weather we had? Seems like we have been catapulted into the summer season: thunderstorms, humidity, mosquitos, and all! The last major spell of storms that went through a few weeks ago did a number on our local watersheds. Trout streams were flooded and fishing spots definitely got moved around. That’s not all bad though, as flooding can flush silt out of the systems. Silt is very fine, sticky mud particles that settle on the bottom, cover up gravel/rocks, and suffocate the bugs and trout eggs. By flushing the silt out, it can expose gravel and cobble sized rocks again, which are very good for bugs and fish. Think of normal spring flooding like a golf course rearranging its holes. We’ll all figure out the new layout soon enough!
Streams have returned to their normal clear and cool. Caddis hatches have been EPIC so far this year, and the next a month we’ll see a variety of mayfly hatches. A good resource to help you know what bugs you might see hatching on the stream is the MNDNR hatch chart. Be cool, and nerd out on bugs here: Hatch Chart for Southeast Minnesota Trout Streams (state.mn.us)
Fishing Opener was May 14th! Don’t forget to show those bass, pike, and panfish some love too. Our warmwater rivers were affected by flooding as well. It’s taken nearly three weeks, but now most of the tributaries of the Mississippi are at fishable flows, including the wild and scenic St. Croix. The Sippi itself is still pretty high and, barring another major rain event, it should be good to go in about a week. Due to the flooding, we’ve been spending a lot of time chasing largemouth bass, panfish, and carp in the lakes and ponds around the metro. With warmer temps finally here, these fish are ready to eat your streamers in those shallow bays! Reports on river smallmouth bass and pike have been more varied, but success has been had using heavy black streamers in deepish water. With warming temps and rapidly dropping water levels, the smallie/pike fishing will greatly improve.
Shout Out Section!
Our guides have been busy out on the local waters! There’s been so many great fishing stories coming in from happy clients and guides alike. Below are a couple photos of Shout Out worthy fish from recent trips:
Adam with his first fly caught smallmouth bass on a recent float!
Bob with his first carp on the fly!
Guide Tip
Summer is a great time to chase bass, pike, and muskies. And these species like eating MEAT! To imitate their desired cut of steak, we use various sizes of streamer patterns. (Big trout will eat streamers too!) Our guides use the non-slip loop knot to tie on these patterns, because it allows the fly to swim/wiggle more as its being fished. Try it out and let us know how you like it!
Fishing For All 