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General Stream Reports
Streams
Mill Creek Restoration Photos
Minnesota Trout Streams from the Minnesota DNR
Rochester Post Bulletin Article About Flood Damage
Stream gauging from the Minnesota DNR
USGS Real-Time Water Data for the Nation
Water levels from the Minnesota DNR
| September 7, 2007 by Dave Kolbert |
| Stream Report: SE streams -- at least those not rearranged by major flooding -- have been looking and fishing well, but last night's rains have some running brown again. With several streams stripped of food organisms by high water, fishing for trout and smallmouth has been predictably good. Some watersheds, including Whitewater, received up to 2 inches of rain last night. So before you head out to fish this weekend check the Minnesota TU site [http://www.mntu.org/ ] for rainfall amounts (click on the Weather tab). Rainfalls were generally less to the south, so streams there such as the South Branch of the Root should be your best bets. There's still a chance to fish a trico spinner fall if you hit the water early. But nymphs, shrimp/scuds and terrestrial patterns should produce all day. Brown trout feed heavily as they prepare to spawn in November and to bulk-up for winter. Remember that the SE Trout Catch and Release Season begins Saturday, Sept. 15 and runs through Sunday, Sept. 30. Trout fishing will close, then, until the Winter Catch and Release Season opens on January 1.
Bass and panfish action on the Mississippi backwaters has been great and will only get better as fall arrives. The obvious edge structure gets pounded by the tournament folks, pushing the best fish into deeper cover. With a canoe or small jon boat you can get into the out of the way channels and pockets where 20-foot bass boats with 225-horse outboards are seldom seen and the bass less wary. Fish large streamers, Clouser Minnows and Woolly Buggers with a sink-tip line, if you have one. If not, a floating line will suffice. Experiment with different retrieves -- slow and steady, jerk-strip -- to see which the fish prefer. If they're not chasing minnows or shad, the bass are looking for frogs. Try fishing a weedless Blockhead or similar popper right through the slop (thick mats of duck weed and submerged vegetation). Start with a slow pop and pause retrieve. If that doesn't work, try skittering your popper across the surface. Fishing larger poppers is a workout, but the explosive strikes from big bass -- and the occasional Northern pike -- make it well worth it. Wade fishing is possible in some areas, so don't miss out on the great fishing if you don't have a boat. |
| August 10, 2007 by Dave Kolbert |
| Considering the soaking rains many areas received last Saturday, most trout streams are in surprisingly good shape except for parts of the Whitewater River watershed. Dan Michener reports, "The Root (South Branch) above and below Forestville is good with the Trico spinner fall occurring very early in the morning. Whitewater South Branch is muddy, lots of rain there on Saturday. (Whitewater branches may be fishable by this weekend.) Trout Run is fabulous - midges throughout the day, and later around 4 pm, the Baetis (BWO's) came off. But the fish were really on the midges, black beetles and some grey scud's. It was raining all the while we were fishing on Saturday. I caught some nice fish in the improved area Wednesday." As Roger Harms notes the Trico's can't take the rain, "Before it started pouring on Saturday morning, an excellent Trico spinner fall was in full swing on the Root. I caught 6 nice fish before the rain seemed to chase the spinners away. I was soaked but it was a beautiful morning." So if we don't get too much rain over the weekend, the Trico fishing should be excellent. However, if it stays this warm be on the water early - between 6 and 7 am. The spinner activity is best when the air temp is still in the mid 60's. If you're not up that early, fish beetles, scuds, midges the remainder of the day. Or, run over to the Mississippi and get in on the excellent bass and pike action that's occurring on Pepin and the backwaters. |
| July 25, 2007 by Carl Greiner |
| Monday 7:45 am Trico's spinner's were already on the water below Sunnyside farm, Root River Forestville. Water Temp 62. On Tues. 7:15 a.m. I was at Nashes, heavy Trico hatch, caught more fish on emerger's and dun's, the spinner's were heavy at 9 a.m. but fish really didn't get on them. Other problem was a bull down stream from Nashes. The red one on the Southside of the fence got in with the black angus one. This isn't the first time I've been chased out of that pasture by a bull. The water in the Root below Preston is still off color from the heavy rain. Lanesboro too. Trout Run a little cloudy but should be ok by today. It's really great to see these super Trico hatches again. The fish will pod up and there's a lot of small fish. I probably didn't land one fish that was a solid 12' There's lot's of 8-11" I know there's better fish below Sunnyside but I haven't gotten into them yet. (Report courtesy of Dan Michener) |
| July 13, 2007 by Dave Kolbert |
| Fly fishing conditions on trout streams are excellent -- ample flows and gin clear water. To take trout now, you need to better blend in well and keep a low profile. The Root River at Lanesboro has become a bit too touristy -- lot's of tubes, kayaks, and canoes -- for good fishing, unless you hit the water very early or at dusk. The upper Root, however, is fishing well. Trout are taking ants, beetles and small midges (#24s-#26s). South Branch Whitewater is fishing good with lot's of Trico nymphs under rocks. Some Pseudos are around as well. You can still pick up fish on caddis dry's in the riffles and shallow water. Good fish are being taken on Trout Run with scud's and midges. Looks like there's going to be lot's of Trico's there, too. Also hopper's are really growing now, so a hopper/dropper combination is the ticket. Water temps have gone over 70 on many streams, so the cooler weather will help. There's been tremendous growth of elodea and celery on some streams. It makes fishing tougher, but is good for the insects and fish. Stream improvement is being done on Wisel Creek and Trout Run's project starts this weekend. Bass fishing on the Mississippi backwaters, the Zumbro River, and the region's smaller warm-water streams has been outstanding. Try Clousers, Wooly Buggers or Holschlag Hackle Flies and Blockhead Poppers. The latter two are hard to find -- try calling Bentley's Fly Shop in Bloomington, they will mail them -- but well-worth the effort. (Report courtesy of Dan Michener and Dave Kolbert) |
| July 10, 2007 by Dave Kolbert |
| Lanesboro, is very touristy. Lot's of rubber tubes, kayaks, and canoes. Upper Root is fishing well. Ants and beetles. Midges. SBWW is good with lot's of Trico nymphs under rocks. all seem to still have pseudo's. You can still pick up fish on caddis dry's in the riffles or shallow water. I've been catching good fish on trout run on scud's and midges. Looks like there's going to be lot's of Trico's. Also hopper's are really growing now. Water temps have gone over 70 except for trout run,This cooler weather will be a blessing. There's been tremendous growth of elodea and celery on some stream. Wisel is getting stream improvement done and Trout Run's project is going to get started this weekend. I'll be off for the next few days for guiding and fishing. Good luck. (Report courtesy of Dan Michener) |
| June 29, 2007 by Dave Kolbert |
| Most trout streams are clear again and fishing well. Although a few streams in the Root River watershed, such as Camp, remain off-color. Olive and tan caddis, Pale Evening Duns, and Light Cahill's are still active on many waters. The mayfly spinner fishing is especially good now just before dark. Go with a #14 parachute-style dry (Hare's ear or Light Cahill) or an Elk hair caddis, then tie on a #18 or #20 Rusty Spinner as a dropper. The larger dry will help you can keep track of the low-floating spinner. Terrestrial activity is also strong, with ants, beetles, crickets and a few hoppers adding to the buffet. The Trico hatch has started on Rush Creek in Western Wisconsin and should begin soon in SE Minnesota. This early morning hatch and spinner fall is the main mayfly hatch for the remainder of the summer. So if you've never fished it, or like me, are still trying to master it, don't miss the July meeting and Wayne's presentation. Also, don't forget SE Minnesota offers excellent small stream smallmouth fishing. The action now through September should be great, so we hope to line up a local smallmouth guru to speak at our August meeting. Word is that Lake Pepin strippers are taking poppers, as are the largemouth in the Mississippi backwaters. |
| June 18, 2007 by Dave Kolbert |
| Area trout streams are looking great after a week of welcome sunshine. Good hatches of Olive Caddis (16/18), Pale Evening Duns (16/18), and a few larger Light Cahill's at dusk are producing good dry fly action. Stoneflies, including Yellow Sally's which the trout love, may also be seen. The best fishing now is usually early in the day or during the evening hours right up until dark. For the mayfly hatches, comparadun, sparkle dun and spinner dry fly patterns are producing. For the caddis, go with Elk Hair Caddis or Henryville Special dries, Mathews X Caddis emergers, or Soft Hackle Caddis Pupa. With the complex multiple hatches now occurring, you can attempt to determine what the majority of fish are taking and match it, or simply tie on a Henryville, a parachute-style Hare's Ear dry, or your favorite all-purpose pattern and focus on making a good presentation. Either approach often works. Terrestrial activity -- ants, beetles, crickets and hoppers -- is picking up and will only get better as summer progresses. |
| June 8, 2007 by Dave Kolbert |
| The rains this week haven't helped water clarity on many area trout streams, but several are fishable and others will become so over the weekend -- barring further rain. The Whitewater Middle Branch is reported to be clear, although the North and South branches are cloudy. Several streams, such as the Root at Forestville are off-color, but still fishing well with Light Hendrickson's and several species of caddis hatching. Water flows are high, so if the fish aren't taking flies on top you'll need to use split-shot or tungsten putty 8 to 12 inches above your nymph to get it down to them. A large (#12 or #10) beadhead Prince nymph with a #16 or #18 beadhead Pheasant Tail nymph dropper fished with a strike indicator makes an effective rig. Just remember if you're not occasionally hanging up, you need to add weight. On clearer streams, trout should be taking Hendrickson and Olive Caddis dries. For the evening spinner fall, be sure to have some #16 or #18 Rusty Spent-Winged Spinner dries. Tie the spinner as a dropper below a #14 parachute style Hare's Ear dry. The white post on the Hare's Ear will help you keep track of the hard-to-see spinner, and either fly is likely to produce.
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| June 1, 2007 by Dave Kolbert |
| What a difference a week can make. Trout streams that on Monday were low and clear are now running high and cloudy, if not downright muddy. Just one of the many challenges fly fishers face in the Midwest where corn is King. (Row crops on steep erodible hills and trout are an unfortunate combination.) The solution? Get out that copy of "Trout Angling Opportunities in Southern Minnesota" (trout stream maps). If you didn't grab one at a recent meeting, you can get one free at Gander Mountain. SE Minn. is a larger region than you may think. There are four major watersheds with more than 100 trout streams. Invariably, even after heavy rains, you can find fishable water if you're willing to do a little exploring. Look for the smaller shorter streams in wooded valleys as they are less affected by runoff and clear faster. Water that's slightly off-color can still fish well, especially now that several hatches, including the Light Hendrickson mayflies, are in full swing. The trout may not be feeding on top (rising), but you can bet they'll be feeding below the surface. Beadhead Hare's Ear, Pheasant tail, Prince and Copper John nymphs may be most productive. High water is also the time to fish larger streamers and Woolly-Buggers for bigger fish. Trout fishing can be great in the rain, so pull out your rain gear and give it a go.
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| May 25, 2007 by Dave Kolbert |
| With the low water conditions we've had, the recent rains have helped ensure steady stream flows. Some trout streams may be slightly off-color but very fishable. Trout Run and the South Branch of the Root are reported clear. The Whitewater River branches have a tinge of color, but remain fishable. More rain over the weekend, however, could quickly change things. The ground is saturated, so additional rainfall will cloud streams more quickly. Wayne Bartz at Gander Mountain in Rochester reports that the Light Hendrickson mayfly hatch started yesterday (5/24) on several SE Minnesota trout streams. This hatch provides some of the very best dry fly fishing of the year. You can match it with size #16 Pale Morning Dun or Sulphur dry flies -- the mayfly is pale yellow with tinges of olive and rust. A #16 Pheasant Tail Nymph matches the nymph quite well. The hatch, which should last two to three weeks, usually starts early in the afternoon, then progressively later each day, and can last two or three hours. Fish a #16 Dark Rusty Spent-Wing Spinner dry fly during the evening spinner fall when the larger trout move into the prime feeding lanes. For more information on this hatch see: article from troutnut.com . The Blue-Winged Olive mayflies (Baetis) continue to hatch sporadically. Be on the lookout for the first Olive Caddis to appear soon, too. June is the best month of the year to be on southeast trout streams with a fly rod.
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