Spring Hollow Cabin

[Scudly]

We took off work on Friday and rented Spring Hollow Cabin for the weekend in Dakota, Minnesota which is just on the other side of La Crosse. Spacious log cabin built by the Amish. We all loved the hot tub, especially Matt.

On our way down we stopped at Pepin Heights Orchard in Lake City for the new Sweet Tango apple in high demand. I understand this is a cross between a Zestar and the Honeycrisp created at the University of Minnesota. Incredibly sweet, I polished two apples on the road right after we left.

A stop at Seven Hawks Vineyard in Fountain City for some wine tasting. Matt patiently drank root beer waiting for us to finish sampling. Mid-afternoon on a Friday, this place was busy.

A new friend gave me GPS coordinates to a beaver dam section on a local trout stream teeming with trout. I'd bet there were a thousand trout in this pool.

The fishing was fantastic. This 17" male brown was the best of the weekend although there are bigger fish in this pool I did not get to bite.

Saturday we checked out Garvin Heights Vineyard and lookout, buffalo and elk farms, spotted horses as the Winona Equestrian Center, and a stop at Southwind Orchards near the cabin. Sunday morning I briefly fished the beaver dam pool again and tried another new local stream that I look forward to fishing again next year. The great thing? I did not see ONE other fisherman the entire weekend. Not even a car on a bridge.

[mhines]

Would you be willing to share the location, or possibly the stream???..............Thats no too far away from where i'm at

If you would be willing..........send me an [email protected]

[Dave Anderson]

Quote:

A new friend gave me GPS coordinates to a beaver dam section on a local trout stream teeming with trout.

I assume you reported the dam dam to the fisheries personnel in Lanesboro so they can rectify the situation before the stream suffers any more unnecessary damage.

[Scudly]

Quote:

I assume you reported the dam dam to the fisheries personnel in Lanesboro so they can rectify the situation before the stream suffers any more unnecessary damage.

Sounds like a bad idea to me. This is the only section worth fishing. Bet if the dam was removed the locals would be less then pleased. I hope the dam is still there when I come back next summer as there is a big 20" trout that eluded me both mornings.

[Dave Anderson]

Yeah, I understand your desire for big fish, but what about the health of the entire ecosystem? Does the pursuit of 20 inch fish trump any sense of what's best for the overall health of the stream?

The piece of water I grew up learning to fish with simple worms and spinners was ruined by beavers and dams. I've not been back in twenty years. It's a shame that something so simple was the cause of its prolonged destruction.

[Scudly]

Well Dave that pool is thick with average sized trout. and the stream is ice cold. From what I can tell, it is a really skinny stream that does not have enough big holes. A beaver dam or two is not the end of the world. Plus unless you kill the beaver they just rebuild. I've come across four beaver dams this summer, all of which hold healthy populations of trout.

Is there a law requiring me to report beaver dams? No? Well I guess I'm not going to report the locations then.

Joe caught this on at a beaver dam. Funny how fast those browns grow up when they are landlocked in a beaver dam section chalk full of little brookies to gorge on day in and day out.

Joe Dirt's Beaver Dam Catch

[tom_w]

Then let's kill the beaver!

I think the stream is fine for a while with a dam on it. The long-term effect is bad.

I just called in a few on one of my favorite streams...