Streams around the metro?

[aerelis]

I tried the search button, but did not have much luck.....

What I am looking for is a nice stream, that myself and my two kids (3 and 4) can catch a few trout at, or atleast maybe let them see me catch a couple .

Something in the metro would be nice, otherwise I would be up for a 30 minute drive or so...does this exist?

I see on the DNR HSOforum that there might be a couple around fort snelling park, can anyone confirm or deny this? they any good? and the DNR maps aren't to great, anyone know some good location?

[grate8]

i think those are streams that /could/ sustain trout but don't

u may need to drive to little cannon. anyone knowthe stocking schedule?

[so haaad]

Aerelis, welcome to HSO. There's trout streams, and then there's legitimate trout streams that have decent populations of trout and are also wide enough for casting (especially for kids). In Minnesota, the closest legitimate trout streams are the Vermillion, Little Cannon and Hay Creek. In Wisconsin there's the Willow, Kinni and Trimbelle. Personally I prefer spending the extra money for the Wisconsin license.

[JBMasterAngler]

I would go with the little cannon river. It has good numbers of rainbows and browns. It's very accessible as well, even for kids. The main cannon river is right there too, so you can catch a few smallies and some monster carp when your done with the trout.

[Scudly]

Valley Creek is a good one. Brook, brown, and rainbow. You can bag five. Access tough though however access from any major bridge and you are legal.

Personally if you are looking for eats I'd hit Hay. 12-16" protected slot in the pasture section upstream of 325th is the one rule.

For kids it is a good one to fish minus you cannot use bait at least in the easy pasture section. From 58 south from Red Wing turn on 325th. Park before you get to the bull sign. Fish upstream to 325th bridge.

http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=4...mp;t=h&z=17

http://files.dnr.state.mn.us/maps/trout_streams/south/map_13.pdf

[aerelis]

Wow thanks for the welcome and replies everyone, I'm narrowing it down between cannon, and valley creek. gunna head out in the morning, let you know how it goes. Thanks!

[Scudly]

Quote:

I would go with the little cannon river. It has good numbers of rainbows and browns. It's very accessible as well, even for kids

Starting out I would not recommend Little Cannon. It does not have good numbers of rainbows and browns. Very few, like 17/mile. Barely qualifies as a trout stream. You will catch one chub after the next and if you get lucky a white sucker. Yes there are rainbows dumped once a year before the season starts but they get eaten up quickly. LC has zero public access. Keep feet wet or ask landowner permission. Lots of silt like quick sand in many places. Same goes for Vermillion. No place for a kid this time of year unless you are fishing off a bridge or at Vermillion within Rambling River Park

My first choice for you is Hay followed by Valley Creek. At least at Hay you have pasture section (easy walking) that is PUBLIC EASEMENT.

Valley Creek holds trout however is all private so you have to keep your feet wet otherwise you are trespassing.

[grate8]

yea valley creek is no place to take kids.

[so haaad]

Really great posts you guys. Kudos.

Aerelis, definitely let us know how your day goes. It's always fun hearing reports from new and young trouters.

[Nate McVey]

Great info everyone, not much more I can add except good luck and let us know how it goes!

[JBMasterAngler]

Scudly, what part of the little cannon are you fishing? I fish it right in the heart of cannon falls, and it doesn't get any easier for access than that! And numbers have never been a problem. I would say the rainbows outnumber the browns about 5 to 1, and most fish are in the 8 to 10 inch range, but I've gotten some dandy 16 inchers. Have never caught a chub (but they are in there in good numbers) out of there either, the only fish that wasn't a trout I've caught out of there was a smallmouth, but that was below the waterfall.

[Scudly]

Quote:

Scudly, what part of the little cannon are you fishing? I fish it right in the heart of cannon falls, and it doesn't get any easier for access than that! And numbers have never been a problem. I would say the rainbows outnumber the browns about 5 to 1, and most fish are in the 8 to 10 inch range, but I've gotten some dandy 16 inchers

Interesting you are catching nice trout in non-designated. Only becomes designated above Sogn where I have fished before. It is a low numbers stream so a few dandies in there however for a beginner the odds are stacked against.

How often do you catch these bows by Cannon Falls? More of a beginning of the season deal? I can email you the report I have on LC. Water temps become upwards of 79 in the summer, lethal for trout. It also has a huge runoff issue. One landowner said he has watched the river move 12 feet after a single storm.

[JBMasterAngler]

I've actually never fished it in the spring. The one time I intended to, it was a raging torrent. Last time I fished it was one of the hottest days of the summer last year and I caught 5 or 6 rainbows and 2 browns. And I had gone there with the intention of only fishing the main cannon for smallies, but it was too low and green, so I fished the little instead with bigger spinners than I normall use for trout...so who knows, I could've caugh more. I will admit though, the farther I walked upstream, the worse the fishing got. What I like best about the stream is you can walk it barefoot because it's all sand. I actually caught that big rainbow downstream of the dam (before they took it down). I'm getting excited about all this trout talk! I think I'm gonna head down there next week

[Scudly]

Need to try that section. I know the stocker bows dumped every year at Sogn. Maybe more are dumped further downstream. I have seen photos closer to the mouth, some of it faster water which rainbows love. Some do holdover too. I've caught fat 16" hogs before, just never that far down. Thanks for the info, learned something today!

[JBMasterAngler]

I think the DNR improved some erosion problems in the area...it'd be nice if they planted a few more trees along the bank in the park, but oh well. Obviously taking the dam out improved the stream, probably cooled the water temps a bit.

I just checked the stocking report on the little cannon, and it used to be stocked every year with about 3,000 browns and rainbows each. But apparently it hasn't been stocked since 2007. However, it shows the same number of trout were stocked in the cannon river in 2009. Maybe that was a misprint, and it was really the little cannon that got those fish? If not, that could explain the slower trout action you speak of. Either way, it's still worth checking out.

[Scudly]

Contacted Lake City DNR before. Wrote them again. I recall DNR stocks bows every year. Don't think browns are stocked though. I will let the board know what I find out.