One Key For Success In Wisconsin Early Season

[Driftless]

It will have to be a pictorial but I believe it will be enough.

Any questions?

[Driftless]

I bet you are thinking I am going to talk about a "new" it lure or fly. No it is not that easy. No it is not the $2,000 bamboo fly rod you got for Christmas or the fancy expensive Shimano Stella reel you just purchased. Then there are the new 600 dollar Simm's waders.... that isn't it either.

Twenty years ago I went with a shocking crew and spectated. This 4 hour walk made me look at the way I prepare for early season differently. The guy running the crew alerted me before we got to each area that he suspected had lots of trout and big ones. He was constantly taking water temperatures. He was right 100 percent of time on his predictions about where there would be fish.

Trout are very temperature dependent. This goes for the early season and the middle of summer. Your key for success is simply knowing where the springs are in the area. The springs in this area are approximately 42 degrees year round.

Saturday morning those trout will be hunkered down on the bottom of a deep pool with a spring nearby. Throw something big near them and bring it back slowly. The trout will not expend all that energy for an appetizer. You need to throw them the main course in cold water.

When you go this Saturday it could be 20 degrees outside. That water in the main channel of your stream could be right down there near 32 degrees. Within 20 yards of a spring the temperatures warm up. Yes I said warm up. Trout will congregate near that spring because the water is warmer than the surrounding water.

[Slabasaurus]

When temps are extreme, head for the springs.

Headwaters are nice if you can find them (and they're open, and you're not trespassing)

[Driftless]

I have one friend that invites me go with him every year when the temperatures are in the high 90s.

I always tell him "NO".

He goes to look for giant browns in thermals and catches them basically stacked up on top of each other.

I see this as not a fair way of fishing. Where is the accomplishment?

[itchmesir]

Usually the part that involves the catching of the fish is the accomplishment...

[Slabasaurus]

I have one friend that invites me go with him every year when the temperatures are in the high 90s.

I always tell him "NO".

He goes to look for giant browns in thermals and catches them basically stacked up on top of each other.

I see this as not a fair way of fishing. Where is the accomplishment?

I always invite that friend to go carp fishing with me.

You are right tough, I was walking a well known stream on a hot day (picture taking, not fishing) and as I came to one of the inlets they were all stacked up.

Furthermore the odds of delayed mortality go up substantially on those hot days, especially if you consider the fact that temps can go up as much as 20 degrees a few feet from the spring... depending on the stream of course.

[Driftless]

Usually the part that involves the catching of the fish is the accomplishment...

so from your response....

you would fish on a thermal in the middle of hot summer when the water temps are 76 degrees everywhere else besides on that thermal?

Warm water kills many browns because of lactic acid build up.

68 degree water is my cut off for fishing trout.

[Slabasaurus]

so from your response....

you would fish on a thermal in the middle of hot summer when the water temps are 76 degrees everywhere else besides on that thermal?

Warm water kills many browns because of lactic acid build up.

68 degree water is my cut off for fishing trout.

68 degrees seppo, in my opinion, is far too cold to be wearing cutoffs.

Actually I'd say that it's never a "good time" for cutoffs but hey.

OT, but still worthwhile. Always tryin to look out for the fellow angler, gear or fly alike.

[itchmesir]

so from your response....

you would fish on a thermal in the middle of hot summer when the water temps are 76 degrees everywhere else besides on that thermal?

Warm water kills many browns because of lactic acid build up.

68 degree water is my cut off for fishing trout.

quick landing and proper release technique causes minimal impact to the trout... I'm not gonna be pussyfooting with a 2wt when it's 90* out...

[Lunker]

Shocked that it is day two of the WI early season and I haven't seen a report or picture. I am itching for open water but am working this weekend but will be out monday or tuesday in the snow storm.

[itchmesir]

Shocked that it is day two of the WI early season and I haven't seen a report or picture. I am itching for open water but am working this weekend but will be out monday or tuesday in the snow storm.

it takes awhile to edit the pictures of 100s... if not 1000s... of trout you caught over the weekend

[Slabasaurus]

it takes awhile to edit the pictures of 100s... if not 1000s... of trout you caught over the weekend

or to dig through the archives... recycling images... you know.

I hooked a couple saturday. I lost them pretty instantly.

Allegedly this "Itch me sir" and "Ted" duo caught some, but I didn't see any pics so hey.

Never happened

boy I saw some good ones though... uf. I'll be back there before too long.

[itchmesir]

sorry they're not at least 30"... I couldn't get a hold of Joe Dirt to tell me how to properly rig a crawler on a #18 hook

Name that nymph...

[Slabasaurus]

Mmmm look at those MN Driftless browns and how they vary in colour.

Small nymph. Fat ones though...

I name the top one Doug, and the bottom one Patti.

[itchmesir]

Dodododo do do dododododo

Now I'm gonna have to make a fly called "The Beet"... That'll get the dougs and pattis chasing my line real quick... But may also attract unwanted skeeters...

I could call it "The Beat" but then it would have to be really expensive but made for shyte... And I'd have to find some hip-hop producer to endorse it...

Well slab... These were Minnesota DA trout actually... How silly of me to put them in a wisco trout thread... Yes these trout do also vary in color... But the one thing you'll notice between these trout and other variously colored trout that have been posted... Is that the red markings on these trout are where they should be... Along the sides of the fish and not spilling from behind the gill plate... It would be one thing if we had cutties... But alas we do not... So it's really a place I prefer not to see red unless I plan on eating a few...

[Slabasaurus]

ooohheeeeoooohhh.. Killer tofu!

for your lisetning pleasure.

[Lunker]

Fished a couple of new stretches yesterday after the weather took a turn for the better. Nothing big, but caught about a dozen browns up to 14". Lost the only brookie I saw. Beautiful day. Water has risen a bit but not much.

[hookncook]

There is only one key for success in any season: GETTING OUT- something I have not done yet.