Forecast: 69℉, 8 mph wind, cloudy, 71% humidity
Stream Conditions: clear/normal levels, water temp was 58℉
Insect Hatching Activity: Blue-Winged Olive, Midge, Sulphur, Caddis, Terrestrials
Today marked Day 2 of our Driftless Excursion to explore and discover as many new trout streams and sections as possible. We covered multiple streams and logged a few of those being true gems. Others were more seasonal streams due to the very thick vegetation during this time of year making accessibility very challenging; we’ll come back to those over the Winter and into the Spring 2023. One of the spring creek gems we discovered and explored contained a good mix of sand/rock streambed along with a slower stream flow, almost an oozing type of feel to it. It also contained several high-quality riffles/runs/pools. Many wild brown trout were taken in all four of these stream flow types. These trout were thick and very strong fighters; it was clear the food source production was immense and that this stream received very little attention by other fishermen. Nymphs, terrestrials, and small dries all prompted takes throughout the day. The Driftless Riches of the day were the elusive wild bobcats that we came across today; that’s right, two wild bobcats were spotted on two different occasions during the early morning and then again during the later morning. Every day in the Driftless brings a new surprise as long as you intently observe and notice. Looking forward to all that will be discovered and made new on Day 3 tomorrow.
