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Driftless Trout Hunters, Guides, & Flies
Testimonials
Testimonials
Nate and Jim are awesome!!! I am a complete beginner, but they made it easy and fun for me!! And I caught a bunch of fish! Beautiful ones! Brook trout and rainbow! And I learned 10 times more with them than I could have on my own!! But more importantly, they are super cool guys, and I had a blast with them! When I go back to The Driftless, I am definitely calling them!! Can't recommend them enough!! Thanks again guys!! You made my trip from Florida well worth it!!
Mike H.
What a great day fly fishing and "Being Driftless" with Jim and Nate. You won't find better guides than these two. Their exceptional fly fishing knowledge and skill, combined with a patient demeanor and great personalities, made for a great day on the stream. I caught a lot of trout, learned new techniques, and came home with a few new flies. Tip of the hat to Jim and Nate for such a memorable day; this will definitely be remembered as one of "The Good Old Days fly fishing.
Nate G.
Myself and a friend spent a week in the Driftless this past June. This would be my 4th year visiting the area. Did get connected with Jim for a guided day of fly fishing. Jim's fishing expertise and his knowledge of the area was amazing ! ! ! He had us into fish all afternoon. By the end of the day, I knew I had made a new friend in life. Thank You again Jim for the fantastic experience as I will be in touch come next June :)
James T.
I used to be really into fly fishing twenty years and four kids ago. My family gifted me a guided trip this summer and my brother (hardcore avid passionate fly fisherman) chose Spirit Streams. Truly spot on. To be honest I was a little nervous picking up the rod again because we choose to do this because it’s not “easy”. From the moment we met them early in the morning Nate and Jim were nothing short of patient, energetic and engaging. (Pretty sure Nate spent the first 45 minutes in the river with me untangling my line;). We booked them for the day and it passed like minutes. As a private business owner I value, well, VALUE. Let’s just say that at the end of a day well spent we stood by the trucks, fish in the cooler and laughing like old friends. We are planning our next trip, this time with our sons. You won’t find better teachers. Five out of five.
Mike R.
I got my boyfriend a fly fishing guided tour with Nate and Jim for his birthday, and it will definitely be hard to beat. Neither of us had ever even held a fly fishing pole before, but thanks to Nate and Jim's patient, enthusiastic, and effective teaching, we caught on very quickly. We had a great day spending time with them and catching plenty of trout! We can't recommend Spirit Streams enough!
Jessica J.
Nate and Jim were great. We caught a crazy amount of fish and learned a great deal to improve as fly fishermen. Their enthusiasm to "fish on" was fantastic and contagious. I can honestly say, they were as excited as we were to catch a fish, which enhanced the day! I look forward to spending more time with them in the Driftless soon.
Samuel F.
Jim did a fantastic job of being patient, articulate, persistent to keep trying, void of ego, and had true fellowship outdoors in God’s beauty. This allowed me to open learning possibilities, without fear of failure, and helped me improve in my follow up days of fishing. I highly recommend and plan to schedule with Jim & Nate again in the future. Thank you!
Bill M.
Nate & his dad were wonderful, they are so knowledgeable & patient. We had a great experience with fly fishing & we now intend to continue to fly fish. We are so thankful to spirit streams!!!
Robin W.
I have used guides in Montana, Wisconsin, Florida and Mexico and Nate and Jim are among the best. They go out of their way to meet your needs, from helping a beginner to fine tuning someone with more experience. I highly recommend to anybody thinking of a guided fly fishing trip in the Driftless.
Paul W.
Both Jim and Nate have a wonderful, infectious enthusiasm for their home water and the Driftless area as a whole. I am so glad I was able to be a part of the day with them on the stream. Highly recommended, knowledgeable about equipment, techniques and where to fish.
Mike C.
Nate and Jim of Spirit Streams guided me on an awesome, high summer, fly-fishing excursion into the Driftless area. Jim was the lead guide for me, and he got me into fish big time. With his help I caught a lot of wild brown trout, including a couple quite big ones. We fished a variety of situations from riffles and runs to long slow pools, both under the shade of the forest and in open grassy areas. Several fish were landed on the surface with grasshopper patterns! Jim was encouraging, positive, and just fired-up to be out there. That attitude made for a really fun time for the both of us. Thanks for the great time!
Tom
My wife gave me a guided fishing experience with Spirit Streams for my birthday, and I brought along a close friend who was relatively new to fly fishing as well. Nate and Jim were absolutely incredible teachers, very patient with us as we learned the ropes. They are also incredible people, which made the day even more enjoyable as we were able to share great conversation as well. We were able to catch on relatively quickly due to Nate and Jim's strong ability to teach, and caught some trout for the first time! Highly recommend Spirit Streams, couldn't have asked for a better introduction to fly fishing. Needless to say I have a new life-long hobby, and what better place to fish than the Driftless Area.
Tyler Z.
Thank you, Nate and Jim, for an absolutely great day in the Driftless! I had an opportunity to fish with both Nate and Jim and learn how to fish, how to read the water, techniques and much much more. I have never tried fly fishing before and I went from being nervous and self doubting of my ability to cast a fly rod, let alone catch a trout, to having confidence and wanting to learn more! Both Nate and Jim are excellent teachers and guides because they go above and beyond to make sure you have a great experience. They are patient and enthusiastic at the same time. I highly recommend Spirit Streams to anyone who wants to get the full experience.
Shane B.
My son is predictably hooked on Midwest fly fishing now and can't wait to get back. Thank you again!
Ray R.
Nate Martin, of Spirit Streams, guided me on a fly fishing trip in Wisconsin's Driftless Area. He was personable and knowledgeable. Nate shared tips that I had never tried before which led to a very successful fishing trip. His knowledge of where to fish in the Driftless is endless. It was a memorable day. I highly recommend Nate if you are looking for a guide.
Terry O.
Thanks Jim for a great afternoon! You truly provided an unforgettable experience! Catching and releasing 30+ trout was more than we could ever have expected. We will definitely be back. Take care!
Gary L.
Thank you, Spirit Streams, for an AWESOME fly fishing day today!! Nate guided me and a first time fly fisher (13 years old)--not only did she catch trout, but she caught a trout on her first cast using a dry fly! His technique, patience and attentiveness was amazing! We can't wait to go again!
Julie H.
We all had a great time! Both Jim and Nate were very personable and knowable of fly fishing with great attitudes which made it a great experience for everyone! They also took some neat pictures to preserve the memories of our experience! I highly recommend Spirit Streams to everyone from novice to the experienced fisherman!
Marti S.
Pictures look great! I just wanted to thank you again for taking us out. I had a blast and I know the other guys did as well.
Nick K.
Blake and I haven’t stopped talking about it yet! It was truly a great day for us . Thank you for your time and for giving us a great memory to share. I wish you well in your business together, because you both have a great talent with teaching and staying positive.
Jason Y.
Thanks for the pictures! They look great! We both had a lot of fun learning something new.
Marc S.
Driving back home today reminded me of how relaxing yesterday was not having to think about much of anything for a few hours. Forget how quickly stuff kinda just goes away when you are on the stream.
Darren F.
It couldn’t have been a better day for so many reasons (weather and company were perfect). Thanks Nate for setting up a great day! We will for sure need to do this again.
Dave P.
I had a super time and really appreciate the sharing of spots and the new techniques. You were great teachers and excellent fishing buddies. We packed a lot into the day.
Fred S.
Thanks for the fun time. You taught us alot and we are so excited to go again. The pictures turned out great. We will definitely get together again.
Clara A.
I had a great time – the conditions required more talent than I have, and I hope not to have complained too much out there. I wanted to see some clear water with native fish and spend a day outside, and we did that. A nice brown was icing on the cake.
Randy H.
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I observed the area and could see a faint ripple coming out of the foam. I still had the emerger on and made a cast to the area of the rise and was greeted by a resounding battle and eventually landed a beautiful 15” brown which I affectionately labeled the blue cheek fatty – it was quite a trout. My mind wandered....If they are that big on the top what lies in the depths of that blockage?....
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