Jim Humphrey - Trout Streams of Wisconsin and Minnesota: An Anglers Guide to More Than 120 Trout Rivers and Streams ()

Beth Christensen on the Lower Kinnickinnic

Trout Streams of Wisconsin & Minnesota

A Fly-Anglers Guide to More than 150Rivers an Streams

Jim Humphrey and Bill Shogren

Cheerful and honest thanks are accorded to the many friends who have generously or accidentally contributed to this work, especially the late Dick Frantes, the Acerbic Angler, who fished more Minnesota and Wisconsin streamsand who was skunked on more, by his own admissionthan any other fly-fisher. Dick shared his triumphs and failures of more than 35 years. Al Farmes and John Schorn are fishing partners, environmental champions, and better fishermen than either of us.

Bob and Ginnie Adams, Mike Alwin of Mitchells Fly Shop, Jack Ambuhl, Darrell Anderson, Joe and Jim Balestrieri, Wayne Bartz, Gordon Bentley, Judge Robert Bowen, Gale Brooks, Greg Breining, Herb Buettner, Jay Bunke, Loren Carver, Ellen Clark, Ed Constantini, Jim Curry, Royce Dam, Curt Dary, Ron Erlandson, the late Dave Ewart, Tim Faricy, Dave Fass, Jim Franczyk, DuWayne Fries, Aaron Gabriel, Professor Clarke Garry, Chuck Goossen, John and Vicki Goplin, John Gosz, Carl Haensel, Pat Hager, Dick Hanousek, Chris Hanson, Ken Hanson, Bill Haugen, Tom Helgeson, Dr. Mary Henry, Gary Horvath, Duke and Bridget Hust, Vern Imgrund, Jon Jacobs, Paul Jaeger, Skip James, Louis Jirikowic, Mickey Johnson, Charlie Johnston, Dr. Art Kaemmer, Mike Klimoski, Dr. Will Koukkari, Andy Lamberson, Dan Larson, Ted Mackmiller, Ron Manz, Craig Mason, Joe Michl, Bob and the late Jean Mitchell, Pete Mitchell, Ray Newman, Elliot Olson, Perry Palin, Jay Paulson, Steve Payne, Shawn Perich, Dave Peterson, Tracy Peterson, Robert Pils, Bob Reynolds, George Rogers, Sandy (Sandra) Rolstad, Steve Roth, John Rowell, Bill Schad, Mike and Connie Schad, the late Dr. Ivan Schloff, John Schorn, Dorothy Schramm, Bill Schuessler, Dick Schwartz, Dick Shira, Chris Shogren, Gary Sobotta, Eric Sorenson, Bob Talasek, Jim Tamte, John Vollrath, Dick Wachowski, John (Duke) Welterall have contributed wittingly or unwittingly to our education. Others of equal skill and acumen have demonstrated on stream for our benefit. If we have failed to mention your name, forgive us.

We have also gleaned much from the writings of Gary Borger, W. Patrick McCafferty, Caucci and Nastasi, Ernest Schwiebert, Drs. Edmunds, Jensen, and Berner, Dr. W. L. Hilsenhoff, Swisher and Richards, and Dr. Tom Waters.

The professional fish managers and researchers of the Minnesota and Wisconsin Departments of Natural Resources who have patiently answered our sometimes naive questions are legion, but on some of them we have leaned most heavily: Bill Thorn, Mark Ebbers, Dick Hassinger, Bruce Gilbertson, and Jack Wingate of the Minnesota DNR; Bob Hunt, Ed Avery, Scot Stewart, Marty Engel, Max Johnson, Frank Pratt, and Larry Claggett of the Wisconsin DNR. To them, thanks and admiration for their devotion to the future of trout fishing.

Others of the Wisconsin and Minnesota DNRs are Deserae Bushong, Jim Cox, Peter Eikeland, Paul Eiler, Dennis Ernst, Chris Frieburger, Russ Heiser, James Holzer, John Huber, Tom Jones, Lee Kerner, Lee Meyers, Rick Nelson, Jeff Roth, Don Schliep, Jim Talley, Ron Theis, Dick Thompson, Tom Thuemler, Dale Togson, and Gene VanDyck. Our friend, Dean Hansen, Ph.D in entomology and columnist for Midwest Fly Fishing, has graciously reviewed our section on hatches and emergence charts.

We salute other friends, and strangers, who have labored to ensure scientific management and improved habitat for trout; and give thanks for the many environmental organizations and their volunteers.

For Joyce Eloise Reed Humphrey, best friend, partner, photographer, and wife.

Jim Humphrey

To my father, Alton G. Shogren, who on a snowy opening day in 1950 took me to Elk Creek near Eau Claire, Wisconsin, where I caught my first trout.

Bill Shogren

To the list of distinguished presidents-fishermen cited in our profile of the Brule River of Wisconsin we can add the name of that good and gentle man, Jimmy Carter, a committed fly-fisher for trout.

We may also go back to the roots of our collective history for an endorsement of the noble sport. George Washington, our greatest president, during a break in the Constitutional Convention on Monday, July 30, 1787, fished for trout near Valley Forge on the evening stream. Later he noted in his diary that he went fishing for perch near Trenton with more success. So be cheered. If the trout dont rise for you, know that you are in good company.

See Miracle at Philadelphia, Catherine Drinker Bowen

Contents

In this second edition we have revised many of the original stream profiles to reflect the latest information and observations, and have added profiles of more than 30 streams for a grand total that exceeds 150. We have corrected a few errors, embellished some maps, improved the syntax, and mentioned in passing other unprofiled streams that may merit the attention of explorers. We have added several tactics with the hope that they will lead you to discoveries on your own. We have revised descriptions of the two states rules and regulations, with the usual caveat that you will have to read the regulations booklets when you buy your licenses. Regulations change annually, and sometimes it seems oftener than that.

Since the publication of the first edition, our opportunities to fish for trout early and often have been liberalized by the states Departments of Natural Resources, although other restrictions have been added, such as no-kill or slot limits. We have not played much with the historical background included in the first edition, probably because no revisionist historian has seen fit to challenge us. Although this edition is packed with information, there are yet gaps in our understanding and information. Wed like mayfly emergence charts for every stream; wed like to know more about the subtler effects of low-head dams and beaver dams; the relationships between heron populations and trout numbers; the most productive pools on every stream that we have visited! And why the Hex have diminished on the Upper Kinnickinnic of Wisconsin.

Even since completing this revision for our editors we have uncovered useful or fascinating information: Wisconsin leads the nation in miles of Class I high quality trout streams with naturally self-sustaining trout populations (3,500 miles); Minnesota has 92,000 miles of waterways, of which 27,000 miles have been ditched to improve agriculture; 40 percent of the trout stream mileage flowing through private lands in southeastern Minnesota is already under easements and open to fishers; it is probable that the water access law in Wisconsin (which allows anglers to wade the stream-beds without challenge from landowners) was decided in a lawsuit brought by Mr. Frank Wesley Wade, a Civil War veteran, against a private club on the Willow River of Wisconsin in 1896. The Wisconsin Supreme Court decided in his favor in 1898. Although the access law was expanded by the Wisconsin Legislature in 1999 to include bank-walking to the high-water mark, another powerful group is attempting to send trout fishers back to the dark ages when the water belonged to the landowner.

Other questions and advice pique our interest: The Rush River of Wisconsin, a superb river for big trout, is running cooler and there is more natural reproduction of brown trout, and the Hex hatch on the Straight River is appearing earlier now than it did a decade ago. Jeff Weiss, a fisheries specialist with the Minnesota DNR, noted that not many anglers fish these (southeastern Minnesota) streams after May 31. He also noted that the catch rate of trout reported in his creel survey was surprisingly high at 1.9 trout per hour. Another Minnesota report from the DNR wonders why so few anglers are fishing for brook trout on the North Shore streams. So many questions; so few answers.