Hot, hot, hot weather, not fishing, has been the norm lately. Trout at this time can be difficult to put on the end of the line. They feed during the cool period of which there has been very little of lately and can be very uncooperative during the mid day time frame. The dry weather has brought the biggest crop of hoppers out that I have seen in a long time. Chucking hoppers can bring some nice fish at this time of year, but this angler has not seen that result. This week we spent considerable time chucking live hopper (by hand) into the water over likely trout holding areas and had no takers. This is puzzling to me since they are a ton of calories in one meal. Western trout respond to these kicking insects floating along on the current, but the trout in Pierce County seem to let them float by. This angler has never had great fishing on hoppers during the summer months around here, but those patterns have probably not spent as much time on the end of my line as a trico or sub-surface fly at this time of year. Anglers have reported luck with flying ants and beetles lately but not hoppers. What’s your experience?
Tricos are out in the morning on the Rush, but they have thwarted many a fine caster. Go to long leaders and 6 or 7X tippet. Also #22 and #24 spinner imitations have been the norm. The river is extremeeeeeeeeely clear and spooky. Be stealthy or be outsmarted by the pea size brain trout, who are easy to spot now days but difficult to catch. Find shade and fast water with some depth for nymphing after the tricos, or blind cast some black deer hair beetles in #16 and #18 into skinny riffs for an occasional grab. #12 Royal Wulff’s have also brought some fish to the surface to feed. All in all the August fishing has been good. The water has remained cool with the cool August temps to credit for that. Looks like we are headed for cool weather again to begin September.
A BIT BASSY
I Floated the upper St. Croix with friends last week. What a change in water level from only a month ago. I think we had to pull the boat across gravel bars at least 15 times on the float. Skinny water has the bass holding in about the same places where you would find trout on the trout streams lately. Faster, deeper dumps were the best holding areas. A few fish were caught in skinny water though. Dan(pictured) found a 17, 18, and the 19″ pictured here. He had the touch on that day. The rest of us caught a few but not many. I am still looking for that crazy “Hook a Bunch” day that usually happens every year but has yet to happen.
I have also been floating the lower St Croix by my house near Prescott. It has fished quite well for smallmouth numbers, but no fish over 17″ yet. The lower St. Croix is quite deep and the bass go there to escape when water temps soar. Early in the AM and just before dark have been the best.
WORLD RECORD BRAT
There is one Grocery Store in the town of Prescott, Wisconsin. That is all that it needs because no one who lives here would go to any other grocery store anyhow. Ptacek’s IGA has over a 100 year history in the area and the family that owns it still holds tight to the old fashioned values, service and loyalty, that made them successful way back when. An Incredible meat selection, a deli with home cooked lunch and dinner every day of the week, store hours 7 days a week, groceries bagged and delivered by friendly personnel right to your car, and a friendly work ethic that is unmatched.
On September 2, along with the Budweiser Clydesdales, Ptacek’s will attempt to break its own world record brat of 52 feet 2 inches by rolling out and cooking a 150 foot monstrosity of a brat and bun in the parking lot of their store at the top of the hill in Prescott. Yours truly will be one of the world record brat rollers. Be there or be square. Take a look Big Brat
6 users commented in " Trout Tough, Bass Sassy and One World Record Brat "
Follow-up comment rss or Leave a TrackbackThanks for the blog, very interesting. We’re heading down to Whitewater State Park here in MN for the long weekend. Any tips on what flies to use? We are extremely new to fly fishing!
Thanks!
Willya
My friend D.A. at On Ihe Fly Guide Service is the guy for Southeast Mn. He may have an opening in his schedule to take you out for a half day. A guide will really cut down you’re learning curve if your interested. On the fly guide service
I’ve found the hopper fishing to be much more productive on the streams in SE MN than in Western Wisco. This year has been no exception. A guy has to be willing to bushwhack to get to the right spots though. Maybe it’s the landscape or that there is just so much more water available. Whatever the case, hard to beat aggressive trout hammerin’ big foamies on top with reckless abandonment.
I’ve had a lot of luck on hoppers and other terrestrials in western Wisconsin but I would say that I get a lot more whacks from trout then actual hookups probably 5 strikes to every hook up.
I just returned from a week of fishing in MT and found the normally hot hopper fishing there to be tepid at best this year. There were so many hoppers along the stream banks that it almost seemed as if the trout were tired of eating them and ready for a change of diet. On some of my favorite dry fly water out there I found the trout reluctant to hit anything on the surface. I fished the Rush yesterday morning and witnessed and was frustrated by a good trico hatch but I had my best luck fishing a wet beetle pattern.
It seems to be the way of the trout in our region. Occasionally I will catch a fat fish at this time of year among the majority who are not as portly. My first thought is always “this one has gotten onto the hoppers” But short of preparing them for the pan it is just an assumption. Now days I slip them back into the water to pass a little gift along to the next angler who seeks the same fortune as I.
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