My new home trout fishing waters of Wisconsin are 100% different from what I left behind in Idaho. But this is a good thing. These winding smaller streams have plenty of quality trout. The rocks are more slippery, the hatches are different and the trout less fished, making them more wild and spookier. This place will present me with many new challenges which I’m strongly looking forward too.
Granny and I have been plugging away fixing up our new house in Hayward. We have a long road ahead of us. At around 11 this morning I had an urge to get out and fish. I left the house under partly sunny conditions and drove north into drizzle and rain. Along the way I saw numerous deer and helped not one, but two painted turtles cross the road.
It was warm but I put on my waders anyhow. Here we have far more mosquitos than in ID along with ticks. The waders not only keep me dry but protect me from the bugs. I eased my way upstream from the road looking for rises as I blind fished with an ant dry fly and Pheasant Tail dropper. My first fish wasn’t a trout but rather a tiny female common shiner (I had some identification help on all three of these fish from an old college buddy, Dave Kittaka with IN DNR).
I head for the World Master Fly Fishing Championships in less than a month. Today was as much a practice session as getting out and enjoying a few hours fishing. In my first hour on the water this afternoon all I caught were tiny non-trout fish. My next move was to set up the full on double nymph Euro rig. I found a deep pool with plenty of current that trout love. All I can say is that despite not lobbing a nymph Euro style for trout since Czech last October, I didn’t forget much. I stuck at least a dozen of these cute little hornyhead chubs.
To try and avoid the chubs I put on a larger stonefly nymph (it didn’t help). But, it’s when I caught this neat looking fish with a bluish/purple head and bumps all over. Toss in the wild looking boomerang scales and we have us snazzy looking fish. I was on the internet for hours tonight and couldn’t figure it out. Luckily Dave took my photo to a true expert and it’s been identified as the male common shiner. Ok, I never would have gotten this one.
I called it an afternoon after exactly three hours fishing. That’s how long a World session is. I caught fish. I just didn’t catch a trout. Who knows? Perhaps there aren’t many trout at the place I was at. Regardless it was good practice and a fun afternoon. Unfortunately, neither of these two species were new for my list!
wisconsin trout often use chubs and shiners as Bodyguards, like the trout in ID!!! Ha!
Oh you remember the body guards of the Henry’s Fork!!!