5 Flies for Winter Trout in the Driftless
With the winter trout season opening in early January in the southeastern part of Minnesota, there is plenty of opportunities to chase some winter trout. Chasing trout in the winter can be one of the most rewarding ways to fish for trout. Trying to get that perfect cast and line handling in gloves aren’t the easiest tasks to achieve, however, but once that cast is made and a trout accepts your fly, it’s super satisfying. It makes all the frustration of trying to get the right presentation in the cold worth it. Here are our top five flies for winter trout. #1. Green Caddis I recently added this pattern to my arsenal and it has yet to disappoint. This pattern is quick, easy, and simply catches fish. I have found that even with a small midge trailing behind, trout prefer this fly. Hook: #12 Caddis Hook Bead: 7/64″ Gold Thread: Olive or black…
8 Tips for Fishing Marginal Trout Waters
One spring evening before the weeds were too high or the mosquitos too thick Grandpa, Braden, and I set out to fish a creek that had rumors of holding big brown trout. It was one of those creeks where the fishing was good, but the catching was a bit of a different story. We had fished it in the past a few times, but never very hard, and hadn’t caught much. Actually, we never really caught anything. It was a kind of pseudo spring creek, gushing from some seeps way up in the headwaters, but lacking the typical spring creek character of dense watercress, sputtering rifles, and emerald-blue water. It ran a little on the warm side for trout streams – sometimes warmer than it really should in the summer months. There weren’t many trout prowling its waters, but it was somewhat close and provided a quick evening of scenic…