If you are thinking about going fishing this weekend the water looks great.  Some streams are a little high but others are perfect.  The weather should be nice so if your not going to the fly fishing expo get out and fish.

The Great Waters Fly Fishing Expo is this weekend in Minneapolis MN.  It starts this Friday April 1st and goes until Sunday.  Check out the website for directions and info.

www.greatwatersflyfishingexpo.com

Fished the North Bear today.  Great fishing, weather and water.  The fish were very active and loving the Pheasant Tail.  As the water warmed, the bugs began to fly and the fish began to rise.  Most people would switch over to the dry fly, but I didn’t.  Not sure what that says about me, but when you find this many bugs under one rock it’s hard to stop nymphing.  If I’m having success it’s hard to switch over to the dry.  The fish were rising and the bugs were on the water, but I just could not make the switch.  All in all, it was a great day of fly fishing and the run off from the snow melt has been steady and slow.  That may change this weekend with higher temps and rain coming our way.  There is still a lot of snow on the North facing hills, so if that rain comes, things could get muddy.

Unlike Ethan’s trip on Saturday, I was not alone today.  A good number of people were out fishing/camping today.  It was nice to see so many people enjoying the trout fishing in Northeast Iowa.

I was anticipating getting back to the river this weekend – I had a short window so I was hoping the weather and the fish would cooperate with my time.  I got up early Saturday morning to find that the wind was blowing harder then it has in awhile and the temperature had dropped about 20 degrees from the day before.  But whats new – its March in Northeast Iowa.  If your looking to fish in  the Driftless Region – March and April are great times to do so.  The wild brush is still down and the fish are more active during this time.  You can find some pretty big Browns if you know where to look .  However, prepare for some cold days – but I would rather fish during this time, if I wanted a day on the river all to myself.  I stopped by one of my favorite shops (The Chick Hatchery – Decorah) to pick up a Klean Kantine water bottle for the days trip and to talk fishing with Steve, the owner.

It was windy, cold and slightly overcast when I got to the water.  I made my way to the areas I wanted to fish and within minutes I was on fish.  The temperature had dropped and just about every 5 casts I had to spend time breaking the ice out of my rod eyelets, but I had dressed warm and was prepared for the elements.   I did not have to change flies too much in order to find what the fish wanted for the day (BH PT & BH HE).  I was in a peaceful area with no one around – in fact I didn’t see another person on the river.  The wind and chill  wasn’t welcoming the anglers today.  If you’re going to go fly fishing I believe it’s a lot like a football game – the game is only canceled when lighting strikes,  otherwise the game is played no matter what-rain, snow, wind, cold.

When the day was done I had caught and released 20 plus fish and had some pretty cold hands.   But I enjoyed ever minute!

See you on the water.

Ethan