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September 19th Overnight Rainfall Report

Not good.  3+ inches in Viroqua and the surrounding area.  A few valleys just south of the shop received 5 inches more or less.The storm is still hanging around South of VIroqua, while from town north we are forecasted to get only another tenth of an inch of rain.  We might find some fishable water to the north late today, but expect things to be unfishable today.

Things are muddy this morning.  We will update you as we start to scout water.  Watch the report and social media for updates.

CategoriesFishing Report
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September 18th Fishing/Rain Report

 

While we do not have a crystal ball, the forecasts now have up to 3 inches of rain tonight.  This has a very high potential of muddying things up for Saturday and in some cases into Sunday.  We will keep you posted here and on social media as best as we can.

Today is a much better forecast, with some clouds and drizzle/light rain throughout the day.  Creeks are clear and temperatures are very good!

CategoriesFishing Report
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September 17th Fishing Report

A 50 percent chance of showers before 9am. Areas of fog before 10am. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a high near 74. East wind 5 to 8 mph. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

Creeks are in good shape right now.  Clear to slightly stained with temperatures in the mid to high 50s.  We are due for some potential heavier rains Friday night, but today and into tomorrow we have mostly cloudy to drizzly conditions.  The kind of weather driftless trout love!

Fish are eating grasshoppers on the surface in the afternoons when things dry out a little bit, and we are seeing some fish rising throughout the day if the sun is off the water (purple tilt wing duns!)

Subsurface fishing has been very good on scuds, pink squirrels and purple drank as well as large zebra midges on the clearest creeks.

CategoriesFishing Report
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September 16th Fishing Report

Partly sunny, with a high near 75. East wind around 7 mph.

Dry day today, with the creeks area wide slightly stained to clear.  Water temperatures are good everywhere thanks to some cooler days and nights.

Subsurface fishing has been the ticket lately, but we have started to see a few mayflies here and there.  While we will not call it a hatch, there are some rising fish.  An olive, Adams, or purple tilt wing dun will get them to eat.

Beetles or hoppers as an indicator is also still recommended.  While the wet ground has slowed their effectiveness down, some fish are still crushing them on the surface from time to time.

CategoriesFishing Report
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September 15th Fishing Report

Weird, rainy last 24 hours.  Overall more rain (a lot more) hit north of us near the I-90 corridor, then this morning the south got a quick, but heavy shower.

Expect heavy to medium stain area wide with only a few valleys and headwaters flowing slightly stained.  Some creeks, especially those south of the shop, should clear up a bit faster.

It’s worm and leech day!  If the water is coffee colored or darker, fishing a itty meaty thing, or squirmy along the edges and in the riffles will get fish.  If it is a bit clearer, scuds, worms and larger pink squirrels will work.

CategoriesFishing Report
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September 14th Fishing Report

Showers, mainly after 3pm. High near 68. Breezy, with a southeast wind 5 to 10 mph increasing to 11 to 16 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 28 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

Milder and cloudier week ahead!  Daytime highs barely cracking 70s most days, and overnight lows in the 50s.  On paper, this week is what we have been looking for.

While the mayfly activity is pretty much over, we are keeping an eye out for olives in the afternoons (it probably isn’t cold enough, but we can be hopeful!).  Sticking to beetles and hoppers with droppers below is still going to be effective.

When the clouds roll in, scuds leeches and even small streamers will become more effective.

CategoriesFishing Report
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September 11th Fishing Report

Sunny, with a high near 80. South wind 6 to 14 mph, with gusts as high as 22 mph.

Creeks are clear to very slightly stained with great water temperatures pretty much area wide.  Only the largest creeks and lower sections are still too warm first thing in the morning.

Cooler evenings, and an overall cooler daytime temperature trend have us feeling like late summer/fall is coming.  The longer term forecast is showing some mild days and chilly nights!  The weekend is pretty pleasant overall weather wise.

It is terrestrial time in the Driftless.  While the aquatic insect activity is pretty slow, the ants, beetles, and grasshoppers are making up for it on the surface.  However, the most success is subsurface on Dr. Fauci, Squogs, and pearl jams.

CategoriesFishing Report
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September 8th Fishing Report

Showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 11am. High near 80. South wind 8 to 13 mph, with gusts as high as 22 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Back to normal later summer weather.  While still not the late season conditions we are waiting for, the fishing should be solid in the mornings, as well as throughout the day if clouds are overhead.

Tricos aren’t really around lately and things are still too warm to see other mayflies hatching.  We’re prospecting with a beetle, training wheel, or hopper with a bead head below (pearl jam, Dr. Fauci, flashigon etc).  On cloudier days a micro leech below the big foam fly can work well too!

CategoriesFishing Report
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September 4th Fishing Report

Showers and thunderstorms likely before 1pm, then a slight chance of showers between 1pm and 4pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 87. Southwest wind 7 to 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

The clouds and light rain have turned things around here!  After some brutal hot and sunny days, the cloud cover has been a saving grace.  It still isn’t perfect, but when the sun is off the water, the fishing is much better.

Purple drank, quill jigs, and rain drops are all great dropper below a beetle right now.

A little over half an inch of rain has some slight stain on one or two creeks, but we have not encountered anything blown out.  Creeks remain clear to slightly stained with fishable water temps on all but the bigger creeks.

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