March 24th Fishing Report
Rain, mainly before 2pm. Patchy fog before 1pm. High near 52. Breezy, with a south wind 10 to 17 mph becoming west in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 25 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.Last night's rain was not horrible with a bit less than half an inch falling in total. Expect a mix of clear creeks with a few stained up due to the rain. The stain will not last long at all.
WIth the cloudy sky and potential cloudy water, focus subsurface on scuds and leech patterns (as well as squirmy wormies!) as fish will be active on these larger profile bugs. As things start to clear up, switching back to your thin bodied match the hatch patterns is a good idea.
We're still seeing midge hatches daily, and a few more olives hatching every day. While we aren't super excited about the olives yet, the major hatch could come any day. We are also seeing quite a few spring stoneflies out there.
Fishing a leech or larger and heavy nymph pattern in the morning is a good way to start. Switching to a foam fly with a dropper in the later morning, then to a dry fly in the later afternoon if you find rising fish!
Please remember that after the crowds of last year, and the continued traffic on the creeks while the pandemic hands on, stream etiquette is even more important than ever!
The general rule of courtesy is: If you see a car at an access point, drive to the next one. There is no need for multiple cars at access points, we have enough water to spread out on.
Do not 'high hole' another angler. Fishing upstream is what we do in the Driftless. Never walk upstream of another angler and start fishing (unless you check in with that angler and get permission first),
When you park, do not block gates, driveways, or field access roads with your vehicle.
Finally do not trespass on private property! Make sure you are 100% positive you are on public property if you are on the bank. The various apps and map books are not 100% accurate! Make sure you do your homework, check in with the landowner, or just keep your feet wet whenever possible. The Driftless is a great place due to landowners allowing anglers to fish or selling their land to conservation easements. If anglers do not follow the rules, the excellent system we have here will vanish.