2021 Driftless Pictures and Reports

[pickadrake]

I got out last Saturday and took advantage of the great weather! The water is low and clear but the fish were happy. No BWO's spotted where I was fishing, but a heavy midge hatch coming off most of the day. I'm busy the next couple weekends but have a long weekend coming up towards the end of the month. Love this time of year without the bush wacking

 

[dpnoll48]

I got out last week Monday and Friday and, let me tell you, the fish are open for business. I've been mostly fishing a wet fly called the Red Ass Monkey.

 

[Tony Blundetto]

Maaaan. Went to some old faithful spots but it was tough out there today, although I did catch some fish. There were some crane flies (I think) coming off the water along with some midges, but I didn’t see a ton of surface feeding. The water needs to be a little higher and dirtier so a miscreant like me can get away flogging the water some loool

 

[ontheflymn]

Southeast MN is still considered in a drought phase stemming from the lack of rain last summer, fall, and winter snowpack (or lack of). It will take quite a bit of precipitation, IMO, to get levels back up. The flip side of uber clean water is that I've seen some absolute tanks when I've been out. The cold weather has shut down much anticipated surface activity. I saw midges and cranes on Saturday, but no real caddis or DH activity, just wasn't warm enough. We nymphed this guy Saturday AM.

 

[jajohn]

Are the SE MN driftless fish I see in pictures here mainly naturally produced fish or stocked trout? They are nice looking fish.

 

[dpnoll48]

All natural and self reproducing. At least in the streams where these pictures were taken.

 

[ontheflymn]

Well, sort of all natural. We still do some supplemental stocking of brown trout fingerlings in streams that have limited natural reproduction. That said, their stock is directly from fish from southeast MN.

If you catch a rainbow adult, it's a pretty high chance it was stocked.

https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/fishing/trout_streams/stocking.html

 

[jajohn]

Does the MN DNR classify MN trout steams like they do in WI?

 

[dpnoll48]

I don't believe so. In the DNR trout book the streams are colored, but that is to show regulations, as to size, catch and release etc.

 

[jajohn]

Thanks

 

[ontheflymn]

MN is a road map meets stream designation map (and non-eased water, too). It's simple to use. There's some color coding on the MN map to show special regulations waters vs. those that have general regulations.