A Perfect Iowa Blend of Trout, Rain, and Snow

   It was yet another great day to be out on the water.  Faced with not feeling well the previous day, I was grateful to wake up on Saturday, March 9, without a pounding head and with the knowledge that my friend, Jackfish Kate, was willing to fish at a moment's notice.  Thinking our planned weekend of fly fishing had been lost, we were still happy to hit the water by mid-afternoon.

   I'd received a couple of outdoor/fly fishing products in the mail recently and had been hoping for a rainy weekend to test out & review a wet/dry backpack.  Kate's and my curves land on opposite areas of the body and if we could be merged together, one might come up with the measurements of a Playboy Bunny!  So, I really wanted her opinion on the fit and comfort of the backpack - an item often designed with the average male in mind.  She was game & the review is forthcoming.

   We elected to fish Trout River, located southeast of Decorah, IA.  The next day we planned to fish N. Bear but those plans were thwarted by the potential of snow, ice, and wind.  Instead, we explored and fished Twin Springs, Decorah's urban trout fishery.  By Sunday, that stream was the color of milk chocolate, flowing high and fast.

   All fish were landed on Saturday and Trout River's water level was still low but certainly higher than last summer.  It was clear but not 'gin clear', as it had been during those warmer days.  As the day progressed, the water's cloudiness progressed as well.  Once again, I'm reminded that it was a perfect day to be out on the water!  We hiked in 10-12" of snow while rain lightly fell.  The fish were hungry and I had a decent amount of strikes on first casts.  The stream had not likely seen many recent fly angling visitors.
 

   Unluckily, I did not convert on many strikes that day and had a few 3 second fights which ended with finned winners.  I know Kate landed fish and I enjoyed watching her land her day's first rainbow at the same wide, slow hole where I had previously seen her land a trout on her first-ever day on this stream back in May.  I landed 6 fish total.  Unluckily & strangely enough, 3 were foul hooked on my sz 18 dropper.  I did not photograph the beautiful brown I landed in that manner.  Two rainbows, and my largest brookie to date all measured about 11-12 inches.  One bow was beautifully marked and the brookie, well, looked great like brookies always do.
 

   Conditions must have been prime, because these fish fought harder than I've ever felt them fight on this stream!  The bows hit my big nymph and the brookie went for the sz 18 scud.  All 3 fish had to be unwrapped from the dropper's tippet and one feisty fish managed to tie a couple of overhand knots in the tippet.  Later that night at a Mexican restaurant, Jackfish tongue-tied an overhand knot into a Maraschino cherry stem.  However, I think a twice-fin-tied overhand knot trumped her feat…

   On Sunday, after visiting Decorah’s Twin Springs and seeing the Upper IA River that it feeds into all in the same park, I’m already envisioning a multi-multi-species weekend this year:  pike, walleye, smallies, and trout!

Friends, and the Fish and Fungus Amungus

   Things forgotten on a 5-person, weekend NE Iowa fishing trip:  polarized glasses, deodorant, tent.  Things not forgotten:  the ability to laugh and share, and to have one heck of a good time!

   No one wholly knew everyone else in the group.  Personalities ranged from the slightly reserved to, well, the polar opposite, sort of like comparing brook trout to dolphins.  Yet, all of us, Jackfish Kate, Theresa, Twitch (yours truly), Shani and her Aunt Terri (the latter two being members of Team Rang-a-Tang and a story I dare not tell)  shared a love of the outdoors and that each of us planned to have a great time come either the forecasted storms or high water. 

   And yes, storms did come.  The Rang-a-Tangs shared a camper and the rest car-camped.  So, the forgotten tent was not missed and –most importantly- the storms infringed primarily on beer-at-campfire time and not too badly on fishing time.  Priorities being what they were, we were happy.

   On the path Saturday morning along Trout River stream, Jackfish told me that a friend had told her this stream, located near Decorah, was pretty but not a ‘go-to’ stream.  By late Saturday afternoon she declared it a go-to stream worthy of both days of a weekend trip!  And yes, it sure was pretty.  All present landed fish.  Brooks, browns and bows would be baked that evening and Terri landed the trifecta on her first fly fishing outing for trout.

   I had the privilege of introducing two folks to the Driftless Region and of helping Terri with her nymphing.  We celebrated when she landed her first brookie and later, when I landed my 3^rd-ever brookie.  All that happiness got us a little tangled in fly lines but I won’t embarrass myself any further.   It just didn’t take much to get this group excited!  Theresa arrived in early afternoon.  The Rang-a-Tangs continued fishing while 3 of us trekked upstream in search of mushrooms.  Signs were everywhere that the woods had been hit hard with morel hunters.  However, along a dirt path near dead wood, I yelled when I spotted 2 morels.  Theresa spotted the third.  Then, we examined Theresa’s other finds:  a tiny brown snake, Trout Lily, and Jewel Weed (which you rub on your skin when nettles have irritated it).  Back along the stream, I pointed out a nice hole to Jackfish and recommended she wet a line.  I continued on the trek for morels.  Soon enough, JKate reported she had a big one.  It wasn’t a trout, it was a morel!  Two more followed.  The rear of that fishing hole was shored up by a large, dead tree and JKate had poked around with her wading staff to locate the fungi. 

   A dream was soon realized!  Since my first spring fly fishing, I’ve been divided between fishing spring streams when I could otherwise be hunting the woods bordering those streams.  I’m sure my obsession has annoyed friends who have only been bitten by the fly fishing bug.  Each spring I hoped for a day to hold both trout and morels in my hands.  Having always practiced C&R, I guiltily desired to taste trout for the first time after cooking both over a campfire during my favorite season.  So, I did ‘kill and clean’ our morels but I also disappeared down the trail when others gave streamside last rites to fish.

   That Saturday night, we all partook in a feast.  We shared foil dinners, hotdogs, watermelon, baked potatoes, baked trout, and fried morels.  In addition, Terri, who only knew her niece, Shani, at the start of the trip, had bought prime rib for all.  The laughter she brought to our meals was the only thing to outweigh her generosity!

   Rain and thunder did haunt us, but we knew it could’ve been worse.  Friday night, soon after Jackfish got the campfire going and the moment the Rang-a-Tangs and I reached the campsite, the first thunderstorm hit.   Saturday mugginess turned to rain.  !t cleared, we cooked & then visited around the campfire without a rainy accompaniment to the crackling embers.  After midnight, I fished solo on Bear Creek under clear skies below the ‘Super Moon’.    

   Early Sunday it stormed again.  So, we hit a crowded North Bear stream late, but still hooked into fish.  Jackfish and I gave Theresa mini lessons about fishing with the long rod, and I watched with the camera as Theresa landed her first trout on the fly.  She yelled, jumped up and down, and she pumped her fists!   Then, after I took 3 crooked, self-timer pictures of our group, author and fly angler Jeffery Skeate came by & was kind enough to take a well-composed photo of the 5@NEIA anglers.  Even in this 4^th photo, everyone looked genuinely happy; a good sign your trip is going well.

   Yes, I achieved my small dream of trout and morels.  I’m smiling now as I think of it.  And, as we left the privately-owned, cow-dotted stream where only fishing is allowed, I suddenly threw down my walking stick, yelled, and ran!  Tucked among the grass and mayapples were more morels.  Having realized they weren’t running or hiding… I stopped running.  But, they did escape!  You see, legally we could take nothing from that property other than fish.

   And just what might be the morel of this story?? 

   We always have to leave things behind in life, but it may be for the better.  Sometimes it’s just a mushroom but we smile at the memories attached to it.  When I leave home for NE Iowa, I leave behind stress and a life which seems to move quickly but never fast enough to keep up with what is demanded of me.  As I travel the Driftless’ gravel roads and stream paths, my heart & mind re-fill with what is simple and beautiful about life.  I suppose that is partially why I enjoy eating from a cooler and sleeping in my suv.  There is so much freedom to be found in simplicity.

   And, for a couple of days, I had the opportunity to share this special place with others, & in their own ways, I think they understood.  We arrived as strangers and friends, we all fished, and we all left as friends.  The final morel… as there is often more than one:  Be a friend, make a friend, & maybe you take em fly fishing.  Share your dreams but write your own story!  Some ‘morals’ are never out-of-season.  ~Twitch, weekend of 5/5/12

THOUGHTS FOLLOWING A SPRING TROUTING WEEKEND IN NE IOWA

SATURDAY –North Bear stream (4/21/12)

*If it’s hunting season and wearing bright orange clothing doesn’t leave you feeling comfortable enough to fish, visit a stream with a conservation easement.  While the owner may hunt or invite others to do so, one can expect fewer hunters to be present.  This weekend the WMA (Wildlife Management Areas – public land) sites were busy with both turkey hunters and fishers but the areas with conservation easements (fishing only – private land) were quieter.

*On Saturday morning at N. Bear, there were already 3 vehicles parked on the 370^th street access.  Feeling oh-so-smart, I elected to beat feet far downstream to new water, fish back upstream and miss the crowd.  Well, everyone else had the same idea.  I guess all of the ‘oh-so-smart’ anglers were on N. Bear that day!

*Saturday afternoon, the fish were hitting the water’s surface.  I tied on a sz 18 or 20 white Elk Hair Caddis and had the pleasure to watch the take multiple times.  Landed browns were 8 to maybe 11” long.   After the risers had died down a bit on a particularly fun section, I tied on a Guelk Nymph, landed a spirited, leaping bow and soon afterward lost the fly…but what a quick thrill!  Then I tied on a Missy D.  I fought what felt like a large brown.  Rod tip up & line snug, it hung low and slow in the water.  It threw the hook and I never even got to see it!  Two more times larger fish threw my hook.  While I won't  

debate my skill on landing trout, I will suppose that for a short time, smaller browns were keyed in on surface bugs and the larger browns and rainbows were striking subsurface/nymph patterns. 

Top fish of the day/weekend: The only rainbow of the trip; so uniformly-silver it looked like another species (but spots at the tail gave its disguise away).  Proof that one should always look beyond first appearances.  My overall top fish as it had the greatest spirit; it went air-born like an Olympic gymnast. Gold medal performance! 

SUNDAY – North Bear stream & vicinity (4/22/12)

*Travelling from Ferris Mill road to the Clear Creek access (not the Lansing Clear Creek-see trout map coordinates) was one of the prettiest drives I’ve been on in the Decorah region… and there are so many pretty drives to be had!  Also, to the right of the parking lot there is a grassy area to tent camp plus another nice spot up the short hill to the left of the truck path.  Hunters had left turkey remains there.  The stream is not stocked with browns, hence it has natural reproduction.  However, the silted stream bottom & eroded dirt banks left me surprised to know this.  I suspect Bill and Theresa at the Decorah Rearing Station can quickly tell one how far and which direction to hike to find better trout water on this stream.

*During my previous trip to N. Bear I was reminded to check not just the sharpness of the hook but also the hook gap.  The hook had straightened somewhat, leading me to believe that is why I was losing so many fish on that fly.  On this trip I tried but was unable to check the hook point or gap on a Missy D and then on a Geulk Nymph.  After fishing with each for a little while, the portion of each hook went missing below the bend!  Check your flies frequently for hook condition, to check if caddis casings, moss, etc., are interfering with the hook, or for any freakishness one might encounter.

*I met a man who is a neighbor of my special, primitive camping spot.  His very smelly and happy lab hastened our introductions.  Friends of ‘Paul’ were camping across the road and had told him they’d seen me the last few years at ‘my’ site, located below a bluff where stream meets river.  He told me there used to be many rattlers in the area but not for 15 years. He told of finding a large one in his child’s sandbox.  He also shared that there had been recent mountain lion sightings above the bluff and expressed mild frustration that he wasn’t immediately made aware that a bear had been relocated adjacent to his property.

Top fish of the day:  This fish was a healthy brown.  It hit on the edge of a deep hole of churning water at N. Bear.  Along the perimeter of that hole I’d fed a Missy D nymph which was rigged a shorter length from the strike indicator than I’d intended.  My leader had recently fouled and one tiny knot kept me from changing the indicator’s distance from the fly without changing the whole dang set-up.  It was late & the last hole of the day.  Happily, that hole landed me the last fish of the day! …I guess I should admit that it was the only fish of the day…  It wins the contentment award.  If a person were to land only one, it would be a fine example of a Driftless Area brown trout.

MONDAY – Trout River stream (4/23/12)

*As the saying goes, all roads really do seem to lead to the Sattre Store.  Very convenient since it is also one of the few areas where one can get cell phone reception in rural NE Iowa!

*Why would people leave used condoms in a fishing parking lot?  Who wants to pick up that trash on clean-up day?  On a side note, a friend of mine used a strip of (unused) condom for a scud back. I don’t quite remember why, but he didn’t recommend a condom for that purpose. Perhaps because he later wished he’d had one that night?

*Tickling my arm hair, crawling on my cheeks and the underside of my hat brim, the day-long waves of caddis hatches greeting both me and the Trout River trout on Monday were both an annoyance and a pleasure to experience. 

*Grass, too, grows in the fertile woods that cradle the lower access of Trout River.  The grass also grows along the small dirt paths that border this cold water stream which carries a river’s name.  The tree canopy still allowed the light of a sunny day to enter its domain and, kneeling on the water’s edge, I looked about me and thought that God may have left a little bit of Eden here.

*Due to being overstaffed, I’d been informed Friday that I was called off of work for Monday.  While I was frustrated to be forced to use my time off, on Monday I was thanking God to have the opportunity to be exploring new, beautiful water in addition to catching fish!

Top fish of the day & the overall beauty contest winner:  a 14" brown holding next to a small brush pile & feeding on the surface.  It still took a Guelk nymph well-drifted through his hidey hole.  The heavily-spotted beautiful fish also put on a good fight. 

ETC.

*I practice catch and release on our streams, but during this 3-day weekend I made a single exception.  In fact, I hope to eat him tonight!  Its appearance surprised me and it was about 10’ from the water’s edge, hiding under last year’s brush.  I landed it quickly but there was no fight to be had.  It was tucked in a bag in the front pocket of my waders for the trek back to the suv.  Last night when I got home I took it out of the cooler and put it with the other morels in my refrigerator.  In two weeks I hope to return with friends to the NE Iowa area for camping and fishing.  I’ll let you know if we’re lucky enough to cook morels over the campfire.