Brian Vander Maazen

Minnesota

• River Fishing in St. Croix River, MN

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Brian Vander Maazen

River Fishing in St. Croix River, MN

Minnesota

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Fishing was slow until the water heated up this morning. We had very few rising trout until around 1030 AM. At that time - it went off! We had smaller sized BWO mayflies (18s) coming off. The fish were picky on most of our attempts with mayfly patterns. A lot of fish turning heads at the last second. Water temps came up fast with 52 degrees early AM and mid morning hitting 56 degrees. I think that was the trigger for the Caddis eruption that took place around 1030. After taking turns at a few larger fish - one finaly ate a caddis pattern I had just switched too. Step and repeated a few times with myself and my client - We looked at each other - Do we have the ticket? Often on the rambling streams just as we thought it was going to work all day, the hatch was over as quick as it started. We covered 2 miles of stream today on a 6 hour trip. Of that 2 miles only a small portion had a true feeding frenzy. Some nice trout were netted between 1030 and 12 pm today. And some smaller ones too. Without question we had some bigger fish contacts today! Guide Tips and Thoughts: On today's trip there were few factors that lead to our success. #1 Be looking for aquatic invertebrates ALL THE TIME(bugs, ya know? The stuff the trout eat). You can go to a fly shop, ask around, pimp a guy for intell, but the tride and true way to know what is going on in your fishery is to look in the water. Pick a rock up and look for these nymphs and larve. Keep notes and learn more about the life cylces. That is why I knew this location was going to have SOMETHING happening today. #2 Get uncomfortable with your fly selection. Sometimes fish will key into small details. Trying a few flies and styles will impact your chances of "matching the hatch" as some say. #3 Down size. I know, getting the cheater glasses out sucks. I now have to deal with these things too, urg. Taking the time to tie on size 6x tippet and size 18 and 20 flies may be all it takes to put a monster trout in your net. One quick public service announcement - Wisconsins Early Catch and Release season is ending this upcoming weekend. There will be a TON of folks getting after these fish starting May 6th. All I ask is that you treat other anglers as you wish you would be treated by other anglers. We all have a right to be on these beautiful streams. Those rights come with privlidges and responsiblities. PICK UP AFTER YOURSELF!!! Be respectful of those folks who may see trout differently than you do. We all have to share these resourses and the DNR would not allow a harvest if it was not approprate for the watershed. Get out there and find some new water. Seeking the Untamed - Chasing all Wild Brian Maze

Gear & Tackle Used:

Size 20 & Size 18 BWO Patterns Caddis Patterns 8.5' 4wt