Driftless Region, Wisconsin 5/17-5/22

[boss_steb]

Hello All:

If anyone is looking for a new adventure on a budget, I highly recommend fishing the Driftless Region in Wisconsin. If you haven't seen "heart of the Driftless" video yet...watch it...I was so hooked I drove out for 5 days of fishing. It was amazing. within 5-10 miles of our cabin there must have been 15 miles of Spring Creeks with varying degrees of difficulty. 90% wild trout....

We fished open pastures to very tight brushy 2 foot wide creeks.
There is a ton of water and if you just walk a little bit you won't find many anglers. The state has leased easements on hundreds of miles of spring creeks and posted fence crossings to make it easier access.

Food was cheap, about 6-8 dollars a night for supper and beers were $2.50 for domestic...micro brews...$3.00 - 3.50. Super nice people and places to stay that are relatively cheap. We fished:
West Fork of the Kickapoo, momon coulee, spring coulee, timber coulee, Rulands Coulee, and bohemian valley.

Did learn one thing...Angus with Calves can be a real handful....

If anyone wants more information or may be interested in a road trip next May (3rd week), please PM me...

Biggest cost was tolls on the damn interstates....

Awesome fishing, cheap beer, willing fish, great people...need I say more!

Boss

 

[albud1962]

How long was the drive?

 

[CLSports]

Very cool Boss. A few of my friends and I are considering a trip out that way next year. We may hit you up for some detailed info.

 

[raftman]

Awesome man. Thanks for the input. Where and what type of cabin did you rent?
I was in Wisconsin once and was struck by its beauty.

 

[RLeep2]

I just moved back to PA after 15 years of fishing the Wisconsin (and Iowa) Driftless regions between 500-800 hours per year. Just a few things that anyone considering the trip out may want to bear in mind:

1) The drive from PA to fishable water in WI can take from 12 to 17 hours (this is from State College, PA to Viroqua, WI. If you're in Philly or Stroudsburg, it'll take a little longer). The main wild card is how you hit the Chicago traffic, which there is really no way around and no real way of knowing when it will be easy and when it will be miserable.

2) If you go, try to set it up so your last day of fishing is on or before 6/15 or your first day is on or after 9/1 (the season closes statewide on 9/30). Between 6/15 and the end of August is brain broil time and it gets hot and downright uncomfortable on the stream. While water temperatures generally hold up pretty good even in the heat, the lack of shade makes the fish goofy and listless and can confine the good periods to early and late. You don't want to drive 750 miles just to be able to fish four hours a day. Most of the fishing is in relatively open meadow settings and shade is kinda scarce. Just be aware of that. Bring big floppy hats and lots of bug dope. The mosquitos aren't much, but the gnats can really be something.

3) The area is loaded with indep motels in the $50-75 range (for a double), but if you are a camper, you can save a pile of money on a place to stay. Most of the smaller towns in the WI Driftless have municipal parks where you are welcome to pitch a tent (usually about $10 a night) or park a small camper and get a hookup (usually in the $18-20 a night range). Among the towns with this sort of set-up are Viroqua, Soldiers Grove, Boscobel, Readstown, Viola, all in the heart of the best of the fishing. And I'm certain that there are a lot more. It seems to be a thing they do out there. All these towns have populations between 500 and 1500 people, so it isn't like camping at the municipal park means there is a lot of noise. It gets pretty quiet after dark.

4) The streams the thread parent fished are good streams, but they are also the "name" streams and most intensely pressured of the Driftless fishery. There are at least 200 others (in Wisconsin alone and many, many more in both the Iowa and Minnesota Driftless) of the same or better quality with significantly less pressure. Do some homework here: http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/fishing/ and search on "Wisconsin Trout Stream Master", "Class 1 Trout Streams" "Maps of Fishing Easements" and find some places of your own.

It really is something...