Tenkara rod fly fishing for Driftless trout
TRIP REPORT
My 13-ft rod was rigged as per usual - just short of a rod length of #4 line, 4-5 ft of 5X tippet, and a #12 Pass Lake. I planned on targeting the surface, even though I've had killer days nymphing this creek. The weather is warm and to me that means wet fly manipulations for surface action!
Shawn fished a small hopper/small nymph dropper and CLEANED UP. His deliberate, thorough drifts produced a lot of catches - even in water Tyler and I had both already worked. Slow, steady, and clean catches fish!
Tyler switched between nymph and wet patterns, I stuck to wets, and we each broke north of 20 fish to hand that morning. Shawn buried us both - I would not be surprised if he brought closer to 40 fish to hand. Nothing too big, maybe topping out around 13 inches, but plenty in hand. That is a solid run for three anglers on a mile of small creek, and that was just the morning!
Fishing slowed considerably after lunch. We drove to another "go-to" stream, but as weather started to move in, things slowed. We still pulled down a few dozen catches between us, but success was much more sporadic than it was in the morning.
Pictures
TOP RIGHT: The camera is pointed straight out at eye-level...where you can see that the grass is already reaching the same height in some places. In another week it will all be that tall. What you can't see unless you expand the picture is THE GNATS. SO MANY GNATS this year. Like an Alfred Hitchcock movie. If you are hitting the water in the Driftless this summer, BRING YOUR BUGGINS!
MIDDLE LEFT: Bamboo growing along a sweet cut-bank.I liked the color gradient on the stalks.
MIDDLE RIGHT: The "TDB" = "Typical Driftless Brown".
LOWER LEFT: Excellent limestone cuts on the far bank.
LOWER RIGHT: Tyler brings a TDB up for air.
RODS
WRAP-UP
-Matt @ Badger