Category: 2019, May Driftless Area

Heading home. Poured like hell this morning. Streams will be muddy for a day or two.

Where I was camped is pretty much four hours straight west of my home. Where I store my trailer is 30 minutes straight north of my home. I am blindly following google directions to my storage facility. It just took me through the small town of Lodi Wisconsin where I went to high school for 2 weeks after which I went to high school in Madison Wisconsin for about 6 months, and then on to another high school. Several years later I lived in Lodi on my own for the summer of 1976. I enlisted in the Navy at the end of that summer and got the hell out of here.

This is the Del Monte canning plant where I was working when I enlisted in the Navy. It’s in Arlington WI just east of Lodi. A bittersweet ride home today.

My job was to sit on a forklift outside of the door behind the red truck, wait for palettes of canned vegetables, and load them on trucks. That’s all I was to do. I sat on that forklift and read Shogun in a few days.

Another perfectly clear day which is not great for these small waters so I’m taking a scenic drive south along the Mississippi River from Lacrosse to Prairie du Chien, then follow the Wisconsin River northeast to Boscobel, and then straight north to my camp for some afternoon and evening fishing. Seems to be some substantial flooding here along the Mississippi.

An older couple, not older than me, parked their trailer, just like mine, next to me yesterday afternoon. Very nice guy. He is from Eau Claire. His Trout Unlimited chapter is having an outing here this weekend. He invited me to their get together for hamburgers etc.. I might be headed home by then.

Didn’t fish today. Took a drive on Hwy 35 which follows the Mississippi River. I went from just south of Lacrosse to Prairie du Chein and then west following the Wisconsin River. 35 is a narrow road without places to pull over for photos.Going to try to find a bar for Buck’s playoff game

Perfect day, too perfect, barely a cloud in the sky which isn’t great for these small waters. Just going to relax, maybe explore, and go fishing starting late afternoon. I was fishing from maybe 11 to 1 but no activity, but it sure was pleasant.

There is a ski jump. At the bottom is a small golf course and restaurant.

I’m a little concerned about these people in the burkas.

Heading a short distance to Viroqua to check out a fly shop to see what I can find out about access points to streams and what flies might work. Considered a guide for a half day but too expensive. Getting information from people I don’t know is not one of my skills. I guess I’ll have to buy $50 worth of flies. Worth it. I’ll be here all week.

I have no phone reception at my campground so cannot communicate at night.Camp site at Esofia County Park. Only one here.

This stream runs through my campground. Saw a half dozen 10″ to 12″ trout.

Stopped at a fly shop called The Driftless Angler. Sure enough, $30 in flies and a great new edition book of all public access to improved areas of rivers and streams in Wisconsin. Trout Unlimited and the state do a great deal of work improving trout habitat. Great book. He marked an area map for me of places to try. Well worth the $67.

The following three photos are of the Timber Coulee. A beautiful stream meandering through a valley. Caught 8 to 10 brown trout between 8 to 12 inches. Hard fighters. The water is ice cold, all from springs. You have to step over springs as you walk along the stream, not many though. Wasn’t having luck with flies from local shop so I put on an old standard, a Bead Head Gold Ribbed Hares Ear that I tied and caught fish.Small stream, lots of fish.

Tomorrow I’ll be heading to the Driftless Area which is mostly in southwestern Wisconsin. I’ll be camped at Esofea County Park Campground in Vernon County for 6 nights. Crappy weather tomorrow but improving Monday, Tuesday, and in the 70s Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. It’s a three and a half hour drive.

The 2019 spring edition of Trout magazine from Trout Unlimited contains an article about some of the best rivers in the country.  I was surprised to see a river in southwest Wisconsin in the same article as some famous rivers.