Spring Steelhead – Milwaukee River, WI

Decided the revisit my days of spring Steelhead fishing in the Milwaukee Area. Now most people think that fishing in a city can be bad or worse but a ten year hiatus from reading fast water and throwing spawn was too much.

I decided to give the lakefront a break and head to the University of Wisconsin- Milwaukee park and ride lot for some park your car and walk down the hill trout fishing. After checking the river level and rapids I decided the get to work. Now let me remind you that I haven’t done this since I bought my boat in 94 and discovered walleye on the Rock River but given the conditions I was loving it.

The sky was over cast and it was windy 29 degrees but I was able to tuck behind the bends and stay out of the wind. With a light dusting of snow on the ground, mallards, and canada geese on the water, and the sound of rushing rapid, made me forget where I was. Oh yeah, I was in the smack dab in the city.

So as the ice continued to form on my spinning rod guides I casted. Not the perfect cast as I got tangled in the rod ice. I look done at my cork. Which disappeared. (typical Derek fishing). Not paying attention = fish on. Hooked up with a beautiful ~ 4 pound male steelie in spawning colors. Beautiful fish but he got off, which was OK.

After loosing a few more spawn sacks to fish and rocks decided to head to another set of rapids upstream. Parked the car and walked 100 yards to another beautiful scene of clear water flowing over a old quarry wall. Had a couple of hits then tied into another beautiful male in spawning colors. Lost it in the fast water but again that was OK.

Saw only a couple of people the entire day . Decided that I am going to head out there a couple more times with the waders (and bring the camera).

If you live in the Milwaukee area and have not tried stream steelie fishing you are missing out. Reading water and hooking up to fish that you feel should be there is a rush. Not to mention it was only a 20 minute drive for me.

Sorry no pictures to post but have made a few memorable moments for me to keep in my head.

Thanks Grandpa for teaching me how to fish (still gonna miss ya ), Thanks Dad for encouraging me to fish, and Thank God for giving me both.

Derek

Derek,
Sounds like a good time. I remember learning to fish trout stream in S.MN whe I was a youngster, and getting to fish streams in Montana, Wyoming, Washington, B.C. and Alaska. I went about 9 – 10 years and never touched a rod and reel while I was in school and then met my wife and found out her family fished in NE Iowa. Well it all comes back to ya in a hurry. Certinaly is fun getting back to things you thought you forgot. Thanks for sharing

dave

Sounds like fun, Derek…something I haven’t tried yet. Why don’t you try to talk me into it sometime?? I, too, have had Rock on the brain, but a diversion like that sounds good.