First time on the Rush. What an absolutely beautiful place to fish. Wasn’t as dirty as I expected and the fish bit well early in the morning. Had a blast and I am feeling myself getting close to the edge of the fly fishing slope……
FYI… There is a USGS survey station on the Kinni out of River Falls. The Kinni takes a little longer to recover after high water events than the Rush so that can be a good indicator of the water levels in the area.
https://waterdata.usgs.gov/wi/nwis/current/?type=flow
Did you see much for Brook Trout? The section you were fishing is more mid river on the Rush. There are generally more brookies further upstream but there was a significant trout die off in 2014-2015. The browns have recovered but the brookies have been a fraction of what they were pre 2014 (and that’s across the entire area). Also, I didn’t see any on the video but some of the bigger browns on the Rush get a noticeable red color to them. They can be an attractive fish to look at.
Fly fishing is definitely a different game than spin fishing and fly fishing for trout occupies its own branch on the fishing tree. Different learning curve. Different challenges. Different rewards. I like it because it changes the perspective and adds some variety during the fishing season.
FYI… There is a USGS survey station on the Kinni out of River Falls. The Kinni takes a little longer to recover after high water events than the Rush so that can be a good indicator of the water levels in the area.
https://waterdata.usgs.gov/wi/nwis/current/?type=flowDid you see much for Brook Trout? The section you were fishing is more mid river on the Rush. There are generally more brookies further upstream but there was a significant trout die off in 2014-2015. The browns have recovered but the brookies have been a fraction of what they were pre 2014 (and that’s across the entire area). Also, I didn’t see any on the video but some of the bigger browns on the Rush get a noticeable red color to them. They can be an attractive fish to look at.
Fly fishing is definitely a different game than spin fishing and fly fishing for trout occupies its own branch on the fishing tree. Different learning curve. Different challenges. Different rewards. I like it because it changes the perspective and adds some variety during the fishing season.
Thanks Tegg. We did not see any brookies. I have a couple buddies, one who went with me on this trip, that fly fish both the Rush and Kinni frequently. One said the brookies have been in the feeder streams more than the main rivers the last couple years and he thinks the browns push them up in there.
I am going to give fly fishing a shot this year as well. For some reason it just doesn’t seem as fun to me as catching them on a regular rod a reel, but I’m hoping actually doing it will change my mind. Although my wallet disagrees with me!
I am going to give fly fishing a shot this year as well. For some reason it just doesn’t seem as fun to me as catching them on a regular rod a reel, but I’m hoping actually doing it will change my mind. Although my wallet disagrees with me!
I just got my first fly road and am kind of winging it and looking for streams. FWIW I was surprised how affordably you can get set up with a kind of “starter’s kit”. I was really skeptical of this kind of approach but was assured by plenty of folks who got into the sport that way and kept the same setup for 5+ years before upgrading. Fighting fish on a fly rod is great
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>mahtofire14 wrote:</div>
I am going to give fly fishing a shot this year as well. For some reason it just doesn’t seem as fun to me as catching them on a regular rod a reel, but I’m hoping actually doing it will change my mind. Although my wallet disagrees with me!I just got my first fly road and am kind of winging it and looking for streams. FWIW I was surprised how affordably you can get set up with a kind of “starter’s kit”. I was really skeptical of this kind of approach but was assured by plenty of folks who got into the sport that way and kept the same setup for 5+ years before upgrading. Fighting fish on a fly rod is great
Nice Steve! I was a little wary about going that route. Let me know how you like yours will you? I would try the Rush for numbers. Only about 45 minutes away where we were fishing. Pretty wide in parts with room for casting as well, which is most likely what I’ll be looking for when I do start fly fishing. HA
Pretty wide in parts with room for casting as well, which is most likely what I’ll be looking for when I do start fly fishing.
But then you’ll be walking the river and see the little honey hole eddie under the overhanging willow. Those are the most fun, aggravating and rewarding fish to catch, not to mention the potential for the big ones since many will walk past looking for the easy long pools to cast.
It’s been a number of years since I’ve done that which is sad as close as I am. I found I didn’t care to go on the weekends, weekdays provided a much more relaxing atmosphere without the crowds which for me is a great part of the attraction. I cut my teeth fly fishing in the Bob Marshall Wilderness where there were no people within miles.
Read or listen (if you do Audible) to the book “A River Runs Though It” and that will inspire your inner fly fisherman. The movie is good but the book is one of the best I’ve read.
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>mahtofire14 wrote:</div>
Pretty wide in parts with room for casting as well, which is most likely what I’ll be looking for when I do start fly fishing.But then you’ll be walking the river and see the little honey hole eddie under the overhanging willow. Those are the most fun, aggravating and rewarding fish to catch, not to mention the potential for the big ones since many will walk past looking for the easy long pools to cast.
It’s been a number of years since I’ve done that which is sad as close as I am. I found I didn’t care to go on the weekends, weekdays provided a much more relaxing atmosphere without the crowds which for me is a great part of the attraction. I cut my teeth fly fishing in the Bob Marshall Wilderness where there were no people within miles.
Read or listen (if you do Audible) to the book “A River Runs Though It” and that will inspire your inner fly fisherman. The movie is good but the book is one of the best I’ve read.
I can imagine how frustrating that would be. I have a feeling the first day of just casting in the middle of the stream will test my patience. We’ll see how it goes.
If you’re interested in fast tracking your experience, I can recommend Gray Goat Fly Fishing Guide Service. Andy Roth, the owner, lives next to me and his life revolves around our local trout streams. He’s heavily into conservation and education of the sport.
It looks like he also employs other guides possibly who I know nothing about but knowing Andy, if he chose them they are reputable and top notch.
With Andy he’ll gladly offer up techniques and methods of fly fishing that may reduce frustrations and increase your frequency of the bent rod.
Andy is one of the finer human beings I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing. I’m blessed to have him as a neighbor.
Thanks for the info!
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>mahtofire14 wrote:</div>
I am going to give fly fishing a shot this year as well. For some reason it just doesn’t seem as fun to me as catching them on a regular rod a reel, but I’m hoping actually doing it will change my mind. Although my wallet disagrees with me!I just got my first fly road and am kind of winging it and looking for streams. FWIW I was surprised how affordably you can get set up with a kind of “starter’s kit”. I was really skeptical of this kind of approach but was assured by plenty of folks who got into the sport that way and kept the same setup for 5+ years before upgrading. Fighting fish on a fly rod is great
Hey Steve — Care to share what route you went with the “starter’s kit?” I’ve been ignoring the itch for a while, really want to give the fly rod try.
The kit is a Redington. I believe it’s this one and I got it at Bob Mitchell’s. They don’t really cater to beginners at The Fly Angler (Thorne Bros) but I’ve since found them to be helpful there, too. The guys at Bob Mitchell’s were just super nice and adamant that there’s nothing wrong with going with a “starter’s kit” at first and the quality of rod/reel/line is perfectly fine for trout, panfish, and smaller bass. They’ll set it all up for you, too. Also, if you’re going to invest in any one of the rod/reel/line, make it the line (unless you’re targeting large fish – in which case the rod and reel matter more).
EDIT: I got the 5wt rather than the 4wt in the link, but whatever. 4wt would be fine for stream trout, too
My general stream rods are 5-wts but I do have a 3-wt for small water. I don’t think you could go wrong with a 5-wt to start and add rods if/when you get into things. The 5 is pretty versatile. Personally, I would give any kind of bass fishing its own consideration. I would jump weights and not try to lump in with a trout/panfish setup. 9′ is pretty much a standard but you could get by with a shorter rod from 8′ to 8-1/2′ as some of the stream fishing in this area can be in tighter quarters.
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