I recently had an opportunity to check out Willow Creek located by the town of Kimball in Wright county Minnesota. You will find this creek on map #20, page 46 in the 2011 issue of “Trout Angling Opportunities in Southern and Central Minnesota” map book that can be obtained from the Minnesota DNR.
For the most part I would classify Willow Creek as Jungle fishing at its best. I use the word “best” mainly because of the beautiful little path and foot-bridges that criss-crosses this small stream for most of the length of its public land. In spite of this nice trail there was little to no sign of any fishing pressure.
The water was cool with a tannic color. Willow creek is very small , a two stepper, and it is congested with a lot of brush and tree roots, add to this , banks of thick grass, a canopy of heavy trees, and more brush, and casting of any kind becomes an exercise in futility. I had my spin-tackle, and a cast of more than a couple of yards was nearly impossible.
On a few occasions a few fish chased my spinner and I did have a couple of hits, so there are trout holding in the pools. All of the trout I saw were small, the largest of these would not have gone over 12”. Because of the conditions, few of my retrieves went more than a couple of feet to just a few inches before I was either hung up or to the tip of my rod, so I landed no fish.
We saw a lot of beautiful bird life along Willow along with more frogs than I’ve seen since my childhood. Unlike the spotted frogs around here, these frogs were a solid leaf-green in color. The path leading to the stream was bordered with a heavy concentration of Blackberries. I could have picked a bucket full of these.
If you are going to visit Willow Creek, pack a good supply of insect repellent. Within a few minutes after arriving at the stream we were covered with mosquitoes and biting flies. The insects were so thick that they drove us back to our car.
Because of the heavy over growth, fishing Willow is best performed in a dab and dunk style with limited casting. While cutting away the trees and brush would make it easier for the more popular methods of angling , jungle fishing streams such as Willow is not so much a problem as it is an opportunity for anglers to experience and create methods that will increase their skill at, and enjoyment of the sport we call fishing.
Spindoctor
