Does anyone on here ever do this. I have a friend who is interested in trying this out and thought it sounded like good time. I know nothing about the streams and whether or not the fishing is very good, but can any one point me in the right direction (places to try, general information).
Not looking for secret spots just some friendly help to start out with.
Thanks in advance.
Try the MN DNR web site.
Look under trout fishing. they have maps and other info on southeast and north shore fishing streams. lots of info.
If you go to the state book store in St. Paul you can get a map book of the southeast streams for free . 
I think they have one for the north shore? but not sure.
I used to fish it a lot before I grew up and bought a truck and boat and got married. Gas also used to be cheap by today’s standards.
Anyway, first step would be to get ahold of the designated stream trout map from the DNR. This is very helpful for showing roads that lead to access points. Once you start to wade a stream; most of the private land is open to the public. It’s not uncommon to wade through a cow pasture. You will also see stairs that cross over barbwire fences that separate pastures for fisherman to use. Also beware of snakes in the tall grass along the banks or exposed rocks, yuck.
I used to fish the Whitewater (all braches) and some smaller streams in the area as well as the Root River which is larger. Small Rapala’s, spinners, and hook with worm were my go to on ultralite. The water runs cold and clear most of the time. Fish the lures the same way as you read on IDO about ringworms and seams on the Mississippi. This is just a scaled down version of the big river. We would catch browns, rainbow and a few brooks. Rainbows taste the best and browns aren’t very good.
Good luck and feel free to ask questions.
Check the regs on the stream your on.
some are artificial only or barb-less.
I have not fished down there in about 4 years. but try some of the smaller stream that connect to the main trout streams. a lot of them never get fished.
I live in Caledonia SE Mn & we have the best trout fishing in the state.If u come this way I would be more than happy to send u in the right direction. We have a state park & 2 other streams with in 5 miles of town.
I have not done it for a few years but I am planning on taking my father down there this year.
There is more streams than you can fish in 5 years.
The Mn DNR web site is a great place to start: Mn DNR Trout Info
After you read that come back and ask what lures to use and we will get you that information also.
Ron
Another great area to read and learn is right here on IDO.
Check out the Mn Trout Stream Forum . Just make sure that you change the date selection on the bottom to all.
Ron
You have a 
PM
Try looking up Ben Witham on the site. He’s my brother and does a fair bit of trout fishing and steelheading as well. he’s been out a few times and if you PM him, i’m sure he’ll respond.
Be aware and for-warned on tresspassing.
You can travel any waterway, by means of water travel, as long as there is a public access or state owned property adjoined to that water.
However, as soon as you step out of the water, unto land, that is not state owned, you are tresspassing. Nobody can stake claim to land under waterways. However, any soil/land not in the actual water/H20 legally becomes the private property of the landowner, during high water or low water.
For the most part, farmers/land owners do not care if you fish these creeks or not. However the common courtesy of asking permission will go a long ways and save you a lot of foot travel.
Also, it does help knowing if there is a bull in the pasture with the cows. 
Sometimes, people can be a bit rude about this and it can make for a humorous day watching them run like hell to get away from the raging bull! 
Speaking of Bulls, here’s one of my favorite photos. I don’t remember where it came from, so if it’s yours… Thanks!
Like I said, 99.9% of the farmers don’t care if you are fishing on their land for trout in the creek.
They just want to know who is on their land.
I have been fishing the “opener” for most of the last 10 years in the Caledonia area. We stay on Beaver Creek, so we usually fish that or some other streams I can’t think of. I know they had a bunch of flooding last year, but I talked to the land owner a few weeks ago and he said the stream looks very “healthy.” 
Its usually more of a weekend for me, but I usually stumble upon a few good pools and catch a dozen or so every day. I love it down in that area. Sitting on the bank in my camo, I’ve had turkeys and deer pass within a few yards of me. The Sportman’s Connection atlas details that area and the trout stream’s very well.
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Speaking of Bulls, here’s one of my favorite photos. I don’t remember where it came from, so if it’s yours… Thanks!
That is on Hay Creek. I have spent many hours down in that area.
Do these streams receive alot of pressure? Some of the streams in western WI get pounded regularly and some less fished water would be something I would be interested in. Crazy thing is most of the people fishing the western WI streams are from MN and it sounds like there is some good fishing to be had there. Sometimes you don’t realize that what’s out your back door is just as good as driving a couple hrs. I’ve found that out first hand.
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Crazy thing is most of the people fishing the western WI streams are from MN and it sounds like there is some good fishing to be had there. Sometimes you don’t realize that what’s out your back door is just as good as driving a couple hrs. I’ve found that out first hand.
They do it for the same reason people staying at a resort on a lake drive to the other side of the lake to fish, and the people on that side, go over to their side. 
The grass is always greener on the other side 
The info suggested here has been right on target for you to get started fishing the trout streams of SE MN. They are truly a great resource and can be a lot of fun.
I am very curious to see how the streams and fish rebound from the devastating August floods. I live in Rushford and watched as they launched boats on Rush Creek 1/2 mile from it’s banks. There is a lot of work being done on the stream in my area and from the walk I took last night the stream looks good but time will tell about the fish.
There is a winter season on many of the area stream that ends Monday and an early C & R season that runs from April 1 – 15. Check the regs to know what streams can be fished and barbless hook and C & R details.
Be warned, there will most likely be a ton of debris around and possibly in the streams in this area.
Good luck.
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