Well needed rain pounded SE MN this early morning! Unfortunately, it will be a few days before most streams return to “normal”. LAst year, fishing picked up drastically soon after the decline of new waters! Be ready for that first sign of clearing! I know I will!
Jim W
Hi Jim.I wondered how much rain you got down there.I live near Welch and had 5 inches in the rain gauge this morning.Fished a couple of small local creeks pre-rain yesterday and they were running very clear.I’m sure they’re not right now.Mike
Not exactly sure, I haven’t put up a ran gauge at my house, but soon will. I heard reports of 2.5 inches in Rochester, but I am fairly positive we received more than that! Cats and dogs!!!
Jim
Jim, we were deluged with about 5 inches of rain Monday night. (SW Wisconsin) Most of the creeks are running well out of their banks. This area is primarily agricultural so I’m hoping all those farm chemicals on the fields won’t kill off our fish. Does the Root River suffer when flooding is that intense?
The NWS in Rochester is officially reporting 3.6 inches of rain over Monday and Tuesday. Everyone I have talked to that has a rain gage is reporting 4 to 5 inches around town. It’s going to be a while before the larger streams like the root and zumbro are fishable.
I guess this means I will have to fish for trout instead of smallies this week. That’s not a bad choice to make.
Birdman,
I’m glad you bring that up. In the past couple seasons I have noticed (what I hope isn’t the case) the Root river taking longer and longer to clear after heavy rains or high(new) water!
Speaking with a landowner last season, she made a comment how before the induction of CRP, she could literally smell the river with all of the various chemicals etc. However, things began to improve and I noticed it running clearer and at a lower average temperature, in turn, I witnessed more trout and other species.
However, the last couple seasons, it appears it is running “backwards” so to speak, returning to the characteristics of the “old” river. I need to watch her this year closely.
As far as fish getting snuffed out? I don’t think I can ever recall too many fish floating or on the bank, at least where I trod! LET’S HOPE NOT!!!! I could go on and on!!!
Jim W
Hey Jim from what i have seen earlier this week we got about 5 inches or little less in Ostrander, MN it is near Spring Valley Minnesota and man are the rivers runing thick right now.
Waters have receded at a much faster rate than previously expected!
MOst if not all smaller streams should be easily fishable by the weekend.
A few of the larger streams, might be out a couple to a few days!
Check them out, cause they have dropped pretty fast in the last 24 hours!
Let us know how you do!!!
Keep the rods bendin’!!!!
Jim W
The Root in Preston looks not too bad right now! I would say that by Sat. morning it will be at least fishable. It has gone down quite a bit since wed. It still has some color to it but clearing fast.
I was able to get out trout fishing for a couple of hours wednesday night, and all the trout streams I saw in winona county were clear to almost clear. There was a great hatch going on. I saw caddis and some small mayflies. I don’t think they were light hendricksons but I’m new to fly fishing so I’m not really sure about that. I couldn’t seem to match the hatch, don’t know if I didn’t have the right size/color/pattern so I spent most of the time fishing nymphs. It wasn’t real fast action for me, but it was steady.
Unfortunately the current forecast says possibly heavy rain for late this afternoon and evening. lets hope its just a light rain and the streams don’t get worse again. It seems like the rivers were too dirty to fish for smallmouth the whole month of June last year.
ONce again I find myself trying to come up with a new game plan for the weekend!
In response to last evenings rains, I was looking at chocolate waters on my way into town!
This came at a bad time! One of my favorite stretches, was going to yield a trophy to me
tonight, reaching that perrrfect consistency. However, God must have other plans for this guy?!
Just when my beloved wife gives me a bonus day to fish this weekend, being Father’s Day and all!
Enough whining, time to strategize for other waters since more new waters have arrived!!!!
Keep the rods bendin’!!!
Jim W
Geeez, I guess I will respond to myself eh? ANy body find fishable waters?
If things remain constant it’s lookin’ good for some smallmouth wadin’ extraordinare!!!
Gettin’ stoked!!!
WHose with me? Or has everyone abandoned the stream/ small river stuff?
Keep the rods bendin’!!!
Jim W
Hi Jim.Yeah,I was wodering the same thing.I guess all the rain is keeping folks out of the streams.I was out Monday on Pine creek(goodhue county)Conditions were ideal but,my son and I only caught 5 small browns.This stream seems to have gone downhill since the DNR started advertising it in their S.E.Minnesota trout streams booklet,a couple of years ago.I used to catch some decent fish in there before that.At least thats the excuse I console myself with,given the ongoing hex that seems to have possessed me…I’m having a bad year.I too am trying to come up with a weekend game plan.Good luck,Mike
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