Exploring Upper Midwest Spring Creeks
I find Baetis nymphs in my stomach-pump samplings of winter-caught trout. Hatching Baetis duns are common in February, and I use Pheasant-tail Nymphs and #18 parachute adult imitations to match them. A particularly valuable dun/emerger pattern is the Fuzzball, because it can be used both as a buoyant and highly visible indicator dry fly (that will support a small nymph or pupa) or as a single fly.
In streams with stonefly populations, dark stonefly nymphs in #10 to #20 are important. Dry-fly fishing with an adult pattern, or even a black caddis imitation, is great fun on a winter afternoon when trout are not particularly selective about patterns.
Spring. March and April are especially good times to explore because you can avoid the heavy snow of winter and the vegetation of summer. In spring the minimal aquatic weed growth enables you to see the streambed and fish without catching weeds, but by August the lush aquatic vegetation has narrowed and deeply channeled the streams. Also, in March and April the snow has flattened bankside vegetation, making walking and backcasts much easier.
Trout-feeding activity increases with the coming of spring and its insect hatches. Baetis and midge hatches continue and the black stoneflies persist. Brachycentrus caddis, (also known as Grannom), begin hatching around the second week of April, continue heavily for about two weeks, and offer the best surface fishing of the year. These insects, like Baetis and midges, hatch on all Driftless Area streams. When Brachycentrus are hatching, trout take the larvae early in the day then switch to ascending pupae in mid to late morning. Trout rise aggressively to the adult caddis, which are usually on the water before noon. You can make a reasonable estimate of a stream’s trout population when the fish are up and feeding on caddis.
I tie my larval patterns on weighted, #14 scud hooks with an olive abdomen ribbed with copper wire and a head of any spiky, black dubbing. For the adult, I use a #16-#18 dry-fly hook with a thinly dubbed charcoal Antron (or muskrat fur) abdomen and thorax, black hackle, and a charcoal colored wing of swiss straw, deer hair, or poly yarn.
Sulphurs aren’t as common as Baetis or Brachycentrus. Some streams have excellent populations of Sulphurs, while others have only sparse hatches. Sulphurs begin hatching in mid-May and last through June. The three main species range from #14 through #18. Hendricksons also hatch sporadically on some streams in the spring.
A much more widespread and long-lasting hatch found on all streams is the Yellow Crane Fly, which begins hatching in late May and continues through the summer. Trout seem to be especially fond of these insects, which flutter over the water in the evening. Not many bugs need to be on the water to start trout feeding. A #16 Yellow Crane Fly imitation skittered over the surface in the vicinity of rising fish works well.
The Brown Hackle Peacock (BHP) Beetle is an excellent choice as an early-season searching pattern. The BHP Beetle suggests a beetle or stonefly and lands on the water with an insect-like plop. Trout willingly rise to this fly, or at least take a look. Start with the beetle about mid or late morning; use a 5X tippet, and stay with it.
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