Wisconsin fly fishing has a secret, and it’s called the Driftless Area. While the rest of the country argues about pressure on famous tailwaters and deplores the crowds on well-known western rivers, a collection of Wisconsin fly fishers has been quietly fishing some of the finest wild brown trout spring creeks in North America — and actively not telling anyone. The Driftless region of southwestern Wisconsin escaped glaciation during the last ice age, leaving behind a rugged, spring-fed landscape of limestone valleys, cold clear streams, and wild brown trout that are as technical and demanding as anything you’ll find in Pennsylvania’s limestone spring creeks or Montana’s spring creeks. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
Wisconsin spring creek fly fishing in the Driftless is defined by clear water, selective fish, and the kind of technical presentation challenges that separate anglers from fly casters. The Timber Coulee, Coon Creek, Bohemian Valley Creek, and dozens of unnamed and unnamed tributaries all hold wild brown trout in surprisingly dense populations. These fish see pressure from locals who know exactly what they’re doing, which means they’ve developed the appropriate level of suspicion toward anything that doesn’t look exactly right. Fish longer leaders, smaller flies, and approach low. The Driftless browns will teach you something.
Beyond the Driftless, Wisconsin fly fishing extends into the northern lake country where muskellunge, northern pike, and largemouth bass give fly fishers an opportunity to throw large articulated patterns at legitimate apex predators. Muskie fly fishing in northern Wisconsin — on chains like the Chippewa Flowage — is the same brand of obsessive, patience-testing, reward-that-exceeds-description fishing as anywhere in the Great Lakes region. These fish are not easy. That’s the point.
The Brule River in northern Wisconsin — properly the Bois Brule — is a blue-ribbon trout and steelhead stream with a history of notable anglers that includes five U.S. Presidents. Wild brook trout in the upper reaches. Brown trout and steelhead in the middle and lower river. It is not overhyped. It earns every bit of its reputation.
Wisconsin fly fishing deserves more credit than it gets. Show up prepared to be surprised.
Target Species: Wild Brown Trout, Brook Trout, Steelhead, Muskellunge, Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike Best Seasons: April–June (spring creeks) | October–November (steelhead) | Summer (muskie/smallmouth) Notable Waters: Driftless Area spring creeks, Brule River, Chippewa Flowage, Wolf River, Namekagon River
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