5-29-04 - Black Earth Creek has come down, but is still high.

My first look at Bohemian Valley Creek.

Downstream around the next bend on Bohemian. Nice little stream.

Back at it again to give Timber Coulee another shot.

I was all ready to give up when this guy hammered the Chicago Leech.

I went over to check out Rulland's Coulee...the water was CLEAR here!

Just another look at Rulland's Coulee.

Finally found my buddies (Tim and Brennon) over on Rullands.

Tim suggested upstream on Timber Coulee...man it's still mud!

Small water upstream on Timber Coulee.

It is pretty, but man tough to fish small water like this.

I bumped down to the confluence of Rulland's (lower left) and Timber Coulee (mid left...the lighter, muddy water).

Timber Coulee really has a number of different sections...this one is immediately below the confluence. Lost 2 in the fast water!

Finally got a typical dinker from Timber Coulee.

Look closely at the rocks; that should give you an idea of the clarity.

On to a new stream that B&T wanted to try...Brennon hooks up in no time!

Figure's my first is a dinker brown.

Brennon is at it again!

Aha, there's a nice brookie for MP!

I was up tying flies in the car when I heard Brennon shouting like a girl...this was the reason why.

WHO HO, this Chub INHALED the Chicago Leech!

I think I just landed the new state record for Chub!

More Brookies for MP on B&T's Secret Brook!

I brought some pretty nice brookies to hand.

Tim came down to get this picture...man I need a haircut ;)

More dink browns too!

Just another Brook Trout that hammered the Chicago Leech.

WHOA. It was post dusk when this moster brookie hammered the Chicago Leech at the tail of a pool. Brennon TAPED IT for me; 13" (although now he's saying 14"?)

Rounded out my day with yet another brookie.

I really wanted to be around when Tim landed a fish...finally got a picture of him with a catch!

Tim got the fire going while B cooked up some campfire dinner. A fun time was had by all!

5-29-04 - MP gives SW WI another shot.

Waters Fished: Black Earth Creek, Bohemian Valley Creek, Timber Coulee Creek, Rulland's Coulee Creek, B&T's Secret Brook.
Fish Caught: 12/20 personally
Outing Date: 5-29-04
Weather: Rain all morning, nice during the afternoon & evening.
Air Temp: up to the 70's
Water Temp: didn't bother to take them
Water Level: All streams were high
Water Color: All except for Rulland's were muddy; Timber was the worst.
Fish Species: Brown Trout & Brook Trout
Pattern Fished: Chicago Leech and Tucker Nymph
Pattern Color: per the patterns
Fishing Quality: as the day wore on it got better.

Saturday morning found me driving west...mostly IN THE RAIN, but I new the rain was COMING from the west. If I was lucky, I'd punch straight through it and come out on the other end.

While enjoying the rain, I stopped at Black Earth Creek. Thought I might even give it a few tosses, but it's high, stained, and my real distination was at least an hour and a half further. I was due to meet Tim & Brennon; this is Tim's last trip to SW WI before he moves to OHIO (and becomes one of ASM's posse). There was also talk that I'd meet up with Frank, but conditions suggested that he probably wasn't where he thought he'd be.

Well I couldn't get anyone on the cell phones....as I drove down out of the hills by Westby I found myself back at Timber Coulee Creek. My first glance did suggest it was muddy; Tim had told me that wind or muddy waters would put them into the feeder coulees, either Rullands or Bohemianum Valley.

I continued to drive along Timber Coulee; man I didn't remember it going on for that long. Certain stretches had TONS of people out in them...I mean there were groups of 4-6 people all standing in a clump....yeah, I guess it was Memorial Day.

Eventually found my turn off for Bohemian Valley Creek....I was pretty much ready to fish. While I was getting ready, John Kruguer returned my call (afterall, I almost forgot to let him know I was in his neck of the woods). If I was unable to find B & T I knew where he'd be fishin, just up the road a bit.

Time to put another stream on my "been-there done-that" list....spent about 45 minutes working a Chicago Leech and Tucker Nymph in Bohemian. Well, found a deep shady spot and had a nice hookup...almost had the brown in but again, fish off. I REALLY hate the barbless hooks....so many fish get off so close to landing them when they're already in that first "take a breath phase". Yeah, you know those propontents of barbless hooks who say they work every bit as well as a barbed hook, well they also happen to be the same folks who say you can release a fish just by putting your line slack LOL....sounds like a whole lotta spin to me. Yes, barbless is easier to unhook, yes it's better for C&R, and yes, sometimes it IS the law.

NO, it does not keep as many fish ON the hook.

I continued to work Bohemian until I had lost all 3 of my Chicago Leeches on branches and underwater debris. Back to the car, 0/1 on Bohemian. I ended up tying in the car so I had a few more leeches to work with.

On to Timber Coulee, muddy as heck, found a quiet public access pasture section and worked my way upstream. Undercuts, pools, you name it, I hit them. Never say squat of a trout until I turned around and simply drifted my line in the water as I walked along side it...was rewarded for my efforts with a fair Timber Coulee Brown that smacked the Chicago Leech in the FAST water.

Admittedly a short time spent on Timber, I was really looking for B 'n T. Well I had basically been up and down the Timber Coulee and didn't think they were very far up on Bohemian....Rullands Coulee was my next guess before I had to start thinking they were not in this area.

Well, 2nd spot on Rullands I found Tim's minivan so I parked and started fishing. It was now only a matter of time before we'd find each other. I went down as far as I could on Rullands..man it's structured like Spring Branch (IA) around the Hatchery; Deep, Rocky, Clear! However, not a single fish was to be seen!!!

I worked up and still, not a single fish seen. But apparently I had been seen, as B & T came down from upstream just to say high. This was great, I'd get to fish with Tim at least one more time before he's off to OH...doesn't mean I won't fish with him AGAIN, but it does mean that it probably won't be in WI.

After snacks, and some other general BS that guys so often do, Tim suggested going down to the confluence of Timber and Rullands. We started just upstream of Timber on Rullands and worked the holes but I'm telling you, I never saw a SINGLE FISH in this stream. Brennon said he thought he saw a couple in one hole. Many other folks have told me it's quite a good stream. HOWEVER, I think the fish must all just tuck away on a weekend or something.

Well Tim had some spots upstream on Timber he wanted to check out, B and T totally disappeared into the forest leaving me going...um...OK guys...I'll see you later...So I took a lot of pictures 'cause the area was really pretty but then turned my thoughts to downstream.

Now this is the point in the report where the text can't possibly keep up with the pictures...the day just started looking better for all of us. First, I went down to the actual confluence of Timber Coulee and Rullands Coulee. As mentioned prior, Timber was flowing like chocolate whereas Rullands was CLEAR.

Just below the confluence I got 2 hits on the Tucker, both off (barbless sucks). I continued to plunk pools and runs until I made it back to the limestone wall...slow water with lots of overhanging trees meant more challenging casting. A RISE was all it took for me to que in on where to put my fly....nailed that fish with the Tucker. It was of course one of the many dinks that run around Timber Coulee. So I'm up to 2/5 on Timber Coulee...better than the skunk my first time but definitely NOT sold on this being better than IOWA. 2/5 in Iowa they'd both likely be 12" stockers I could creel ;) I moved back up to find T & B coming down from the woods...Tim's secret honey hole had given up a 13" and 14" brown.

We all decided we should hit some new water; B & T had picked this one out and man, I don't know if they had read something somewhere or what, but they were DEAD ON. Enter B & T's Secret Brook.

Not sure what to say 'cause all the fishing was done within one little pool riffle pool riffle stretch of the stream, right downstream of our access point. B was the first to hook up and land a nice brookie. Before we knew it, he did it again. I was bouncing around and ended up nailing my first brookie at the tail of a large pool; it hammered the leech. A few casts later, I'm snagged on a log and out of leeches...back up to the car to tie sans vice again.

So I'm sitting in the car TYING when B starts shouting like I've never heard him shout before. I come running down and it turns out he has this nice Brown somewhere between 12-14"..it jumped twice in water the size of a bathtub and well, B couldn't be more thrilled, and I couldn't be happier to capture it on fill before he released it.

Tim is downstream just a bit, and he's shouting up "Get down here, my first 3 casts I got 3 brookies!". Well I had a bit more tying to do, but eventually made it down there to bat cleanup for the B 'n T team.

Cleanup I did...first with the most outrageous CHUB I've ever landed. I had cast upstream, the leech hit the water, there was a hard hit and I totally thought I had another trout until I got the fish within visual range. Gorgeous little fish all flushed with red spawning coloration...man let me tell you that fish TOTALLY INHALED a #6 leech. What's the state record on Creek Chub anyway????

Oh what I didn't mention is that periodically throughout the evening the Tucker would work too...4 dink browns came to hand, ALL having nailed the Tucker. Meanwhile, with the water clarity being less than ideal, the leech was more productive for larger fish.

So I ended my day like this...5 more brookies (6 total) and 4 browns to go 10/15 on this new stream. I brookie took the Tucker but the other 5 hit the leach.

I remember towards dusk, sitting on the pool where I caught my first brookie, and with the same twitch retreive I hammered another one, probably the biggest brookie of my life. It was dark, Brennon TAPED it at 13" but now HE is saying 14"? Whatever, it was a big female brookie and there are likely more.

Everyone got fish here, no one got the skunk, and the water clarity was poor. Tim and B had two more days of fishin' ahead of them...I gotta say I think their first turned out quite alright! Will be missin' ya Tim, but I'll be out to PA in Nov...TWICE ;) Won't be long.

  MP