Southeast trout?

[so haaad]

I'm afraid to even think about the damage that the flash floods did to our trout streams and trout populations. I'm sure many trout were pushed downsteam or out of the banks entirely. I'm also guessing the aquatic plant and insect life really took a beating, either blown away or silted in. I know of a smaller stream over on the Wisconsin side that had major damage this spring due to similar (although much smaller) flash floods.

Does anyone have any comments or possibly an updated stream report?

[Abrams]

Any stream report would be great. I'm not looking to fish just get a feel for how bad it is. In my mind it's a total loss.

[WxGuy]

Southeast Minnesota Flooding

Some streams will not be fished this year, some have a new look, while others are in an entirely different location. Many fish were killed, but of course some will make it. If it makes any sense, the western portions of southeast Minnesota will be fishable yet this season (pending no more flooding), but portions of Winona, Fillmore, and Houston counties are absolutely hosed...as if a bomb went off.

[sodajerk]

I think there's a little overreaction happening as far as the stream conditions go. Granted this was a major flood event in places, but streams have been flooding to varying degrees since the beginning of time.

Nature doesn't deal out devastation with malice aforethought. Nature creates change, sometimes in what appears to us mere humans as spectacular or terrible fashion.

Some trout will be displaced or killed, but the species will survive. Hopefully the hatcheries will ramp up production a bit to compensate if the DNR finds that numbers are down severely on some streams.

This too shall pass, and we may find in a year or two (or three, or five) that the fish and the fishing on the affected streams are better off after nature's "pressure washer" did it's work.

[art321]

That is what I was thinking as well while trying to find the silver lining in this situation. Some of the streams I fish needed a good dredging and scouring for sure. In a few years this event may be better for some streams. It certainly is not good right now but we have to deal with nature as it happens.

[WxGuy]

sodajerk, I think you're right on. If there's any overdrama, it's in the immediacy of the situation, and the fact that some streams may not be fished any time soon. Rush Creek, Garvin, and some of the Whitewater do indeed look horrid.

However, the streams that suffered major fish kills, as Rush and Garvin in particular did, will (or should) eventually recover nicely with lots of silt-free spawning gravel and a lack of competition.

In the short term, access to select streams will be more difficult than the fishing due to blown bridges and highways.

[WxGuy]

Getting to your favorite fishing hole may prove more difficult than actually fishing it...

[dkhntr]

you could fish from the road in the 3rd one.

[WxGuy]

I think the water may have receded quite a bit by now, but not a bad idea.

[dkhntr]

in all seriousness, I wish the best for those folks who lost their homes and such. I spend quite a bit of time walking streams from whitewater to Mable. Take care fellas and may good times be back in your future.