Stream Report

[troutman]

Jim,I have been planning a little trouting excursion down south,(destination unknown)and you have caught my attention with Nepstad creek.I like to fish new and out of the way places and that looks to be all of that and more.Would it be possible to get directions?The D.N.R maps make it look like you have to walk a section of the Root to access Nepstad,is that correct?I have some time off during the last 2 weeks of september and just might give it a try.Thanks,Mike

[Jim W]

Hey Mike,
You'll need a trout map for the finer details but here goes!
Take COunty 12 off of highway 52 South of Preston(left turn). I can't rememeber name of turn off, but if you look at the trout map it is on or near the top end of Neptstad.
Don't access it from the South Fork(not Branch) of the Root, unless you plan on fishing both. Also, I found that the "untouched" water was midway to the upper half of Nepstad!!

There is a state land access on top of a bluff, running adjacent to a farm, don't go there I've done it, too much work!!

Go straight on the gravel road, following down into the valley(of Nepstad, not the Root) You'll see a small area to park right next to the stream on your right. Start there my friend and enjoy the hundreds of brookies waiting to be had.

PLease leave this area as you found it!

Remember the top half!!

The SOuth Fork of the Root is a fabulous stream as well, with a very good chance for catching the tri-fecta, rainbow, brook and brown!!! Try accessing In Choice,Mn , heading upstream!!!!!

I hope this helped more than confused!!!

One more thing, please let me know how you did ok?

Keep the rods bendin'!!!!

I'm off to kabetogama!!!!!!!

Jim W

[troutman]

Thanks Jim.I'll try and pin-point when I get home from work and can look at a better map.As for "leave the area as you found it" I meant to comment yesterday when it was mentioned in your's or Hopper's post.This is my #1 pet peeve and I could'nt agree more.HOW DOES one go into a place of such beauty and to me,sacredness and leave their @#%* behind?I don't get it but,I could rant all day and I just wanted to say,thanks,Mike

[Guest]

JW,

I'd fish a 4 weight if I could find one I liked - I'm a 3 weight or a 5 weight guy. Any tips form the board on a QUALITY 4 weight rod??

Enjoy the rain and dirty water this weekend (hit the spring creeks).

-D.A.

[Rick]

Go to http://fishingmn.com/redbarn/ If they don't have a 4 weight they will make you one(I think they do have a 4 weight).

[Guest]

I'm looking into buying a blank and getting one made this winter - probably both another 3 weight (only this time a 9 footer), and a 4 weight if I can get a deal on one and can afford it. For those of you who fly fish, you know how much top of the line gear is, especially fly rods or blanks. You don't usually go out and buy many - it's an accumulation thing.

I did get out on the water tonight and there were a few EL's out, but not many. However, there were caddis everywhere including some large white flies that hovered like caddis, but they were very large - no idea what they were.

Caught about a dozen on a variety of flies: black wet flies, a grouse hackle nymph tied in yellow, a few on some EL patterns I have been trying out.

Found a dead 21 inch brown in the water near my last run I fished. It wasn't there last Thursday - again like the hatch, I have no idea how it died.

The weather was good and the streams are clean.

[Guest]

Had several clients out on the water yesterday in what turned out to be a two sided day with the AM session a bright sunny day, and the PM session turning into a downpour.

We fished Camp Creek in the morning, which is pretty common when I take new anglers out - it's a wide open meadow setting and provides easy casting opportunities. We managed a few browns and a rainbow before breaking for lunch and moving on. Orange scuds seemed to be the popular pattern, which didn't come as a shock.
Later, as the skies began to cloud over, we hit another meadow stream and caught fish on a variety of patterns - mainly a gray Hare's Ear emerger pattern, a stone fly imitation, and even some hopper patterns as we worked our way back to the car.

We were even checked by a Conservation Officer, a first for me on a trout stream since 1987. He checked licenses and asked if we had kept any fish, which apparently has been a problem since the season switched to catch and release. I asked what streams were seieng this illegal activity, and he replied that all of them were.

The other "highlight" of the day was running into Mel Haugstad as he was walking down to fish the "jungle" section of Camp Creek. He told us he caught 43 trout on Friday on scuds and Hunt's Nymphs and that he was still short of catching 2,000 fish for the year. He also commented on how fishing was down this year compared to last since he caught 3,000 fish last year. It's apparent ot me that I need to fish more next year since I won't even crack the 1,000 plateau!!

Good luck to all; stick to the spring creeks as the area got absolutely hammered last night with some serious rain.

[Guest]

My weekend plans were a bit tenuous at best with the in-laws in town from Chicago and my fishing partner pulling out due to a deer-vehicle altercation, but I did make it out on the final evening of the 2001 season.

I pulled the triple play tonight (browns, rainbows, and brooks), although my motive was not to do so. I caught several fish right away in the clean and coll waters I was angling on Black Dog's stone fly pattern that he shared with me. I didn't tie it the same, but generally the same. I fished 5x with some weight all evening. After two immediate strikes, the stream went dead for me for about ahalf hour until I got back into the "bush." I switched over to a Black Wet Fly with a yellow bodied wet fly tied with grouse or somthing (from last winter's fly swap) and action picked up. Took a pair of 17" browns and a "15 inch brown as well before I moved on picking up trout here and there on the same combination.

Ended the night on a brook trout trib. and caught a half dozen or so on a tan Fluttering Caddis with a Balck Wet Fly dropper. I can't think of a better way to end the year than by fooling brook trout with dry flies. The last trout of the year was a helathy full colored male brookie about 9 inches long. I snipped off my flies and called it good. No sense in ruining the moment; a good way to end the year.

The leaves were changing, the air was cool, and the sun had dipped below the horizon into a bright orange ball with the moon looming opposite of the sun's departure - it was time to call it a season.

[Jim W]

What stream were you fishing? Thanks for the reports! They are very nice indeed!!
Keep the info coming in!!!
Jim w

[Guest]

I was south of I90 and that's about all I am willing to divulge about the final day. It was a great evening to be out.

I keep a journal of my personal fly fishing outings each year, not the ones I guide although I should probably do that as well. The final numbers stacked up this way:

Totals: 568 browns
45 brookies
23 rainbows
Browns 15–23 inches: 39 Different Streams Fished: 26
Total Outings: 30

and 6 smallmouth to boot.

These aren't my highest numbers since I started keeping a journal in 1996, but they aren't bad considering some of the very unpredictable weather we had in 2001. Keeping a journal can seem to be trivial and time consuming, but it's fun to look back and compare numbers from year to year, where you went, new places, old places, patterns, etc. I have no doubt the numbers would increase significantly if we had better dry fly hatches this spring where 40 plus fish days aren't uncommon when the hatch is consistent and a person can hammer it for a few days straight.

[Sarge]

Sounds like a pretty good year Hopper. So do you hang the gear up for the season, or are you gonna go out and try for some more smallies? And I was wondering if you do the winter catch and release thing?

[Guest]

I'm not overly fascinated with smallie fishing...yet. I run into them when I frequent the Root when trout angling. I like them - they are fun to catch, but I get into the woods and get serious about bow hunting in October. We all need other pusuits other than our steady loves. Fly fishing is my passion, but when October rolls around, I'm ready to for the hunt.

I didn't fish the winter season much last year, due mainly to the weather being a bit poor to be out there. Winter angling is tough. The fish are lethargic and spook easily, so super stealth is involved, as well as light tippets and accurate casting. The conditions play a role in whether or not the outing is going to be a success way more than they do for the rest of the trout season, unless of course it's a torrential downpour - then it's a wash for all of us.

I try to tie a lot of patterns from November on. At last count, I figured I needed to tie in the nieghborhood of 1000-1200 flies this winter for myself and for clients. It's never enough as I find myself tying during the season on a weekly basis.