The Driftless
If one were to consult the WI Trout Regulations, they'd find a a huge collection of streams on the western end of the state, starting from St Croix and Dunn Counties, and reaching all the way down to the border with Iowa. More often than not, these are clear, cold spring creeks that will race south and west, eventually to the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico. Across the Mississippi into Minnesota and Northern Iowa, you'll find even more streams, generally running north and east into the Miss. In the larger watersheds, tremendous river valleys will take you down several hundred feet from the surrounding highlands, not exactly befitting to the flat land and dairy cattle stereotype of Sconnie. Visions of White Pines and large, windswept lakes of the north don't fit here either.
With limestone bluffs and picture perfect riffle water, the scenery is top notch, as it is on most Trout water. The streams that run through these valleys carry names like Root, Garvin, Cannon, Whitewater, Rush, Kinnickinnic, Kickapoo, Trempeleau, La Crosse and Bad Axe. If one wishes to do the research, there is a lot of history to those names; history from well before Europeans settled, logged off, and poorly farmed the area, contributing to tremendous losses in Trout habitat.
Fortunately, the Bad Axe and streams like it have rebounded from the poor land practices that imperiled them for well over a century, and many are now first class Trout Streams with outstanding natural reproduction of Brown Trout. With consistent groundwater recharge, an abundance of aquatic insects, quality habitat improvement and cooperation from local farmers, the Driftless boasts more quality water than just about any region east of the Mississippi, with large sections of public land or easement. Streams like the Root, Kinni, Rush, W Fk of the Kickapoo, Timber Coulee Creek and many others provide world class fishing in terms of numbers for natural Brown Trout, with trophy fish of 20" or greater being possible. Some, like the Kinni, hold upwards of 10,000 fish per mile in certain sections. That's 2 fish for every foot of streambed!
Many of these watersheds include sizeable feeder creeks with good to excellent populations of wild Brook Trout. These fish average 5-10" in length, but for those who go to extreme lengths, fish up to and over 15" can be found on rare occasion. These are huge stream dwelling fish just about anywhere in the US outside of Maine. With recent increases in groundwater recharge, larger streams like the Rush are now seeing increased numbers of Brookies, this is a great thing! With more than 300 miles of water in Crawford County alone, this area can provide untapped fishing despite easy access if you're willing to put in the work.
With limestone bluffs and picture perfect riffle water, the scenery is top notch, as it is on most Trout water. The streams that run through these valleys carry names like Root, Garvin, Cannon, Whitewater, Rush, Kinnickinnic, Kickapoo, Trempeleau, La Crosse and Bad Axe. If one wishes to do the research, there is a lot of history to those names; history from well before Europeans settled, logged off, and poorly farmed the area, contributing to tremendous losses in Trout habitat.
Fortunately, the Bad Axe and streams like it have rebounded from the poor land practices that imperiled them for well over a century, and many are now first class Trout Streams with outstanding natural reproduction of Brown Trout. With consistent groundwater recharge, an abundance of aquatic insects, quality habitat improvement and cooperation from local farmers, the Driftless boasts more quality water than just about any region east of the Mississippi, with large sections of public land or easement. Streams like the Root, Kinni, Rush, W Fk of the Kickapoo, Timber Coulee Creek and many others provide world class fishing in terms of numbers for natural Brown Trout, with trophy fish of 20" or greater being possible. Some, like the Kinni, hold upwards of 10,000 fish per mile in certain sections. That's 2 fish for every foot of streambed!
Many of these watersheds include sizeable feeder creeks with good to excellent populations of wild Brook Trout. These fish average 5-10" in length, but for those who go to extreme lengths, fish up to and over 15" can be found on rare occasion. These are huge stream dwelling fish just about anywhere in the US outside of Maine. With recent increases in groundwater recharge, larger streams like the Rush are now seeing increased numbers of Brookies, this is a great thing! With more than 300 miles of water in Crawford County alone, this area can provide untapped fishing despite easy access if you're willing to put in the work.
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