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Post by boisker on Feb 20, 2016 21:06:15 GMT
Came across this on the NA forum.....
4,073 rainbow trout greater than 10 inches long per mile near the town of Craig on the Missouri. This year, the most abundant length group of rainbows in the Craig section was 18 inches, with 43 percent of the population being 18 inches long or longer.
Staggering numbers especially with 43% over 18"....
Did you fish the Missouri when you were out there Pete?
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Post by Pete Tyjas on Feb 21, 2016 16:59:27 GMT
Nice fish size and great numbers although I believe the Yellowstone is something like 6,000 per mile but don't know about comparable sizes.
I haven't checked but think the Green in Utah is lousy with fish and good sizes too.
I've not fished the Missouri but got close a few years back. It was described to me as a huge spring creek. Apparently you could hire drift boats and fish the river and read recently a little about the carp fishing there too that looked like fun.
Hatching a plan for that area right now though, so many rivers, so little time....
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Post by boisker on Feb 21, 2016 17:53:12 GMT
Amazing fish numbers... Somewhere stateside is on my hit list... A few years away though, probably 4 years time, trip to NZ next winter then a bit of a gap to sort finances out...
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Post by Pete Tyjas on Feb 24, 2016 17:50:34 GMT
You won't regret it, so many places to think about apart from the big name states too. Some of the streams of Wisconsin look really cool.
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Post by paul on Feb 24, 2016 18:23:10 GMT
Hi Pete,
Apart from the amazing cost to keep guides happy, both Montana rivers and Missouri are of interest. Yellowstone is particularly fascinating from my geological perspective ( but not a place to linger!).
Not keen on the subject of drift boats except to access places that are tricky for normal mortals to access and impossible for an ageing decrepit like me!
Anyone going to either wanting company or a wt blanket, please call!
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Post by boisker on Feb 24, 2016 19:22:05 GMT
yeah... There are so many great looking fishing rivers, creeks on YouTube / Vimeo.... Would take a couple of lifetimes to explore properly....
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Post by Pete Tyjas on Feb 25, 2016 8:05:02 GMT
Hi Pete, Apart from the amazing cost to keep guides happy, both Montana rivers and Missouri are of interest. Yellowstone is particularly fascinating from my geological perspective ( but not a place to linger!). Not keen on the subject of drift boats except to access places that are tricky for normal mortals to access and impossible for an ageing decrepit like me! Anyone going to either wanting company or a wt blanket, please call! Paul, the bigger rivers like the Yellowstone and Missouri are better fished from a drift boat as you can cover a lot more water and wade up them a whole lot more easily. Rivers like the Bitterroot, Blackfoot, Big Hole and heading into Colorado South Platte and Frying Pan are easy to wade and pretty easy to get in and out of. It is also worth mentioning the streams in Yellowstone National Park too. Think they would be right up your street!
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Post by paul on Feb 25, 2016 19:34:26 GMT
Thanks, Pete.
Drift boats as a means of access (rather than an unstable casting platform are fine). Cost of guides and tips still an issue- I understand guide cost c $500 per day and still expects 80-100$ as tip?
But if anyone is heading that way- Missouri or Montana , happy to hear. Similarly Nova Scotia. Or anywhere else from bones to trout in middle europe.
Pete put up with me on two trips, so, apart from my famous snore, I'm quite well house trained!
Cheers, Paul
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Post by Pete Tyjas on Feb 26, 2016 8:09:58 GMT
Hi Paul,
To be honest you can do it all self guided, I usually do but if you get the chance to float a river and have expenses and time it is worth it. The boats are really stable and place you stand that keeps you good and stable. That having been said I was treated to a float day on the Roaring Fork for Green Drakes by a buddy that turned out to be a disaster. The guide turned up late and had the hangover from hell and I lost count of the number of rocks the boat hit, my legs were black and blue!
I took some anglers to Montana a few years back and warned them that they would find fishing from a drift boat alien and a little weird at first. The first day we drifted and there were some that didn't really get it initially but by the second time they loved it. I really enjoy it as it is different and it is rapid fire fishing where you have to think about accuracy, line management and line control.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 26, 2016 18:30:15 GMT
Just looked up that place in Wisconsin featured on the video. You can fly to La Crosse, stay a week in a lovely apartment above the fly shop in Viroqua and fish for very reasonable cost. The town of Viroqua is only 45mins from the airport. All seems very agreeable to me!
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Post by paul on Feb 26, 2016 19:20:13 GMT
Hi Pete,
Hear what you say. I am not averse to casting from an unstable platform, but somehow the idea of floating down and casting to an ephemeral target (rather than stopping the boat, getting out and fishing 'properly') has less appeal. Happy to be converted!
Mark, That sounds ideal- but for US immigration! Always bad, now diabolical! if only Lacrosse was the first bounce!
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Post by paul on Feb 26, 2016 19:20:54 GMT
Hi Pete,
Hear what you say. I am not averse to casting from an unstable platform, but somehow the idea of floating down and casting to an ephemeral target (rather than stopping the boat, getting out and fishing 'properly') has less appeal. Happy to be converted!
Mark, That sounds ideal- but for US immigration! Always bad, now diabolical! if only Lacrosse was the first bounce!
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Post by Pete Tyjas on Feb 26, 2016 20:44:45 GMT
Mark, a friend told me about the place a little while back. I think it is one of those badly kept secrets but looks stunning and a little different.
Hi Paul, it is worth trying if you get the chance I think you'd really enjoy it!
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Post by mspaddler on Mar 16, 2016 19:43:50 GMT
Just looked up that place in Wisconsin featured on the video. You can fly to La Crosse, stay a week in a lovely apartment above the fly shop in Viroqua and fish for very reasonable cost. The town of Viroqua is only 45mins from the airport. All seems very agreeable to me! I can certainly recommend 'The Driftless' especially if you like small stream fishing. It can be quite tactical as some of the streams are very narrow and very clear. The Department of the Natural Resources in league with Trout Unlimited and other interested parties have done a lot of work to make these spring fed creeks a great home for wild trout and of course us anglers. 'The Driftless area' is not purely a Wisconsin area but also encompasses parts of SE Minnesota and NE Iowa. However, for a visiting angler it is probably easier restrict your fishing the Wisconsin side of the Mississippi River. If you are going with a couple of other anglers the routeing Mark suggests would be great, if you need to go with a partner (sometimes it's hard to justify a trip just for you fishing, especially going to the USA) I might think of flying into Chicago and spending a couple of days exploring that fun city before hiring a car and driving to the Viroqua area. I am a Yorkshire man! I live in Minnesota & Wisconsin part of the year, mostly Summer and my home city of York for most of the rest of the year. I am careful with my cash! I have fished the Driftless 5 times in the last 2 years and have stayed in various types of accommodation, including above Mat's fly shop in Viroqua. Tenting, semi sleazy motels and a really nice cabin (the wife was with me) so whatever your budget there is a place for you. Of course it goes without saying that once you are in Wisconsin the fishing is cheap and plentiful, all you need is a state license and you can fish any water you can get access to via public land as long as you keep your feet wet. I would recommend a guide for your first trip, but being the modest Mid West a guide will set you back half what it would cost in Montana. I have rambled on enough, if anyone would like more information PM me and I will try to answer any questions. Brian
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Post by Pete Tyjas on Mar 17, 2016 8:17:22 GMT
Thanks so much Brian, you've whetted my appetite even more. Do you have some pictures?
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Post by mspaddler on Mar 17, 2016 15:42:31 GMT
OK Pete you asked for it! Accommodation photos: Cheap Motel Westby, WI. As close to the action as Viroqua and even closer to some great Creeks. Camping West Fork Sportsmans Club Fabulous value - $10 annual membership and $10 per night camping even has WiFi! http:/www.westforksportsmansclub.org/ Cottage Timber Coulee Cottage. Nice 2 bedroom cottage with all the facilities a family would need on the banks of arguably the most famous of the Driftless Creeks. www.timbercouleecottage.com/
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Post by mspaddler on Mar 17, 2016 15:46:49 GMT
Driftless More Accommodation: Apartment Bachelor apartment above the fly shop in Viroqua. You know your in fly fishing country when your apartment has a fly tying desk! www.driftlessangler.com/lodging-s/booking
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Post by mspaddler on Mar 17, 2016 15:58:11 GMT
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Post by mspaddler on Mar 17, 2016 16:04:35 GMT
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Post by Pete Tyjas on Mar 18, 2016 7:04:55 GMT
That's got my day off to a good start, just the sort of streams I love. Thanks for posting and all of the info too, it's got me thinking.
Many thanks mspaddler!
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