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Pretty much everything throughout the Driftless is fishable right now (Feb 2024).

@@bluffcountryflies8690 Thanks, the problem for me is, there are too many choices of prime water. Deciding where to fish is difficult. Have you ran into problems with to many beaver dams on the streams? I had a hell of a time last especially?

@@brookiebob Ha ha! Good problem to have! Beaver dams don't bother me too much. There's always trout. If it's mobility issues you are having, then I'd suggest checking out both MN and WI trout maps that show improved stretches of water. I have also been using an app on my phone called Trout Routes for the past couple seasons. This app can point you to publicly accessible water as well as stream reaches with habitat work done. Pretty much all modern habitat work done in the Driftless includes resloping of the streambanks (easy walking) and removal of beaver dams. Good luck!

@@bluffcountryflies8690 I use all of the above mentioned info currently.I usually go deep off the beaten track but sometimes fish HI sections.Some rivers have between 3-8 beaver dams. I have to find the top or the bottom dam in order to find the numbers of fish worth my time. I send the drone up but cant see through the foliage to determine if there is dam impediment. I would love to try some Mn or Iowa driftless but restricted by time.

Yep; Airlock. I think it's the smallest size, but I'm not sure. It's the one my local fly shop sells. And thanks!

@@bluffcountryflies8690 probably the 1/2” diameter I reckon? any trouble spooking fish with it? in the video it seems to land soft enough. thanks.

@@mvsc-k5e Yes, 1/2 inch. I haven't had any issues with spooking fish with the Air-Lock. However, if I get in a situation where the fish are skittish or the water is very flat and shallow, I use a "New Zealand" wool indicator. The Air-Lock is probably the best all around foam indicator out there. I've tried the Oros and they aren't as good as the Air-Lock.

@@bluffcountryflies8690 sounds good. and for the wool: do you “pre-treat” the wool with Gink or anything? any problems water logging? i’ve used poly yarn and they work well but do water log somewhat quickly.. dry shake usually helps but still am curious about the NZ.. thx

@@mvsc-k5e NZ is actual sheep's wool, and I believe sheds water and traps air better than synthetic. Sometimes I treat with floatant, but often times not with no real issues. Again, using in situations where high buoyancy is not the main concern...

The Driftless Region is the most location info you will ever find on this channel. Rod: Sage RPL 8 1/2' 5wt. Custom made line with an extra short head. True "AFTMA" line weight.

@@bluffcountryflies8690 Good idea with the custom line. I’ve tried a few different line options and haven’t settled on one yet for the Driftless.

@@Detroit3Pistons I'm lucky to have a friend that likes to mess around with fly line tapers

I use an 8.5' 5wt Sage RPL. My leaders are just standard tapered leaders that typically terminate in whatever length of 3x tippet gets me the best drift for my larger attractor dry flies. In this video I mainly use my Slurpster dry fly, which is a size 8 attractor pattern; but may also use a foam beetle in size 10 or 12 if they won't take the big fly. The fly line is a "custom" line that has a very short head (25-30ft), so it loads and shoots line easily. I much prefer carrying just a little line in the air and then shooting line to whatever distance is necessary, rather than making a bunch of false casts and carrying a lot of line in the air.

@@bluffcountryflies8690 cool, thanks for the detailed explanation!

Thanks. These days I use Air-Lock indicators for heavier flies and/or faster water. That is what I'm using in this video. For more delicate presentations/flat water, I use the "New Zealand" wool strike indicators.

@@bluffcountryflies8690 Thanks for the info. I’ve been interested in the wool indicators but am curious how heavy of a nymph you can float with one?

@@mvsc-k5e I've not tested their "max carrying capacity", as I only use them for more delicate presentations/flat water. If you watch some of the actual New Zealand guys, they use some pretty large bundles of wool with a larger tube and can suspend some pretty heavy flies in fairly rough water.

@@bluffcountryflies8690 cool I will check them out. thanks!

@@mvsc-k5e I use the New Zealand wool and can float a Size 14 and a Size 18 double nymph rig. You can also add more wool to make it hold more weight. They are great indicators for smaller water.

Obrigada. Feliz Natal

Indeed.