Minnesota Driftless Region | Eat, Sleep, Fish

Join Brian Smith as he fishes the Driftless Area of Minnesota

George Bernard Shaw allegedly said the USA and Great Britain are two countries separated by the same language. I put it to you that when it comes to fly fishing we are separated by comprehensive guides to fly fishing, or the lack of them. Without inside knowledge it is very difficult to know exactly where to fish in the UK with the exception of Theo Pike's excellent book Trout in Dirty Places, detailed guide books are few and far between.

I realize in the UK the access to fishing is much more restrictive, whereas in most US states once you buy a state fishing license you may fish anywhere there is public access. Of course access rights vary significantly from state to state but in the Mid West, specifically in Wisconsin and Minnesota the 'feet wet' rule applies. Enter the water from a public place, e.g. a highway bridge, and you are free to fish as long as you stay in the water. In addition both those states have bought or rented easements from private landowners to allow anglers access to the river, and more importantly, the river bank.

Although the so called Driftless Region of the Midwest is more often associated with Wisconsin, the region also encompasses parts of SE Minnesota (MN), NE Iowa and even a small corner of NW Illinois. We'll leave Iowa and Illinois for another day and Wisconsin gets plenty of press so for the purpose of this article we will concentrate on finding information for the fly fishing visitor to SE MN. There is trout fishing in other areas of MN most notably in the streams running into the North Shore of Lake Superior and in isolated areas of the upper part of the state but the cream of the water is in the very south east corner of the state.

Whitewater River

So you are a stranger hereabouts and also a fly fisherman, how do you go about finding trout in this corner of Minnesota? Firstly you need to buy a fishing license and because you'll be fishing for trout also a 'trout stamp' not actually a stamp these days just an extra fee which goes into an account that can be used only for trout stream and lake habitat development, restoration, maintenance, identifying easements, or for rearing and stocking trout and salmon. The license can be bought online from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MN DNR) web page. All relevant links are at the end of this article.

Go back to the DNR web site this time looking for designated trout streams, easements for access and restrictions such as catch and release, size, whether bait can be used and where allowed, bag limits. Fortunately the MN DNR provide a very comprehensive set of maps available to download for free in .PDF form

SE Map 2

This extract from the SE Map 2 above shows several trout streams, including Wisel Creek, feeding into the South Fork of the Root River.

Having downloaded the license and maps from the DNR now what about more specific information on where to fish. Look no further than this book: Fly Fishing for Trout in South East Minnesota by a well known MN fishing guide Bob Trevis. Recently published Bob not only tells you good places to fish and where to access the streams, he also tells where not to waste your time, this is a tell-all fishing guide book which also includes snippets on where to stay and where to eat.

Usefully Bob's chapters follow each of the DNR maps so here is a extract from the book describing Wisel Creek featured on the map above:

“My own favourite stream in this area is Wisel Creek off Highway 18, come south from Preston on Highway 52 and head cross country to County Road 18.

Keep your rod cased and head downstream of the Wisel/Chickentown Creek bridge (skirt a small private camping area by staying in the water) until you reach an open pasture – you made it! You can either hike and fish further downstream, where there is more good water or break out your lunch, drink a Gatorade, and slowly fish your way back upstream. Plan on a full day's fishing for this segment”

The book is a great source of information but what about up-to-the-minute knowledge? The Minnesota Fly Fishing Forum will often give accounts of fishing in the Driftless but generally, just as here in the UK, It doesn't mention specific streams, posters will often say North or South of the Interstate, which is not much use for a newcomer to the area.

However, for a first-hand account of a 2017 fishing trip to Wisel Creek look no further than a podcast from 2 Guys and a River. Dave Goetz and Steve Mathewson drove up from the Chicago area and after a not great day elsewhere they recall an evening of fun, fish and struggles on Wisel Creek. 2 Guys and a River publish a new episode every week including two more 'great day on the creek' episodes in the Minnesota Driftless on Canfield Creek and Jordan Creek, their podcasts make a great listen on the way to go fishing.

And finally why not visit the area fly shop and get the absolute latest on which streams and flies are hot. Buy a few flies and maybe a cap or T shirt and a whole load of local information will be forthcoming. The fly shop in the MN Driftless is The Driftless Fly Fishing Company in Preston, MN. If you think you still don't have enough information you could just hire one of their guides for the day, always a good ploy when fishing in a new area. Oh yes and they sell Bob's book if you haven't already ordered a copy.

So there you have it, all the information you need to know to chase native brook trout, naturalized brown trout and 'planted' rainbow trout. Three species of trout, just waiting for you to have a great time in the Minnesota Driftless.