Hey all, I'm still kicking. Wisconsin inland trout season ended Oct. 15th and I've been chomping at the bit to get over to Iowa ever since. Cold weather came in strong and needless to say I wasn't ready to play ball. Finally though things were looking up. Forecasted to be a calm and 50°+ and I was ready to get my fish on. More importantly I was ready to break in my new 7' 6wt that I recently received from Chris Barclay.
A lot of other things had kept me from getting out on the water these past couple months... life... work... car problems... all of which had been figured out and fixed now. Or most of them have. Clearly life will always throw you a curve ball. I woke up. Ready to fish. I ordered my yearly nonresident Iowa license online. Hopeful that I'll get to Iowa at least 6 times before January. I spooled up a reel with wf6f SA MPX and put a furled leader on. Packed my 6pc 3wt in my sling, just in case. Grabbed my waders and boots and headed out the door.
As I'm on the road the first thing I notice is that my car is running so much smoother. It had been a guessing game for the garage for weeks as to what was wrong. So much relief. About 30 minutes into my drive I realize... shhhhiiiii!! I left my reel on the desk!! F! F! F! Fine! Whatever! I've got my 3wt still. Not going to let this day get ruined. Not. 30 minutes later (an hour later total) I arrive at my destination. I look through my car quickly and to my surprise there's a reel that I have lined with a SA MPX but I'm wf5f. So what the heck. Lined up the Barclay with it. Gave it a few practice casts, a little fast, but it'll do.
The day was great. Started out super windy. I should've figured. How else do you gain 30° in a day without a little help from the wind to blow that sweet southern warmth up here. It was perfect for a fast 6wt though! Heh. Fishing wasn't the best. A few follows and one taker. I stuck to streamers. Had I been more patient and switched to a nymph I probably could've done better. Even seen a few risers throughout the day. The section of stream I fished had changed some. Widening, always a downfall to any stream. Making for slower shallower runs that were filled with vegetation. But much like the seasons of the Upper Midwest, Driftless streams are in a constant state of change. It's what I love about this place.