Iowa streams have no closed season for fly fishing. Wisconsin and Minnesota streams close at the end of September. Some southeast Minnesota streams open January 1 to catch-and-release, while the regular season opens in April. Most Wisconsin streams open for catch-and-release fly fishing beginning in March, and the general opener is in early May.

Brown trout are the most common catch in Midwest spring creeks, but rainbows and wild brook trout are also present. Caddis, small mayfly, and terrestrial imitations are effective.

Winter. The spring creeks do not freeze during winter and midges, black stoneflies, and Baetis hatch through the winter months. Trout become less selective then because they have fewer food choices. Scud and leech imitations are productive during nonhatch periods.

Midges hatch daily on Driftless Area streams during winter, and at times even large trout feed on them. Most midges are dark, either black or gray, and can be as large as #18. Cloudy, windless days when the water is clear are the best conditions for fishing midge hatches. Trout routinely begin their day feasting on midge larvae, then follow the hatch upward for ascending pupae, film-bound pupae, and adults. As the day warms, scuds or Baetis nymphs become active. Simple, straight-forward imitations tied on 6X or 7X tippets work well.

I find Baetis nymphs in my stomach-pump samplings of winter-caught trout. Hatching Baetis duns are common in February, and I use Pheasant-tail Nymphs and #18 parachute adult imitations to match them. A particularly valuable dun/emerger pattern is the Fuzzball, because it can be used both as a buoyant and highly visible indicator dry fly (that will support a small nymph or pupa) or as a single fly.

In streams with stonefly populations, dark stonefly nymphs in #10 to #20 are important. Dry-fly fishing with an adult pattern, or even a black caddis imitation, is great fun on a winter afternoon when trout are not particularly selective about patterns.

Spring. March and April are especially good times to explore because you can avoid the heavy snow of winter and the vegetation of summer. In spring the minimal aquatic weed growth enables you to see the streambed and fish without catching weeds, but by August the lush aquatic vegetation has narrowed and deeply channeled the streams. Also, in March and April the snow has flattened bankside vegetation, making walking and backcasts much easier.

Constant water temperatures and the fertile limestone ecology of Midwest spring creeks produce heavy mayfly and caddis hatches and large wild trout.

Trout-feeding activity increases with the coming of spring and its insect hatches. Baetis and midge hatches continue and the black stoneflies persist. Brachycentrus caddis, (also known as Grannom), begin hatching around the second week of April, continue heavily for about two weeks, and offer the best surface fishing of the year. These insects, like Baetis and midges, hatch on all Driftless Area streams. When Brachycentrus are hatching, trout take the larvae early in the day then switch to ascending pupae in mid to late morning. Trout rise aggressively to the adult caddis, which are usually on the water before noon. You can make a reasonable estimate of a stream's trout population when the fish are up and feeding on caddis.

I tie my larval patterns on weighted, #14 scud hooks with an olive abdomen ribbed with copper wire and a head of any spiky, black dubbing. For the adult, I use a #16-#18 dry-fly hook with a thinly dubbed charcoal Antron (or muskrat fur) abdomen and thorax, black hackle, and a charcoal colored wing of swiss straw, deer hair, or poly yarn.

Sulphurs aren't as common as Baetis or Brachycentrus. Some streams have excellent populations of Sulphurs, while others have only sparse hatches. Sulphurs begin hatching in mid-May and last through June. The three main species range from #14 through #18. Hendricksons also hatch sporadically on some streams in the spring.

A much more widespread and long-lasting hatch found on all streams is the Yellow Crane Fly, which begins hatching in late May and continues through the summer. Trout seem to be especially fond of these insects, which flutter over the water in the evening. Not many bugs need to be on the water to start trout feeding. A #16 Yellow Crane Fly imitation skittered over the surface in the vicinity of rising fish works well.

A large Driftless Area brown trout.

The Brown Hackle Peacock (BHP) Beetle is an excellent choice as an early-season searching pattern. The BHP Beetle suggests a beetle or stonefly and lands on the water with an insect-like plop. Trout willingly rise to this fly, or at least take a look. Start with the beetle about mid or late morning; use a 5X tippet, and stay with it.

Summer. The major summer hatches, which appear daily on all streams in this region, are the "tiny olives" (formerly Pseudocloeon), caddis species, terrestrials, and midges. Baetis may appear on some days, while crane flies persist along with Light Cahills and yellow stoneflies. Tricos appear in July and continue through September on many streams. Hexagenia limbata hatches are limited to only a few streams. Isonychia species and Ephoron leukon hatch in August and September in certain areas.

Fishing with tiny flies, such as the tiny olives, Tricos, small ants, and beetles, in mid and late summer with low, clear streams and educated trout will give you a real flavor of fishing the Driftless Area spring creeks. If you tire of such fishing, remove the 7X tippet, tie on 4X or 5X, and add a terrestrial pattern such as a grasshopper or beetle.

BRACHYCENTRUS PUPA

HOOK: #14 Tiemco 2487. THREAD: Olive 8/0 UNI-Thread. ABDOMEN: Antron dubbing, kelly green mixed with fluorescent chartreuse rabbit. RIB: Black 3/0 UNI-Thread. WINGLET: Charcoal Swiss Straw. LEGS: Duck wing covert feather, dark gray. HEAD: Black Hare's Ear Plus.

Fall. While the Wisconsin and Minnesota regular trout seasons end September 30, the limestone spring creeks of Iowa remain open and provide good fall and early winter fishing. The streams then are usually low and clear and the native trout are wary.

Through fall, fish feed on Baetis, midges, tiny olives, and terrestrials. Baetis hatch on gray, blustery days, generally in the afternoons. Various #20-#22 Blue-winged Olives continue hatching into November.

Trout do not forget terrestrials, and grasshopper patterns will produce into December. Even without risers, a BHP Beetle or grasshopper will catch fish all day. Dimpling trout beneath trees in fall may be taking #20 Leaf Hoppers, imitated by pulling a wingcase of one or two tan goose biots over an abdomen dubbed fluorescent green. Scuds, nymphs, and larva imitations do well. Stream channels in watercress are fun to fish with an unweighted San Juan Worm. Cast the worm along the edge of a channel and allow it to sink slowly and drift with the current. Often you will see the flash of the fish as it darts from under the cress to take the fly. Brown cased-caddis flies are common in the stomach-pumped contents of fall-caught fish and are best imitated with a Peeking Caddis or Beadhead Pheasant Tail. Minnow imitations such as the Yellow Fox and leeches are always productive.

Remember that the various hunting seasons are open in fall. Wearing a blaze orange hat or vest is a good idea. Also, do not disturb the native brown and brook trout spawners on their redds from late October through November.