Fly Fishing

Most of us have been there.

This is a confusing time of year for a guy like me.

In the midst of the last snow storm of the year (fingers crossed) here in Wisconsin, I couldn't help but think of the smallmouth spawn being just a month or two away.

When high water, combined with flowing ice, prevented me from running the Allegheny River for smallmouht bass, I decided to do what any angler would do: find other fishing options.

As spring starts to show through the snow and ice that has held the landscape hostage for the last five months, fly anglers begin preparing for the upcoming season.

To the fly fisher, the wooly bugger is the equivalent of th

Because I live in a county that holds more than 650 lakes, I do a lot of still water fishing for bass and trout. The dramatic depths of these lakes, many of which surpass 100 feet, and the behavior of the fish at certain times of the year is the reason I use sink tip lines at lot.

Every year, as the spring flows slowly settle out of our favorite bodies of water, you'll find dozens of anglers fighting for river real-estate in hopes of catching a few early-season trout. As fun as it is to have a nice trout or two stretch your fly line, there is a migration of fish every spring that can't be topped when it comes to sheer numbers of fish, spirit and overall fighting ability — the carp.