It's a great time to fish the Driftless area. Some hot days are still possible so fish earlY AND LATE WHRN WATER IS COOLER AND TROUT ARE MORE ACTIVE. CADDIS ARE POPPING ALONG WITH TRICOS IN VERY SMALL SIZES (20-22) THE HOPPER ACTION HAS STALLED SOME BUT AS THEY THIN OUT TROUT WILL BE GOBBLING THEM. THIS IS A TIME WHEN LARGER TROUT WILL MOVE FOR A BIG BUG AND HAMMER IT.  THE SHOP IS STILL OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK AND CAN GIVE YOU MOPRE UP TO DATE INFO SO STOP BY, STOCK UP AND DON'T LET THE WINTER SNEAK UP ON YOU WITHOUT GETTING OUT THERE A FEW MORE TIMES. FALL COLORS AND COOLER TEMPS WILL BE HERE SOON SO ENJOY!

CADDIS EMERGERS IN SMALL SIZES TAKING TROUT NOW...

CHUBBY CHERNOBYLS IN STOCK-GREAT PATTER BY UMPQUA

All streams are fishable in SE Minnesota 

MidCurrent Tested and Trusted: Orvis Clearwater Fly RodsJuly 10, 2024 By: Kubie Brown
Image by Kubie Brown
I’ve always thought that shopping for a fly rod is a lot like shopping for a car. There are your expensive sport-car-type rods with the latest and greatest in graphite and ceramics and usually a flashy paint job. On the other side of the spectrum you’ve got your cheap, shady used car lot type of fly rods that will certainly get you from A to B but look pretty ugly and will probably have a breakdown sooner rather than later.
Both options seem to make up the bulk of the fly fishing market, meaning that you either have to spend an arm and a leg to get a good fly rod or you’ve got to suffice with a bit of a junker for a while until you scrape some extra cash together. However, there is a third, middle of the road type fly rod option that is both equal parts reliable and sporty while also incredibly affordable—the Orvis Clearwater.
The Jack of All Trades


Of course, just hearing the word “Orvis” may automatically make you think of grandiose and luxurious equipment that most trout bums would have to sell their first-born child just to afford. But with a $249.00 price tag the Orvis Clearwater is a more than reasonably priced rod that delivers a solid performance in the field.
The Clearwater is a bit heavy, but like all Orvis fly rods, it’s supremely well balanced. It just seems to fit the hand of the caster like a glove, making it a great entry-level rod for beginners or as a back-up rod for more seasoned anglers. Designed with a medium-fast action, the Clearwater fits the niche as an all-round workhorse of a rod that you can easily use for some small stream and small trout fishing action in the morning and then take out on the big river to hunt for giants in the evening without missing a beat.
The stiffer action of the Orvis Clearwater fly rod makes picking line up off the water incredibly easy and it’s forgiving enough that even if you’re a novice caster, you will still be able to throw 20 to 30 feet of line out pretty easily. In addition, unlike a lot of inexpensive rods that are usually colored neon green or muddy brown, the Clearwater’s sleek black chrome finish and white accents mean that even the worst casters will still look cool while they flail the rod around aimlessly.
Delicately Tough
Most inexpensive fly rods seem to sit in one camp or another—either they’re sensitive and soft enough for delicate presentations but will be snapped like a twig in a strong breeze, or they’re seemingly unbreakable but provide all the casting grace of a waterlogged two-by-four. But the Clearwater seems to have just the right amount of foot in both camps.
Though it’s a little stiff, a Clearwater rod is more than capable of tossing out a tight loop of light tippet over a spooky-trout-filled spring creek without splashing the line down like a kid belly flopping into a pool. It’s also surprisingly durable. The usual suspects of tailgates, ceiling fans, and unseen overhanging branches will still break a tip or two. However, when you accidentally set the hook into a rock or take a spill climbing down a riverbank, your Clearwater is probably going to survive the experience. Even if it doesn’t, the Clearwater has you covered.
More For Your Money
Aside from its easy-to-use performance and 1990’s Chevy Truck commercial durability (Like a Rock!) the thing that makes the Orvis Clearwater Rod the best bang for your buck is its warranty. Like all Orvis products, the Clearwater comes fully covered with a 25-year warranty that will see any broken Clearwater repaired or replaced with no questions asked. No other reasonably priced rod on the market has such a guarantee and as the old adage says— it’s “when” you break your fly rod rather than “if”—this quarter of a century assurance makes the Orvis Clearwater an absolute standout.
In the end, the Orvis Clearwater fly rod is just an arrow that every fly fishing enthusiast, casting curious greenhorn, or hardcore guide should have in their quiver. Just like a reliable new car fresh off the lot, it’s going to give you a lot of good miles and always get you where you need to go.

All STREAMS ARE UNFISHABLE TODAY IN se Minnesota. The shop is open all day but fishing is almost impossible due to about 3 inches of rain so far on top of drenched ground and full rivers. Be safe and stay home or at least out of the water for a couple days. Hopefully it will flush out some weeds and silt and clear by Monday returning to some great fishing in SE Minnesota. Call or email Mel at the shop for updates or check Facebook or this blog. Thanks, Mel

Some of the best flows in Driftless Streams we have seen in years are currently creating some awesome conditions between storms as of today most streams are stained and fishable but some more rain is predicted. small and CAN BE YOUR BEST BET AFTER RAIN EVENTS. GO UPSTREAM AND SEARCH FOR SPRINGS AND CLEAR WATER THROUGHOUT THE DAY.  STOP BY THE SHOP IF YOUR IN THE AREA AND WE WILL HAVWE MORE RECENT UPDATES. Mel 

.DESPITE ONGOING DROUGHT, CONDITIONS HAVE IMPROVED IN THE DRIFTLESS AREA OF MINNESOTA. WITH SOME RAIN IN THE PAST TWO WEEKS AND COOLER NIGHTS, TROUT ARE MORE ACTIVE AND KEYING ON TERRESTRIALS. REPORTS OF BIGGER FISH ON GRASSHOPPERS AND BEETLES ARE COMING IN TO THE SHOP. SOMETIMES THEY ARE SLUGGID=SH IN THE MID DAY BUT A "PLOP AND TWITCH" METHOD WITH A HOPPER, HIPPIE STOMPER OR FOAM HOPPER CAN TRIGGER VIOLENT STRIKES. THE HEADWATERS ARE COOLEST AND TROUT SEEM TO BE HOLDING IN UPPER PARTS OF MOST STREAMS TO BEAT THE HEAT. 

DESPITE A DRY SPELL, FISHING HAS BENN EXCELLENT IN THE MINNESOTA DRIFTLESS. CADDIS HATCHES HAVE BEEN LIGHT AND SPOTTY BUT ARE HAPPENING REGULARLY. SOME SULPHURS AND LIGHT HENDRICKSON HAVE BEEN SPOTTED. BEAD HEAD NYMPHS, (BOTH NEAR THE SURFACE AND DEEP IN THE HEAT OF THE DAY) HAVE BEEN TAKING SOME LARGER TROUT. EVERY DAY IS A NEW ADVENTURE AND NEW PUZZLE TO FIGURE OUT BUT WHEN YOU DO, IT CAN BE A BLAST.

THE WATER LEVELS ARE DROPPING AND BOTH THE SOUTH BRANCH AND SOUTH FORK WATER SHED FLOWS ARE THE BEST IN YEARS. ALL STREAMS ARE FISHABLE THIS WEEKEND. WARM WEATHER SHOULD BRING OUT THE BLUE WINGED OLIVES IN MASSES. WEEDS ARE DOWN AND THROWING STREAMERS CAN BRING OUT THE BIG ONES THIS TIME OF YEAR. TROUT ARE HUNGRY AND AGRESSIVE. THE TRADITIONAL TROUT OPENER IS APRIL 15 AND YOU CAN EAT A FEW AND RELEASE FEW. IT'S TRADITION. LETS GET OUT THERE!!!

All streams in SE Minnesota are now open for Catch and release artificial only fishing. Come and enjoy the solitude of winter fly fishing and beauty of The Driftless in Winter. Catching a trout is a bonus. Use small nymphs like Zebra Midges, Pheasant tails, Scuds. Warmer days look for rising trout and use small 18-20 Adams, Adams Parachute, midges and BWOs' bring you "A" Game because they are spooky and won't move much but a trout in winter is a wonderful thing. 

there is still lots of good water to fish in Minnesota. all streams are running clear that are open-all three state parks and in the city limits of preston (south Branch of the root) chatfield, (Mill creek) spring valley (creek) lanesboro (sb root) and rushford (rush creek) are open for catch and release trout fishing. use a bead head deep and slow or strip streamers. they are lethargic and won't move far but will bite with a good, stealthy presentation-get out there. stop by the shop for great deals on year end clearance items and .99 cent dries and nymphs to fill your box. look for midges and risers on warmer day-use parachute adams or small 20 midge emergers or dries. 

all streams in se Minnesota are in excellent condition. fishing is hot right now. hoppers and terrestrials fishing very good. some bwo hatches and midges in the evening.  the mid summer mid day lull is dying off slowly as the temps fall.