Officials say a big ‘flush’ of southeast Minnesota streams has been good for fish habitat

Lanesboro, Minn. — After two-plus years of drought and low water that hampered stream-trout fishing throughout southeastern Minnesota, recent heavy spring summer rains have significantly improved stream conditions across the region, according to state officials and regional fishing guides.

Sediment and in-stream vegetation – long, green mats or clusters in some instances that rendered some streams unfishable – have been “flushed” from many watersheds, clearing out pools and exposing rocky runs important to fish spawning. Higher water overall has replaced low, gin-clear streams. With some exceptions, ongoing and completed stream restoration projects weathered the high water too, state officials say.

The improvements, including clearer water after significant summer flooding muddied several streams, come at a time when warmer, humid summer weather and streamside “jungle conditions” of overgrown vegetation typically slow fishing pressure.

“It’s been a good reset, and we pretty much have stable conditions right now, which quickly can change during the heat of summer, as most anglers know,” said Vaughn Snook, Minnesota DNR assistant area fisheries supervisor in Lanesboro, adding that any additional rain could turn streams off-color quickly.

“The fish are active, willing to eat, and aren’t in spawning mode. It’s a good time to be fishing, even if it is that time of year when things slow down because it’s so hot and humid. A lot of people don’t like to fish in those conditions. You have to pick your spots, for sure.”

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Overall, Snook said the high water and flooding moved out a lot of debris (downed trees, root wads, etc.) and sediment, with Rush Creek, a popular regional fishery, looking like “big sand dunes moving through” the system.

“Anglers are going to see some deeper pools and deeper runs overall,” said Snook, adding that young-of-the-year trout, which spawned last fall, likely fared well. “They’re about 3 to 4 inches now and can swim well enough to escape the flooding.”

Still, Snook said, the DNR’s fall stream assessment work – a four-week period beginning in the middle of September on select streams in the region – will tell the tale of overall trout survival. The Lanesboro fisheries office manages 170 miles of warmwater fisheries and 600 miles of cold-water trout streams in Fillmore, Houston, Winona, and portions of Olmsted and Wabasha counties.

“I’m confident, but we’ll have to wait for the fall assessment work to be completed to know for sure,” said Snook, adding that he’s gotten plenty of calls from concerned anglers about the flooding and trout survival.

Snook said trout streams in the Lanesboro region have average or above-average numbers of 12- to 14-inch trout. “Populations are very good overall, and the flooding isn’t cause for concern over the long term,” he said.

Despite this week’s forecast of high temperatures (in the high 80s and low 90s) and high humidity, Snook and others say it’s a great time for anglers to get out and fish, especially after weeks of high, muddy water and overall poor conditions.

In fact, the uplands of some flooded streams have been significantly matted down, which makes for easier stream access and fly casting.

“I think we’re set up pretty well for August and into fall,” said Dave Anderson, owner of On The Fly Guide Service in Rochester, who has been fishing the southeast for three decades. “We got a good flush and moved a lot of silt and vegetation through, which should improve angling from earlier in the season and over the last two years, when streams were low and choked with vegetation. We really needed this. And anglers should take advantage of it. I was out recently and fished three streams and didn’t see a soul.”

Anderson and Snook note, however, that every watershed is different, and anglers fishing in the region should prepare for that fact. Some places received more rain and run-off than did others, so streams fished before the flooding will likely look different. Summer stream conditions, they said, can change quickly with isolated and often heavy storms, which is the summer norm.

“I always tell people to have a plan A, B, and C, because of how quickly conditions can change,” Snook said. “In most instances, whether you’re dunking worms, bait-casting or fly fishing, you’re going to be able to find fishable water. But you have to be willing to go find it.

“It’s good to have a plan, but it’s better to have multiple contingencies within that plan. You have to be flexible. You have to be willing to move around and search for the best water,” he said.

For fly anglers including Snook and Anderson, summer means fishing grasshopper patterns and other terrestrials, such as beetles and ants, as well as tricos, a small mayfly that provides anglers with a rare morning hatch.

For others, summer is for big fish; many fish large mouse patterns near dusk and after to entice a strike from a large, 20-inch-plus brown trout.

“I’m fishing mornings and evenings, and I’m staying off the water during the heat of the day,” Anderson said. “If I fish the morning trico hatch, for example, I’m almost always off the water by noon. Give trout a break when it’s really hot in the middle of the day.”

Anderson said he loves to fish hoppers, because “what’s not to like about floating a large fly on the surface and watching a nice fish inhale it?” Still, he said, some anglers fish patterns that are too large. “You don’t need to fish a monster hopper,” he said. “Size 14 or 16 is big enough.”

The Driftless Area of southeastern Minnesota – a picturesque region of limestone bluffs, coulees, hills, and gurgling spring-fed waters of    500  private easements totaling 260 miles, meaning public stream access is at an all-time high.

For more information about trout fishing in Minnesota: www.dnr.state.mn.us/fishing/trout/index.html. For stream conditions: www.dnr.state.mn.us/areas/fisheries/lanesboro/stream_conditions.html