One of the nicest streams in the Soldiers Grove area is Tainter Creek. This creek meanders through woodlands, then through farm fields as it winds its 12-15 mile course to the Kickapoo River. The upper reaches of Tainter Creek are unimproved, meaning there are no “lunker” structures dug into the bank, below the surface of the water. Such structures are put in place by landowners and by Trout Unlimited to improve the surviveability of the trout. The trout can hide in these 20 foot long structures, protected from predators from above, and lie in wait for lunch or dinner to swim by. The lower five or six miles of Tainter Creek are wider, offer more open shoreline, and have been fitted with lunker boxes to aid the trout population.

One early summer day I left home just before noon to meet my guide in Towerville, at a very nondescript bar/lunch place. We first fished the lower part of the creek and I was thrilled to land two 19-inch brown trout. I was fishing with ultra-light spin tackle and was casting the smallest Rapala I had in my box. Later that afternoon the guide took me to the upper section of the creek and he put me in a 40 ft long, four foot deep hole that was full of 10-12 inch brook trout. I was throwing small spinners and the trout loved ‘em.

This was my first real success on the local streams. The guide was very helpful in choosing the parts of the stream to fish and the baits to use. For many trips and many years after that first trip, I was always confident in fishing these lovely streams of the Driftless Area. If you are a midwesterner, you don’t have to travel to Montana, or Colorado, or Idaho to find great trout fishing. It’s right here in Southwest Wisconsin.

Southwest Wisconsin is particularly blessed with hundreds of cold water streams. This is the Driftless Area, a part of the midwest that was not glaciated during the last period of North American glaciers. This land was spared the glaciers and therefore it retained its rugged topography of repeated ridges and valleys. Karst geology underlies the Driftless Area and the porous sandstone and limestone rock spawns thousands of cold water springs that emerge on the hillsides and in the valleys. Between Viroqua and Boscobel, Wisconsin the springs combine and form a maze of streams that then find their way to the Mississippi, the Wisconsin, or the Kickapoo rivers.  

Superb trout fishing can be found in most of this area’s streams and small rivers: Knapp Creek, Tainter Creek, Reads Creek, Copper Creek, Citron Creek, Rush Creek, the Bad Axe River, the West Fork of the Kickapoo River, Sugar Creek, English Run, Mill Creek and many others. Brook, Rainbow, and Brown trout are found throughout these creeks. Many streams have been improved by Trout Unlimited and many streams remain totally natural.

Good dining and lodging is available. Tackle and guide service is available at the Driftless Angler Fly Shop in Viroqua. If you want a multi-species fishing trip, combine the stream time with time spent on the Mississippi River. On this section of the big river you will find big walleye, big northern, and big bass. In addition you will find that the Driftless Area scenery is just as good as the fishing.

We are only two weeks away from the opening day of catch-and-release trout fishing in Wisconsin – March 1. The southwest corner of the state has hundreds of cold water streams and trout fishing opportunities abound. The landscape in this corner of Wisconsin is that of the Driftless Area – rugged ridges and valleys that sit on a limestone/sandstone base. Cold, clear springs “pop up”  along the hillsides and in the valleys and combine to form great trout streams. Native brook trout along with stocked rainbow and brown trout constitute this fishery.

Many of the Southwest Wisconsin streams pass through heavily wooded terrain. The wooded areas are not suited to farming and the scattered cabins and houses are few and far between. You definitely get the feel of being much more remote than you really are. Other parts of the stream do pass through agricultural land and as you gaze up from the stream you may see crops or livestock in the foreground and the ever-present wooded hills in the distance.

Last year I met two friends for lunch. They had been fishing that morning in the south-central part of the Kickapoo Valley. They were grinning from ear to ear. Between them they had caught (and released) 55 trout that morning. Everything worked for them – surface flies, sinking nymphs and light spinners. They were anxious to get bak out to see if they could rack up a hundred for the day, and they called a few days later to tell me that they did reach 95.

The area around Soldiers Grove and Gays Mills has nice family restaurants and a wide variety of lodging including campgrounds, motels, and B&Bs. Bring the family and let the non-fishers in your group enjoy biking, canoeing, antiquing, Amish shops, and incredible vistas of the Mississippi River. There is something for everyone here, especially for the trout fishermen.

Former trout fishing guide Len Harris now writes for many sporting and fishing magazines. His blog is a wealth of information and photos of local streams. Len’s blog can be found at http://lenharris.blogspot.com. Len has hosted several Midwest fishing show episodes on local streams. In the spring of 2009, Len will bring Simply Fishing folks to the area and put them up for a night in one of our Homestead suites.

The Inn at Lonesome Hollow, a rural bed and breakfast located near Soldiers Grove, WI, is hosting three trout fishing workshops during the 2010 trout season. The speaker is Len Harris, a native of the Gays Mills, WI area, a former trout fishing guide, and currently a syndicated outdoor writer. Len knows these streams well, and he has hundreds of great photos of the streams he fishes and the fish he has helped his clients catch. In these workshops Len will discuss the tactics he uses to catch big trout.

Join us on May 8, June 19, or Sept 11 at Lonesome Hollow to be informed and entertained by a talented “trout guy”.  You can view all kinds of trout stories and pictures on Len’s blogsite, http://lenharris.blogspot.com.

On Tuesday, May 12 Bob Mehsikomer, (member of the Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame) from Simply Fishing magazine and TV (http://simplyfishingmagazine.com) was guided by local fishing guru Len Harris for a day of fishing the stream around Gays Mills and Soldiers Grove, Wisconsin. While Bob is best known for his 80+ monster muskies that he has caught, he thought he’d try the very different and more delicate art of trout fishing.

May 12, 2009 - Bob and His 18" Brown Trout

Bob stayed at the Inn at Lonesome Hollow, www.lonesomehollow.com, conveniently located in the heart of the Kickapoo River Valley and the Driftless Area. Between Bob and Len they landed 38 trout, including six that were about 18 inches long. While Len would have liked to put Bob onto a ten lb brown like he helped catch last summer, he was very satisfied with the day’s productivity.

photo courtesy of Len Harris

On March 7, 2009 the catch and release trout season opens in Wisconsin. For those who are not aware of the great streams in Southwest Wisconsin, you are in for a sweet surprise. Brook, brown, and rainbow trout abound in the hundreds of coldwater streams that course through the Driftless Area, most of which are found in Wisconsin. The 300 to 600 ft hills (some call them the Ocooch Mountains) create elevated water tables that literally “spring” out of the ground all over and meld together into cold water streams that flow into the Mississippi, Wisconsin, or Kickapoo rivers. If you come to the Kickapoo Valley, you will find yourself in a 1200 square mile subset of the Driftless Area that is known for its peace, seclusion, and incredible scenery.

The Inn at Lonesome Hollow, www.lonesomehollow.com, is located smack dab in the middle of the

photo courtesy of Len Harris

Kickapoo Valley. We offer B&B rooms, a cabin, and two large suites that constitute some of the best lodging available in this part of the state. When you’re not on the streams you will relax in style on 160 acres of wooded hills. We can direct you to some great restaurants, or you can grill your catch right on the cabin deck.

The pictures on this page are courtesy of Len Harris, who will be here in May with folks from the Simply Fishing TV show, filming a day of trout fishing on our local streams.