Trout Trip 2020-And-A-Half: Weisse Wasser

First fish of the Trip. Look at those cool spots!

There is a river complex in southeastern Minnesota which has a reputation as being very popular amongst trout fishers, because it is comprised of three high quality trout streams along with several other smaller feeder creeks. There are literally dozens of miles of public access within this complex, with excellent trout habitat throughout. Add to that several public and private campgrounds in the area, and you have a terrific destination to do a little angling. My buddy, Bryon, who I go with on our Annual Springtime Trout Trip every year, and I decided to do another, shorter Trout Trip to this very destination this past weekend. It was a hoot!

We began Trout Trip 2020-And-A-Half on the northern branch of this particular river complex, because we were going to camp on that branch. The northern branch has its proponents, but overall the water quality and habitat is not quite as good as on the other branches. We got a few fish, and I even caught a nice rainbow on a perfectly placed grasshopper imitation, which rarely happens for me. (I mean the catching a fish on a grasshopper rarely happens... The perfect placement happens often, if I can toot my own horn for a second...)

Nice rainbow on a hopper. Look at those cheeks!

First rod/reel of the trip: Vince Cummings Superlite 7' 4wt glass & Orvis CFO III Disc 

Bryon and a buttery brown.

We moved on to the middle branch of the complex later that day. The section we were fishing is as lovely as a trout stream can be. The water was in perfect shape, and the fish were, sometimes, willing to be caught. Actually they seemed to be more off than on, but some were caught throughout the afternoon. At one point I caught three nice fish in four casts, but then I didn't get a bite for the next couple of hours. I guess that's fishing for ya!

A beautiful section of stream!

A chunky bow. This was the 3rd of the three fish in 4 casts. Each one was bigger than the last one.

Second rod/reel: Larry Kenney 8'3" 5wt glass & Ross Evolution #2

Sunday morning was spent on a different section of that middle branch. Fishing was slow, despite more beautiful water. To end the weekend we decided to skip over to the south branch of the river complex. We found a newly-rehabilitated stretch of stream that looked great, but the word on the street was that the trouts hadn't moved into the new habitat yet. Being the two stubborn dudes that we are, Bryon and I both scoffed at the word on the street, and jumped in with both feet. I am glad we did, since on my 4th or 5th cast I hooked a slab of a rainbow. Being the honest fisherman that I am, I will estimate it at somewhere between 15"-25" in length, and 12"-30" in girth. In other words, I didn't measure it. But it was the biggest trout I have caught in a looooooooong time. What a hoot! I hooked another about five minutes later that would have been close to that size, but he went aerial a second or two after I hooked him and he threw the hook. What a jerk!

Big ol' slab of a rainbow!

Me, landing that big ol' 'bow with the grace of a ballerina...

Third rod/reel: Bozeman (now Livingston) Rod Co. 8'6" 4wt glass & Ross Gunnison #1

We had a great time fishing, and we are already starting to plan Trout Trip 2021, which is sure to be quite the trip! Woohoo! 

Camden State Park

My family loves to camp! We try to get out to a campground several times a year. This year was a little strange, since the Covid-19 pandemic kept campgrounds closed for a large portion of the Spring. Once the powers-that-be decided that campgrounds could open, camping reservations were gobbled up by people who were going crazy being cooped up in their own houses. Apparently we weren't as crazed as many others, since when we finally got around to searching for a site, most of them were already full. We did find a State Park that is located out in the western part of Minnesota, called Camden State Park. This past weekend we loaded up our seemingly infinite amount of kids, most of their earthly possessions, and the dog, and headed out there for 5 days.

Our Home away from Home at Camden State Park

I would say that western Minnesota is about 99% cropland. Whatever direction you look in, you will more than likely be looking at corn or soybeans or some other kind of crop. The remaining 1% is roads. And everything is flat. To say that I was a little nervous about the possibility of finding a scenic park in the area would be an understatement. Thankfully Camden is located in a lush river valley that was filled with mature trees and hills. 

The lush river that flows through the lush river valley is the Redwood River, which is a Designated Trout Stream, according to the Minnesota DNR. I had never been trout fishing in that part of the state, nor did I know anyone who had, so I was excited to see what it had to offer in terms of fishing. It was not much...

The rod of the weekend: Sage SFL580 glass rod, with Ross Evolution #2 reel

Sunrise on the Redwood River

I got up early and fished the first two mornings we were there. Hardly anyone else was around, so I could have my pick of the pools on the stream. Despite low water conditions, there were some prime looking spots. I soon learned that spots that look prime to me might not be so prime for the trout. I never got a bite, never saw a fish, on either of the two mornings. And I tried some good flies. Proven fish-slayers. But nothing. It was a little frustrating.

Proven fish-slayers...

By the third morning the campground was beginning to fill up, and it was obvious that many of those recent arrivals were also there to fish. So I stayed in bed that day and the next, leaving my rods and reels in the truck. I did talk to many of the other fisherpeople throughout the weekend, though, and none of them caught any fish either. One of the best feelings I can think of is to find out everyone else is not catching just as many fish as I did not catch. What a great weekend!

I had never seen such a high cut-bank in the area as I found on the Redwood River. I was sure that if I hung around in this spot for a few more minutes that tree up there would soon be down with its friend in the river...

Although the fishing was terrible, we had a fun time. The Wife and I took all the kids and the dog on at least one long hike (also known as a death march) each day. And we biked and swam and swatted mosquitoes and went to a Little House on the Prairie Museum and just had an all-around excellent time. Maybe the fishing would have better in the Spring when the water was not so low...? Whatever the case, if you are looking for a fun place to take the family, I would recommend Camden State Park. See ya there!

The kids counted at least 50 of these over the weekend. There were almost as many Garter Snakes, which I did not get close enough to photograph. Only because they were too fast...

The hoodlums, I mean kids, on a death march.

Weird tree.

We were followed by vultures on one of our death marches. I think they heard us joking about it being a death march...

This was on the 8-year-old's arm for a second or two, until it got flung off. I found it few yards away and took the pic. By that time the 8-year-old was in the next county...

The moon was super bright a couple of the nights. This was as good a pic as I could take after having a beer...