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Teamwork Leads to Dreamwork on Wilson Creek in Dunn County
Sometimes the right place and the right people come together at exactly the right time to create a stream restoration project that is truly remarkable. The place is 7200 feet of the North Branch of Wilson Creek in Dunn County, Wisc., on the properties of Bill Manwarren and Josh Edhlund. Wilson Creek, like many Driftless streams, was straightened on these properties to increase land available for agriculture and to improve efficiency with large…
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The Trout and I Both Need a Break
I get a pretty serious case of the blues after the end of the Wisconsin trout season. The past few years warm weather has lasted well into October, and late season terrestrial fishing has been epic. So, I end the season in a kind of manic flurry because the fishing is great and the sand is falling through the hourglass. When the end comes, it comes hard,…
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Sculpin Study
Prior to meeting Evan Sirianni, my knowledge of sculpin consisted of occasionally looking at Muddler Minnows in a fly shop fly bin and wondering if they work. Sirianni, a graduate student at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, recently held a field demonstration day on Maple Dale Creek near Viroqua, Wisc., to introduce his master's degree…
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The Unknown Driftless—Fishing Unimproved Water
Because fishing time is so precious, I am a reluctant explorer. I know fishing is supposed to be about more than catching fish, but let’s face it, I like to catch fish. And so I tend to go to spots that have been good to me in the past. I am an especially reluctant explorer…
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Want bigger trout in the Driftless? Eat some smaller ones
When I first joined Trout Unlimited and became engaged in environmentalism in the early 90s, the catch and release ethic was so much a part of our ethos that it took on a moral, almost religious quality. Today, I believe it is still an important management tool and absolutely critical in some situations (obviously where we…
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Driftless symposium goes in-person again
Over 135 people attended the 2025 Driftless Symposium hosted by the Trout Unlimited Driftless Area Restoration Effort and the Wisconsin Wetlands Association on Tuesday February 25 in La Crosse, Wisc. Several common threads emerged among this year’s presentations, highlighting both threats to watershed health and the countermeasures being developed to face those threats. Threats to…
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Landowner “Lunch and Learn” highlights Driftless stream restoration
Without willing, conservation-minded landowners, very few stream restoration projects would happen in the Driftless Area. Over 90% of Driftless trout streams flow through private land, so building relationships and educating landowners about the benefits of stream restoration are critical first steps in assuring that stream restoration work will continue. With this reality in mind,…
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