Minnesota Winter Catch and Release Season 2012 – Vermillion River

Date: January 22^nd

Weather: 23 degrees, overcast with light freezing rain

Stream: Clear with ice

Hatch: No

Water Temp: Cold

Beer: Sierra Nevada Christmas IPA

My first adventure of the season brings me to the Vermillion River, a little gem about 30 minutes south of the Twin Cities. It starts as so many other Midwestern streams, a spring fed bubbling up in some farmer’s field and quickly gaining in size and flow as it meanders the roughly 25 miles east to the Mississippi. Like a majority of Midwestern streams, much of its history has been silted and degraded by farmer’s wreck less cultivation of the land. Recently, joint efforts by the Minnesota DNR and the Twin Cities Trout Unlimited chapter have begun to reverse years of damage. Native streamside vegetation has been replanted on the banks to stabilize the shoreline and prevent the Vermillion from running cloudy with silt. Lunker structures have been placed in the deep pools and runs to provide trout with cover. Watercress and marsh marigolds can be found again on the Vermillion. Most importantly, a sustaining population of brown trout has reestablished itself and is beginning to thrive. I’ve heard from other fisherman the Vermillion might not have as many trout as the Kinnickinnic but it has some of the biggest, a five pound brown is not uncommon. A few Brook Trout are also known to inhabit the river. Though they don’t reach the size of a brown or rainbow, they are much more aggressive and the most beautifully colored fish I have ever seen.

            Today’s outing marks my first time angling on the Vermillion. I’ve known about it for a while but just have never made it out. Also, I have only fished once in January for trout as Wisconsin recently ended its Winter Catch and Release season. Fly fishing this time of the year is difficult, cold temperatures and water freezes your line, a major annoyance if you are not willing to coat the line in Crisco. Instead, I brought my trusty Ugly Stik Shakespeare spinning rod. This rod has been with me to countless lakes, streams, and rivers reeling in everything from walleyes, bass, and pike, to trout and salmon.

            In the winter, trout are very lethargic in order to conserve energy. They concentrate in the deep pools eating small nymphs and other insect larvae as they tumble along the river bottom. I have a few small, flashy spinners I use for these instances. While spinners looks nothing like a small fish, trout usually strike it out of annoyance or due to a specific color. Fishing in these conditions, however, does not hold the same promise as a warm May evening.

            It’s always exciting to visit a brand new river. I scouted a bit of the Vermillion before setting out to catch trout. Unlike my Wisconsin rivers, the Vermillion is mostly a private river. There are some easements for fishermen like me but the opportunities are limited. I parked my car at the Vermillion Wildlife Conservation Area, a nice large parcel of land bought by the DNR to restore the river. Unlike my Wisconsin rivers, the Vermillion is a prairie river. Its banks are mostly surrounded by rolling prairie grasses. It’s pretty. The restoration work being done on its banks is instantly evident as well.

            The path from the car to the river led me right to the first pool. Figuring it was as good as any spot, I casted my orange spinner into its depths for about five minutes. Nothing. I decided to continue further down the river. As I walking a curvy stretch I saw about four Brook Trout swimming upstream. My presence spooked them into seeking cover under an ice ledge and no amount of casting could persuade them to bite. My quest for January trout led me further down the river. I hit a few more pools but no luck. The remaining unfrozen pools on the Vermillion proved to be pretty unsubstantial. I saw a nice Brown Trout swimming upstream but I spooked it too. It’s different fishing a prairie river without the cover of a forest. I fished for about two and half hours before deciding to pack it in. I wasn’t really expecting much. It’s January and a very substantial portion of the river was frozen. Cold weather, ice and sleet are not conducive towards fishing but it felt good nonetheless to walk down the river, rod in hand on a dull January day. April should be much better for the Vermillion.

Welcome to 2012

I never thought I would ever be doing this but I am starting a blog covering some of my fishing adventures. The season doesn't begin until March but I thought I would dedicate my first entry with some lead up information. I've been trout fishing in the upper Midwest for several years and I've come a long way since my first day fly fishing on the river. I think I spent more time that first day untangling my fly from stream side brush than watching it drift over some of the Kinnickinnic's deep runs.

For the most part, I fish a trinity of rivers located in western Wisconsin: the Kinnickinnic, Willow and Rush Rivers. Each are 45 minutes from Saint Paul, filled with wild trout, and meander through some of the most beautiful Midwest forests and rolling countryside. It's hard to top an evening on one of these river gems casting to hungry trout sipping insects off the water. It's even better when you have a few cold New Glarus Dancing Man Wheat's in your cooler on warm midsummer evening.

As I write this first entry I look forward to what the 2012 fishing season has to offer. While I mostly fish my trinity of rivers,  I will be in Southeastern Minnesota to fish some of our state's great Driftless streams. As the spring develops and snow melts, I will be heading to Northern Wisconsin and Minnesota to take in the Steelhead run from rivers like the Bois Brule and French. In the fall I'll head up north again to fish for some great runs of Pink Salmon on the Temperance and Poplar Rivers. Each river always contains unexpected surprises and stories and I hope to have plenty to share throughout the year.