St. Croix River, Minnesota
Anybody familier with the upper St. Croix River in Minnesota and Wisconsin? Got any advice for the smallies and northerns? I moved to within a short drive a this river and have heard a little about how good it is for smallies. Suggested flies? Etc...
I live in the cities and occasionally fish the area that you are talking about. You are sitting on top of some very good trout fishing as well as smallies and northerns. Send me an email and I will send you some info on that space.
You might also want to check out the Rum River. I've had excellent smallie and walleye fishing there without the crowds common to the St. Croix.
I've never fished the upper section of the St. Croix, but I used to fish the Rum north between St. Francis and Anoka with an ultralight spinning rod when I was a teen. I second MNFisher. Good smallie, walleye and northern, and you can be out all day on a saturday without seeing anyone else. (at least a few years back) I used to use minnow and crayfish rapalas. So, I would assume a clouser or a would work, as well as the standard wooly bugger. Even though it might be a little big, I plan on bringing my 8wt up there this summer when I get done building it.
Depending on which side of the St. Croix you're on, you can also try the Mississippi in MN (smallie/walleye) or the Namakegan in WI (musky/northern).
Sorry if this is too much. This site has been so good at giving me help/advice, I can't help myself when someone actually starts a topic I know about!
[This message has been edited by ameyers41 (edited 22 March 2006).]
Crawfish patterns, wooly buggers, clousers and decievers. There are many others that will catch smallies. I tied a few of theses:
[url=http://www.hatchesmagazine.com/page/march2006/140:98494]Sparrow[/url:98494]
I don't know how good they will work but they look like smallmouth food.
Here's a link to some reading:
[url=http://www.flyfisherman.com/toc:98494]Flyfisherman magazine[/url:98494]
Dave Whitlock has some articles there that you should read.
The stretch through the St. Croix state park is a lot of fun. You may want to consider some type of boat or canoe.
As already said the Rum has some good fishing and also the Kettle. Your also not far from the St. Louis which is loaded with fish and walleyes on a fly rod is not to difficult.
I forgot to mention you can rent canoes at the state park.
[This message has been edited by Fly_Line (edited 23 March 2006).]
Yea...the Kettle River is only 3 blocks from my house...its pretty good. I go there when I only have a little time to spare.
I live in the cities and fish the upper St. Croix quite often. For smallies, I'd go with either gray or white top waters (divers or poppers) and clousers (size 1-6)in a multitude of colors for going deep.
As far as pike and musky go I use large divers and hair streamers. Throw them at the trees and you'll find Mr Toothy.
Remember that these fish are feeding on either crawfish or shad. Use patterns that mimic either of those food sources.
This water is also an early morning or late evening fishery. I've had much better luck then rather than the middle of the day.
Haven't fished the Kettle in that area although I've fished it closer to its headwaters. I've heard that it is decent water, however it is not as fertile as the St. Croux so you can expect to see fewer fish. The Snake is also in your backyard and offers oustanding Smallie fishing from the dam all the way down to the Croix. Use the above mentioned flies on any of those waters.
Kevin
[This message has been edited by fly-chucker (edited 23 March 2006).]
Why do you prefer grey or white for the top waters? What colors of clouser's do you think work best? I like blue and white...seems to be the most productive for me.
Two reasons. First, that's what works. Secondly, their main forage is shad, which are a small silvery gray fish. As far as clousers go, I've never tried blue over white. Sometimes a crawfish colored one works well when they are keying on crawfish, often I'll use a gray-squirrel-tail over white. Again because of the forage base. Chart. over white also works.
Hope this helps. See you at Great Waters,
Kevin
[This message has been edited by fly-chucker (edited 24 March 2006).]
The St. Croix River, is the border between Minnesota and Wisconsin, for most of it length. The St. Croix is a National "Wild and Scenic Waterway", controlled and managed by the U.S. Park Service.
The St. Croix over its 220 mile distance from its head waters in Northern Wisconsin, to where it meets with the Mississippi River at Prescott WI. There are three distinct and different regions on the St. Croix River.
From Prescott WI, to Stillwater MN, the river is wide and slow moving, with Lake St. Croix between Hudson WI and Prescott WI. Lake St. Croix is mostly large Cabin Cruisers and other boats.
There is a lift bridge at Stillwater MN, that is over 100 years old, and is being refurbished. The replacement bridge across the St. Croix River, has been held up in Federal Court for over 20 years because of litigation resulting from the "Wild and Scenic River" designation. There are only 6 bridges that cross the St. Croix for it total 220 mile length.
Upriver from Stillwater MN to Taylors Falls MN/St. Croix Falls WI, the river slowly narrows, as the high valley sides, close in to the river banks, becoming a Gorge. There is even a stretch of White Water right below the dammed falls at Taylors Falls MN/St. Croix Falls WI.
Above the Falls/Dam, the river is narrow and the trees and foliage come down to the river banks, with an overhead canopy of tree branch's. This part of the river is void of any housing and very few river crossings. Both side of the river above the Falls, are either Wildlife Management Areas, State Forest, or State Parks.
It is in the upper region of the St. Croix that has Big Brown Trout, occupying the same pools as Smallmouth Bass. The trout are big and the Smallmouth are large (but not quite large enough to be considered "Bronzeback"
There many roads that come down to the river that do not cross. So there are many put-in and take-out possibilities.
There are two State Parks at the Falls and near Hinkley there are more State Parks for camping. This is a real gem of a river, the whole length will now be protected from further encroachment by civilization.
All along the full length of the St. Croix, there are some major regional rivers and streams adding their water to the St. Croix. Some of these rivers are Disignated Trout Streams/Rivers, others are Smallmouth Bass Streams/Rivers.
~Parnelli
[This message has been edited by Steven H. McGarthwaite (edited 24 March 2006).]
[This message has been edited by Steven H. McGarthwaite (edited 24 March 2006).]
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