With spring comes the beginning of fly fishing season. In Missouri, there are no shortage of great spots within driving distance of St. Louis. Here are just five places to get started if you’re looking for a quick weekend getaway:
- Bennett Spring State Park is a popular spot, where there’s a hatchery on-site and no shortage of brown and rainbow trout.
- Blue Springs Creek is a small creek with wild rainbow trout. (Note that only flies and artificial lures are permitted.)
- Current River is a favorite, with two places for easy access: White Ribbon and Blue Ribbon. Rainbow trout are more common here, though you might also find the occasional brown trout.
- Maramec Spring Park has a hatchery on site, which means rainbow trout are continually stocked.
- Roubidoux Creek is stocked with rainbow and brown trout year-round.
If you want to escape for a longer trip, though, it’s hard to beat the Upper Midwest, with its magnitude of pristine lakes, rivers, and streams. Together, Minnesota and Wisconsin have more than 25,000 lakes and 175,000-plus miles of rivers and streams. So perhaps it’s no surprise that some of the best fly-fishing in the Upper Midwest can be found not far from the Twin Cities.
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River Falls, Wisconsin
A hop, skip, and a jump across the border of Minnesota, in northwest Wisconsin, is River Falls, a historic city that boasts some of the best fishing in the Upper Midwest. Two favorite destinations for fly-fishing include the Kinnickinnic and Rush River.
The Kinnickinnic, known locally as the “Kinni,”is a 22-mile, spring-fed river, and a world-class trout stream with over 8,000 trout per mile in some stretches. Managed by the Kinnickinnic River Land Trust, the Kinnickinnic River State Park affords fantastic outdoor recreation, wildlife spotting, and incredible fly-fishing. You can access the lower canyon at three points: Hike down from Glen Park in River Falls, hike in at the Jackson Preserve access point parking lot on County FF, or hike in just upstream of the mouth of the river at the County F bridge pay lot. (If you don’t have a Wisconsin state park sticker, you can leave money in the paybox.) Hike about 10–20 minutes to reach the best fishing spot.
Rush River (also located in River Falls) is another favorite trout stream. Per Fly Fishing Wisconsin, “Its deep pools, long riffles and flats give the fly fisherman plenty of choice for fishing style.” Locals say the Rush River has fewer but bigger fish, as well as fewer anglers and kayaks, and it’s a more serene experience. Access points are abundant and usually right at a bridge or riverside parking lot, which means less time trudging to the water in waders and more time with a wet line in the water. The best access points start at the village of Martell and continue downstream through El Paso until you hit the Lost Creek confluence about halfway between State Highway 72 and US 10. The brown trout get bigger as you move south, but the smaller, easier-to-catch trout are in the northern part of the stretch.
Viroqua, Wisconsin
Three hours south of the Twin Cities and three hours west of Milwaukee is Viroqua, Wisconsin, known for some of the best angler fishing in the world. With over 250 miles of classified trout water, 63 spring creeks and several lakes, it is no surprise that Viroqua has been called “The Montana of the Midwest.” What makes Viroqua all the more special is its amazing fly shop, Driftless Angler, which some say is the best fly shop east of Montana. Stop by to get expert advice on which of the hundreds of miles of spring creeks to choose from and also book a half or full-day guide if you prefer. Best spots to fly-fish are at the Class I trout streams, the West Fork of Kickapoo and Timber Coulee. You can also check out this map of regional trout streams.
The Driftless (Parts of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, and Illinois)
Fishing in the Driftless Area is one of the best-kept secrets in the trout world. “This unique region, unscathed by ancient glaciers, is characterized by aggressive topography—steep, breathtaking valleys, jagged limestone cliffs, and massive stands of mixed timber. The real treasure of the area lies beneath the ground: Some 600 natural springs feed thousands of miles of clean, frigid streams across the Driftless,” Josh Dahlke notes inOutdoor Life. (Dahlke also recommends places to fly fish in Southwestern Wisconsin, Southeastern Minnesota, Iowa, and Illinois.)
Other favorites within the Driftless Area include Preston and Lanesboro, Minnesota, roughly two hours and 15 minutes south of the Twin Cities and four hours southwest of Milwaukee. Preston and neighboring Lanesboro are nestled in the Bluffs overlooking the Root River. Known as “Minnesota’s Trout Capital,” head to the Whitewater River (inside the Whitewater State Park) or the Root River(inside the Forestville State Park) for the best fly-fishing in the area.
