Angling Publications - Index

Angling Publications - april2008 - Index

Badger State Bounty
Wisconsin
Fly Fishing for Giant Browns and Steelhead
The quest for big fish has few
borders in this modern age of fly fishing.
Today’s jet-set, hard-core anglers can be found
chasing such exotic species as giant taimen
(the world’s largest salmonid) in Mongolia,
peacock bass in the Amazon, sea-run brown
trout in Patagonia, and giant trevally on the
flats of Africa’s Seychelles Islands. Closer to
home, many also make an annual—or once in
a lifetime—pilgrimage to the Florida Keys for
tarpon, British Columbia for steelhead, and
Montauk Point, Long Island for stripers; all in
the never-ending hunt for bigger fish.
While these coveted gamefish are always
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worth the effort, sometimes the best fishing
is right under your nose. One perfect example
is the amazing anadromous trout and
salmon fishery here in the Midwest. Since
the early ‘60s, anglers of all persuasions have
been enjoying great fishing for hard-fighting
salmon, steelhead, and lake-run brown trout
throughout the Great Lakes and its many
tributaries. The fact that many of these fish
approach or exceed 20 pounds—and are
receptive to a fly—makes one seriously reconsider
the need to travel around the world
in search of trophies.
Up and down the western shoreline
of Lake Michigan, in the Badger State of
Wisconsin, you’ll find some of the best of
this fishing. From Milwaukee in the south
to Green Bay in the north, fly fishers can
enjoy great fall, winter, and spring fishing for
salmon, steelhead, and lake-run brown trout
on numerous tributaries both large and small.
Some of the more popular and productive
of these include the Root River in Kenosha,
the Milwaukee River in Milwaukee, and
the Kewaunee River at the base of the Door
County Peninsula. Depending on water levels
in a given year, all offer seasonal fishing for
lake-run trout and salmon rivaling that found
JAMES LINEHAM PHOTOS