Trout Fool Fishing Report - April 17 2025 - Streamers and Stealth

This past weekend in the Driftless gave us a little bit of everything—and we’re not just talking weather.

Two very different approaches on different types of water. Both got it done.

While one part of the crew was ripping big flies through thunderstorm-fed cloud cover, another group was quietly stalking spooky trout in gin-clear runs. Two paths, same goal: bent rods and full spring trout stoke.

The Meat Crew – Streamer Dreams

Tim and Nick hit it hard with streamers, and the conditions lined up just right.
The western Driftless saw patches of thunderstorms and overcast skies, and that subtle mix of weather got fish in the mood.

The creeks were low and clear, but the bump in temps and that blanket of clouds turned the bite on. Fish were aggressive, chasing down flies from 2” to 6”, often hitting on the pause—sometimes multiple times before finally getting pinned.

And the streamer bite didn’t fade when the sun came out. It just shifted. When skies cleared, getting the fly deeper and still pausing it was the ticket.

🪱 Top producers:

• Peanut Envy

• Rusty Trombone

• Heisenbergs

• Mini Bangtails

Natural tones like olive, tan/brown, and yellow got the nod. Flies with moderate to slow sink rates gave that sweet, juicy hang time fish couldn't ignore.

Tactics-wise, longer casts, extended leaders, and moving to bigger water helped avoid spooking fish in those ultra-clear conditions.

The Stealth Crew – Technical & Tiny Bugs

Meanwhile, across a different stretch, another crew ran into plenty of bugs—BWOs and caddis everywhere—but fish weren’t looking up. Instead, they were hunkered down, spooky, and suspicious.

After pushing through about 250 yards of river and spooking just about everything, Charlie and his wife Lily, changed it up. Slowed down. Got sneaky.

🎣 The winning move:

• Presenting small flies with a downstream drift in deep buckets below riffles or long, slow pools.

🐛 The rig:

• Size 18–20 BWO emergers, trailed behind attractors like the SOB Czech or Inferno-Gons.

  • Film Critics
  • RS2 Emergers
  • SOB Czech
  • Infero-Gons
• Down-size tippet and indicators
  • Oros XS indicators are clutch! 

Technical fishing. Tight windows. Light touch. But the results? Worth every careful step.

A Tale of Two Tactics

This kind of day is why we love the Driftless.

Streamer junkies and bug whisperers, all finding their own groove. Whether you were chasing slashes in cloudy water or tiptoeing for tight eats in the clear stuff—there was no wrong answer this time.

Spring is here. The fish are moving. The tactics may differ, but the message is clear:

Get out there. It's only getting better from here.

– The Musky Fool Crew