Quick Driftless report

[ness]

I went up to Iowa to see the gf's mom this last weekend. Headed up a couple days early to go to Decorah, IA, mostly to hang out around town, but I threw my gear in the car too.

We hiked up a short path to see a waterfall on the north edge of town. As we walked, I thought -- I'm gonna get rigged up and give this tiny creek a try. It was only a couple hundred yards long, and the number of likely spots were very few. I tied on a #20-something pheasant tail and the second little pocket gave up this beauty:

Click to choose files

I don't know if it was native or not, but I doubt they'd go to the trouble of stocking in this tiny stretch of this tiny creek. Maybe upstream, but it would have been a heck of a ride over the waterfall, or downstream in the Upper Iowa. Anyhoo -- my first Iowa brookie. About 10 inches.

Got in about an hour more fishing later in the day at one of the little creeks north of town. I got to see a classic mayfly hatch and tons of risers, but they were really keyed in and wouldn't take my flies. It turned on and off several times, and revealed that this little stream was packed with fish. Tied on a GRHE and ran it through a few times with nothing. Then, lengthened the tippet to drift it through a deeper spot and took a long skinny brown -- about 12 inches:

Later, stopped by the Decorah Fish Hatchery, where there's a bald eagle nest and an eagle cam. Saw the eagle, and later learned an egg hatched the day we were there. Kinda cewl.

 

So, I got in a little fishing, snagged a brookie, saw an eagle, ate way too much good food. And that's all I've got.

[snagged in outlet 3]

Met the future Mother in-law.

[fishinwrench]

Woah Woah Wait....Back up.....

So there's a g/f ?!!!!    

?? ?? ??  

(Which one is the closest fit?)

[ness]

You guys sound like a bunch of bored housewives!

Not to change the subject or anything,  but did you know they dam the Mississippi in 29 places? You St. Louisans probably did, but I did not. Went to the dam and lock at Bellevue, IA. The lock is at the far left (west) end.

These guys were cool -- as they waited in the lock, we chatted about stuff. 2 barges wide, 2 barges long -- that's 108 by 600 feet, without the boat. They started at New Orleans on their way to St. Paul to pick up a load of fuel oil. Took two weeks to get to Bellevue, and would take another week to get to St. Paul. They work 4 weeks on, 2 weeks off.

Glass-calm Mississippi River at dusk:

Saw tons and tons and tons and tons of this:

Maybe I'm an heir to this northeast Iowa dynasty!

I didn't pick it...

Grocery store/hardware store/tackle shop/outfitter/campground office and post office at Highlandville. Here's the post office:

 

[Quillback]

I see some good bird habitat..

[ness]

Had to laugh -- I've driven hours and hours and walked miles and miles without seeing a pheasant. Up there this weekend I saw a rooster walking through a farmer's yard!

[BilletHead]

     That is quite a quick report, thanks. The real questions that needs to be answered though is does the new mother in law like you? If we get invited to the wedding is there a travel allowance since we my have to drive to Iowa and I guess I have to ask also will there be a fishing trip involved for you bachelor party? No car pooling , don't want to take the chance of riding with Joe D and listen to him bash your back porch ,

  BilletHead

[ness]

Not to change the subject or anything, but there's an excellent brewery in Decorah:

Their new world lager, "Dorothy's", was really tasty:

 

[snagged in outlet 3]

If you think a couple pictures of barges and beers is enough to take our attention away from the real dealio.  You must've drank too much. 

[ness]

I'll try an ice cream diversion then. Apparently, when the Whippy Dip opens for the season, it's quite the event. We stood in line for about 30 minutes, in 38 degree cold, with about a hundred people, for a couple ice-cold malts. I think the picture is blurry because my phone iced up.

 

Had a teenage girl in front of us trying to get orders for her friends at the end of the line by texting them. I told her 'That's not how we Whippy Dip' and she knocked it off.