It was Bill that got things rolling. “What was the fishery up north you mentioned? Something about brookies on a bigger river, and maybe some blue lines to check out? I’ve got a thing nearby coming up, we could meet there and fish.” I’d been exploring this region during passing visits for a few years and had discovered a stretch of mainstream that looked like prime tenkara fishing. It’s deep within a remote swath of isolated public forests in Northern Wisconsin. The river section itself; heavily wooded, lightly visited, sometimes tough to get signal even with satellite. I’d filed it away as “best fished for the first time with a buddy around”. Here was the chance, so I was there for it!
I decided to head up 4 days prior to Bill’s arrival and spend some time kicking around. Another friend, Jacob, would join us the day after. After a few days relaxing and wandering the woods, I thought I’d scout the area we intended to fish before the others arrived. Returning to the van after a short look at the river, I was greeted by A) a flat tire, and B) Turtles! It was getting on dinner time; hot, muggy, and the legendary Northwoods mosquito season was in full blast. The tire could wait till morning when things had cooled off and I had a good night’s sleep behind me. I woke rested and up to the task, thinking I’d make quick work of it. I didn’t.
Dropping the spare was easy, but try as I might I couldn’t get a single lug to budge on the flat. Turns out that Ram 2500 cargo vans are notorious for this, and I just didn’t have the tools to break them free. Good news in the group chat – Jacob will bring an impact driver along, and Bill is arriving tomorrow afternoon with plenty of water. Solid shape for being stranded. I settled in for the wait. There is always plenty to do in camp. And I had cool neighbors to hang out with! My initial amateur guess was that these were immature snapping turtles, but an informed friend set me straight.
They turned out to be Wood Turtles, and are a rare, threatened species. I was careful to give them space and not disturb them as they went about their business. If the tire wasn’t flat, I would not have stuck around after realizing I was parked on the edge of a breeding area. The best I could do was be a respectful guest and report the finding to Wisconsin’s Department of Natural Resources.
Despite moving slowly, wood turtles move around a LOT. They seem frantic, but in slow motion! They are also extremely perceptive creatures, reacting to the slightest sound or movement. When I remained still, they would “run around” close-by without bother. A simple turn of the head or shift of feet would stop them and draw wary stares. If my movement around the van was too much, they would “sprint” into the tall grass and hide for 5 minutes before scrambling back out. They are powerful diggers and you can hear them excavating from a distance. Scratching, shoveling, scraping, clawing gravel, stones bouncing off shells. A distinct sound I’ll not forget. Turtles are interesting company.
Bill arrived around dinner the next day – with extra water and a bag of McDonald’s! He hit the water for an hour and picked up the trip’s first Northwoods native Brook trout while I crushed that burger and fries. We both had higher hopes for the next day but not enough experience with the fishery to be confident. Unlike the spring-fed creeks of the Driftless that feed the mighty Mississippi, North Woods mainstreams are freestones that drain towards the great lakes, and they warm up fast without that constant influx of cold below-ground water.
Conditions looked good that morning. Cooler temps, cloud cover, probably the best weather we could draw that time of year. We left the turtles in charge of guarding my van and headed downstream to fish. Complimenting the favorable weather, this water seemed like a deck stacked in our favor. It was a nicely structured run below a short series of small waterfalls upstream, shin to thigh deep and always stained with tannin. Lots of room to cast, fairly easy to wade. We worked it hard for almost 3 hours and caught exactly one creek chub.
As Bill observed, maybe we should have brought crawfish traps instead. The river-bed was carpeted in them! The local raccoons were eating well. We were surprised to find the river devoid of even warm water species, figuring that this is prime smallmouth water when running at summer temps. No. Not even panfish.
Bill dropped me off at the van and went scouting for cooler water to fish, and it wasn’t long until Jacob arrived. We hit the lugs with PB Blaster and managed to work them all free after about 20 minutes. A problem I thought was going to cost me a full tow or outlandish fee to solve was fixed with patience and community. I like everything about that. Thank you Jacob! I owe you one.
Bill showed back up with good news – he found a spring fed creek, and he also found a roadside bar & grill. It was packed, but a local couple was kind enough to share their table. $5 Smash Burgers, $5 Wings, and air conditioning! That is paradise after a few sweltering days in the buggy forest. Among the couple we shared a table with, the gentlemen was a trout fisher and gave us some useful info. He confirmed that the creek Bill had found was “trouty” and typically stayed cool in summer. Even better, There is a camping spot directly on the creek access! Picnic table and plenty of space near the “very official looking” signage.
The next morning, Jacob once again landed the clutch play – making us all delicious Peruvian coffee in some Japanese brewing contraption. We enjoyed a lazy breakfast and got geared up to hit the creek, each splitting our separate ways to fish. The cooler waters of this spring fed creek were loaded with native brook trout! A lot of small fish, but most were in 6-10 inch range. Bill had something quite a bit larger than that on in the bridge pool pictured below right, but the tannin stained waters kept us both from seeing how big it actually was. It sure put his Oni type 1 to work!!!
Though we all fished apart and for different lengths of time, we all had a blast! We caught fish where we found them, in some highly technical stretches of creek. The location and fishery was an interesting change of pace. WI and the MI Upper Peninsula hosts some of the Midwest’s largest parcels of public land and National Forest. They are covered in native brook trout water! Free/cheap camping, affordable local economy, and Wisconsin’s unbeatable water access laws make the North Woods a destination fishery for trout-bumming. Flat tire included, this was an exceptionally fun and memorable trip. Big thanks to Jacob and Bill for their company on this adventure!
Epilogue: A scene from a North Woods traffic jam. County highway traffic stopped in both directions because a grouse is marching back and forth across both lanes doing a mating dance.
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