[July 18, 2010] Glaciers may have missed Driftless Zone but trout are right at home Tweet DOVER, Minn., Jul 18, 2010 (The Kansas City Star - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- Gary Sobotta stood on the bank of a beautiful trout stream winding through Minnesota farm country and acted like a proud papa. People in these parts still remember when that ribbon of clear water known as Crow Spring Branch wasn't much. Its banks were eroding, pools were filling in, there wasn't much habitat in the water and the trout population was struggling. But when Trout Unlimited, a national conservation organization, and others stepped in, that changed. Sobotta, who has played an integral part in that transformation, sees the change every time he peers into the cool, clear water. Big brown trout suspend in deep, rocky pools and brook trout dart through the shaded shallows. To Sobotta, that's a reminder that the extensive rehabilitation work that Trout Unlimited and other entities have been doing is succeeding. "Crow Spring is so narrow that you can jump across it in most of this stretch," said Sobotta, whose Habitat Solutions business works with Trout Unlimited and other partners on steam rehabilitation projects. "But it's become a real good trout stream. "We've done a lot of work here. We re-sloped the bank, put a lot of rock in to stop the erosion, moved some big boulders into the stream bed and provided overhead cover. "The fish have done the rest." Surveys provide the proof. Before the rehabilitation work began, fisheries biologists found 54 trout per mile in the Crow Spring Branch, a narrow stream in southeast Minnesota. Now they are finding 600 to 1,100. The brown trout are doing so well that they now have a naturally sustaining population of wild fish. "We're probably standing over fish right now," Sobotta said as he stood on a bank that hung over the water. "We made this overhang. It's called a Skyhook, a cantilevered wooden structure that extends out from the bank. This provides the trout with overhead cover, protection from predators, shade and a place to feed. "It's part of what makes a quality trout stream so good." But that's only one example of how Trout Unlimited is working to enhance the integrity of the Driftless Area. The region, which encompasses 24,000 square miles in parts of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa and Illinois, is a special place. It got its name from the fact that it was untouched by the glaciers and their land-crushing drift. The region still retains its beautiful hills and limestone bluffs and the cold-water springs and aquifers that seep through the cracks in that rock. There are more than 600 trout streams covering 3,500 miles in the Driftless Area. And many of them contain thriving populations of brown trout. In contrast to many areas, the streams in the Driftless Area are often thin ribbons of water. They meander through bright-green farm country and provide an attractive lure to fly fishermen. In southeast Minnesota alone, there are dozens of streams that harbor outstanding populations of brown trout. Trout Run Creek is probably at the top of the list. Thanks to Mother Nature and work by Trout Unlimited, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and other partners, the creek now boasts an excellent fishery. "It has a good source of cold water, quality flows and a huge biomass of insects for the trout to feed on," said Vaughn Snook, regional assistant supervisor of fisheries for the Minnesota DNR. "I've seen some insane caddis hatches on this creek. When that happens, the water is just boiling with trout activity." Snook has found brown trout as big as 32 inches in electrofishing surveys. The most common fish, of course, is much smaller. But there are plenty of them. Snook said that Trout Run has more trout per square mile than any other stream in southeastern Minnesota. John Stoeckel of Rochester, Minn., a member of the Hiawatha Chapter of Trout Unlimited, is one of many who are enamored of Trout Run. "Before I moved here, I hadn't done much trout fishing," Stoeckel said. "I was excited because I was moving to The Land of 10,000 Lakes. But there aren't many lakes in the southeast part of the state. It's mostly trout streams. "So, I got a fly rod and I learned to fish for trout." Today, Stoeckel is an avid fly fisherman. He regularly travels to the beauty and serenity of streams such as Trout Run and matches his skills with wild trout. Using flies such as black ants and scuds, he often catches browns measuring 15 inches or longer. That's what he was trying for when he hiked through chest-high grass to reach a favorite section of the creek near Chatfield, Minn. He stopped when he got to a stretch of fast-moving water that emptied into a swirling pool. He cast his black ant fly to the edge of the current and let it settle. Seconds later, he felt the line grow heavy and he set the hook. His fly rod bowed and a scrappy brown trout burst out of the water. When he landed the bright-colored 13-inch fish, he admired it for a second, then tossed it back. "These are wild fish," he said. "They can get real spooky. They see a shadow or they see movement, and they're gone. "You have to sneak up on them and make some good casts. But they'll hit. On a good day, we'll catch (and release) 25 or more fish. And that's a lot of fun." ------ Fishing the Driftless Area -- WHAT: The Driftless Area features rolling hills, limestone bluffs and more than 600 beautiful trout streams fed by springs and aquifers. -- WHERE: It covers 24,000 square miles in parts of four states: southeast Minnesota, western Wisconsin, northeast Iowa and northwest Illinois. -- CHARACTERISTICS: These aren't the raging trout streams you might find out West. Instead, most of them are narrow ribbons of water winding through farm country, occasionally widening to include gurgling riffles or runs. -- FISHING: Many of the cold-water streams support impressive populations of brown trout. Brook trout also can be found in some of the streams. -- ACCESS: Though the streams wind through private property, the state departments of natural resources have worked out deals with landowners to provide angling access in many areas. -- ECONOMIC IMPACT: A survey of trout-stamp holders in 2008 found that recreational fishing in the Driftless Area generates $1.1 billion annually. To reach Brent Frazee, The Star's outdoors editor, call 816-234-4319 or send e-mail to [email protected] To see more of The Kansas City Star, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.kansascity.com. Copyright (c) 2010, The Kansas City Star, Mo. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For more information about the content services offered by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services (MCT), visit www.mctinfoservices.com, e-mail [email protected], or call 866-280-5210 (outside the United States, call +1 312-222-4544). [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]