Thanks to Lance Prado of the Root River Rod Company, who gave a great presentation on Spring Hatches in Southeast Minnesota and How to Fish them.  You can find a video of Lance's presentation on our YouTube channel here, and a copy of Lance's presentation below.

by Jim Sauter
"Esmeralda Lives!"  thedadchats on Instagram
Greetings from the TCTU Streamkeepers. 
February is a unique month. It’s the shortest month of the year.  We celebrate a lot. This year is the year of the snake for the lunar new year.  February has two president’s birthdays – Lincoln & Washington, plus we celebrate Black History month.  Also, catch and release season is open for trout in many Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Iowa streams!
I managed to catch my first Brown Trout for 2025.  I ventured across the border to Wisconsin on a warm 50 degree day in January.  This was my first time fishing in a stream since last October.
​There were at least two other anglers trying their luck on this clear, calm, and warm winter day.  The water was very clear, and the fish were extra skittish.  One of the anglers reported catching a couple trout using Copper Johns.  Another one did not follow good etiquette and walked right across the riffle that I was fishing.  I decided to be " Minnesota nice" and not make a big deal of this and moved on to the next riffle and pool. After watching trout refuse a multitude of wet nymphs, I finally had some bites and landed my first Brown of the season with one of my favorites, the Bloody Mary nymph.