Tag Archives: Wisconsin

PRE-SUNSRISE COLOR – Bay City, WI #presunrisecolor

Image December 16, 2018 Dan Traun 6 Comments

PRE-SUNRISE COLOR

There is nothing quite like the the palette of color nature displays prior to the sun rising above the horizon. Pre-sunrise color can be quite spectacular; as was the case this morning.

Don’t forget to look all around before the sun comes up and the vivid color is gone.

Once the sun broke the horizon the pinks/reds disappeared; the blue and yellow became more defined.

Post-sunrise.

A constant stream of ducks doing flybys pre-sunrise; if you look close enough you can see them in one of the shots. There were lots of geese honking. A single pair a swans swam close by. Two eagles chattered on and on in a nearby Cottonwood Tree. What a great morning and start to the day.

Destination, Photography

NO SUNSHINE WHEN THERE IS FOG – Bay City, WI #freezingfog

Image December 14, 2018 Dan Traun 2 Comments

NO SUNSHINE WHEN THERE IS FOG

There was no sunshine at sunrise this a.m. I did catch a little bit of sun two hours after sunrise when it began to filter through the heavy fog and clouds.

Destination, Photography

SUNRISE – Bay City, WI #explorewi

Image December 9, 2018 Dan Traun 4 Comments

Bay City Wisconsin

Bay City is a village on the Mississippi River in Pierce County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 500 at the 2010 census. It is one of my favorite places to shoot a sunrise. It’s close proximity to Red Wing makes it an easy distance to travel. This isn’t such a big deal in the Winter when sunrise is 7:30 a.m. In the Spring and Summer months, though, sunrise is closer to to 5:30 a.m.

I made the trip to this very spot yesterday a.m. and it was less than colorful.

That morning was more suited for photographing the hoar frost.

This morning was a completely different.

It was a chilly morning, but it wasn’t too bad at 19 degrees. Always a good time with nature, cameras and friends.

Destination, Photography, Trout Fishing

RUSH RIVER – Hwy 72 to 570th #trout

Image May 14, 2018 Dan Traun

Rush River

The Rush River is a 49.8-mile-long tributary of the Mississippi River in western Wisconsin in the United States. It rises just north of Interstate 94 in St. Croix County near Baldwin and flows generally southwardly through Pierce County. It ends in Lake Pepin of the Mississippi River, about 1 mile west of the village of Maiden Rock in Pierce County. The largest tributary is Lost Creek. ~wikipedia

Hwy 72 – 570th

The stretch of water between Hwy 72 and 570th is full of riffles, deep runs and pools – an a whole lot of trout. There is enough space immediately South of Hwy 72 to park a couple of cars and an easy trail down to the stream. After parking one vehicle at the 570th bridge, my fishing partner Linnae and I arrived stream-side on Hwy 72 bridge at approximately 1:30 p.m. The morning rain had finally moved out of the area. It was in just shy of 50 degrees with a 10 mph breeze. It was bit chilly. The waders fit a bit more snug with an extra couple of layers added for warmth.

Given the recent weather and current wind, we decided to toss spinners at the trout this afternoon. I used to spinner fish all the time before I discovered fly fishing and developed patience for it. It wasn’t long and there was a fish on. It was a short 15 minutes of stumbling over rocks and getting to a good run just upstream from the bridge. Purchasing a folding wading staff (see gear below) was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. It has been especially helpful given the weakness in my leg post knee replacement.

ELLSWORTH ROD & GUN

I was a bit surprised and sadden to see the stream bank directly across from the Ellsworth Rod and Gun given their mission – “trout stream improvement projects, wildlife habitat improvement projects…” The bank is littered with shot shell wads and clay pigeon debris (photos below); not to mention the lead pellets that are no doubt all over in the water and bank for fish and waterfowl to potentially ingest. Their website indicates a Spring Cleanup day of 4/18/18; perhaps this area was missed.

Given the footprint of their land, I am not sure why they decided to shoot across the Rush River; their appears to be ample land to West of the club house to develop for trap shooting.

Shot Shell Wads and Clay Pigeon Debris

Shot Shell Wads and Clay Pigeon Debris

Clay Pigeon Launcher

The Ellsworth Rod and Gun has a beautiful track of land. Funds are raised in part by their biweekly chicken feeds. These feeds take place Thursday evenings from 5:30 – 8:30 p.m. – they are plenty good.

For the next several hours we made our way upstream. We tossed spinners into deep runs, torrent riffles and deep holes. We averaged a fish every 20 minutes. There were lots of 8-12″ trout to be had. There were two exceptions. Linnae landed a colorful 13-14″ Brown and I landed a 17-18″ Brown. Here are some photos from the fishing excursion on Friday May 11th 2018.

13-14″ Brown

17-18″ Brown

GEAR

Folding Wading Staff with Neoprene Case and Camera attachment
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SF Fly Fishing Landing Soft Rubber Mesh Trout Catch and Release Net With SILVER Magnetic Net Release Combo Kit
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Anglatech Fly Fishing Vest Pack for Trout Fishing Gear and Equipment, Adjustable Size for Men and Women

Take only photos; leave only ripples in the stream.

My take on Chief Seattle’s Take only memories, leave only footprints.

Destination, Photography, Trout Fishing

RUSH RIVER – Fisherman’s Road #trout

Image May 1, 2018 Dan Traun 1 Comment

Rush River

The Rush River is a 49.8-mile-long tributary of the Mississippi River in western Wisconsin in the United States. It rises just north of Interstate 94 in St. Croix County near Baldwin and flows generally southwardly through Pierce County. It ends in Lake Pepin of the Mississippi River, about 1 mile west of the village of Maiden Rock in Pierce County. The largest tributary is Lost Creek.

Three small communities are located on the river: Centerville, Martell, and El Paso. While the land near the source is relatively flat, the river soon falls into a steep valley typical of the Driftless Area, with outcrops of sandstone and limestone.

The delta of the Rush River is a State Natural Area, designated in 1986. The heavily wooded floodplain provides an ideal location for waterfowl. ~wikipedia

Fisherman’s Road – El Paso, WI

Fisherman’s Road (425th) in El paso, WI is a quintessential trout experience. Access to these beautiful blue ribbon trout waters is easy and plentiful thanks to generous land owners like Craig Purse and conservation organizations like Eau Galle Rush River Sportsman Club, Inc., who received a large track of land (148.5 acres) donated by the Koch Family.

Use of this land is not without conditions; the biggest of which is “take out what you bring in.” This goes for private land as well. It is simply not acceptable to leave behind plastic worm containers, aluminum cans, glass bottles – any form of liter! This isn’t a difficult concept, yet I see it most every time I am on a stream. I make it a point to pick up what I can. The net hanging off my vest is an excellent receptacle for trash on the hike back to my vehicle. Land owners will appreciate you making this effort.

On the trail

My fishing partner Linnae and I arrive at Fisherman’s Road @ 7:30 a.m. on Saturday 4/29/18. It was a chilly 27 degrees with frost on the ground. This time of year, it feels good to get your waders and gear on for warmth. It was shaping up to be a beautiful bright-sun-shinny day on the Rush. We crossed the river from the parking area and walked along the wonderful trail that Craig and his wife maintain. They even have a fire pit (with split wood stacked) at the bend in the river for people to enjoy. This is why respecting the land is so important. Too many shenanigans and the access the public enjoys can easily be revoked.

We surveyed the water as we walked along; not much activity as we suspected given the temperature. We tried some nymphs while we waited for the sun to warm things up a bit more. I connected with a single fish, but did not land it.

The Streamer Guy

As we made our way down stream further, we ran into “Streamer Guy.” He had been out even earlier and was on his way back in from the stream. He was all about the streamers. No nymph or dry fly fishing for for this guy. He was more than willing to enlighten us on his preferred method of catching larger trout. This is what I love about other fly fishers on the stream that you meet. Their willingness to take time and share their knowledge and experience with you is priceless in my opinion. This gentleman even gave Linnae a few a patterns that he personally tied himself to try.

Later on

Later in the day when things warmed up a bit, so also did the action. At approximately 1 p.m., the bugs started to rise with increasing frequency. The fishing was challenging given all of the natural food in the water and on the surface. We managed to land a few Brown Trout on a Blue Winged Olive size 18. We both landed a Brook Trout as well. In this photo you can see Linnae’s Brook Trout en route back to the stream as it flopped out of her hand while I was trying to take a picture.

The action was steady for a good while. We didn’t hook any monsters; mostly little fighters. I did observer some nice ones rising to the naturals, but could not coax one to bite. Before we knew it, it was 3:30 in the afternoon…a mere 8 hours after we arrived. Time flies when you are on the trout stream.

Take only photos; leave only ripples in the stream.

Adaptation of Chief Seattle’s Take only memories, leave only footprints.

Destination, Gear, Photography

WILLOW RIVER STATE PARK – Willow Falls #Wisconsin

Image April 28, 2018 Dan Traun

Willow River State Park

Willow River State Park is a 2,891-acre Wisconsin state park located five miles north of Hudson. The centerpiece of the park is Willow Falls, a powerful cascade in a 200-foot deep gorge. Another popular feature is Little Falls Lake, a shallow reservoir on the Willow River. Because of its proximity to Minneapolis-St. Paul it is one of the most visited state parks in Wisconsin. Trilobite fossils found in the lower layers of the gorge indicate the rock is around 600 million years old.

History

Settlers moved in, and by 1830 logging and wheat farming were common in the Willow River Valley. The river was invaluable for the former, as logs were floated downstream to the St. Croix.

Power

A German immigrant, Christian Burkhardt, realized the river could also be harnessed for the latter industry; he built a grist mill there in 1868. Burkhardt became a wealthy landowner and followed developments in water-powered industry. He traveled home to Germany to examine hydroelectric power plants and returned in 1891 to build his own on the Willow River. Burkhardt eventually built four power plants and dams on the river, which provided electricity to Hudson. Northern States Power purchased Burkhardt’s power company in 1945 and operated its sites until 1963, when damage to one of the plants from a lightning strike prompted the company to liquidate their Willow River holdings.

In 1967 Northern States Power sold the land to the Wisconsin Conservation Commission for a state park, and stabilized the dams at a financial loss. The state park opened in 1971. All but one of the dams were removed in the 1990s to improve the scenery and trout fishery. The last dam was removed in 2015. ~wikipedia

I feel absolutely fortunate to live among the lakes, rivers and bluff land right on the boarder between Minnesota and Wisconsin approximately an hour south of the Minneapolis/St. Paul metro area. Willow River State Park is another example of the natural resources and beauty right in my back yard so-to-speak.

There are a few different trails that you can hike to access Willow Falls. The most direct route is from Willow Falls Parking Lot just a wee bit north of the park main entrance. The Willow Falls Hill Trail is only a .4 miles long, but the first leg of the trail once you meet the woods is steep. Having just had knee replacement surgery in January, the downhill part was a bit challenging. A week ago there was 4″-6″ of slippery solid ice on the paved trail. That attempt to hike to the Willow Falls was aborted immediate in favor of exploring other areas of the park. I would recommend the mile long Willow Falls Trail from the campground to avoid the hill if that is a concern.

Little Falls

Little Falls Lake is no more as the dam was breached in 2015. There is a small water fall where the dam once was, a rapids is a more accurate description I suppose. The former lake basin was teaming with migratory birds that early Spring day. Ducks, geese and Sandhill cranes milled about in the tall grasses where the water once stood.

Willow Falls

A week in the Spring time can bring about change quickly. Mid 50 degree days made short work of the ice on the Willow Falls Hill Trail. All of the runoff made for a magnificent display of water raging over the cascades.

The woods and falls area is still pretty devoid of color although some grasses were sprouting up and the mosses providing for some contrast in the blah brown hold over from Winter. As did the bright purple hammock that a young lady hung between two trees for some R&R right next to the falls. A wonderful spot to kick back and lounge.

Gear

In case anyone is wondering, I’ll share what works for me. There are several ways to achieve desired results; this is my experience with the gear I’ve chosen. You don’t have to buy the highest-end gear to achieve great results.

The sun was high and bright when I arrived at the falls. I did several 20-30 second exposures made possible by a 10-stop ND filter listed below. I purchased the Zomei tripod for our travels to Ireland in 2016. It is compact and light; I’ve used it quite a bit since and like its features. I am referencing the Osprey backpack because the Zomei tripod fits perfectly in the outer flap. I don’t like to carry a heavy camera bag while hiking; this one is perfect – especially when coupled with PeakDesign Capture Camera Clip on the backpack should strap. My camera is securely in place – freeing up both hands – and readily accessible. If anyone has any questions about these items, I’d be happy to answer any questions. You can click on the images below for links to these items on Amazon.com.

ZOMEi Z668C Lightweight Travel Carbon Fiber Tripod	Zomei Ultra Slim HD 18 Layer Super Multi-Coated SCHOTT Glass PRO 10-stop ND3.0

Osprey Packs Daylite Plus Daypack	Peak Design Capture Camera Clip V3 (Black with Plate)