- Tracks along Hwy 14 upstream of Cross Plains
#1 above turned out to be just fine. My reel is listed to go up to 8-lb line, so I wasn’t sure how it would perform, but it worked like a charm. I had 10-lb line put on because it was recommended for catching the bigger fish up on the Bois Brule, which I hope to do this weekend.
Under the Railroad Bridge on Black Earth Creek
#2 did not work so well. I have some Farm and Fleet neoprene waders that I will be throwing away after fishing season is done this year, but I need to make them work for another month or so. I applied some silicone caulk to the leaky spots a couple of nights ago and it certainly improved the situation. For example, my waders no longer fill up with water to my knees, they’re only damp inside. The dampness is due to a leak I haven’t remedied in the crotch of my waders. I believe the gusseted seam in the crotch has a bad leak all around due to poor quality. I’ve plugged up all of the barbed wire punctures, so I’ll have to take a look tonight at the seam to see if I can fix the leak.
As for the fishing, I found lots of nice holding spots for trout. There are plenty of bends with scoured holes, and there are overhanging banks with water cress that look like very nice homes for fish.
I caught this little guy, the only fish of the afternoon, along the shaded bank of a straight run. Small things are certainly beautiful, don’t you think?
Black Earth Creek Brown Trout
I saw a rather large Brown Trout holding under another bank. He was enticed to come out of his hole twice to have a look at and follow my lure, but he wouldn’t take it. I’d guess it was in the 13″ range. I was surprised to see such a fish appear on a day like this. I figured all the larger fish would be hunkered down in the shade waiting for dusk to come out and eat.
Watercress and Jewelweed on Black Earth Creek
I also scared a Whitetail Buck out of the creek, or perhaps it scared me. It was a beautiful, strong 8-pointer. It made me want to be a deer hunter. You can just make it out in the picture below, inside the red oval (click the picture to enlarge it).
Black Earth Creek Whitetail Buck
I’ll plan to come back to this stretch early or late in the day, as I think it has some nice potential. The water was very clear and running cool. Good for trout and the meals they like to eat. I’d like to walk up to Stagecoach Road when I have more time, just to see what’s what.
Helianthus divaricatus (Woodland Sunflower) on Black Earth Creek
It sure is a convenient place for me to fish, as it is for many people in Madison. I get the feeling if I were to come here on a Saturday morning or evening I might run into a fly fisherman every hundred yards or so, but on Wednesday afternoon there were no other fish hunters around.
