Blue Mounds West Branch | Seeking Trout

Sunday I was given a hall pass to get out and do some fishing. From about 2:00 till 7:00, was the agreed-upon arrangement. The weather was perfect. Dropping pressure, clouds rolling in, but still warm enough for fishing in my “shirt sleeves”.

In Februaury a scouting trip took place, with a visit made to Smith-Conley Creek (Hwy 18-151 to Hwy K south, to Hwy H northwest, I think). The stream was chocked full of fish in February. I thought for sure it would be the same story now. I cast carefully into the holes we’d looked at earlier in the winter, expecting there to be a bite on the line. Cast after cast, nothing. I decided to walk along the stream to see if I could even make a fish move, but there weren’t any. They were gone. The only creature in the stream was a medium-sized snapping turtle, a fierce-looking bugger. Maybe he ate all the fish? It’s a mystery. If anyone has theories about where the fish went, I’d love to hear them.