[Note: I’m posting my fishing journal from 2015 as “retro trip reports” in chronological order and plan to write up future trips directly on the blog.]
Weather: cool in the morning, warming to ~70, sunny all day
I was planning to leave on Wednesday after dropping James at school, but indecision and the need to mow the lawn delayed it. I mowed the lawn Wednesday afternoon after deciding to call the fishing trip off and make lectures all the way until Sunday. Then I changed my mind and hurriedly packed the car starting around 5 pm and left for Backbone. I got to Backbone around 7.30 and stayed in the same campsite as on the earlier trip with James. There were a few cars and people, but they were walking on the trail and they all left before dark. So once again, I was the only person in the campground. It was far warmer than the earlier trip. I cooked a bacon cheeseburger on the Coleman and read by the campfire until 11 or so.
My plan was to park at the first spot on Richmond Springs, then fish down to the confluence with the Maquoketa then upstream on the Maquoketa. I went to Fin and Feather and bought 12 new flies: 4 size 12 black woolly buggers; 4 size 12 blue winged olives; 2 size 12 elk hair caddises; and 2 size 14 elk hair caddises. I also got some floatant and dessicant and some fly tying things (all ordered from J. Stockton, but hadn’t arrived yet). Also newly arrived for this trip was the Badger Tenkara Badger Lite floating line. I ordered two 12’ ones, and brought one of them. Richmond Springs seemed deserted when I arrived at 7.20 am. The first parking spot turns out to lie right above an awesome (and obviously very popular) pool. I set up there and ended up staying for nearly two hours, catching a brookie and three rainbows. The rainbows were the first I’ve caught in Iowa, so as of the third trip I’ve caught all three trout species. I caught the brookie and one rainbow on a black woolly bugger. There were some rises, so I tried a #14 elk hair caddis and caught two rainbow, the first fish I’ve caught on dry flies in ~30 years.
I moved off to execute my plan for the day after that, but didn’t see many more fish. There’s only a bit of Richmond Springs downstream, with no really nice holding spots. The Maquoketa is bigger, but generally wide and fairly shallow. I walked a good way and there were some nice pools. There were some trout, not many, and I spooked just about everything I saw. I got discouraged before too long, and figured since there seemed to be nobody at Richmond Springs it would be dumb not to really have a go at it. So I went back. When I returned to the pool by the car where I’d been fishing I had another go and caught another brookie and two more rainbows, all on the #12 black woolly bugger. I kept one of the rainbows to try cooking for dinner.
I got in the car and headed upstream along the road. I ended up parking up by the springs where I had caught fish when there with James. I first tried the pool where James and I started. It now looked tiny and shallow but there were a few fish holding in it. They weren’t interested. I worked my way downstream, catching a rainbow as I went. I had quite a bit of action at a pool upstream from one of the road crossings. I only landed one rainbow, but I lost a slightly larger one right in at the bank as the knot to the fly gave way. I hooked and lost two others. Both of these were also caught on the woolly bugger. Continuing down, there is another deep beauty pool that had several fish patrolling in it. I got some hits on the woolly bugger but didn’t hook any. It was warm early afternoon and they seemed lethargic. More and more people starting arriving around 2.30 or 3, including increasing numbers of bait fishers, so I bailed.
At that point I was tired and toyed with the idea of pulling down the tent and going home. I revived a bit in the car, though, and decided to find the two upper bridges on the Maquoketa. The first had a truck at it. Looking at it, it looked pretty much as it had downstream. The upper bridge didn’t have anyone there, so I parked and had a go. The access was steep but there was a public fishing sign posted. The landowner on one side had strung barbed wire down to the water, preventing access from the road on that side. I fished up a good way and there were some lovely pools, but I didn’t see a single definite trout. There were lots of fish, but all I’m pretty sure were what I post-trip identified as creek chub. I caught my first of these soon after I started near the bridge. They hit woolly buggers hard and fight really well. They range from typically around 6-7 to 9 inches from what I caught (they can get up to 12). I dunno, they’re pretty much as much fun to catch as trout. They’re cyprinids. Apparently you can eat them and they’re fairly tasty. All sources say that the Maquoketa is regularly stocked and holds trout year round. Well, I didn’t see any sign of any.
I decided to stay a second night after that and have a go at pan frying my trout.
