Wisconsin is home to some 2.900 trout streams which add up to more than 10,000 miles. It also has a good number of spring ponds that are home to trout and the tributaries of the Great Lakes which provide fishing for migratory Salmon, Trout, and Steelhead. Add in a bunch of warm water lakes and rivers and you have a great place to fly fish.

The streams of South Western Wisconsin are gently flowing streams where light rods, long leaders, and heavy hatches are the norm. West Central Wisconsin streams are similar to those of the South West part of the state but there are some nice Brook Trout streams. Central Wisconsin is home to gin clear streams that slowly wind their way through the sandy soil of the area. Living in these streams are wild Brook, Brown, and a few Rainbow Trout. The streams and rivers of Northern Wisconsin are varied in character. There are scores of small, tree-lined Brook Trout streams but Northern Wisconsin also has largest and wildest rivers in the state. The Great Lakes tributaries support spawning runs of Salmon, Trout, and Steelhead. Great Lake tributaries spawning runs are comprised of hatchery fish but many Lake Superior tributaries have nearly self-sustaining Salmon, Trout, and Steelhead fisheries.

What’s New on FlyFishingWis.com

Three Board Conclave at Avalanche Sept 19th- 21st

Bass fly Swap

Fly Fishing Wisconsin Message Board Fly Swap, Winter 2008

June ‘07: FFWis Message Board Fly Swap Results 2007
March: ‘07: Wet flies
March ‘07: A Midwinter Reflection On Flies
February ‘07: Chat room added to message board
February ‘07: “User Logged In” & “Enhanced Calendar” added to message board.
February ‘07: Cold By Bob White
February ‘07: All in a Week’s Work by Joseph Meyer
January ‘07: Improved message board system installed.

 Fifty Favorite Fly-Fishing Tales For fishermen, the only thing more fun than catching fish are the stories they tell about those fish . . . and the ones that got away. Nobody knows that better than Chris Santella, author of the best-selling Fifty Places to Fly Fish Before You Die. For his latest homage to anglers, Santella invited 50 celebrated fly fishers to share their favorite fly-fishing stories based on their travels and experiences. The result is this unforgettable collection of stories that are, surprisingly enough for fishermen, true.

Fifty Favorite Fly-Fishing Tales includes stories that cover the panoply of emotions— comical, poignant, inspirational, incredible, absurd. It tells of Ralph Cutter casting in complete darkness for blind catfish in the caves of Borneo, J. W. Smith boxing grizzlies to protect his tent camp in Alaska, and George Anderson fly fishing for saltwater crocodiles in Cuba. It also describes how Jean Williams, through trout fishing in the Colorado Rockies, helped to bridge the chasm between a type-A father and his neglected son. Accompanied by stunning photographs, the stories in this book reflect not only the rich experience of fly fishing but also how it can extend beyond the rivers, oceans, and fish to touch the core of our daily lives.

 Nervous WaterFew angler-authors can match the skill and insight of Steve Raymond . . ."--The New York Times

"Reading Steve Raymond's Nervous Water is much like sitting around a campfire with a good scotch, a fine cigar, and listening to your best friend. The tales and rants are a look into the soul of a man who loves the marvels of nature."--A. K. Best

"Steve Raymond has been one of fly fishing's finest writers longer than most of us have been fishing. Nervous Water is a splendid and vastly entertaining celebration of all the big and little things that make fly fishing such a compelling way of life."
--Paul Schullery, author of Royal Coachman and American Fly Fishing: A History

“…contrasts the tranquil surface of the sport with the trends, debates and issues that roil the waters.”--Seattle Post-Intelligencer

”The entertaining stories are a snapshot of Raymond’s life and reveal engaging insights in the complex sport…”--Northwest Adventures

“…adds a bit more glitter to the bright thread of fly-fishing gold that runs through the fabric of American sporting literature. Raymond has for several decades made important contributions to the literature of fly fishing. In his collection of loosely connected essays we see him at his intriguing best. There's something for all tastes-easygoing appreciation of the sport's quirks, heartwarming reminiscence, and just simple tales wonderfully told. This is vintage Raymond, and for those who know his work, that means a literary wine to sample and savor.”--Fly Rod & Reel

“Here you’ll find 34 essays ranging from outright comedy through some fascinating historical research, from a wry commentary on the burgeoning technologies of the fly-fishing industries and the cult of celebrity to some just plain, excellent fishing stories.” --Flyfishing and Tying Journal

 Casting a Spell: The Bamboo Fly Rod and the American Pursuit of Perfection In the rarified world of bamboo fly rod making, names like Ed Payne and Sam Carlson, and their progeny, acolytes and apprentices, stand like giants, casting long shadows that stretch from the dawn of modern American fly-fishing in the late 19th century to the present-day reality of multimillion dollar "cabins" along the Bitterroot River valley in Montana. In this beautifully crafted, utterly engaging work, Black wraps his own personal journey through the contemporary world of bamboo fly rod making in a sweeping, meticulous telling of the history of American fly-fishing. With admirable dexterity, he manages to make the story a metaphor for a great deal of how American social and commercial culture has evolved over the past 150 years. Black indelibly etches a story of peerless craftsmen laboring toward perfection, sparring all the while with corporate interest, fickle customers and the inevitable diminishing of their own inspiration. A must for any committed angler, this is a worthwhile read for those who have never rolled out of bed before dawn, pulled on a pair of rubber waders and ventured into the ice-cold waters of some trout stream in search of that perfect catch.

  The One that Got Away   "Lost fish," writes Howell Raines, "chasten us to the knowledge that we are all, in each and every moment, dwindling. Imagine my surprise when I discovered well into my sixth decade that losing fish can prepare us for a blessing as well as for pain."

Confronting loss -- of an elusive fish or something larger -- is at the heart of The One That Got Away, the graceful sequel to Raines's much-loved, bestselling memoir Fly Fishing Through the Midlife Crisis, published to great acclaim in 1993. With the same winning combination of reminiscences, anecdotes, philosophy and fishing lore, his bold new memoir covers the eventful years in this latest passage of his life, and the realization that in relinquishing his former identity as a newspaperman he has actually gotten what he wanted, just in the most unlikely way.

Raines's wonderful descriptions of streams, people and fish; his passion for angling and writing; and his wise and perceptive commentary on the vagaries of his own life combine to create a profound book -- one of undeniable appeal and uncommon heart.