Exploring the Wisconsin Driftless: Big Laughs, Small Streams, and Plenty of Trout

At the end of July, I had a business meeting lined up in Chicago—and like any good angler with an ounce of foresight, I decided to turn it into a business and fishing trip.

One of my partners, Max, invited me to explore the Wisconsin Driftless Region for a few days of trout fishing. I’ve fished the Iowa and Minnesota portions before, but never the Wisconsin side—so I jumped at the chance.

I made the drive from Chicago on Friday afternoon and met up with the crew at our Airbnb in Viroqua, Wisconsin. There were four of us, and the house was great—plenty of space, good location, and perfect for a weekend fishing trip. We kicked things off with dinner at The Driftless Café, a local gem with a national reputation. The food was incredible, and for good reason—Chef Luke Zahm is a James Beard–nominated chef, and it shows. If you’re ever in the area, do yourself a favor and get a reservation.

The next morning, Max and Phil met their guide at 6:00 a.m. to get on the water before the heat set in. Phil was brand new to fly fishing, so they hired a local guide to help get him dialed in. Meanwhile, Jeff and I were on our own, heading to a stretch of Camp Creek we had picked out the night before.

This stretch was fantastic. It flowed through an open pasture, giving us plenty of space to move and cast—something that’s not always the case in the Driftless, where tight vegetation and overhanging brush can be the norm. We got into fish right away.

The cool part? Jeff and I were fishing completely different rigs and both having success. Jeff fished a double dry fly setup, while I stuck with a dry-dropper rig—a size 16 Parachute Adams up top and a size 18 Pheasant Tail underneath. The guide we spoke to had recommended Tricos, but I could barely see those tiny things—so I made a practical adjustment, and it worked just fine. Sometimes fly fishing is made too complicated. My advice? Have fun, fish what you can see, and enjoy the moment.

We weren’t counting, but we easily landed 30+ fish each by lunchtime. Mostly browns, most in the 10–12 inch range, with the occasional bigger fish thrown in.

After lunch, we hit a new stretch of Camp Creek. Max and Phil hadn’t seen quite the action we had, so they met up with us, and we fished out the rest of the afternoon together. I switched to streamers for a shot at bigger browns—and it paid off. The streamer fish were consistently 14–16 inches, while the dry and dropper setups still produced in the 10–12 range.  We even got pushed out of the creek by some local residence trying to cool off from the heat.  That water was COLD, it’s amazing how the cold water springs keep the water cool.

We wrapped up the day in the most Wisconsin way possible—prime rib and a salad bar at a classic supper club. Absolutely perfect.

If you’ve never fished the Wisconsin Driftless, I’d highly recommend it. Great fishing, great food, and even better company. It’s a slice of trout heaven tucked into the Midwest—and definitely worth checking out.