WI Stream report -
The streams have been up and down, but the Blue Wing Olives have been hatching. Look for Midges in the late morning and then the BWO will start after that. The fish have been moving into the riffles during these hatches and fishing has been great depending on the day. If the waters are up and dirty, try Buggers either dead drifting or with a slight swing.
Midge fly patterns - Zebra midge #18 - 20, Griffens Gnat #18 - 20, Parachute Griffens Gnat #18 - 20
Blue Wing Olives fly patterns - Pheasant Tail nymph #16 - 18 / Flashback nymphs #16 - 18 / Emerger patterns #16 - 18 / Olive body - Dun wing dries either parachute, compara dun, or std. #16 - 18. Also, Griffens Gnat works well with a little movement if there's lots of bugs on the water.

With the spring runoff happening, check with your local fly shop for conditions or go to the USGS Water Data website below......

https://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/rt
Simply click on the State and then the "dot" on the stream your interested in (not all streams or rivers have a gauge, but you can get a good idea by looking at others in the area). In western WI, there's a gauge on the Kinni, Willow, and Eau Galle. This is a great tool to have on your phone before heading out

I was on the Rush Mon & Tues (3-18 & 3-19) after the rains last week and it had dropped approx. 4 feet since Sat. according to the local farmer (and it had by the high water mark on the snow). The water was still off colored and about 1-2 feet high, but remember the fish still have to eat. The best time both days was from about 1:30 to 4:00 with Midges and small Black Stoneflies hatching. Remember the fish are in the deep slow pools until there's enough bugs hatching to get them up into the shallow riffles this time of year. Also try small Wooly Buggers dead drifting or on the swing. My favorite pattern is an all natural Turkey marabou (Turkey Bugger) size 6 or 8 bead headed (see photo)

With the deep snow and cold temps there is a bright side..........you can have some of the streams to yourself. Here are a few things to remember to make the most of the day -
* Bugs will hatch at the nicest time of the day (currently hatching - Midges and small black Stone flies), so no rush to get out at sunrise
* Wade the river where possible to avoid the deep snow (or bring the snowshoes to hike into a stretch of the stream)
* Fish the deep slow pools and the riffles feeding these pools (remember to concentrate on the sunny parts of the river)
* If it's super cold, try a Tenkara rod......no guides to freeze and can fish with gloves or mittens (remember the Hand Warmers)
* If it's been below 0 for highs during the day, for a couple days in a row, make sure you pick a stream with more spring water to assure open water. Also fish those spring areas during the super cold days....fish are more active in these areas.

With the warm Jan we are having, it's a good time to enjoy some Winter trout fishing.
Minnesota - Opened Jan 1st in the SE (selected waters)
With this warm weather, the midges are hatching during the warmest part of the day. The best rig is a larger bead headed nymph (size 12 - 14) with a small midge pupa (size 18 - 20) as a dropper. Dead drifting small woolly buggers in the slow deep pools is also very effective. The most important thing is to fish slow and deep.
Also, try using a Tenkara rod when the weather is cold and the rod guides are icing up.
Wisconsin - The special Winter trout season opens Jan 5th, 2019