The St. Croix River is simply put…one of the finest bodies or water in our country. If you are a fisherman or not, please put the St. Croix on your bucket list and move it towards the top!
I had to wait for a few days to fish the St. Croix as I waited for the water to drop from the three inches of rain the area received earlier in the week. I watched each day and even drove over twice to view the river and while I think it could have been fished I decided to wait until the river dropped to the ‘high’ level so that I (maybe my wife more than me) would feel comfortable navigating the river.
Once again we were sitting under a high pressure area and right up front that seemed to slow the fishing and the aggressiveness of the day … however it did in no way harm the beauty of the river! I just can’t tell you how awesome it is to be out on this river; the wildlife and beauty is just hard to describe.
Let me try and highlight one section for you; I had caught a couple of decent smallmouth and was starting to figure out a pattern for the day when I turned my boat slightly downstream and noticed what I thought at first was a giant beaver. I quickly realized that it was a black bear who was crossing the stream about 75 yards below me. He was bounding across the stream using the rocks and bottom for his foot hold. When he moved into a deeper section he quickly used his swimming skills and continued on across the stream at a rapid pace. I have included this on my video but I have to admit that you can’t see the bear well. A GoPro isn’t made for zooming in on objects and that was what was needed. It was the first time this southern Indiana boy ever came across a bear on the stream and I must admit that it might just be the most single special event I have ever experienced, period!
There were also swans on the river and if you haven’t seen a pair of swans up close and personal, it is hard to imagine how their stark beauty is in such contrast with the dark and tannic waters of the St. Croix. Their wing span is quite impressive, they reminded me of the ‘spruce-goose’ trying to take off back in the late 50’s…but once airborne they were quite a spectacle.
I hope that you enjoy the fishing and the incredible beauty and that it might inspire you to make your way up to this portion of our great country and give the St. Croix a cruise … you won’t be disappointed! Remember that if you have questions or comments, those can be left at the bottom of this page or you can contact me by emailing me at flyfishingwithjeff@gmail.com.
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