Minnesota rarely makes anyone's list of fly fishing destinations, and that is a mistake. In this episode, guide Josh Besser of Larry the Lunker walks through the variety available within a three-hour drive of the Twin Cities, from downtown river smallmouth to Lake Superior steelhead, and closes with a swinging tip that changes how you read a run.
A surprising menu of water
Josh grew up in Minnesota, spent years in Colorado, and came home to discover how much fishing was in his backyard. Our guest describes the options like this: the Mississippi right through downtown Minneapolis holds smallmouth, walleye and carp-family species such as buffalo and quillback. An hour north, the upper Mississippi is a much smaller, clearer river than people imagine and is a world-class smallmouth fishery with some muskie mixed in, ideal for a drift boat. In the southeast corner, the driftless region offers trout water, with some smallmouth showing up lower down so a float can include streamers for trout and bass in one day. Three hours north, Lake Superior tributaries on the North and South Shores bring steelhead, plus fall runs of lake-run browns, kings and cohos.
Why fall is special on the Superior tribs
Fall stacks several species into the same rivers, so on a good day you could meet steelhead, lake-run browns and the salmon runs. That variety is part of what makes the tributaries so appealing to a swing angler with a two-handed rod and sink-tip or full-sink lines. A practical note from the conversation: when you fish deep holes with sinking lines, give the fly time to sink before you start stripping, expect to lose a few flies to the bottom, and accept that you may not know what will grab it until it does.
The swing tip: stand on the deep side
This is the best idea in the episode. Many anglers cast from the easy, shallow, popular side of a run. But the deeper "bucket" where fish sit is often on the far bank, so a cast from the shallow side lands your fly above the fish and it only drops into their zone late in the swing, if at all. Hanging flies in overhanging trees on the far bank is a frequent cost.
Josh's alternative: wade to the harder side, usually deeper, rockier and less pleasant to stand in, and cast out toward the shallow side. Now the fly swings across and gets progressively deeper, so by the time it reaches the hang-down at the end of the swing it is right in the fish's face. You also get to let the fly hang and pulse there, with a few pops or twitches, which is often where the grab comes. If you cannot reach that side, stand above the run and keep feeding line out so the fly gets down into the deeper lane.
When fish will not commit
On a tough day, the guidance is methodical. Change flies and restart at the top. Cover every part of the run: the inside seam, the center gut, then the outside, working down through the tailout. If the water is high enough and the tails are moving, spend extra time at the head of the run too. Fish that follow or jump without eating often just need a different presentation or a fresh look.
Gear
Long days of wading and swinging call for sun protection, and our five panel cap is a good place to start. For rigging, sink-tip and leader ideas, the Tips and Tricks for Fly Fishing e-book is a handy companion. For local fly patterns and current river conditions in Minnesota, talk to a nearby fly shop before you go.
