I'm not going to re-invent the wheel and write yet another scientific or fishing exploration of the Driftless. As a friend says, the only region in the world known for what isn't and was never there (the glaciers). Because of this, the landscape of the Driftless is different and spring creeks are plentiful as are their trout.
There are so many good sources out there. Here is but a short, very incomplete list of sources about the Driftless Area and fishing it:
Wikipedia - Driftless Area
Coulee Region Trout Unlimited - Getting Started on Trout Fishing in the Driftless
Outdoor Life - Fishing the Driftless Area
Game and Fish Magazine - Catch Your Drift
Hatch Magazine - Going Driftless
Tenkara Angler - A Beginner's Guide to Fixed Line Fly Fishing the Driftless Area
New York Times - Angling for Brook Trout in the Driftless Area
FlyFisherman Magazine - Coulee Country: Exploring Wisconsin's Driftless Area
Enough of that - there is plenty of information out there about the Driftless Area - explore it to your heart's content. This list doesn't even include several books and websites. Of course, if you've been fishing the area for some time - years or decades - you know all that already.
Let us get where I wanted to with this post; how to I like to fish the Driftless across the different seasons. First, Wisconsin's trout season runs from the first Saturday in January through the 15th of October with the "frying pan" season beginning the first Saturday in May. Iowa has a year-round season and Minnesota's Driftless season is a little more complex with some urban and state park waters open to year-round fishing. There are different regulations on some streams and ponds. As always, never take anyone else's word for it - check the regulations yourself.
I present how and what flies like to use during each time of the year along with a food and drink pairing (just for fun) based on what is new and fresh that time of year. Most links will be to grilling recipes except in the winter when I don't mind the oven heating the place up. Drink choices are certainly not my specialty - I do not know a ton about wine, I enjoy a cocktail but am not a huge Brandy Old Fashioned fan nor do I explore things other than my usuals too often, but I do know a thing or two about beer, even if it's been largely off my radar lately. Lastly, I try to give a local soda offering that goes with the season - I'm partial to Wisco Pop, which is local to me.
Winter (January - March)
I generally do not love winter fishing but I'm glad it is an option. Streams are rather at their bleakest as is the landscape. But the fishing is leisurely - that is, there is no reason to get at it too early. And generally, there is no reason to fish all day long. It is not leisurely in that it can be cold and you need to dress and prepare for it. There is little worse than iced-up guides - another non-leisurely thing to deal with in the winter.
I write in quite a bit more detail in that post I linked about winter fishing. To more quickly summarize it, fish are mostly holding deep in the slowest of pools. Fish slow and fish deep unless there is evidence that low and slow is not the way to go. It will be the way to go most of the time.
Fly Pairings: Milwaukee Leech, zebra midge, scud or pink squirrel, midge and winter stoneflies (nymphs and dries), thin bodied nymphs
Food pairings: A hearty beef stew, Shepard's Pie, a bowl of chili, lasagna, osso buco
Drink pairings: Whiskey (neat), Manhattan, Bloody Mary from last summer's tomato juice, dry red wine (Burgundy or Zinfandel), a porter or a stout, local root beer or cream soda
Winter is the time for "stick to your ribs" cooking - and drinking - something rich and hearty. It is a great time of the year to put on something that will simmer for a long time or cook away in the slow cooker or sous vide like a chuck roast or Osso Buco. The drink pairing should be something equally bold and hearty.
Spring (April & early May)
Spring is a time of revival, grasses are starting to get green, trees are creating buds and are creating a new year's leaves, and bugs are starting to hatch. This makes it one of my favorite times of the year to fish, in part because I am happy to feel the warmth and see the bugs again. To me, the American Gannom hatch is always the sign that we have moved out of winter and into spring. Most years, this is about April 15th but it does vary from year to year. By late March / early April trout - especially the larger ones - are starting to move out of those winter pools and are often found sunning themselves in those nearly impossible to approach tails of pools or over dark bottomed stream margins. I love this time of the year, winter may rear it's ugly head in April but its snows are largely there for a few days at most. Again, with some exceptions as this is always a tough season to generalize.
This is also the time of year that fishes are moving into the riffles on a warm day. For many, this is the beginning of "dry and dropper" season. For others, it is the beginning of "Euro nymphing season" (maybe not everything needs a season...). And for a few friends, it is when throwing big ass streamers really heats up. Fishing, in my opinion, becomes a lot more interesting than dredging pools by fishing deep and slow.
Fly Pairings: Pheasant tail nymph and variations, big ass streamer, BWO patterns (especially on rainy, overcast days), midge dry flies, scuds (especially on overcast days), beetles and ants, CDC and Elk caddis, and Andrew Grillos' Hippie Stomper
Food pairings: Grilled asparagus, sauteed morel mushrooms, anything with ramps, fish tacos, ramp or garlic scape pesto, red beans and rice, grilled chicken
Drink pairings: Negroni, Capital Maibock, Pinot Noir or other lighter or a heartier white, Wisco Pop Ginger Soda
By April, but especially by May, it is the beginning of harvest season. Ramps - wild leeks - are coming up (harvest them responsibly) and are great in omelets, with potatoes, mixed into butter, or any number of other options. Similarly, asparagus is a sign of May and depending upon the year, morel mushrooms are popping up in April and petering out by mid-May. Garlic scapes are everywhere at farmer's markets and are quite versatile. By this time of year, I want something a little lighter and fresher after having endured months of less than fresh foods. Like the fishing, things start getting a lot fresher and more interesting.
Late-Spring / Early-Summer (Mid-May & June)
When exactly the season moves from spring to early summer is unsure and depends a lot upon the year in question. However, to me, it means that the more standard hatches - sulphurs, craneflies, and hydropsyche (net-spinning) caddis start to get going. And it means a time of great growth. The weeds - particularly by the end of June - are a much more significant issue than they were in the spring.
I have said before, that if I could pick a month - a 30 day stretch - to fish Wisconsin streams, it would be from mid-May through mid-June. Though, I will say in recent years, I might move this to just the month of May given how hot is has gotten in early June.
This is the time of the year that - if you're fishing early and late in the day - you're almost certain to get into some dry fly fishing. My standard selection is the CDC and Elk, a sparkle dun if I get into the sulphurs, or a Coulee cranefly (links below). It's also the time of the year that the terrestrials are just getting going. It is the time of the year when the Hippie Stomper starts to rein supreme - this will continue through the end of the season.
Fly Pairings: CDC and Elk caddis, Sulphur sparkle dun, Coulee cranefly, brush hog, partridge and yellow soft hackle, scuds (especially on overcast days), ants and beetles, and Andrew Grillos' Hippie Stomper
Food pairings: Basil pesto, fresh pizza, something / anything grilled, grilled fish, fresh green beans, grilled peaches, snap pea salad
Drink pairings: Driftless Mint Julep (harvest your own mint), a Belgian single (“Betty the Gnome”), whatever wine is your thing, Wisco Pop Strawberry Soda
I pick the Driftless Mint Julep because of great memories of making our own at the Driftless Angler and because it overlaps with the Kentucky Derby.
Late-Summer (July & August)
Late summer is some of my favorite fishing of the year. It is not easy, which is probably why the crowds are often reduced. I don't mind the challenge and I love that I can pretty much go anywhere I want and not have to worry about someone else being there. Of course, by this time of the year, the fishable water has "shrunk" a bit. Some of the small streams I enjoy fishing earlier in the year are barely visible, let alone can I get a cast into them. And some of the larger streams are too warm to fish.
July and August have two important "hatches" - grasshoppers and Tricos (aka the white-winged black curse) - at opposite ends of the size spectrum. Tricos tend to be an early morning spinner fall and grasshoppers are late risers, usually getting moving a few hours after the sun has started to warm things up. Hoppers are the only choice of terrestrials. I'm fishing different patterns dependent upon the conditions and what I am observing. If I am not seeing hoppers moving with most every step I take, I am probably tying on a beetle or ant instead.
Given the cool evenings - hopefully - it is a great time to through mice patterns at night. I can't say I have done it much but I know some that throw frogs patterns and poppers for summer trout. You'll see scuds listed all year long in the fly pairings because they are often the most abundant stream macroinvertebrate and are always available to trout.
Fly Pairings: Terrestrials, scuds (especially on overcast days), mice, small and slim nymphs, caddis in the morning, Tricos
Food pairings: anything with tomatoes but especially a BLT, burgers on the grill, potato or pasta salad, couscous salad, sweet corn, black bean burger,
Drink pairings: Margarita (spicy), gin and tonic, original daiquiri (not that frozen bullshit) or make Hemingway's version, Kolsch, IPA, or lager beer, White Claws (I suppose), SunDrop
For me, nothing says summer like grilling, tomatoes that are red and full of flavor - not that off-season crap that passes for tomatoes, and gin and tonics. Summer is the time for light foods - salads and fish dishes - but also for anything grilled. There may be no more perfect food in the world than a fresh, sun-ripened tomato and they go in everything this time of year - soups (gazpacho - or a chunkier version), salads, sandwiches, fresh on pizza, and in about a million different tomato sauces either for now or to be saved for a bit of freshness in the other 10 months of the year.
Fall (September to Mid-October)
Fall starts to feel a lot more like spring and is the harbinger of winter to come. Like spring, stream temperatures are generally perfect everywhere and the fishing becomes a lot more spring-like. Tricos are still hanging on - at least on until mid-September, sometimes longer. Terrestrials are still king. However, blue-wing olives (BWO) are happening again and not just on overcast or rainy days of the spring that they typically hatch. And a few caddis species are hatching again. It's generally not the "bug soup" of early May but it can be a lot of fun for the dry fly angler.
The other thing about fall is that the scenery is unbeatable. Some folks are quite as much of a zen fisherman as I have become but even Euronymphers take time to enjoy the fall scenery (I assume so, anyway). The green of summer leaves and grasses gives way to the shades of brown and tan along with the more colorful oranges, reds, and yellows of the fall leaves. And where there is still green, it really "pops" in the fall. Trout are often putting on the feedback and it is time to start throwing big ass streamers (smaller ones work too) again. Of course, some never stop throwing streamers. Fishes, sometimes, get harder to find as they are moving upstream to spawn - in which case you should probably leave them in peace.
Fly Pairings: BWO dry fly patterns and small pheasant tail nymphs, Milwaukee Leech, zebra midge, scud or pink squirrel, terrestrials (particularly on the warmer days)
Food pairings: Anything with fall squash, steak on the grill, baked beans, pulled pork, jalapeño poppers, grilled beets or Brussels sprouts,
Drink pairings: A smokey Scotch (neat); Boulevardier, Fat Squirrel, Newcastle, or other nut brown ale; Autumnal Fire, Pinot Noir, Wisco Pop Cherry
Fall becomes a lot like spring but in the opposite direction. It is a season when vegetation turns from vibrant green to dull tans and browns. The last of the local vegetables are getting ripe - peppers and tomatoes are hanging on, fall squashes are ripening, and a number of other vegetables are just coming to ripen. Brussels sprouts and beets get a bad wrap but for me, the high heat of the grill changes them nearly completely.
The Wrap-Up
I think I found a reason that every season - except mid-winter - is my favorite time to fish the Driftless. Each season - even winter - offers something unique. And each season gives you new and different from the garden, farmers market, or grocery store. I think we should celebrate each season for what it offers - especially winter.
Tell me in the comments what your food and drink pairings would be.