Richland County Early Trout Fishing
by Wayne Morgenthaler
If you are looking for a variety of streams to trout fish, Richland County has them available. There are over 200 miles of meandering streams to try your luck at. The three big streams in the county are Mill Creek, Pine River, and Willow Creek. A good place to get information is to stop in at the Visitor Center which is currently open from 8 to 4, Monday through Friday and ask for maps. They can also line you up with local guides. They are located on Hwy 14 in the middle of town and just look for the railroad car and station. There is also a stop light at the intersection that you will need to turn on.
This year so far we have had very little precipitation and the stream levels are excellent. I prefer to fish with ultra-light gear and use small spinners in the morning. In the afternoon when things warm up, I switch to fly rod. If you hit that perfect day on an insect hatch, you will find the fish rising just about everywhere. I just love the fight and effort that these brown and brook trout display. You might even get lucky and catch a tiger trout. They are a cross between a male brown trout and female brook trout. My best luck early in the season is on the creek bends, as they tend to have deeper holes and undercut the banks.
Make sure you get a pamphlet on trout streams as it will help you navigate around the county better. I like to use the DNR web site for more information. Other good resources are Google Earth and Richland County Land Information website.
If you are looking for some good websites, try the following:
http://www.rclrs.net/parkcommission/troutstreams/troutstreams.html