For stream anglers, fly tying, equipment refurbishing, reading angling books, poring over tackle catalogs, and day dreaming are traditional winter pastimes. Enjoyable as such diversions are, they are a sorry substitute for the excitement of trying to control the rushes of a fly hooked trout. As a friend said after hooking his first one on a fly (it stayed on for all of ten seconds), "Why, it went every direction at once"!

For this reason more and more fly fishers, on the verge of succumbing to cabin fever, are welcoming the January first opening of Wisconsin's experimental trout season.

Involving eight counties in southwest Wisconsin whose boundaries encompass roughly ten percent of the state's total trout stream mileage, they are Columbia, Crawford, Grant, Iowa, Lafayette, Richland, Sauk and Vernon.

Streams in this section rank among the most fertile and contain brook, brown and a few rainbow trout. Browns are the most numerous but some headwaters hold good populations of brook trout.

This is farm country and hilly enough so that frequently the only tillable land is along a stream. Consequently much water is unshaded, but spring flow is adequate to maintain summer temperatures that trout can tolerate.

These same springs keep the creeks open in winter and at a temperature compatible with the trout's metabolism. Biologists tell us trout remain active and enjoy good growth at temperatures between 45 and 65 degrees.

As the water warms they require more oxygen, so summer makes them seek out aerated portions of the stream. In winter this doesn't apply. Then the air cools riffles and surface water. The top of a pool can be close to freezing and the bottom be 45 to 50 degrees. Trout are more comfortable at 45 than 33 degrees, so they congregate in the deepest part of pools.

Far fetched as it sounds, anglers have learned that fish in these streams take artificial flies as readily in winter as summer, perhaps more so. Trout here remain active and healthy all year around.

They are oily fish and so require a diet with a high fat content. Insects are the principle source of this fat. Scientists tell us that stream trout, the year around, depend on land insects for one-third of their food. These fall or are blown in from bordering trees and grasses. The balance of their diet consists of stream born insects and smalI crustaceans. Large trout eat some small fish, but the hunger for fat that insects furnish is always there.

In winter the supply of terrestrial insects diminishes drastically. At the same time, activity of aquatic insects is curtailed as hatches virtually cease. A carefully presented wetfly or nymph is often more productive than in summer. Fish them just off the bottom in the deepest part of pools.

Another interesting management innovation in Grant and Iowa counties is the designation of "fish for fun" areas. Long popular in eastern states and some places in the west, including Yellowstone Park, they are brand new in Wisconsin. The idea back of the deviation from traditional "harvest" policies, is that trout are too valuable to be caught only once.

Sections of Castle Rock and Doc Smith creeks in Grant County and Trout creek in Iowa County are designated as fly or artificial lure only waters. No trout taken from them may be kept.

The Grant County regulations have been in existence for several years, but the Trout creek designation is new and is the result of an accidental chemical fishkill. Evidently it is a temporary expedient to give fish a chance to become reestablished.

Fish management personnel report a dramatic increase in the percentage of large fish in the fish for fun waters in Grant County and good public acceptance. There evidently are many more anglers willing to forgo creeling fish in order to have quality fishing than was anticipated.

Doc Smith flows into Castle Rock creek and the two combined have become sort of a mecca for fly fishers. Most release a good share of their catch anyway, but seem to feel a little sheepish about it. Here they have a bonafide reason for releasing fish.

One cold morning last February, Mike Cufaude and I fished these two creeks. When we left home before dawn armed with two "Little Streamer" rods (five footers designed specially for fly fishing Wisconsin streams) and a dozen artificial nymphs, the air was cold but still.

We reached Castle Rock creek well after sun up to find a strong north wind blowing. Starting at a bridge, Mike worked down stream and I up. The thermometer hovered at zero and there was no way to get out of the wind. I expect I have been colder, but I couldn't remember when.

Determined not to chicken out, I huddled on the bank for about an hour, too miserable to make more than an occasional desultory cast. Then I heard Mike's cheery voice.

"Pretty good fishing huh"? Startled, I said, "What're you talking about"? I've been catching some real nice browns," he replied. I looked at him, "Didn't you get cold"? "It's out of the wind where I've been fishing", he said. "Better come back with me and try it".

Sure enough, down stream from the bridge, the creek meandered between sloping banks along a wooded area. Keeping out of the wind was no problem. it was almost like summer fishing.

I followed Mike along, keeping down and well back on the opposite bank, taking pictures. In white coveralls and a white stocking cap, he was well camouflaged against the snow and seemed to take fish almost at will. I got several pictures of him playing splashing trout.

We had started fishing with size 14 silver nymphs on weighted tippets, They seemed to be just what those browns wanted, so we continued using them. By tying a single knot in some lead wire just above the tippet knot we could get the nymphs down where the fish were.

Leaving Castle Rock, we stopped at a bridge crossing Doc Smith creek. There was a nearby sign detailing the fish for fun status of the stream. While I got a picture of the sign, Mike flipped a nymph into the bridge pool. Sure enough, he took a beautiful golden hued brown on the first cast. It was admired and released and we started for home.

After we had been driving awhile, Mike said, "Wasn't that last brown I caught beautifully colored? I wish I could have taken him home." "Aw, you will remember him longer this way," I replied.

A mile or so farther down the road, Mike stirred and said, "You know I am kind of glad I had to put him back. I bet I can catch him again."