They removed Little Falls dam on the Willow River last year which means for a few years the Willow River will flow free through what has been Little Falls Lake. I really wanted to see what the river is like so today I went to check it out.
I started at the site of the old dam. The absence of a Lake hasn't driven away the masses. There were people everywhere at the park.
Dam Son.
People swimming.
People swimming and fishing.
People looking.
Babes in the lower right corner. I almost worked up the courage to talk to them before I remembered that I was in full fly fishing regalia. They would probably think I was a dork.
Once there was a wall of steel and concrete that held the waters back.
I started upstream.
A rock wall on the bank,
A river.
Water.
An ancient can of SHASTA.
A little wide here. It was really mucky too when I tried to walk on the banks but the middle of the river was solid.
A spring flowed in.
A lot of spring seepage on the opposite bank as well.
A river.
Some other dudes came down to check it out.
A view up to the beach area.
An old tire and a stump.
If I walked way up on the banks there was a certain type of plant that was 5 feet tall as far as the eye could see.
Looking back at the dang. I mean dam.
A river.
The Willow River.
A nice riffle.
A closer look.
Sandy Beach.
Looking back.
A cool plant.
Another shot.
A nice stretch.
The swallows are already nesting in the mud banks.
Water flowing over rocks.
It was a nice day for a walk.
This tree was once on the shore of a lake. Now it is close to a river.
I actually caught a Rainbow.
I was so happy.
Beautiful place.
I could hear the falls from here.
And a Creek Chub.
Closer to the falls.
Flip flops.
Closer to the falls.
The falls. There were many people swimming at the base of the falls.
A deer I spotted on the way back. She had about seven friends with her.
Another nice view. This had been underwater for a long time until last year.
Usually you would be looking out on a lake from this vantage point. Just a grassland now with a river running through it.
The old boat landing.
Signs.
Can't launch here.
A map.
This picnic table used to be on the shore of a lake.
Children used to swim at this beach.
Here is the view now.
Whenever I think about dams I think about the verse from, "The Highwaymen" where he sings about being a dam builder.
"I was a dam builder Across the river deep and wide Where steel and water did collide A place called Boulder on the wild Colorado I slipped and fell into the wet concrete below They buried me in that great tomb that knows no sound But I am still around"
It's one of my favorite songs. Have a listen.
It was a good day to take a walk along the Willow.
During the month of June a natural phenomenon occurs across the upper Midwest known as the "Hex Hatch". I've known about it for a long time but hadn't ever fished it.
While eddierivardflyfishing.com doesn't have an official fan club it does boast it's fair share of fan boys. When Charlie invited me to catch the Hex Hatch on the Straight River with him I was all in.
Charlie and I had a few brief conversations in the days leading up to the weekend. People who know me primarily from reading my blog often have the wrong impression of me. I made sure to let Charlie know that, "I'm kind of a tool in real life".
I was pretty excited about hitting the Hex Hatch on the Straight but my enthusiasm was tempered a bit by conversations I had with friends leading up to the weekend. Many had stories of fishing the Strait and failing to catch a trout. People would complain about how the shorelines were swampy and not easily walked. "If you don't have a canoe don't even bother", was a common remark about the Straight.
I love getting the scoop on things from people I know and trust but I also think there is a certain value derived from succeeding where others have failed.
As I drove up Friday evening I thought to myself about my expectations for the trip. I decided that if I could catch at least one Brown Trout on the Hex then the trip would be a success. More would be welcomed but less would be a complete and utter failure.
Saturday morning was nice on Ten Mile Lake.
Charlie's swamp had all these cool webs on the bushes.
We decided to fish the Straight Saturday morning.
It wasn't as Straight as I thought it would be.
We tried streamers for a bit.
What a trophy.
Purple flowers.
Turtle.
Ready for the evening fish.
We met this guy named Vern at the bridge. Here he was paddling to his spot upstream.
Straight River baby.
After we made it to our spot Charlie's buddy Ty joined us. Charlie was showing Ty how big the Hex actually are.
American badass.
The sun was going down. Soon it would be Hexy Time.
I had some Hexes at the ready.
Oh baby. The wait was almost over.
The time has come for the Hex to start hatching.
I was so happy.
Charlie was happy too.
I said goodbye to the old caboose Sunday morning. Thanks for the invite Charlie!
