Minnesota Trout Unlimited is dedicated to preserving and improving the health of trout streams across the state. During these cold weeks of early spring, we’ve kicked off our first project of the year in the Sucker River watershed, a top-tier brook trout and steelhead stream east of Duluth. We're implementing...
If you’ve spent any time fishing the cold, clear streams of the Driftless Area, you know that matching the hatch is often the key to success. Hundreds of fly patterns exist to mimic the many species of mayflies, caddisflies and stoneflies that emerge throughout the season. But in recent years,...
Caption: SSL-SWCD staff doing pre-project geomorphological surveys at Amity Creek in Duluth. These data will be used to inform the design of the Amity Creek restoration project – a collaborative project involving SSL-SWCD and MNTU. (Photo: Tim Beaster, SSL-SWCD) By Dr. Jennifer Biederman, Habitat Director Stream restoration has come a long way...
If you’re out scouting a favorite stream and notice their little black bodies clinging to the rocks or snow, take it as a good sign: the water is clean, the ecosystem is functioning and your trout fishing will be in good shape come spring.
Scuds are freshwater shrimp (bottom right) – a crustacean that lives among benthic invertebrates in the stream.
By Dr. Jennifer Biederman The Driftless Area, spanning parts of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, and Illinois, is renowned for its spring-fed streams, cold water, and limestone geology. These unique environmental factors create ideal year-round conditions for trout. In streams with the most groundwater influence, both flows and water temperatures remain fairly constant...
If there is one thing that many degraded streams across Minnesota have in common, it’s a lack of key habitat types that support trout of all stages and ages.
Riffle habitats in trout streams are essential little ecosystems that provide an ideal environment for aquatic macroinvertebrates, which are small, aquatic organisms that play a crucial role in freshwater ecosystems – and the most important food source of stream dwelling trout in Minnesota. What is a riffle? Riffles are characterized...
By Dr. Jennifer Biederman The sight of an in-stream habitat improvement project in progress can be a bit eye-opening – heavy machinery, including large excavators are working along the banks and in the stream, often moving large amounts of soil to slope the banks while digging out silted in pools and...
Standing by a newly restored stream, the benefits are often clear: the eroding banks, invasive plants, and barren channels have been replaced with gently sloped banks, deep pools, spawning riffles, and thriving native vegetation. It’s easy to see how these improvements boost fish populations by creating better habitat for food...
