Decades Ago, These Driftless Area Streams Were Smallmouth Bass Goldmines

Decades Ago, These Driftless Area Streams Were Smallmouth Bass Goldmines

THE AUGUST SUN BLAZED DOWN and turned the wooded ravine into a long green oven. Even the sound of water tumbling over rocks didn’t relieve the sensation of humidity and heat. I gave the oars a pull and guided the aluminum boat down the last few yards of a riffle into a quiet, shady pool. Visions of frosty glasses of beer danced through my head as I cast a floating plug toward the limestone bluff bordering one side of the pool. What happened next…