Comments on: Trip Report: Camping, canoeing, and fly-fishing at St. Croix State Park

By: Deb

Deb — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 19:36:30 +0000

The entire stream is about 44 miles; I’m at about mile 36.

“Ruthless” is a good way of describing trout streams around here. You’d probably spend half your time untangling your line from the alder branches!

By: Greg

Greg — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 12:57:03 +0000

Lots of fun. I just realized I still have a few more pics that didn’t really work for this write-up. I’ll e-mail those to you.

By: Eric

Eric — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 03:28:28 +0000

Good little trip! Thanks man.

By: Greg

Greg — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 21:28:55 +0000

Thanks Deb! I was working with some different expectations on this report as its primary purpose was for the Minnesota Trails website. Fun though, and I’m glad it worked for you.

I should have mentioned that I thought of you frequently while paddling and while writing, with us taking out at the mouth of your little creek. How many miles of stream is that between your place and the river?

I noticed the Trout Stream signs by Hay Creek in the park, but I must say it looked like such a ruthless creek, with the willows and alders encroaching, that I thought those trout might be best left unmolested. It sure would be fun catching a beautiful, wild brookie in a place like that, though.

By: Deb

Deb — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 21:18:16 +0000

Great trip report! For living so close by (up Sand Creek a ways), I have yet to canoe that stretch of river. I should mention St. Croix State Park also has opportunities for brook trout fishing; we sampled some 12″+ brookies in Hay Creek last summer. It’s a small stream, however, so catch and release is strongly encouraged.

By: Greg

Greg — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 16:09:03 +0000

Sam – you’re right that most of my trip reports don’t talk much about gear, but I’d be happy to work on such a post… during most of my trips, I spend quite a bit of time thinking about and trying out new gear, and this trip was no exception, though the new stuff was mostly in the apparel department. Anyway, I’ll put something together. Good idea, thanks!

By: samh

samh — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 15:17:06 +0000

Greg, I know the trip is more your focus than the “stuff” it takes to do it, but I’d be curious to hear about the kind of gear required to do canoe trips like this. Perhaps consider blogging about canoe gear sometime in the future. I’d be particularly interested in the canoe gear required for a multi-portage style trip into an area like the BW or Quetico with a focus on weight and multi-use items.