KINNICKINNICK RIVER
The Kinnickinnick, known affectionately as the "Kinni," is another superb brown trout stream with 25 miles of trout water in St. Croix and Pierce counties. It meaders clean and clear through miles of farmland and lowland forest, from its headwaters down to River Falls. Stream improvement projects installed by Trout Unlimited provide good cover for the abundant trout. DNR easements provide access over private land. Parker Creek, a good brook trout stream, enters the Kinni between Steeple Drive and Highway J.

Below River Falls, the Kinni flows through a steep, forested canyon with a wide valley that offers a lot of room to fish. There are fewer, but larger, trout in this stretch. Access is limited to Glen Park below the dam in River Falls and the Highway F bridge at Kinnickinnick State Park two miles above the mouth.

The Kinni is open during both the regular and early seasons.

Contact: Lund's Hardware, River Falls, (715) 425-2415 or www.lundshardware.doitbest.com.

WEST FORK
KICKAPOO RIVER
Of all the coulee streams in Wisconsin's Driftless Area, the West Fork of the Kickapoo in Vernon County is one of the biggest and best.

From Cashton to its confluence with the main stem of the Kickapoo near Readstown, the West Fork offers 24 miles of excellent fishing for wild browns. A rock and rubble bottom, a lot of snags and some deep holes provide good cover, as do a number of lunker structures installed by the West Fork Sportsmen's Club.

There is good public access at DNR easements along Highway S between Bloomingdale and Highway 82. Downstream you can get on the river at several road crossings. All Vernon County streams are open during the regular and early seasons. A long stretch upstream from Highway 82 is catch-and-release artificials-only water.

Contact: Avalanche General Store, (608) 634-2303.

TOMORROW RIVER
Flowing southeast through Portage and Waupaca counties to its confluence with the Crystal River near Waupaca, the Tomorrow River offers 35 miles of good fishing for wild brook trout and brown trout.

The upper river from its headwaters near Polonia to Nelsonville is a tight little sand-bottomed brook trout stream that wanders through tag alders and other dense brush. Get on the river at bridge crossings or fish Poncho Creek along Highway Z. From Nelsonville to the dam in Amherst, the river widens and becomes easier to fish. Several road crossings provide access.

Below Amherst, the river is called the Waupaca River on most maps. It flows faster here, and has a freestone and boulder bottom, with a lot of pocket water. Trout are fewer, but larger, in this stretch. The best fishing occurs from Amherst to the Portage/Waupaca county line, where access is at waysides and road crossings.

The Tomorrow is only open during the regular season. Size limit and gear restrictions vary, so check the regulations booklet.

Contact: Wild Rose Fly Shop, (920) 622-4522.

There are plenty of other Wisconsin streams that offer good trout fishing. Some we have skipped include the Prairie, Plover and Buffalo rivers in central Wisconsin, a host of spring creeks in the Driftless Area west of Madison and hundreds of miles of little brook trout streams that drain the northwoods, not to mention a few tiny gems in both the northern and southern units of the Kettle Moraine State Forest in southeastern Wisconsin. They are all shown on the maps in the trout regulations booklet, so grab your copy and head out and explore them.

(Editor's note: The 4-foot by 4-foot Stream Map of Wisconsin shows over 3,000 streams and 1,000 lakes, and comes with a free guidebook detailing the top 989 select waters. The map is plastic laminated with brass eyelets for hanging. Order online at www.dansmalloutdoors.com, or send $45.95 to Outdoor Books, P.O. Box 433, Grafton, WI 53024. Wisconsin residents should add appropriate state and county sales tax.