Freestone · Sand Gravel · Indiana, US

Little Calumet River — East Arm (Indiana Dunes)

Good · Steelhead
Egg pattern · 12–16
Goodlive now
A proper day on the water
River steady at a fishable height. A proper day for it. Work the seams with an upstream nymph, switch to the dry when they show.
90% confidence
What moved it
  • Level1.06 mLast reading 1h ago
  • Water temp14.7°C
  • ClarityClear
Today's fly
Egg pattern
Egg pattern12–16
A dependable searching pattern for these waters.
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Level
Steady
1.06 m
Last reading 1h ago
Water temp14.7°C
ClarityClear
Weather22°C
WindS 19 km/h
Pressure1020 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm
Rain · ahead1.9 mm

The nearest gauge doesn't record temperatures, so we've estimated it — defer to the river keeper's advice.

Water temperature for Steelhead
Warm — slow
15°C est.ideal 4–13°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Steelhead
When
Skamania mid-July – mid-October and January – March; winter steelhead mid-November – April; salmon September – mid-November
Where
The East Arm of the Little Calumet is the nearest steelhead river to Chicago, a sand-bottomed dune stream winding through Indiana Dunes National Park at Porter.
Why this works
Good — water clarity is right today, though water temperature could be better.
Likely species
Mayflies
Blackflies
  • Blackfly larvae/pupaeMost likelyLower confidence
    #16–18–20 · Pupa
    Small dark soft-hackle drifted through riffle seams.
Chironomids
Aquatic beetles
Gammarids
Molluscs
  • Pond snailsMost likelyLower confidence
    #10–12–14 · Adult
    Dead-drift or twitch a snail pattern near weed beds.
Oligochaetes
  • Aquatic wormsMost likelyLower confidence
    #12–14–16 · Adult
    Dead-drift a worm pattern deep - a year-round staple.
Hatch timeline · todayQuiet day

Hatch predictions

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 6 active hatches hour by hour as a supporter.

Start free trial

14-day free trial. Cancel anytime.

Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Top nymph shown — see all 2 guilds as a supporter.

Start free trial

14-day free trial. Cancel anytime.

Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)

Hatch predictions

Supporters see what else is on the menu.

Start free trial

14-day free trial. Cancel anytime.

Evidence
Records-basedModerate confidence

Based on species-occurrence records, not local invertebrate surveys.

Through the year
0–3 scale · October highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Trout seasonSeason
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
Brown DunHatch
2
3
3
3
3
3
3
2
Quill GordonHatch
2
2
Blue QuillHatch
2
3
2
HendricksonHatch
2
2

Numbers are intensity 0 (none) to 3 (peak) — a guide, not a guarantee.

Ranked for today
Fly box · Steelhead
HN
Hex nymph
14–16 · Nymph
Search the runs and pockets, dead-drift near the bottom.
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • Indiana licence plus trout/salmon stamp
  • 5 trout and salmon, 14 in minimum, hooked in the mouth only, one single hook
  • No fishing within 100 ft of the Praxair Dam.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 2
Salt Creek (Portage)
4.0 km
64
Steelhead · Coho salmon · Chinook salmon
Trail Creek
21 km
80
Steelhead · Chinook salmon · Coho salmon
Conservation note

All migratory fish are stocked Lake Michigan runs: Skamania summer-run and Michigan-strain winter steelhead are released here, and chinook and coho return in autumn. No wild trout. Lake-run brown trout stray in occasionally and are not scored.

Why this score · for Steelhead
  • Temperature5328% weight
  • Flow8022% weight
  • Clarity9518% weight
  • Feeding Time8013% weight
  • Pressure757% weight
  • Insect activity5612% weight
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Trout 1 January → 31 December
Related guides
Euro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Booking & contacts