Freestone · Mixed · Michigan/Indiana

St. Joseph River

St. Joseph River terrain map
Poor · Steelhead
Egg pattern · 12–16
Poorlive now
Not the day for it
River high but settled. Not much stacked in your favour today. Worth an hour if you are nearby, not worth the special trip.
55% confidence
What moved it
  • Level1.78 mLast reading 2h ago
  • Water temp26.7°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
1.78 m
Last reading 2h ago
Water temp26.7°C
ClarityClear
Weather19°C
WindN 10 km/h
Pressure1015 hPa
Rain · recent0.3 mm
Rain · ahead0.8 mm

Live readings only. Trends shown where the gauge supports them.

Water temperature for Steelhead
Welfare risk
26.7°Cideal 4–13°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Steelhead
When
Skamania summer-run Jul–Aug; salmon Sep–Oct; steelhead Oct–Apr
Where
The St.
Why this works
Very poor — water clarity is working for you, but water temperature is the limiting factor today.
Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 2 with Pro.

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Evidence
ModelledModerate confidence

Modelled from regional ecology — no survey or occurrence data for this water yet.

Through the year
0–3 scale · July highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Quill GordonHatch
2
2
Blue QuillHatch
2
3
2
HendricksonHatch
2
2
Eastern March BrownHatch
2
2

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

Ranked for today
Steelhead fly box
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • Michigan AND Indiana licences by reach — confirm which state's water you're on
  • Verify summer-run regs
  • Introduced, harvestable sport fishery.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 1
Trail Creek
54 km
Steelhead · Chinook salmon · Coho salmon
Water quality · US Clean Water Act
  • Aquatic life: Impaired
  • Fish consumption: Impaired
  • Recreation: Impaired
What this classification means

Fish consumption: Consumption advisory (Polychlorinated Biphenyls PCBs) — fish for sport, not the table.

Recreation: Bacteria/pathogen advisory — mind wading cuts and immersion.

EPA ATTAINS assessment unit 'SAINT JOSEPH RIVER (SALMONID)' (INJ01M8_01), 2024 Integrated Report. Aquatic Life use: Not Supporting. Listed impairment causes: Pathogens, Polychlorinated Biphenyls PCBs, Cause Unknown Impaired Biota. This is a Clean Water Act assessment-unit classification (the US analogue of WFD), not a live reading.

Status is for the Clean Water Act assessment unit covering this reach.

EPA ATTAINS (Clean Water Act) · INJ01M8_01

Why this score · for Steelhead
  • Temperature028% weight
  • Flow8022% weight
  • Clarity9518% weight
  • Feeding Time7013% weight
  • Pressure757% weight
  • Insect activity3012% weight
Related guides
Euro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Booking & contacts