Spring Creek · Limestone · Wisconsin, US

West Fork Kickapoo River

West Fork Kickapoo River
Today · Closed season
Pink Shrimp
Forecast · Today
Closed season
Out of season. Try elsewhere.
45% projected
Today's fly
Pink Shrimp
Pink Shrimp
Conditions on the water · Today
Live gauge
Level
Rising
1.10 m
Lifting fast
Water temp12.8°C
ClarityUnfishable
Weather7°C
WindN 10 km/h
Pressure1033 hPa
Rain · recent14.6 mm
Rain · ahead0.0 mm

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

Water temperature for Brown Trout
Ideal
13°C est.ideal 10–16°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Brown Trout
When
Nymphing can work through most of the day.
Where
Cover mixed depths.
Method
Start with tight-line nymphs and adjust if fish rise or drift higher.
Kit
9 ft #4 rod, floating line, 12 ft tapered leader to 4–5 lb fluoro tippet.
Likely species
Mayflies
Gammarids
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 12 Uhr

12 Uhr(now) — Eastern Blue-Winged Olive

Stage: On emergersApproach: Emerger or dryActivity: 39%
Peak emergence window

Peak activity at 12 Uhr — Eastern Blue-Winged Olive (Eastern Blue-Winged Olive, Peak emergence window)

Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Supporters see the full sub-surface read.

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 2 as a supporter.

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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
1
SulphurHatch
2
3
2
Trico (Eastern)Hatch
2
3
3
2
Eastern Blue-Winged OliveHatch
2
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
2
Eastern Summer BWO (Drunella)Hatch
2
3
3
2

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

Ranked for today
Fly box · Brown Trout
PL
Pass Lake
8-12 · Pattern
Proven pattern for this period
Local fly shops: Driftless Angler
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • WI DNR — verify reach regulations.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 5
Timber Coulee Creek
15 km
0
Brown trout · Brook trout
Tainter Creek
19 km
0
Brown trout · Brook trout
Coon Creek
27 km
0
Brown trout · Brook trout
Rush Creek
30 km
0
Brown trout · Brook trout
Bad Axe River
35 km
0
Brown trout · Brook trout
Gallery · 2
  1. West Fork Kickapoo River
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
Water quality · US Clean Water Act
  • Aquatic life: Impaired
What this classification means

EPA ATTAINS assessment unit 'West Fork Kickapoo River' (WI10002508), 2024 Integrated Report. Aquatic Life use: Not Supporting. Listed impairment causes: Nutrients. 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) · WI10002508

The full read · show the working · for Brown Trout · confidence 75%
How the 0 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature100 × 28%28.0
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity85 × 18%15.3
Feeding Time45 × 13%5.9
Pressure80 × 7%5.6
Insect activity55 × 12%6.6
Conditions total= 79
Can you trust it?
Water temperatureair-to-water estimateestimated
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Prey activitymodelled from regional profilemodelled
What would change the calculation
The dawn and dusk windows score higher than the midday lull.
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Trout Erster Saturday in January (early catch-and-release, artificial only) → October 15 (regular harvest season from erster Saturday in May)
Related guides
Euro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Booking & contacts