Freestone · Bedrock · Minnesota

Knife River

Wide view of the rocky Knife River flowing through forest on the North Shore of Minnesota on a sunny day
Poor · Steelhead
Egg pattern · 12–16
Not the day for it
River lifting fast on the rain. Not much stacked in your favour today. Worth an hour if you are nearby, not worth the special trip.
45% confidence
limited temperature data
What moved it
  • Level7.92 mLifting fast
  • Water temp22.4°C
  • ClarityVery colouredColouring up
Today's fly
Egg pattern
Egg pattern12–16
A dependable searching pattern for these waters.
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Level
Rising
7.92 m
Lifting fast
Water temp22.4°C
ClarityVery coloured
Weather25°C
WindSE 12 km/h
Pressure1015 hPa
Rain · recent4.6 mm
Rain · ahead5.9 mm

Live readings — water temperature is an estimate where the gauge does not record it.

Water temperature for Steelhead
Welfare risk
22°C est.ideal 4–13°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Steelhead
When
Spring steelhead, Apr–May on snowmelt-driven flows
Where
A classic Minnesota North Shore steelhead stream — short, flashy, bedrock water that comes up fast on snowmelt and rain and drops just as quickly.
Why this works
Very poor — barometric pressure 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 3 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.
  • Minnesota licence with trout stamp; North Shore steelhead rules are strict (often wild-release) — verify MN DNR
  • Conservation-minded wild run.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 3
Sucker River
6.0 km
Steelhead
Lester River
20 km
Steelhead
Bois Brule River
41 km
Steelhead · Brown trout · Chinook salmon
Gallery · 2
  1. Wide view of the rocky Knife River flowing through forest on the North Shore of Minnesota on a sunny day
    The Knife River along the North Shore of Lake Superior, Minnesota
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
Water quality · US Clean Water Act
  • Aquatic life: Impaired
  • Fish consumption: Impaired
What this classification means

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

EPA ATTAINS assessment unit 'Knife River' (MN04010102-504), 2024 Integrated Report. Aquatic Life use: Not Supporting. Listed impairment causes: Mercury, Turbidity. 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) · MN04010102-504

Why this score · for Steelhead
  • Temperature028% weight
  • Flow5522% weight
  • Clarity1518% weight
  • Feeding Time6013% weight
  • Pressure757% weight
  • Insect activity4912% weight
Related guides
Euro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Booking & contacts