Freestone · Mixed · Wisconsin, US

Milwaukee River

Milwaukee River venue image
Tomorrow · Slow going — pick your moments
Pat's Rubber Legs
Forecast · Tomorrow
Slow going — pick your moments
Slow going — pick your moments and do not force it.
45% projected
Today's fly
Pat's Rubber Legs
Pat's Rubber Legs
Conditions on the water · Tomorrow
Live gauge
Level
Rising
0.41 m
Lifting fast
Water temp16.7°C
ClarityVery coloured
Weather22°C
WindN 21 km/h
Pressure1020 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm
Rain · ahead21.3 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
17°C est.ideal 4–13°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Steelhead
When
Salmon Sep–Oct; steelhead and browns late autumn through spring
Where
The Milwaukee River is Wisconsin's major urban Lake Michigan steelhead tributary, where salmon, steelhead and browns move into very visible city water.
Why this works
Very poor — water clarity is working for you, but water temperature is the limiting factor today.
Likely species
Mayflies
Caddisflies
terrestrials
Hatch timeline · tomorrowPeak at 11am

12pm(now) — Reed Smut

Stage: On emergersApproach: Emerger or dryActivity: 38%
Also:Flying Ants25%
Peak emergence window

Peak activity at 11am — Reed Smut (Reed Smut, Peak emergence window)

Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)

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Evidence
Records-basedModerate confidence

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

Through the year
0–3 scale · September highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
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
Steelhead fly box
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • Wisconsin licence with Great Lakes trout/salmon stamp where required; verify WIDNR tributary access and reach rules before launch.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Fishing better nearby · 2
Root River
38 km
34
Steelhead · Chinook salmon · Coho salmon
Sheboygan River
78 km
30
Steelhead · Chinook salmon · Coho salmon
Gallery · 1
  1. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
Water quality · US Clean Water Act
  • Aquatic life: Impaired
  • Fish consumption: Impaired
  • Recreation: Impaired
What this classification means

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

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

EPA ATTAINS assessment unit 'Milwaukee River' (WI10008752), 2024 Integrated Report. Aquatic Life use: Not Supporting. Listed impairment causes: Nutrients, Metals Other Than Mercury, Pathogens, Polychlorinated Biphenyls PCBs. 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) · WI10008752

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