Freestone · Bedrock · Minnesota, US

Knife River

Wide view of the rocky Knife River flowing through forest on the North Shore of Minnesota on a sunny day

A classic Minnesota North Shore steelhead stream — short, flashy, bedrock water that comes up fast on snowmelt and rain and drops just as quickly.

Tomorrow · Slow going — pick your moments
Isonychia Nymph
Forecast · Tomorrow
Slow going — pick your moments
Slow going — pick your moments and do not force it.
45% projected
Today's fly
Isonychia Nymph
Isonychia Nymph
Conditions on the water · Tomorrow
Live gauge
Level
Rising
7.87 m
Lifting fast
Water temp16.2°C
ClarityVery coloured
Weather20°C
WindN 10 km/h
Pressure1014 hPa
Rain · recent4.3 mm
Rain · ahead0.4 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
16°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
Good — water clarity is working for you, but water temperature is the limiting factor today.
Likely species
Mayflies
Caddisflies
terrestrials
Hatch timeline · tomorrowPeak at 6pm

12pm(now) — Reed Smut

Stage: On emergersApproach: Emerger or dryActivity: 47%
Also:Flying Ants30%Trico (Eastern)22%
Peak emergence windowWeather boost5 food groups active

Peak activity at 6pm — Spotted Sedge (Eastern) (Spotted Sedge (Eastern), Weather boost)

Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Top nymph shown — see all 2 guilds with Pro.

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)

Hatch predictions

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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.
  • 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
30
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
About this water

A classic Minnesota North Shore steelhead stream — short, flashy, bedrock water that comes up fast on snowmelt and rain and drops just as quickly. The spring steelhead run is the whole show, and it's a watch-the-gauge, go-when-it's-right fishery.

  • Bedrock
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
  • Temperature4128% weight
  • Flow8022% weight
  • Clarity9518% weight
  • Feeding Time4513% weight
  • Pressure757% weight
  • Insect activity5012% weight
Related guides
Euro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Booking & contacts