Freestone · Sand Gravel · Indiana, US

Little Calumet River — East Arm (Indiana Dunes)

The East Arm of the Little Calumet is the nearest steelhead river to Chicago, a sand-bottomed dune stream winding through Indiana Dunes National Park at Porter.

Good · Steelhead
Egg pattern · 12–16
Goodlive now
A proper day on the water
River steady at a fishable height. A proper day for it. Work the seams with an upstream nymph, switch to the dry when they show.
90% confidence
What moved it
  • Level1.06 mLast reading 13 min ago
  • Water temp14.7°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
1.06 m
Last reading 13 min ago
Water temp14.7°C
ClarityClear
Weather22°C
WindS 19 km/h
Pressure1020 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm
Rain · ahead1.9 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
15°C est.ideal 4–13°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Steelhead
When
Skamania mid-July – mid-October and January – March; winter steelhead mid-November – April; salmon September – mid-November
Where
The East Arm of the Little Calumet is the nearest steelhead river to Chicago, a sand-bottomed dune stream winding through Indiana Dunes National Park at Porter.
Why this works
Good — water clarity is right today, though water temperature could be better.
Likely species
Mayflies
Blackflies
  • Blackfly larvae/pupaeMost likelyLower confidence
    #16–18–20 · Pupa
    Small dark soft-hackle drifted through riffle seams.
Chironomids
Aquatic beetles
Gammarids
Molluscs
  • Pond snailsMost likelyLower confidence
    #10–12–14 · Adult
    Dead-drift or twitch a snail pattern near weed beds.
Oligochaetes
  • Aquatic wormsMost likelyLower confidence
    #12–14–16 · Adult
    Dead-drift a worm pattern deep - a year-round staple.
Hatch timeline · todayQuiet day

Hatch predictions

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 6 active hatches hour by hour as a supporter.

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Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Top nymph shown — see all 4 guilds as a supporter.

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)

Hatch predictions

Supporters see what else is on the menu.

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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
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
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
HN
Hex nymph
14–16 · Nymph
Search the runs and pockets, dead-drift near the bottom.
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • Indiana licence plus trout/salmon stamp
  • 5 trout and salmon, 14 in minimum, hooked in the mouth only, one single hook
  • No fishing within 100 ft of the Praxair Dam.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 2
Salt Creek (Portage)
4.0 km
64
Steelhead · Coho salmon · Chinook salmon
Trail Creek
21 km
80
Steelhead · Chinook salmon · Coho salmon
About this water

The East Arm of the Little Calumet is the nearest steelhead river to Chicago, a sand-bottomed dune stream winding through Indiana Dunes National Park at Porter. Indiana stocks it with Skamania summer-run steelhead as well as winter fish, so there are chrome fish in it from July right through to April, with chinook and coho pushing in each autumn. It's small enough for an evening session, and it blows out quickly after rain, then clears and fishes well on the drop.

  • Sand gravel
Conservation note

All migratory fish are stocked Lake Michigan runs: Skamania summer-run and Michigan-strain winter steelhead are released here, and chinook and coho return in autumn. No wild trout. Lake-run brown trout stray in occasionally and are not scored.

Why this score · for Steelhead
  • Temperature5328% weight
  • Flow8022% weight
  • Clarity9518% weight
  • Feeding Time8013% weight
  • Pressure757% weight
  • Insect activity5612% weight
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Trout 1 January → 31 December
Related guides
Euro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Booking & contacts