Freestone · Mixed · Wisconsin, US

Root River

Root River venue image

The Root runs salmon and steelhead right through Racine, with the Wisconsin DNR's steelhead facility on its banks concentrating the run.

Marginal · Brown Trout
Glo Bug · 8-14
Marginallive now
Slow going — pick your moments
River temperature is the limiting factor today, not the flow. Fish dawn or dusk if you go at all, and handle everything with extra care.
80% confidence
What moved it
  • Level0.78 mDropping after lift
  • Water temp19.3°C
  • ClarityClear
Today's fly
Glo Bug
Glo Bug8-14
High-confidence seasonal pick
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Level
Steady
0.78 m
Dropping after lift
Water temp19.3°C
ClarityClear
Weather27°C
WindSW 10 km/h
Pressure1014 hPa
Rain · recent2.6 mm
Rain · ahead30.6 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
Warm — slow
19°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.
Why this works
Water at 19.3°C — above the brown trout caution line (18°C). Fish dawn or dusk only. Land it fast, wet hands, no air shots.
Likely species
Mayflies
Caddisflies
terrestrials
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 7am

Hatch predictions

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 7 active hatches hour by hour with Pro.

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Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

See the full sub-surface read with Pro.

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 2 with Pro.

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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
Brown Trout fly box
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • Wisconsin licence with a Great Lakes trout/salmon stamp; verify WI DNR reach rules
  • Introduced, harvestable sport fishery.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Water here around 19°C. Nothing cooler within range — carry a thermometer.
Gallery · 1
  1. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

The Root runs salmon and steelhead right through Racine, with the Wisconsin DNR's steelhead facility on its banks concentrating the run. Urban, accessible water that delivers chrome from fall through spring for anglers who don't mind a city backdrop.

  • Mixed
Water quality · US Clean Water Act
  • Aquatic life: Impaired
  • Fish consumption: Impaired
What this classification means

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

EPA ATTAINS assessment unit 'Root River' (WI10000605), 2024 Integrated Report. Aquatic Life use: Not Supporting. Listed impairment causes: Nutrients, 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) · WI10000605

The full read · show the working · for Brown Trout · confidence 80%
How the 32 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature20 × 28%5.6
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity95 × 18%17.1
Feeding Time65 × 13%8.5
Pressure80 × 7%5.6
Insect activity65 × 12%7.8
Limiting factor: Water temperature (19.3°C) is outside Brown Trout's preferred range (10–16°C)= 62
Can you trust it?
Water temperatureair-to-water estimateestimated
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Prey activitymodelled from regional profilemodelled
What would change the calculation
Cooler water — back toward the 10–16 °C ideal band — would lift the score and ease welfare.
The dawn and dusk windows score higher than the midday lull.
Related guides
Euro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Booking & contacts