Mayflies
Caddisflies
A Crawford County spring creek tumbling toward the Mississippi through steep, wooded coulees — small, cold and intimate, with wild browns and headwater brookies. Easy to have to yourself on a weekday.
- Limestone
Rules at a glance
- Free fishing
- Fly only
Water temperature for Brown Trout
Warm — slow17°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
Excellent — conditions well-balanced, with water clarity particularly in your favour.
Likely species
Mayflies
Caddisflies
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 7am
12pm(now) — Grasshopper (Eastern)
Stage: Terrestrials on topApproach: Dry flyActivity: 40%
Also:Trico (Eastern)34%Reed Smut31%
Peak emergence windowWeather boostEmergence building5 food groups active
Peak activity at 7am — Trico (Eastern) (Trico (Eastern), Degree-days at peak)
Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface
Hatch predictions
Top nymph shown — see all 2 guilds with Pro.
Start free trial14-day free trial. Cancel anytime.
Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)
Hatch predictions
Top prey shown — see all 4 with Pro.
Start free trial14-day free trial. Cancel anytime.
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
Trout seasonSeason
1
2
2
2
1
SulphurHatch
2
3
2
Trico (Eastern)Hatch
2
3
3
2
Eastern Blue-Winged OliveHatch
2
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
2
Eastern Summer BWO (Drunella)Hatch
2
3
3
2
Numbers are intensity 0 (none) to 3 (peak) — a guide, not a guarantee.
Ranked for today
Brown Trout fly box
Local fly shops: Driftless Angler
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
- WI DNR — verify reach regulations.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 5
Gallery · 1
Terrain map
About this water
Water quality · US Clean Water Act
- Aquatic life: Supporting
What this classification means
EPA ATTAINS assessment unit 'Rush Creek' (WI10010410), 2024 Integrated Report. Aquatic Life use: Fully Supporting. 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) · WI10010410
The full read · show the working · for Brown Trout · confidence 90%
How the 85 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature93 × 28%26.0
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity95 × 18%17.1
Feeding Time80 × 13%10.4
Pressure80 × 7%5.6
Insect activity68 × 12%8.2
Conditions total= 85
Can you trust it?
Water temperatureair-to-water estimateestimated
Level / flowproxy via West Fork Kickapoo Riverproxy
Prey activitymodelled from regional profilemodelled
Directions
Seasons & zones
- Trout First Saturday in January (early catch-and-release, artificial only) → October 15 (regular harvest season from first Saturday in May)
Related guides
Booking & contacts
Rush Creek
A Crawford County spring creek tumbling toward the Mississippi through steep, wooded coulees — small, cold and intimate, with wild browns and headwater brookies.
Water temperature for Brown Trout
Warm — slow17°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
Excellent — conditions well-balanced, with water clarity particularly in your favour.
Likely species
Mayflies
Caddisflies
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 7am
12pm(now) — Grasshopper (Eastern)
Stage: Terrestrials on topApproach: Dry flyActivity: 40%
Also:Trico (Eastern)34%Reed Smut31%
Peak emergence windowWeather boostEmergence building5 food groups active
Peak activity at 7am — Trico (Eastern) (Trico (Eastern), Degree-days at peak)
Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface
Hatch predictions
Top nymph shown — see all 2 guilds with Pro.
Start free trial14-day free trial. Cancel anytime.
Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)
Hatch predictions
Top prey shown — see all 4 with Pro.
Start free trial14-day free trial. Cancel anytime.
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
Trout seasonSeason
1
2
2
2
1
SulphurHatch
2
3
2
Trico (Eastern)Hatch
2
3
3
2
Eastern Blue-Winged OliveHatch
2
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
2
Eastern Summer BWO (Drunella)Hatch
2
3
3
2
Numbers are intensity 0 (none) to 3 (peak) — a guide, not a guarantee.
Ranked for today
Brown Trout fly box
Local fly shops: Driftless Angler
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
- WI DNR — verify reach regulations.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 5
Gallery · 1
Terrain map
About this water
A Crawford County spring creek tumbling toward the Mississippi through steep, wooded coulees — small, cold and intimate, with wild browns and headwater brookies. Easy to have to yourself on a weekday.
- Limestone
Water quality · US Clean Water Act
- Aquatic life: Supporting
What this classification means
EPA ATTAINS assessment unit 'Rush Creek' (WI10010410), 2024 Integrated Report. Aquatic Life use: Fully Supporting. 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) · WI10010410
The full read · show the working · for Brown Trout · confidence 90%
How the 85 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature93 × 28%26.0
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity95 × 18%17.1
Feeding Time80 × 13%10.4
Pressure80 × 7%5.6
Insect activity68 × 12%8.2
Conditions total= 85
Can you trust it?
Water temperatureair-to-water estimateestimated
Level / flowproxy via West Fork Kickapoo Riverproxy
Prey activitymodelled from regional profilemodelled
Directions
Seasons & zones
- Trout First Saturday in January (early catch-and-release, artificial only) → October 15 (regular harvest season from first Saturday in May)
Related guides
Booking & contacts