Freestone · Mixed · Michigan/Indiana, US

St. Joseph River

St. Joseph River terrain map

The St.

Tomorrow · Not the day for it
Hopper
Forecast · Tomorrow
Not the day for it
Not much stacked in your favour today. Worth an hour if you are nearby, not worth the special trip.
45% projected
Today's fly
Hopper
Hopper
Conditions on the water · Tomorrow
Live gauge
Level
Rising
1.53 m
Lifting fast
Water temp19.7°C
ClarityVery coloured
Weather28°C
WindN 11 km/h
Pressure1015 hPa
Rain · recent1.4 mm
Rain · ahead15.1 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
20°C est.ideal 4–13°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Steelhead
When
Skamania summer-run Jul–Aug; salmon Sep–Oct; steelhead Oct–Apr
Where
The St.
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 12pm

12pm(now) — Grasshopper (Eastern)

Stage: Terrestrials on topApproach: Dry flyActivity: 77%
Peak emergence windowWeather boostDegree-days at peak4 food groups active

Peak activity at 12pm — Grasshopper (Eastern) (Grasshopper (Eastern), Peak emergence window)

Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

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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.
  • Michigan AND Indiana licences by reach — confirm which state's water you're on
  • Verify summer-run regs
  • Introduced, harvestable sport fishery.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 1
Trail Creek
54 km
Steelhead · Chinook salmon · Coho salmon
About this water

The St. Joe is the rare Great Lakes river with a summer steelhead story — the Skamania strain runs in the heat of July and August, on top of the usual fall salmon and winter/spring steelhead. A big border river fished hard by both Michigan and Indiana anglers.

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

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

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

EPA ATTAINS assessment unit 'SAINT JOSEPH RIVER (SALMONID)' (INJ01M8_01), 2024 Integrated Report. Aquatic Life use: Not Supporting. Listed impairment causes: Pathogens, Polychlorinated Biphenyls PCBs, Cause Unknown Impaired Biota. 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) · INJ01M8_01

Why this score · for Steelhead
  • Temperature028% weight
  • Flow8022% weight
  • Clarity9518% weight
  • Feeding Time6513% weight
  • Pressure757% weight
  • Insect activity6512% weight
Related guides
Euro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Booking & contacts