Freestone · Mixed · Michigan/Indiana

St. Joseph River

St. Joseph River terrain map

The St.

Poor · Steelhead
Egg pattern · 12–16
Poorlive now
Not the day for it
River high but settled. Not much stacked in your favour today. Worth an hour if you are nearby, not worth the special trip.
55% confidence
What moved it
  • Level1.77 mLast reading 20h ago
  • Water temp27.3°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
1.77 m
Last reading 20h ago
Water temp27.3°C
ClarityClear
Weather23°C
WindSW 14 km/h
Pressure1013 hPa
Rain · recent0.3 mm
Rain · ahead0.1 mm

Live readings only. Trends shown where the gauge supports them.

Water temperature for Steelhead
Welfare risk
27.3°Cideal 413°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.
Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

See the full sub-surface read with Pro.

Start free trial

14-day free trial. Cancel anytime.

Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 3 with Pro.

Start free trial

14-day free trial. Cancel anytime.

Evidence
ModelledModerate confidence

Modelled from regional ecology — no survey or occurrence data for this water yet.

Through the year
0–3 scale · July highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Quill GordonHatch
2
2
Blue QuillHatch
2
3
2
HendricksonHatch
2
2
Eastern March BrownHatch
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
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 lifeImpaired
  • Fish consumptionImpaired
  • RecreationImpaired
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 Time7013% weight
  • Pressure757% weight
  • Insect activity4012% weight
Related guides
Booking & contacts