Spring Creek · Limestone · Minnesota, US

Trout Run Creek

Trout Run Creek terrain map

A lovely little spring creek with a brown-trout density people quote in the thousands per mile — small, clear, and as good a wild-trout creek as Minnesota has.

Tomorrow · A proper day on the water
Pink Shrimp
Forecast · Tomorrow
A proper day on the water
A proper day for it. Work the seams with an upstream nymph, switch to the dry when they show.
75% projected
Today's fly
Pink Shrimp
Pink Shrimp
Conditions on the water · Tomorrow
Proxy gauge
Level
Falling
Proxy
via South Branch Root River
Water temp16.8°C
ClaritySlightly coloured
Weather24°C
WindN 19 km/h
Pressure1013 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm
Rain · ahead7.2 mm

No gauge on this water — conditions are inferred from South Branch Root River. The trend transfers, the absolute level does not.

Water temperature for Brown Trout
Warm — slow
17°C est.ideal 1016°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
Good — water clarity is working for you, but time of day is the limiting factor today.
Likely species
Hatch timeline · tomorrowPeak at 7am

12pm(now) Grasshopper (Eastern)

Stage: Terrestrials on topApproach: Dry flyActivity: 71%
Also:Reed Smut67%Trico (Eastern)48%
Peak emergence windowWeather boostEmergence building7 food groups active

Peak activity at 7am — Trico (Eastern) (Trico (Eastern), Weather boost)

Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Top nymph shown — see all 2 guilds with Pro.

Start free trial

14-day free trial. Cancel anytime.

Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 4 with Pro.

Start free trial

14-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
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 Fly Fishing Co.
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • MN DNR — verify season dates and regulations.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 5
About this water

A lovely little spring creek with a brown-trout density people quote in the thousands per mile — small, clear, and as good a wild-trout creek as Minnesota has. The name is doing honest work.

  • Limestone
Water quality · US Clean Water Act
  • Aquatic lifeSupporting
  • RecreationImpaired
What this classification means

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

EPA ATTAINS assessment unit 'Trout Run Creek' (MN07040008-G88), 2024 Integrated Report. Aquatic Life use: Fully Supporting. Listed impairment causes: Pathogens. 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) · MN07040008-G88

The full read · show the working · for Brown Trout · confidence 75%
How the 71 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature67 × 28%18.8
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity95 × 18%17.1
Feeding Time40 × 13%5.2
Pressure80 × 7%5.6
Insect activity55 × 12%6.6
Conditions total= 71
Can you trust it?
Water temperatureair-to-water estimateestimated
Level / flowproxy via South Branch Root Riverproxy
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.
Directions
Seasons & zones
  • Trout January 1 (winter catch-and-release)September 30 (harvest from mid-April)
Related guides
Booking & contacts