Spring Creek · Limestone · Minnesota, US

Whitewater River

Whitewater River - Whitewater State Park, Minnesota in Spring

The Whitewater and its three branches through Whitewater State Park are the busy, beloved heart of southeast Minnesota trout fishing — stocked browns, rainbows and brookies in postcard limestone bluff country.

Today · Closed season
Pink Shrimp
Forecast · Today
Closed season
Out of season. Try elsewhere.
45% projected
Today's fly
Pink Shrimp
Pink Shrimp
Conditions on the water · Today
Estimate
Level
Moderate rain recently
No gauge reading
Water temp12.8°C
ClarityUnfishable
Weather8°C
WindN 15 km/h
Pressure1032 hPa
Rain · recent20.5 mm
Rain · ahead0.0 mm

No gauge on this water — readings are regional estimates from weather, not a live gauge.

Water temperature for Brown Trout
Ideal
13°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.
Likely species
Mayflies
Chironomids
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 12pm

12pm(now) — Eastern Blue-Winged Olive

Stage: On emergersApproach: Emerger or dryActivity: 39%
Peak emergence window

Peak activity at 12pm — Eastern Blue-Winged Olive (Eastern Blue-Winged Olive, Peak emergence window)

Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Supporters see the full sub-surface read.

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 2 as a supporter.

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Evidence
Records-basedModerate confidence

Based on species-occurrence records, not local invertebrate surveys.

Through the year
0–3 scale · October 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
PL
Pass Lake
8-12 · Pattern
Proven pattern for this period
Local fly shops: Driftless Fly Fishing Co.
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • MN DNR — winter C&R then harvest season; verify dates and any special-reg reaches.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 5
Garvin Brook
23 km
0
Brown trout · Brook trout · Rainbow trout
Trout Run Creek
26 km
0
Brown trout
Rush Creek
37 km
0
Brown trout · Brook trout
Duschee Creek
40 km
0
Brown trout
South Branch Root River
44 km
0
Brown trout · Brook trout · Rainbow trout
Gallery · 2
  1. Whitewater River - Whitewater State Park, Minnesota in Spring
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

The Whitewater and its three branches through Whitewater State Park are the busy, beloved heart of southeast Minnesota trout fishing — stocked browns, rainbows and brookies in postcard limestone bluff country. Easy access and good water mean you won't be alone, but there's a lot of stream to spread out on.

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

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

EPA ATTAINS assessment unit 'Whitewater River, Middle Fork' (MN07040003-F19), 2024 Integrated Report. Aquatic Life use: Not Supporting. Listed impairment causes: Nutrients, Turbidity, Pathogens, 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) · MN07040003-F19

The full read · show the working · for Brown Trout · confidence 90%
How the 0 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature100 × 28%28.0
Flow95 × 22%20.9
Clarity85 × 18%15.3
Feeding Time80 × 13%10.4
Pressure80 × 7%5.6
Insect activity55 × 12%6.6
Conditions total= 87
Can you trust it?
Water temperatureair-to-water estimateestimated
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Prey activitymodelled from regional profilemodelled
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Trout January 1 (winter catch-and-release) → September 30 (harvest from mid-April)
Related guides
Euro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Booking & contacts