Spring Creek · Limestone · Wisconsin

Black Earth Creek

Black Earth Creek terrain map
Poor · Rainbow Trout
Trico Spinner · 20-24
Poorlive now
Not the day for it
River steady at a fishable height. Not much stacked in your favour today. Worth an hour if you are nearby, not worth the special trip.
90% confidence
What moved it
  • Level0.62 mLast reading 23h ago
  • Water temp22.1°C
  • ClarityClear
Today's fly
TS
Trico Spinner20-24
Proven pattern for this period
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Level
Steady
0.62 m
Last reading 23h ago
Water temp22.1°C
ClarityClear
Weather25°C
WindW 17 km/h
Pressure1010 hPa
Rain · recent0.4 mm
Rain · ahead1.6 mm

Live readings — water temperature is an estimate where the gauge does not record it.

Water temperature for Rainbow Trout
Warm — slow
22°C est.ideal 10–18°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Rainbow 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
Water at 22.1°C. This is the line where catch-and-release kills brown trout. Do not fish for them today.
Hatch timeline · todayQuiet day

Hatch predictions

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 2 active hatches hour by hour with Pro.

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 4 with Pro.

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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
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
Rainbow Trout fly box
Local fly shops: Driftless Angler
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • WI DNR — portions are Class I with special regs; verify.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Water here around 22°C. Nothing cooler within range — carry a thermometer.
Water quality · US Clean Water Act
  • Aquatic life: Supporting
What this classification means

EPA ATTAINS assessment unit 'Black Earth Creek' (WI10002690), 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) · WI10002690

The full read · show the working · for Rainbow Trout · confidence 90%
How the 15 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature10 × 28%2.8
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity85 × 18%15.3
Feeding Time70 × 13%9.1
Pressure75 × 7%5.3
Insect activity62 × 12%7.4
Limiting factor: Water temperature (22.1°C) is outside Rainbow Trout's preferred range (10–18°C)= 58
Can you trust it?
Water temperatureair-to-water estimateestimated
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Prey activitymodelled from regional profilemodelled
What would change the calculation
Cooler water — back toward the 10–18 °C ideal band — would lift the score and ease welfare.
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • TroutFirst Saturday in January (early catch-and-release, artificial only) → October 15 (regular harvest season from first Saturday in May)
Related guides
Euro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Booking & contacts