BirdTroutOpen the map Is the Flat River good for rainbow trout?
Yes, on the classification rather than on a thermometer. Michigan stocks rainbow trout into the Flat River, and MDNR classes most of its typed water as warm — but no USGS gauge on this river reports water temperature, so this site has no measured July mean to hold against the 55–65 °F band this fish wants. Fish of 8–16 inches are what Michigan reports as typical. The river is designated Type 2 trout water, which is what sets the size and creel limits.
What the state's records say
- Species
- Rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)
- In Michigan
- introduced
- Record here
- stocked — no survey record on this water
- Holds in
- 55–65 °F, stops feeding above 75 °F
- Typical
- 8–16 inches
- Spawns
- Spring — March into May — on gravel, which is what separates it from the two autumn spawners above.
Introduced from Pacific-slope stock in the 1880s. The lake-run form — steelhead — is the same species, and the rivers that hold resident rainbows are largely the rivers steelhead run.
Is the water cold enough
No USGS gauge on this river reports water temperature, so there is no measured July mean to put beside the species' band. MDNR's classification of the typed reaches is Warm, and that is a classification rather than a thermometer.
| Gauge | Now | July mean |
|---|---|---|
| WOLF CREEK AT PINE GROVE ROAD NEAR VESTABURG, MI | 58.6 °F | — |
What you may keep
No trout-stream designation in Michigan's file falls on this water, so the state's general inland rules apply. Michigan regulations →
What to fish for it
- Fish Eggs — October–January and April, #10–16
- Little Black Stonefly — January–April, #16–18
- Little Brown Stonefly — February–April, #12–16
- Blue-Winged Olive — March–May and September–November, #16–22
- Blackfly — April–June, #18–22
- Blue Quill — April–May, #16–18
- Cranefly — April–June and September–October, #6–10
- Grannom — April–May, #14–16
The insects recorded from this river's region, earliest first. The full calendar →
More about Flat River
Flat River — live water temperature, regulations and access
- Is the Flat River good for brown trout?
- When to fish the Flat River, Michigan
- How to get to the Flat River, Michigan
- Flat River fishing report
- Flat River fishing regulations