BirdTroutOpen the map Is the South Branch Pine River good for brown trout?
Yes, on the classification rather than on a thermometer. Michigan stocks brown trout into the South Branch Pine River, and MDNR classes most of its typed water as cool — but no USGS gauge on this river reports water temperature, so this site has no measured July mean to hold against the 54–66 °F band this fish wants. Fish of 8–18 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
- Brown trout (Salmo trutta)
- In Michigan
- introduced
- Record here
- stocked — no survey record on this water
- Holds in
- 54–66 °F, stops feeding above 75 °F
- Typical
- 8–18 inches
- Spawns
- Late October into December, on gravel riffles, later in the season than the rainbow and overlapping the brook trout.
Introduced. The first brown trout planted in North American water went into the Pere Marquette in April 1884, from German eggs by way of the Northville hatchery — the river is still fished for the descendants.
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 Cool, 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 South Branch Pine River
South Branch Pine River — live water temperature, regulations and access
- When to fish the South Branch Pine River, Michigan
- How to get to the South Branch Pine River, Michigan
- South Branch Pine River fishing report
- South Branch Pine River fishing regulations