BirdTroutOpen the map When to fish Ley Creek, Wisconsin
June, July and August — those are the months with the most insects recorded from the Wisconsin driftless, 21 in June, 23 in July and 20 in August. Wisconsin DNR classifies it as Class I and Class II, managed as wild and wild supplemented — that is the season and creel row to look up. WDNR classes most of its typed water as cold, and no gauge on it reports temperature, so the calendar below is the hatch record rather than a thermometer.
What's likely in September
26 insects peak in September in the Wisconsin driftless. By month, not week.
Start with these — the patterns that match most of what is out now:
Mayflies
Blue-Winged Olive #16–22, White Fly #12–14, Isonychia / Slate Drake #10–14, Little Yellow May #16–18, Mahogany Dun #16–18, and 1 more
Tie onParachute Adams dry · Pheasant Tail Nymph nymph · RS2 emerger
Caddis
White Miller #14–18
Tie onElk Hair Caddis dry · LaFontaine Sparkle Pupa emerger · White Wulff dry
Terrestrials
Cinnamon Flying Ant #16–20, Cricket #10–14, Black Ant #14–20, Grasshopper #8–12, Leafhopper #18–22, and 1 more
Tie onFoam Beetle terrestrial · Black Foam Ant terrestrial · Parachute Ant terrestrial
Crayfish, scuds and baitfish
Crayfish #4–8, Minnows + Dace #2–10, Scud #12–18, Sculpin #2–8, Sowbug #14–18
Tie onZonker streamer · Hare's Ear Nymph nymph · Walt's Worm nymph
Worms, leeches and the rest
Water Boatman #14–18, Cranefly #6–10, Aquatic Worm #10–16, Damselfly #10–14, Dragonfly #4–10, and 2 more
Tie onWoolly Bugger (Olive) streamer · Walt's Worm nymph · Woolly Bugger (Black) streamer
The hatch calendar
Insects peaking each month. Midges, scuds and sculpins are left out: they peak every month, so counting them would flatten the bars.
Every insect recorded here, by month (51)
| Insect | Months | Hook | Active at |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fish Eggs | October–January and April | #10–16 | 33–60 °F |
| Little Black Stonefly | January–April | #16–18 | 34–46 °F |
| Little Brown Stonefly | February–April | #12–16 | 38–50 °F |
| Blue-Winged Olive | March–May and September–November | #16–22 | 38–58 °F |
| Blackfly | April–June | #18–22 | 40–65 °F |
| Blue Quill | April–May | #16–18 | 44–56 °F |
| Cranefly | April–June and September–October | #6–10 | 40–65 °F |
| Grannom | April–May | #14–16 | 48–58 °F |
| Hendrickson | April–May | #12–14 | 45–58 °F |
| Little Black Caddis | April–May | #16–20 | 46–58 °F |
| Caterpillar | May–September | #8–14 | 55–75 °F |
| Crayfish | May–October | #4–8 | 55–78 °F |
| Inchworm | May–June | #12–16 | 50–68 °F |
| Light Cahill | May–July | #12–16 | 55–68 °F |
| Little Sulphur | May–July | #16–20 | 50–62 °F |
| March Brown | May–June | #10–12 | 50–62 °F |
| Spotted / Tan Caddis | May–August | #14–18 | 55–70 °F |
| Sulphur | May–July | #14–18 | 52–68 °F |
| Black Ant | June–September | #14–20 | 55–80 °F |
| Brown Drake | June | #10–12 | 55–65 °F |
| Hex | June–July | #6–8 | 60–72 °F |
| Isonychia / Slate Drake | June–September | #10–14 | 55–70 °F |
| June Bug / Beetle | June–July | #10–14 | 58–75 °F |
| Leafhopper | June–September | #18–22 | 58–75 °F |
| Little Sister Caddis | June–August | #16–20 | 60–74 °F |
| Little Yellow May | June–September | #16–18 | 58–70 °F |
| Little Yellow Sally | June–August | #14–16 | 55–68 °F |
| Pale Morning Dun | June–July | #14–18 | 50–65 °F |
| Yellow Drake | June–August | #10–12 | 58–70 °F |
| Annual Cicada | July–August | #6–10 | 60–78 °F |
| Cream Cahill | July–August | #14–16 | 62–74 °F |
| Golden Drake | July–August | #10–12 | 60–72 °F |
| Grasshopper | July–September | #8–12 | 60–80 °F |
| Japanese Beetle | July–August | #12–16 | 60–80 °F |
| Trico | July–September | #20–24 | 58–72 °F |
| White Miller | July–September | #14–18 | 60–74 °F |
| Cinnamon Flying Ant | August–September | #16–20 | 58–78 °F |
| Cricket | August–October | #10–14 | 55–75 °F |
| White Fly | August–September | #12–14 | 62–74 °F |
| Mahogany Dun | September–October | #16–18 | 45–58 °F |
| Water Boatman | September–November | #14–18 | 45–65 °F |
| Aquatic Worm | all year | #10–16 | 35–70 °F |
| Damselfly | all year | #10–14 | 55–78 °F |
| Dragonfly | all year | #4–10 | 55–78 °F |
| Hellgrammite | all year | #2–8 | 55–78 °F |
| Leech | all year | #2–10 | 35–75 °F |
| Midge | all year | #18–24 | 33–75 °F |
| Minnows + Dace | all year | #2–10 | 35–78 °F |
| Scud | all year | #12–18 | 33–70 °F |
| Sculpin | all year | #2–8 | 33–72 °F |
| Sowbug | all year | #14–18 | 33–70 °F |
The season
Wisconsin publishes no season on this reach in the file this site reads. Wisconsin DNR classifies it as Class I, Class II, managed as wild, wild supplemented, and that is the row to look up in the digest — the season and creel rules follow the classification rather than the river. What the state designates on this water → Wisconsin regulations →
Water temperature through the year
No gauge on this river reports water temperature. WDNR classes its typed water as Cold, which is a classification and not a measurement.