BirdTroutOpen the map When to fish Mulligan Creek, Wisconsin
June, July and August — those are the months with the most insects recorded from northern Wisconsin, 23 in June, 21 in July and 15 in August. Wisconsin DNR classifies it as Class III, managed as stocked — that is the season and creel row to look up. This site reads the water as cool from WDNR's management tier for it, which is an inference from how the fishery is managed and not a temperature WDNR publishes, and no gauge on it reports temperature, so the calendar below is the hatch record rather than a thermometer.
What's likely in September
22 insects peak in September in northern Wisconsin. By month, not week.
Start with these — the patterns that match most of what is out now:
Mayflies
Blue-Winged Olive #16–22, Isonychia / Slate Drake #10–14, Little Yellow May #16–18, Trico #20–24
Tie onPheasant Tail Nymph nymph · Parachute Adams dry · Rusty Spinner dry
Caddis
October Caddis #8–10, White Miller #14–18, Green Rock Worm / Green Weenie #10–14
Tie onElk Hair Caddis dry · Prince Nymph nymph · Stimulator dry
Terrestrials
Cinnamon Flying Ant #16–20, Black Ant #14–20, Grasshopper #8–12, Leafhopper #18–22, Caterpillar #8–14
Tie onFoam Beetle terrestrial · Black Foam Ant terrestrial · Parachute Ant terrestrial
Crayfish, scuds and baitfish
Crayfish #4–8, Minnows + Dace #2–10, Sculpin #2–8
Tie onZonker streamer · Woolly Bugger (Black) streamer · Woolly Bugger (Brown) streamer
Worms, leeches and the rest
Water Boatman #14–18, Cranefly #6–10, Aquatic Worm #10–16, Damselfly #10–14, Dragonfly #4–10, and 1 more
Tie onWoolly Bugger (Olive) streamer · Walt's Worm nymph · Woolly Bugger (Brown) 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 (42)
| Insect | Months | Hook | Active at |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fish Eggs | October–January and April | #10–16 | 33–60 °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 |
| Cranefly | April–June and September–October | #6–10 | 40–65 °F |
| Grannom | April–May | #14–16 | 48–58 °F |
| Green Rock Worm / Green Weenie | April–June and September–October | #10–14 | 45–68 °F |
| Hendrickson | April–May | #12–14 | 45–58 °F |
| Alderfly | May–June | #10–14 | 52–66 °F |
| Caterpillar | May–September | #8–14 | 55–75 °F |
| Crayfish | May–October | #4–8 | 55–78 °F |
| Giant Black Stonefly (Salmonfly) | May–June | #4–6 | 50–62 °F |
| Green Sedge | May–August | #12–16 | 48–64 °F |
| Light Cahill | May–July | #12–16 | 55–68 °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 |
| Golden Stonefly | June–July | #6–10 | 55–68 °F |
| Gray Drake | June–July | #10–12 | 55–68 °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 |
| Annual Cicada | July–August | #6–10 | 60–78 °F |
| Grasshopper | July–September | #8–12 | 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 |
| October Caddis | September–October | #8–10 | 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 |
| 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 |
| Sculpin | all year | #2–8 | 33–72 °F |
The season
Wisconsin publishes no season on this reach in the file this site reads. Wisconsin DNR classifies it as Class III, managed as stocked, 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 publishes no temperature classification for it either — the Cool band is inferred from WDNR's management tier for the fishery, which is a judgement about the trout and not a measurement of the water.
More about Mulligan Creek
Mulligan Creek — live water temperature, regulations and access