BirdTrout
Open the map
Fly fishing near Milwaukee, Wisconsin
17 waters with a page on this site lie within 30 miles of Milwaukee, Wisconsin — East Branch Rock River, North Branch Milwaukee River and Mukwonago River among them. June, July and August carry the most recorded hatches, 23 insects in June, 21 insects in July and 15 insects in August. In range: 8 blocks of public land with a page of their own and 8 fly shops. Everything below is measured or published — no ranking on this page is ours.
The water
| Water | Distance | Miles | July mean |
|---|---|---|---|
| East Branch Rock River | 23.1 mi | 34.3 | — |
| North Branch Milwaukee River | 25.0 mi | 18.6 | — |
| Mukwonago River | 29.7 mi | 10.8 | — |
| Pebble Creek | 12.7 mi | 8.5 | — |
| Jericho Creek | 28.3 mi | 8.0 | — |
| Auburn Lake Creek | 24.6 mi | 7.8 | — |
| Mason Creek | 15.4 mi | 6.2 | — |
| Mill Brook | 14.7 mi | 6.0 | — |
| Spring Brook | 16.0 mi | 6.0 | — |
| Brandy Brook | 11.4 mi | 5.0 | — |
| Genesee Creek | 15.2 mi | 4.4 | — |
| Rosenow Creek | 16.3 mi | 4.2 | — |
| Allenton Creek | 18.2 mi | 4.0 | — |
| Melius Creek | 22.9 mi | 3.1 | — |
| Chambers Creek | 23.8 mi | 2.9 | — |
| Gooseville Creek | 21.6 mi | 2.4 | — |
| North Branch Genesee Creek | 15.1 mi | 1.6 | — |
Straight-line distance from the middle of town to the middle of the water. The roads are not mapped here, so this page does not give you a drive time it did not measure.
A 3-day plan
East Branch Rock River
No site in the state's access file falls within twelve miles of this water's centre, so the way in is public ground and road crossings.
North Branch Milwaukee River
No site in the state's access file falls within twelve miles of this water's centre, so the way in is public ground and road crossings.
Mukwonago River
No site in the state's access file falls within twelve miles of this water's centre, so the way in is public ground and road crossings.
Assembled, not written: the days are the largest waters in range, longest first, and each one carries the nearest site in Wisconsin's own access file — measured from the middle of the water, so it is a place to start looking rather than a landing on that river. Fish them in whatever order the weather gives you.
Hatches to hit
The months with the most recorded hatches in northern Wisconsin: June (23), July (21), August (15).
| Insect | Months | Hook |
|---|---|---|
| Fish Eggs | October–January and April | #10–16 |
| Little Brown Stonefly | February–April | #12–16 |
| Blue-Winged Olive | March–May and September–November | #16–22 |
| Blackfly | April–June | #18–22 |
| Cranefly | April–June and September–October | #6–10 |
| Grannom | April–May | #14–16 |
| Green Rock Worm / Green Weenie | April–June and September–October | #10–14 |
| Hendrickson | April–May | #12–14 |
| Alderfly | May–June | #10–14 |
| Caterpillar | May–September | #8–14 |
| Crayfish | May–October | #4–8 |
| Giant Black Stonefly (Salmonfly) | May–June | #4–6 |
| Green Sedge | May–August | #12–16 |
| Light Cahill | May–July | #12–16 |
Recorded from northern Wisconsin, earliest first. The year-round records sit at the bottom because they are true and they are not news.
Public land in range
- Havenwoods Forest Preserve And Nature Center — 6.9 mi
- Big Muskego Lake Wildlife Area — 15.3 mi
- Wind Lake State Habitat Area — 19.1 mi
- Vernon Wildlife Area — 21.8 mi
- Tichigan Wildlife Area — 23.0 mi
- Jackson Marsh Wildlife Area — 23.3 mi
- Kettle Moraine State Forest-Loew Lake Unit — 24.3 mi
- Kettle Moraine State Forest-Lapham Peak Unit — 24.6 mi
Blocks of ground with a page of their own, nearest first. Ownership from PAD-US as Wisconsin publishes it.
Camping and lodging
We have campground records for Michigan and for no other state, so there is nothing to list here rather than a list somebody guessed. The public land above is where the dispersed camping is, where the state allows it.
Fly shops
- The Fly Fishers — 0.0 mi, Milwaukee
- Minnesota Leeches — 3.6 mi, Milwaukee
- George's — 3.8 mi, Milwaukee
- Fishin' Hole — 5.7 mi, Saint Francis
- R&R Sporting Goods Fishn' Hole — 5.7 mi, Saint Francis
- Fly Fishers Fly Shop — 9.7 mi, Brookfield
- Sandy's Port of Call — 12.6 mi, Oak Creek
- Finn's Bait & Tackle — 19.2 mi
From OpenStreetMap and a curated list, across all five states on this site. Call before you drive — a shop in a file is not a shop that is open.
Before you go
- Wisconsin regulations
- Wisconsin fishing report
- East Branch Rock River
- North Branch Milwaukee River
- Mukwonago River
- Pebble Creek
- Jericho Creek
- Auburn Lake Creek