Updated 09/26/2023
Current conditions – Water Clarity, Stream Flow
Duschee Creek | Clear, Normal |
Mill Creek | - |
Camp Creek | - |
South Branch Root River (Lanesboro & Preston) | Clear, Normal |
South Fork Root River (Deer Road) | Clear, Normal |
Forestville Creek | Clear, Normal |
South Branch Root River (Forestville State Park) | Clear, Normal |
Trout Run | Clear, Normal |
North Branch Whitewater River | - |
South Branch Whitewater River | - |
| Gribben Creek | Clear, Normal |
Winnebago Creek | Clear, Normal |
| Crooked Creek | - |
Fishing Report
September 25, 2023 (Monday) – Brown Trouts are beginning to color up and spawn. Grasshoppers everywhere with crickets. Blue-winged olive activity every day we’ve been out.
August 22, 2023 (Tuesday) – Trico spinners, grasshoppers, crickets, other terrestrials, etc. Some blue-winged olive activity. Caddis here and there.
July 17, 2023 (Monday) – There was rain this past weekend but nothing to create any issues with water conditions. Trico spinner falls are now officially on.
July 7, 2023 (Friday) – More rain, but the ground is so dry that streams aren’t being bothered. Grasshoppers have been noted on several streams now.
June 28, 2023 (Wednesday) – Recent rains were mostly in the southern part of Fillmore and Houston counties. Because the ground was so dry, for the most part, the rains soaked right in and caused little to no stream water clarity issues. Some streams have very heavy aquatic vegetation growth because we’ve had no flooding this year. Caddis and midges with some very small grasshoppers were observed. Brown Drake hatch seems to be mostly over on Spring Valley Creek, Bear Creek, and Deer Creek. Some Brown Drakes were observed under the street lights in Lanesboro and at the Lanesboro State Fish Hatchery.
June 13, 2023 (Tuesday) – No rains in some time here. Stream conditions are either normal or low for this time of year. Some caddis about with abundant midge hatches every day.
April 25, 2023 (Tuesday) – Conditions from last week's rains are improving. Lots of great water is available that is clear with normal flows. Some caddis are coming off today.
April 20, 2023 – Big storms through here last night and more rain today. Snow is gone except in just a few spots. We’ve seen several species of caddis, little black stoneflies, and blue-winged olives out on the streams this week. There should be clearer water somewhere here and in the next day or so.
March 28, 2023 – Very little snow is left on the ground. Some rain was coming at the end of this week. Reports of some great Blue-winged Olive hatches with some Winter Black Stoneflies as well. This is one of the easiest times of the year to catch trout and get around the trout streams.
March 1, 2023 – We have several inches of snow on the ground, with rain this past Monday and a little this morning. Some areas received more than one inch of rain. This is the time for winter stonefly hatches…keep a lookout. Some turbidity may help the fishing but watch water temperatures. Groundwater/spring temperatures are 48F. Anything near this is better than closer to 32F for angling.
February 9, 2023 – Now would be the time if you like a nice midge hatch. It seems they are hatching for an hour and then done. Great stream conditions.
Jan. 3, 2023 – Snow and rain in southeast Minnesota today. Driving conditions are not good. Streams may become discolored later with runoff.
- NOAA Precipitation Information
- CoCoRaHS Precipitation Maps - Click Minnesota, then your county of interest
- USGS Streamflow data for Southeast Minnesota (Ex. 05383950 for "Root River near Pilot Mound")
- Fall Impacts of Severe Flooding on Trout Populations and Streams in Southeast Minnesota
Description of Information
This site attempts to provide up-to-date information on stream conditions in the Lanesboro Fisheries Management Area. Conditions change quickly, and we will update this page soon. One person’s description of water conditions and how fishable a particular stream is are always different from someone else. “Last Updated” information will always be posted above.
We will use the terms…
- CLEAR – Almost - completely transparent (visibility 2 ft or greater)
- OFF – Slightly off colored, some anglers prefer this condition (visibility 2 ft to 6 inches)
- MUDDY – Unfishable for most anglers (visibility less than 6 inches)
- LOW – Flow is lower than what is typical this time of year
- NORMAL – Flow is normal for what is typical this time of year
- HIGH – Flow is high for what is typical this time of year
We will not post information based on speculation. If water conditions are MUDDY on Camp Creek, for example, one of us has been to Camp Creek on the date reported and observed the condition.
If you need further information, you are welcome to call our office. 507-765-7060.