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All Wisconsin reports
Kewaunee River
Generated artwork: BlueStreamFly · Regional illustration; not the exact location.
Should I go fishing?
Go with caution.
No single best way to fish. Wading and Bank fishing have the same top score. Use current access, footing, weather, and local rules to choose.
Fishing rating48
Rating updatedRiver local time:
Why this recommendation?
USGS shows a current water temperature near 66.4F, but the rolling 24-hour high reached about 72.9F. A cool dawn reading does not erase recent heat stress. USGS marks the temperature data provisional and may revise it. Fish only during the coolest legal hours and stop if the water warms.
Available live dataHighHow much of the live flow, weather, and alert data came back.
Confidence in this recommendationHighCurrent flow, weather, alerts, and trip-critical signals support this decision.
Usually checks again about every 45 minutes
If you go
- Check first
- The DNR wildlife-area page describes the Kewaunee as a warmwater river with native smallmouth bass and northern pike, plus seasonal trout and salmon migration from Lake Michigan.
- Try
- Decide first whether the day is about run fish or warmwater fish, because that one decision changes flies, access choice, and how much of the river is worth walking.
- Leave when
- Skip dirty blowouts, forced trespass situations away from mapped access, and summer trout fantasies that ignore the river's warmwater identity.
Flow and weather
Showing server-checked river conditions while current readings refresh.
- Flow
- 25 cfs
- From the latest stored river check. Open the official source for the newest reading.Water 66.4°F · 24h high 72.9°F · USGS provisional
- Air forecast
- 65°F
- Next 24h high
- 79.0°F
NWS air forecast near
- Rain chance
- 11%
Latest stored weather check
Partly Sunny
- Wind
- 12 mph
- Weather checked
More forecast and source details
Partly Sunny
National Weather Service
Kewaunee River near Kewaunee, Wisconsin
The National Weather Service forecast is temporarily unavailable.
Live data
Where these readings come from
RiverReports gauge: KEWAUNEE RIVER NEAR KEWAUNEE, WI
Water 66.4°F · provisional · 24h high 72.9°F provisionalWater observed · high observed
Flies for this time of year
Seasonal starting points, not a live hatch report. Match what you see on the water.
- Egg Fly PatternsEgg patternView fly guide ↗
- Woolly BuggerView fly guide ↗
- Intruder-Style Steelhead Fliesintruder-style swing flyView fly guide ↗
- Baitfish and Minnow Patternsbaitfish streamerView fly guide ↗
See flies for every season
SeasonWhat to look forFlies to try
March to April
What to look forSteelhead eggs, cold-water baitfish, and high, dark tributary windows
September to NovemberThis season
What to look forSalmon migration, brown-trout push, and baitfish-driven lower-river feeding
Summer
What to look forWarmwater insect windows, baitfish, and smallmouth opportunism in lower reaches
Flies to try
Winter
What to look forSlow deep-hold trout fishing where open water remains
Each fly name opens its matching Fly Box guide.
More fishing tips
Methods, fish species and trip notes
How to fish Kewaunee River today.
Kewaunee is best when the river is stable enough to fish one access zone thoroughly and when you are honest about whether the day is about migratory trout-salmon fish or lower-river smallmouth water. Rising dirty water and blind trespass gambles are the two fastest ways to ruin the plan.
Stable spring flow
Best for steelhead coverage with eggs, leeches, or swing flies through lower-river slots and current breaks.
Fall rise and drop
The classic salmon-and-browns window once the river clears enough to fish cleanly from the mapped accesses.
Low summer flow
Think warmwater smallmouth and pike, not a fake trout season that the official fishery framing does not support.
Cold dirty blowout
A skip signal unless you are simply scouting the mapped access points for a later return.
Wading, bank fishing or floating?
Access choicesNo single best option
Wading and Bank fishing have the same top score. Use current access, footing, weather, and local rules to choose.
Wading48/100
Wading is in play only where your chosen access has clear footing, legal entry, and no forced crossings.
Bank fishing48/100
Bank and edge fishing remains a practical low-commitment option if access is legal and footing is safe.
FloatingNot recommended
This report does not recommend floating this reach.
Full river report
Is Kewaunee River worth the trip today? Check flow, weather, hatches, access, and rules for Wisconsin before you go.
Wisconsin DNR's source stack is unusually clear here. The Kewaunee has mapped smaller stream access, a dedicated fish-and-wildlife area, and a hatchery area that explains exactly why spring steelhead and fall salmon-brown-trout windows matter. Outside those run periods, the lower river still has honest smallmouth and pike value, but you should not talk yourself into a trout page in midsummer just because the graph looks good.
Fishing words used on this page
- Cubic feet per second (cfs)
- Cubic feet per second, or cfs, shows how much water passes the gauge each second.
- Nymph
- A nymph is a young water insect. Anglers also use the word for a fly that copies it.
- Midge
- Midges are tiny flies and a common trout food, especially in cold water.
- River reach
- A reach is one named section of a river or stream.
- Streamer
- A streamer is a fly that looks like a small fish, leech, or other swimming food.
Why this call
Why this score
Recent water heatUse caution
USGS shows a current water temperature near 66.4F, but the rolling 24-hour high reached about 72.9F. A cool dawn reading does not erase recent heat stress. USGS marks the temperature data provisional and may revise it. Fish only during the coolest legal hours and stop if the water warms.
Public alertUse caution
An active public alert is in effect near this forecast point, so the score is capped at caution until conditions are checked. NWS alert: Beach Hazards Statement issued September 12 at 2:55AM CDT until September 12 at 10:00AM CDT by NWS Green Bay WI.
Best mode nowUse caution
Wade: Wading is in play only where your chosen access has clear footing, legal entry, and no forced crossings.
FlowHelps
USGS shows 25 cfs. The flow has been stable over about 6 hours. USGS marks this reading provisional and may revise it. USGS records for this date (1964-2024, 59 readings) show a typical middle range of 10 cfs to 40 cfs. Flow is within the typical range for this date, so weather, temperature, and access become the next checks.
SeasonHelps
Early fall through late fall: Best for Chinook, coho, and brown-trout migration windows.
Trip notes
Check these before you choose a reach.
Best when the lower river has enough water for migratory fish to move but not so much color and push that every mapped access turns into a mud-and-crowd problem.
Skip dirty blowouts, forced trespass situations away from mapped access, and summer trout fantasies that ignore the river's warmwater identity.
Pick one mapped access zone and fish it with a season-specific plan instead of trying to roam the whole river in one day.
Move to Manitowoc or Sheboygan if crowding or water color makes the Kewaunee lower area feel too compressed.
Kewaunee River access and rules.
Use these places as starting points. Open the access link below and check posted signs before you park or enter.
Before you go
Check current Wisconsin fishing rules and smaller stream season rules before fishing the Kewaunee River. Also review Wisconsin's Great Lakes fish-consumption advisories if you plan to harvest fish from the river or its Lake Michigan-connected reaches.
Where to access the river
Kewaunee River mouth
DNR close-to-home guide access at the breakwall, shoreline, and boat-launch zone.
County C shoreline and Besadny area
The DNR close-to-home and wildlife area for lower-river smallmouth and run-season checks.
Highway E and Highway C boat launches
Mapped DNR smaller stream access anchors that make the lower river fishable without guessing.
Clyde Hill Bridge
Another mapped access checkpoint on the DNR smaller stream PDF when you need to narrow the day.
- The smaller stream access PDF itself says users should confirm land ownership and not rely on the map as the final legal word everywhere beyond the marked sites.
- Mapped launch and bridge accesses are the page backbone. Do not inflate that into blanket public wading along the whole river.
- The Besadny property is the cleanest all-around access spine because the DNR fish-and-wildlife and hatchery pages reinforce it from multiple angles.
Sources and report details
Official agencies and primary river operators come first. Secondary tools are labeled so you know what carries the most weight.
Rules and closures
Check what is allowed, where the rule applies, and whether the river is open.
Flow and weather
Check the latest river reading and forecast before you leave.
Access and land
Check public entry points, land rules, and seasonal access changes.
More helpful links
Use these links for stocking, safety, and other local details.
See all 10 checked sources
Rules and closures
Check what is allowed, where the rule applies, and whether the river is open.
What this source covers
Open the current rules and check the river section, season, and special limits.
What this source covers
Open the current fish eating advice and check which fish and waters it covers.
Flow and weather
Check the latest river reading and forecast before you leave.
What this source covers
Open this page and check the latest safety advice before your trip.
What this source covers
Open this river reading to check the latest level, flow, and update time.
What this source covers
Open this river reading to check the latest level, flow, and update time.
Access and land
Check public entry points, land rules, and seasonal access changes.
What this source covers
Open the land or access page, then check signs before you park or enter.
What this source covers
Open the land or access page, then check signs before you park or enter.
What this source covers
Open the land or access page, then check signs before you park or enter.
More helpful links
Use these links for stocking, safety, and other local details.
What this source covers
Open this page for more river information and check when it was last updated.
What this source covers
Open this page for more river information and check when it was last updated.
How this report was checked
How this report was checked
Reviewed byBlueStreamFly River Review Team
Trip guidance checked
What was checked: This report starts with official regulation, access, flow, weather, and public-water sources, then adds practical planning guidance for fly anglers.
Live measurements and forecasts keep their provider timestamps. Rules, access, and trip guidance use the source-review date shown here. BlueStreamFly planning advice is editorial interpretation, not an agency notice.
First-hand experience: BlueStreamFly does not claim a first-hand visit or local field test for this report unless a real contributor is explicitly named and linked.
Quick questions
Is Kewaunee River a trout river all year?
No. Wisconsin DNR frames it as a warmwater river with seasonal trout and salmon migration from Lake Michigan, so your plan should shift with the season.
Where should I start on the Kewaunee River?
Start with the mapped DNR access at the mouth, the Besadny area off County C, or one of the Highway C and E launch areas before trying any other bank.
What should I watch besides flow on the Kewaunee?
Watch seasonal fish timing, private-land boundaries away from the mapped access points, and the Great Lakes consumption-advisory rules if you plan to keep fish.
When should I skip the Kewaunee River?
Skip it when the river is a muddy blowout, when the lower public accesses are crowded enough to force bad positioning, or when you are trying to make a run-season trip happen out of season.