WadeCheck
Wading is in play only where your chosen access has clear footing, legal entry, and no forced crossings.
All Wisconsin reports
Fly fishing report · Midwest
Rush River
Is Rush River worth the trip today? Check flow, weather, hatches, access, and rules for Wisconsin before you go.
See river conditions ↓Photo: Lorie Shaull from St Paul, United States Opens in a new tab. · CC BY 2.0
Good day to fish?Latest river check
More checks needed
Wait. Check conditions first.
44
Verify conditions before committing. We could not confirm a live gauge for this river. Check the weather, recent rain, local reports, and the water before you fish.
See update time and confidence
Live data checkMediumHow much of the live flow, weather, and alert data came back.
Today's callLowCurrent conditions are incomplete enough that the score is only a planning fallback.
Score calculated Aug 22, 2026, 10:23 PM CDTSources checked often
Check before you goVerify locally
We could not confirm all current conditions. Check locally before choosing how to fish.
Bank / edgeCheck
Bank and edge fishing remains a practical low-commitment option if access is legal and footing is safe.
FloatNot recommended
This report does not recommend floating this reach.
Your plan
Today's Rush River plan.
Rush River has good western Wisconsin trout value, but the available USGS Rush gauges are historical or not a reliable current fishing widget for this page. Use rain, clarity, DNR maps, and access checks instead.
- Check first
- Use no live gauge panel rather than misleading anglers with old data.
- Try
- Read access signs first, then fish upstream quietly.
- Leave when
- Skip or change the plan when recent storms have muddied the creek, water is rising, the intended bank is not clearly public, summer temperatures stress trout, or the day depends on historical gauge data.
Live river check
What the river is doing
Check the latest flow and weather before you go. A quick change can make the river harder or less safe to fish.
Showing the latest stored river check while current readings load.
- Flow
- —
- Live flow is not available here.
- Air now
- 62°F
Current NWS forecast period
- Next 24h high
- 80.0°F
NWS air forecast near
- Rain chance
- 0%
For this forecast period
This is an air forecast, not a river-temperature reading. Check the water with a stream thermometer before fishing in hot weather.
Latest stored weather check
Clear
Clear
- Wind
- 5 mph
- Weather checked
Live flow is not available
No verified current live gauge is used for this trout reach. Check recent rain, field clarity, DNR trout maps, posted access, weather, and water temperature before fishing.
More forecast and source details
National Weather Service
Rush River near Martell, Wisconsin
The National Weather Service forecast is temporarily unavailable.
Live data
Where these readings come from
Official flow source: Rush River Pierce County trout reach
No verified current live gauge is used for this trout reach. Check recent rain, field clarity, DNR trout maps, posted access, weather, and water temperature before fishing.
How to fish it
How to fish Rush River today.
Good Rush River days are usually stable, clear, and cool. If recent rain has raised or muddied the stream, let it settle or choose a gauged alternative.
Clear and stable
Fish small nymphs, dries, and terrestrials with careful approaches.
Slight stain
Use small streamers and heavier nymphs once the creek is falling.
Muddy or rising
Skip it. No live gauge means local judgment is essential.
Hot weather
Check temperature and avoid trout handling if water is warm.
Fishing words used on this page
- U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) gauge
- A USGS gauge is an official river station that measures flow or water height.
- Nymph
- A nymph is a young water insect. Anglers also use the word for a fly that copies it.
- Blue-winged olive (BWO)
- Blue-winged olives, or BWOs, are small mayflies that often hatch in cool or cloudy weather.
- Caddis
- Caddis are small water insects. The adults look a little like tiny moths.
- Dry-dropper
- A dry-dropper rig has a floating fly with an underwater fly tied below it.
- Emerger
- An emerger copies an insect as it rises from below the water toward the surface.
- Midge
- Midges are tiny flies and a common trout food, especially in cold water.
- Scud or cressbug
- Scuds look like tiny freshwater shrimp. Cressbugs are small bugs that crawl along the river bottom.
- Soft hackle
- A soft-hackle fly has moving fibers that can look like an insect rising through the water.
- Stained water
- Stained water is darker or cloudier after rain, runoff, or a change in flow.
Why this call
Why this score
FlowCheck
No verified live public gauge is attached, so the page cannot make a strong real-time call.
SeasonHelps
Summer: Tricos, ants, beetles, and early low-light windows.
WeatherHelps
The current NWS air forecast is about 62F, and the next 24-hour high reaches about 80F. Clear.
Public alertsHelps
No active NWS alert was returned for this forecast point.
Fishing usefulnessHelps
Skip or change the plan when recent storms have muddied the creek, water is rising, the intended bank is not clearly public, summer temperatures stress trout, or the day depends on historical gauge data.
Trip notes
Trip notes
Check these before you choose a reach.
No verified current live gauge is used. The best practical signal is recent rain, on-site clarity, cool weather, and a falling or stable stream. Stained but dropping water can support small streamers.
Skip or change the plan when recent storms have muddied the creek, water is rising, the intended bank is not clearly public, summer temperatures stress trout, or the day depends on historical gauge data.
Start with Wisconsin trout rules, DNR maps, and the access boundary. Then check rain, clarity, weather, and water temperature before deciding between dry-dropper, nymph, or small-streamer tactics.
If Rush River is muddy, warm, crowded, or access-limited, compare Kinnickinnic River, Black Earth Creek, or West Fork Kickapoo River before forcing the same plan.
What to try
Rush River flies through the year.
Match the time of year, then let rising fish and current speed guide the next change.
SeasonWhat to look forFlies to try
March to April
What to look forMidges, little black stones, BWOs, scuds, and early caddis
May to June
What to look forCaddis, sulphurs, craneflies, small mayflies, and evening spinners
July to SeptemberCurrent
What to look forTricos, ants, beetles, hoppers, tiny olives, and low-light caddis
October to February
What to look forMidges, scuds, BWOs, small streamers, and winter nymph windows
Each fly name opens its matching Fly Box guide.
Access and safety
Rush River access and rules.
Use these places as starting points. Open the access link below and check posted signs before you park or enter. Check Wisconsin trout rules and DNR trout maps before fishing Rush River. Exact trout classifications, season dates, harvest rules, and access boundaries can change by reach.
Pierce County trout area
Core report scope. Verify DNR maps and posted access.
Martell and Ellsworth-area roads
Useful orientation, not a blanket access permission.
Rush River Delta context
DNR public land near the mouth, but not the core trout reach.
A public road bridge is not the same as public stream frontage.
Lower warmwater and delta habitat should not be confused with the trout reach.
The discontinued USGS data is useful as history, not current conditions.
River sources
Official Rush River sources.
Official agencies and primary river operators come first. Secondary tools are labeled so you know what carries the most weight.
How this report was checked
How this report was checked
Reviewed byBlueStreamFly River Review Team
Trip guidance checked
What was checked: This report is maintained from current regulation, access, flow, weather, and public planning sources so anglers can make better trip decisions than a raw gauge or generic overview would allow.
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.
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.
See all 9 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 rules and check the river section, season, and special limits.
What this source covers
Open the current rules and check the river section, season, and special limits.
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 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.
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.
Quick answers
Quick Rush River answers.
What should I check before fishing Rush River?
Wisconsin trout rules, DNR maps, recent rain, public access boundaries, and water temperature
Which flow should I use for Rush River?
Use no current flow widget for Rush River. Check recent rain, clarity, DNR maps, and local conditions because the known USGS Rush stations are not current page-scoped gauges.
Where should I start on Rush River?
Start with DNR trout maps, road-access orientation, and posted public corridors in the Pierce County trout reach.
Can I wade Rush River?
Usually yes in normal flows, but soft banks, private land, and quick rain response make caution important.