Root River Report

The following information is the latest fishing information for the Root River in Racine. We will post new information to this site every TUESDAY at 4:00 pm from September through December and from March through May. We will also update the number of fish processed at the Root River Steelhead Facility to give you the exact number of fish passed upstream. Depending on water conditions and number of fish in the weir, fish are usually processed on Mondays and Thursdays.

In addition, you can call our Lake Michigan Fishing Hotline at 414.382.7920 to hear the latest fishing information for Lake Michigan and its tributaries.

Root River Steelhead Facility Report

DATE:  RIVER TEMP: 
  Rainbow Trout Chinook Salmon Coho Salmon Brown Trout
Total Captured
Passed Upstream
Taken to Hatchery        
Spawned at Facility    
Egg Take    

Root River Fishing Report for October 13, 2008

Water and flow conditions

Following last weekends rains the river rose and muddied, but has now returned to where it was previously, but now fish numbers have increased dramatically.  Clarity is great for the root river, but flow is down.

For up to date river conditions, check out the USGS web site of stream flow conditions [exit DNR]  in Wisconsin. Just click on the river that you want to see.

Fishing Report

Upstream of the weir

While most fish are not making it up over the weir dam, numbers are such that even the smaller percentage has yielded good fishable numbers of fish for anglers.  Colonial park has had the least pressure on the river.  As a result fishing has been a bit better and finding a good spot will provide the least amount of stress on the fisherman.  Quarry park and the Horlick dam have both been very popular, with the dam having 40+ anglers every time i checked.  Most of the fish caught above the weir have been chinook, but a few coho, browns and even a few steelhead have been caught as well.  Again, small egg imitation flies have been the best producer.
 

Downstream of the weir

Lincoln park
Many fish (mostly chinook, but good #'s of coho as well) have moved into the river this past week and with the weir dam preventing the majority of fish from making it upstream, fish have been stacked in Lincoln park.  Anglers have likewise followed.  Counts on the river this weekend were well over 100 with 60-80 anglers in Lincoln park alone!!  With all the pressure and the clearer water the fish have been very spooky and difficult to get to bite anything.  Small egg imitation flies painstakingly and repeatedly drifted past the fish has been about the only way to get consistently bit.  Island park has also seen a boom in fish populations and several anglers had luck drifting the deeper gravel beds in the bends of the river.  Spawn or skein has been a good producer at times (especially early) in this area.  Washington park golf course has the biggest variety of fish with bunches of browns, a few steelhead and good numbers of coho as well as kings.  Most of these fish have either been moving upstream or circling the deeper areas.  Catching them has been difficult.  Fly fishermen are catching a few, but flow is so minimal that a drift is near impossible.  Drifted spawn or even spoons have caught most of the fish here.

Last Revised: Monday October 13 2008