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Warm Water Streams of Wisconsin

The Jump River and its Forks

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The Jump River and its two forks are an excellent medium size sport fishing stream flowing thru Northwest Wisconsin. It is a tributary of the Chippewa River and offers mostly smallmouth bass, northern pike and musky. Most of the stream is suitable for wade fishing although during the higher water levels of spring it also offers good canoeing opportunities. Because this area of the state has so many good fishing streams and not so many people the fishing pressure tends to stay low. In fact, not many people even know about the great fishing offered by the Jump River. As I have spent a good many days fishing this delightful stream and also happen to run a fishing website I thought some people may find it useful if I post what I know about the Jump. And please don't hesitate to buy my great DVD Trout Streams of SW Wisconsin if it appeals to you!

The South Fork is the larger of the two forks of the Jump River and flows mostly thru southern Price County. Below the small dam at the town of Prentice, the only town this stream flows thru, the SF Jump becomes fishable. Most of this 33 mile section can be canoed during normal spring water levels but will require some wading and dragging during typical summer levels. From Hay Creek Road to Hay Creek (about 1 mile) there is a section of shallow rapids but afterwards it consists mostly of long quiet pools and some gentle rapids. While remote and undeveloped there are still enough road crossings throughout its length to access most of the stream. I have not fished the upper half of this section and have heard no word on how well it fishes. It would be my guess the stream is easy to wade and offers good fishing for smallmouth bass, northern pike and possibly musky or walleye.


SF Jump River near Cty I	SF Jump near Big Falls	SF Jump near Big Falls	SF Jump near Big Falls	SF Jump near Big Falls

Downstream from the County Road M bridge, about 20 miles above the confluence with the North Fork, there is a medium fast current and good fishing for musky. About 5 miles further downstream near where County Road I crosses is an area known as the Ox Bow. This section, about 4 miles long, has a different character than the rest of the river. It is slow, deep, meandering and known for excellent fishing. I tried wade fishing it once and quickly caught a 3 pound northern pike. I had to turn back soon after as the water is a little too deep to wade and the banks drop off quickly. The bottom here is all gravel with a conspicuous absence of the large boulders that populate most of the Jump River. This would make an excellent area for canoe fishing as you could float downstream and then easily paddle against to current to return to the launch area, or vice versa. The section below the Ox Bow is known for producing walleye.

County Road N crosses the South Fork about 5 miles above the confluence with the North Fork. A mile or so above and below this crossing are Little Falls and Big Falls, respectively. Both of these falls are considered generally unnavigable and would require a long portage if canoeing. This part of the stream appears to be one gigantic boulder garden and does not look inviting to fish.

A road traveling NW from the County Road N bridge leads to a county part at Big Falls. Camping is permitted here although sites are limited. While the views of Big Falls are interesting the angler would be more inclined to hike a half mile downstream from the falls and begin fishing what I consider one of the most scenic warm water streams in Wisconsin. I am not sure what exactly I find so scenic about this area. There are no grandiose cliffs or impressive rapids. I suppose it is just the way the stream is laid out with a pool here, a riffle there, the trees all arranged in the right spots, etc. The WDNR has given the South Fork honorable mention as an outstanding water resource. Considering the pristine undeveloped areas it travels thru this is not surprising.

A half mile below Big Falls the stream makes a 90 degree turn to the left. At this turn is a large pool so full of muskies I actually think twice about wading in the deeper water. I often see redhorse cruising the shallow water with large scars on their bodies, probably from a near-death encounter with a musky. This is the only place I tend to see redhorse swimming as they usually stay near the bottom of deep pools and hence out of site. However, they probably don't want to stay in the bottom of this deep pool because the muskies are there and would eat them up. I have tried fishing for bass in this pool but it is pointless. The muskies will just hit your bass lure and break your line. Unless you have heavy equipment don't even bother casting here. The fish that I have seen looked to be mostly 6 to 12 pounds.

Below the musky hole there is good fishing for smallmouth bass. They are not as plentiful as in the North Fork but tend to be a little larger, up to 15 inches. The food supply is apparently good as they are all fat.


SF Jump below Big Falls	SF Jump below Big Falls	12 inch bass from SF Jump	SF Jump below Big Falls	SF Jump below Big Falls

North Fork Jump River

From the US Hwy 8 bridge to the confluence with the South Fork, the North Fork Jump River offers about 18 miles of fishing in a relatively wild, secluded setting. There are no significant rapids on the North Fork nor have I seen any boulder gardens here. The stream may be canoed at medium or higher water levels but not the typical low water of summer. This is an excellent stream for wading as it is shallow over a gravel and rock bottom with lots of fish.


North Fork Jump River	North Fork Jump River	North Fork Jump River	North Fork Jump River	North Fork Jump River

The area below the Hwy 8 and Hwy 86 bridges are known to produce good fishing for northern pike and occasionally musky. The stream then meanders for 7 miles thru a wilderness forest alternating from shallow rocky riffles to long, deep, quiet pools. I have not personally fished this section (not many people have) but I hear the fishing is good. If you find out what it is good for please let me know, I am curious.


North Fork Jump River	North Fork Jump River	North Fork Jump River	North Fork Jump River	North Fork Jump River

From County Road I down to the confluence with the South Fork there is 10 miles of excellent fishing for smallmouth and an occasional northern. I have fished this area on several occasions and typically catch over 50 bass in a day. I find it surprising that such small water can hold so many fish. 90% of these fish will be not more than 12 inches with about 2% being 14.-15.. Being as these are smallmouth bass they still fight hard enough that by the end of the day my wrists are sore. Action is best when the river is low and the air temperature around 80. On cooler days the pike fishing is better. Most northerns here are the small snake pike but I have caught them up to 4 pounds. There are 5 road accesses to this area including 3 bridges and 2 road right of ways. The last access, a road right of way, has a small parking area for several cars. From here it is a half mile downstream to the confluence with the South Fork. That half mile picks up the current speed and lacks any holding structure found in the rest of the stream and is therefore not productive.


North Fork Jump River	15 inch smallmouth	North Fork Jump River	North Fork Jump River	North Fork Jump River

The Jump River

The main Jump River tends to be wide with a gravel bottom and boulders scattered throughout its length. It flows for 28 miles before entering the Holdcombe Flowage and combining with the Chippewa River. Most of the stream is wadable and offers very good fishing for smallmouth bass plus northern pike and some musky. I count 6 bridge crossings but there are an additional 6 access points from roads that do not cross the stream. These are often used by canoeists during the spring and early summer canoe season. The stream is best wade fished when the water gauge at Sheldon reads 120 cfs or less which it usually does during mid-summer thru early fall.

http://waterdata.usgs.gov/wi/nwis/uv?site_no=05362000


Northern pike from NF Jump River	4 lb pike from NF	NF Jump River bass	NF Jump River bass	NF Jump River bass

Most smallmouth bass in the Jump River are 8. to 14.. I have caught fish up to 16. and have seen fish that would easily go 18.. Keep in mind I tend not to target the really large fish. I use little 1/16th to 1/8th oz jigs or 2. crank baits, usually Rapalas. I find the crank baits work best during low light conditions while jigs work well at any time. Crayfish are very common in the Jump River and no doubt the fish feed heavily on them. Most of the rapids on the Jump River are little more than choppy riffles but there are a couple that rate a class II and, if canoeing, you will need to be careful. It is believed the river got its name from its pool/riffle tendencies, as if it jumps from one pool to the next.

Going downstream, the first bridge crossing is from Hwy 76. There is a small park here. The first mile upstream of here is not so good for bass although you can get some nice northerns. There is another access point about a mile upstream on the south side of the river where a small park is. I recommend starting here and going up, or heading down from Hwy 76.


Jump River near Hwy 76	Jump River near Hwy 76	Jump River near Hwy 76	Jump River near Hwy 76	Jump River near Hwy 76

The next bridge crossing is Cty Rd H. I really like this stretch of the Jump River. It reminds me of being on one of those wide open Montana trout streams. I would cast my white twister tail jig amongst the boulders and watch as several nice bass rise up to smack it. When I am lucky the hook holds good and I've got another bass. When I am not lucky I just cast again and see how hungry they are. About 1.5 miles upstream of the Cty Rd H bridge the Old Highway 94 swings by closely to the river. You need to walk up a steep hill and a portable GPS would help identify this opportunity. Doing so can make the walk back to your car much easier. There is a nice hole with some good bass at this spot.


Jump River near Hwy H	Jump River near Hwy H	Jump River near Hwy H	Jump River near Hwy H	Jump River near Hwy H

The next bridge access point is at Cty Rd V-V in the town of Sheldon. There is a park on the south side with limit camping opportunities. A large deep pool exist there and wading across it can be difficult. I recall fording to the opposite side (north) of the river and once above the railroad tracks you can fish the deeper south bank from the shallower north bank. There are some nice bass in that section. About 1 or 2 miles further beyond are some small islands with nice sized bass swimming in the small nearby pools. Action can be good here.


Jump River near Sheldon	Jump River near Sheldon	Jump River near Sheldon	Jump River near Sheldon	Jump River near Cty G

About 3 miles below Sheldon is Cty Rd G, the last road access to the Jump River. About a mile above and a mile below this bridge are class II rapids. The lower of these 2 rapids can hold a lot of small bass during low water. There are some long, slow, deep pools in this area and it is said to be good fishing for channel catfish. I have never fished any bait here so I cannot verify if this is true or not. Nor have I ever caught a catfish while fishing a jig here, something that has occurred to me many times on other rivers having a good population of catfish. What I do know is that there is a very good population of big northern pike in these pools. I recall one cool morning in September fishing here for bass and hearing loud splashes every few minutes from big pike chasing baitfish in the shallow water. I finally saw one swimming within casting distance of about 8 pounds. I wasn.t catching any bass then (perhaps they were hiding from the pike) so I gave in to the temptation and cast my little jig to the big northern. He took a careful look at it and then sucked it in. At the time I was fishing a Slow Poke brand jig, a model I have since stopped using as it does not have good hook setting ability. I pulled back hard on my rod and the jig popped right out of the fishes mouth. I wasn.t sure if I should have been upset I just lost a big fish or relieved I hadn.t hooked something too big to get in.

I once motored up the lower mile of the Jump River in a small boat from the Holcombe Flowage. That is about as far as a small motor boat will take you under normal water levels. The river here looks significantly different than the rest of the stream. The current is swift and steady, the gravel and boulders are gone, and trees crowd close to the stream bank. I did not catch anything in this lower section and didn.t see anything particularly interesting there.


Jump River near Cty G	Jump River near Cty G	Jump River near Cty G	Deer Tail Creek	Deer Tail Creek

I often find myself comparing the Jump River to the Black River. Both are excellent sport fisheries within close proximity to each other and of similar size. I would sometimes establish a base camp in between the two streams and alternate fishing one or the other on subsequent days. If a person wanted to catch as many smallmouth bass as possible, I would give the advantage to the Jump River, although if you are after larger bass I would suggest the Black River. If you wanted to fish with a fly rod the Jump would be perfect for this. The Black River is probably too dark for good fly fishing and has too many overhanging trees. Both streams offer good fishing for northern pike and musky but I've caught more and larger northern on the Black and musky fishing on the lower Black is a real specialty. When you throw in decent walleye fishing, an excellent channel cat fishery and a season long float fishing section the Black would clearly be the winner. However, both streams are so good, scenic, peaceful and fun to fish I can't image either of them ever being a loser.

Please keep in mind that the fishing on the Jump River will only remain good if there remain plenty of fish. Catch and release is essential to maintaining the fishery. The system is not so fertile that it can support much harvesting. Also be careful not to trespass. Most of the property in the area is in private ownership. Many of the residents in the area either do not understand Wisconsin's generous access laws or do not agree with them. Access the streams only via public right of ways, stay in the stream when fishing, and do what you can to maintain the peace.

NEAR BY STREAMS

Deertail Creek

This small stream enters the Holcombe Flowage not far from the Jump River. It is said to offer good fishing for smallmouth bass, northern pike, musky and even walleye. If you access it via Broken Arrow Road you will want to head downstream in search of the larger holes, not upstream. During droughts the fish may head further downstream into the flowage. The bottom is all gravel and it is full of crawfish. The smallmouth bass grow fat here and reach sizes up to 17 inches, admirable for such a small water. It may only be floated during normal spring water levels or after a heavy rain. It is all forest and meadow along this little creek.

Main Creek

Another tributary of the Holcombe Flowage, it is interesting how this stream can be so close to the Jump River yet appear totally different. The water is clean but with a slight murky tone instead of the typical tannin tainted color of the Jump. There are few or no boulders here and the trees form an overhanging canopy over much of the stream. The bottom is all gravel and easily waded. You are advised to fish below the town of Conrath down to the flowage. Above Conrath the stream is shallow and featureless. I fished it one afternoon and quickly caught a 12 and 14 inch smallmouth bass on little twister spinners.


Thornapple River	Main Creek	Main Creek	Main Creek	Main Creek

Thornapple River

I spent a day in early September fishing this stream near by Thornapple Road, about 2 miles upstream from its confluence with the Chippewa River. I get the feeling it is used heavily as a spawning tributary by the smallmouth bass of the Chippewa because of the many 2"-3" bass I saw. While I have heard the bass fishing is good here I caught mostly northern pike that day and they averaged about 3 pounds, a good size for a small stream. Perhaps some of the bass move back into the Chippewa during September? The stream itself has a different character than the others mentioned here. The water is clean but with a dark tint. The bottom is a sand/gravel mixture. Width averages 15 to 30 feet. The water is mostly shallow and makes for easy wading but there are plenty of deep holes along the way that should provide sufficient habitat for fish. The current is generally slow with a few riffles but no real rapids. While some people have canoed the Thornapple I wouldn.t recommend it as there are some log jams that are challenging enough to walk around without a canoe. The stream is secluded, scenic and probably receives very little fishing pressure.

Created by: Dan Coppersmith 2023| www.CoppersmithStudios.com

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Coppersmith Studios Presents

Warm Water Streams of Wisconsin

The Jump River and its Forks