Coppersmith Studios Presents

Trout stream videos and pictures of Northwest Wisconsin

Many more videos on the way.

If you get "Private video" message and cannot read that means the video is available now on Patreon but you may have to wait up to a year to see it on YouTube.

	WATCH AUGUSTINE CREEK Augustine Creek flows thru Iron and Ashland Counties in the Northwoods of Wisconsin. This inconspicuous little stream may be one of Wisconsin's best brook trout streams, yet very few people know about it. The stream is surrounded by county forest land with several access points. It is easily waded, open enough for spin or fly casting, and not only does it have a good population of brook trout, but some of these fish get up to 15 inches.
	WATCH BAD RIVER The Bad River in northwestern Wisconsin offers about 25 miles of class 2 and 3 trout water. Despite its length, there aren't a lot of access points. There are a lot of jagged, volcanic rocks in the streambed and the dark water can make them hard to see, so a wading staff is strongly recommended. The early French trappers gave the stream its name due to extremely rugged conditions in its middle section. The native Ojibwe Indians called it the Medicine River due to the abundance of healing plants growing in the area.
	WATCH BIG BROOK Big Brook offers 7 miles of class 1 trout water as it flows thru Bayfield County in northwest Wisconsin. It is a tributary of the much more well known Namekagon River. As a stream, Big Brook isn't very big, but perhaps for a brook it is. And of course, the main fish in Big Brook is the brook trout, and they aren't very big either. Some brown trout are also present, which shouldn't be surprising as there are a lot of brown trout in the Namekagon. Some sections of Big Brook are brushy and other sections are surprisingly open. The stream is often shallow and weedy with a sand bottom but has a good population of brook trout.
	WATCH BOIS BRULE RIVER The Bois Brule River is Wisconsin's most well known and perhaps best trout stream. There are 3 distinct sections of this 44 mile stream. The upper portion is a 10 mile stretch from Co. Hwy S to Co. Hwy B. This is very good for brook trout, with many fish in the 10 to 12 inch range. The middle section is a 4 mile stretch from Co. Hwy B to the town of Brule. This area has a large population of brown trout, many over 15 inches. From upstream of Hwy 2 to Lake Superior the Bois Brule is known as Wisconsin's best anadromous fishery with steelhead, salmon and some large lake run brown trout. The headwaters are accessible via the Brule Glacial Spillway State Natural Area but are brushy and filled with small chubs. Canoeing is the best way to fish the upper and middle sections but wading with chest high waders is also possible.
	WATCH BRUNSWEILER RIVER The Brunsweiler River offers about 12 miles of class 2 and 3 trout water as it flows thru Ashland County in Northwestern Wisconsin. Much of it runs thru the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest and remote sections may be reached by hiking various trails thru the woods. The main fish is the brook trout but some rainbows are also present. This is one of only 5 streams in Wisconsin given a state wild and scenic designation and I think that designation is well worth it.
	WATCH CLAM RIVER The Clam River offers about 10 miles of trout water in northwest Wisconsin. Half of the trout water is downstream of Clam Lake, and that is class 2 and 3 water. The portion upstream of Clam Lake is class 1 water and mostly runs thru the McKenzie Creek Wildlife Area and later the Polk County Forest. The Clam River appears to be a good trout stream, and the habitat improvements and de-brushing has made it even better. There are about a half dozen good trout streams that make up the Clam watershed and they don't get as much attention as they deserve.
	WATCH NAMEKAGON RIVER The Namekagon River is located in northwest Wisconsin and offers 30 miles of easily wadable class 2 trout water, mostly for brown trout and there are many big ones present. While the lower section offers enticing float trips for smallmouth bass, walleye and musky the upper section from Cable down to Hayward has some really nice fishing for trout. The stream is often over 100 feet wide yet easy to wade and has one of the highest numbers of brown trout 15 inches or larger per mile than any stream East of the Mississippi. And it is also a National Wild and Scenic River and popular canoe route.
	WATCH SAND CREEK Sand Creek, in Northwest Wisconsin, offers about 10 miles of class 1 and 2 trout water. A good amount of that water runs thru the Sand Creek State Fishery Area. According to DNR surveys there are a lot of small brown trout present, with a few exceptions in the 14 to 18 inch range. When I fished it I also saw some brook trout. And yes, the bottom is mostly sand with a lot of woody debris present. The stream is easy to wade and although casting conditions were tight there was usually enough room to cast to the good looking spots.
	WATCH TYLER FORKS RIVER Tyler Forks River is a pristine, scenic trout stream in the remote reaches of Northern Wisconsin in Ashland and Iron County. It offers excellent fishing for brook trout. Brown and rainbow trout are also present. The lower portion of the river enters into the Bad River at the scenic Brownstone Falls and forms part of Copperfalls State Park. In 2011-2012 there was a very close call with a controversial iron mine proposed by Gogebic Taconite in the Penokee Hills area which would likely have destroy the fishing opportunies in this stream as well as about a dozen other nearby trout streams. That bill failed but a less severe one was passed in 2013. We will see what happens.
	WATCH COPPER FALLS STATE PARK Aside from the Wisconsin Dells, Copper Falls State Park has probably got the most interesting terrain found in Wisconsin. The convergence of the Bad and Tyler Forks Rivers, the gorge, Brownstone Falls, Copper Falls and Virgin Cascades are all found here. There are also trout in these streams, although the best fishing is found a few miles above this area.

Click on a picture to see a larger size.


Bois Brule River at State camground	Wilson Creek, trib of Bois Brule

Copper Falls State Park, Virginia Cascades	Copper Falls State Park, Brown Falls	Copper Falls State Park	Copper Falls State Park

Namakagon River near Hwy 63	Namakagon River near Seeley	Namakagon River near Seeley	Brook trout from Tyler Forks River

Tyler Forks River, lower	Tyler Forks River, middle	Brook trout from Tyler Forks River	Tyler Forks River, middle

Tyler Forks River, middle	Tyler Forks River, middle	Tyler Forks River, middle	Tyler Forks brook trout

Tyler Forks Rivers, upper	Tyler Forks Rivers, upper	Tyler Forks brook trout	Tyler Forks River, lower

Created by: Dan Coppersmith 2026| www.CoppersmithStudios.com

Navigation

Contact Us

Coppersmith Studios Presents

Trout stream videos and pictures of Northwest Wisconsin