Fly and Gear ordering and delivery: We can get flies to you within two to three business days from the time you place your order via Priority Mail. If you provide a budget for flies, we will select them to match the budget and get them to you on time for your trip. Please see the bottom of this column for ordering options.
We also have custom Perfect Fly selections in 3 different price ranges for this stream that come with or without fly boxes. They make excellent gifts. Click Here To Order or Call us at 800 594 4726 or email us at sales@perfectflystore.com.
Type of Stream
Limestone Spring Creek
Species
Brown Trout (Wild)
Rainbow Trout (Stocked)
Brook Trout (Wild)
Size
Medium
Location
Southeast Minnesota
Nearest Towns
Lanesboro
Preston
Season
April 18 through September 14 –
General trout season: The South
Branch and Tributaries Canfield and
Forestville Creek are open in
Forestville State Park – catch and
release only – all year. Downstream
from the park is closed to fishing until January 1, 2016.
Access:
Fair
Non-Resident License
State of Minnesota
Seasons:
Mid April through mid September
Spring:
Late Spring is probably the best time to fish the stream
Summer:
Fly fishing the Root River can be slow in the lower parts of the river during the hottest part of Summer
Fall:
Early Fall is an excellent time due to Trico hatches and spawning brown trout.
Winter: Catch and release runs through the winter.
Recommended Tackle & Gear
Fly Line:
4, 5 or 6 weight
Leaders:
Dry fly: 9 to 12 ft., 5 or 6X Nymphing:
71/2 ft., 3 or 4X, Streamers 0-2X
Tippets:
Dry fly: 5 or 6X, Nymphing: 3 or 4X,
Streamer 0-2X
Best Fly Rods:
Perfect Fly Supreme Four, Superb Five
or Ultimate Six
Fly Reels:
For 4/5/6 fly line
Fly Floatants and Misc Items:
Floatants, KISS Strike Indicators
Tools & Accessories:
Nippers, forceps, retractors, etc.
Fly and Gear ordering and delivery:
Email us at (sales@perfectflystore.com) with the dates you will be fishing and we will send you a list of our fly recommendations. We can get flies and gear to you within two to three business days from the time you place your order via Priority Mail. If you provide a budget for flies, we will select them to match the budget and get them to you on time for your trip. Your can also call us at 800-594-4726 and we will help you decide what flies and gear to use. All orders are shipped free in the U.S. If under a $100 order requiring Priority mail is a charge of only $8.10. Orders over a $100 are shipped free via Priority Mail.
Copyright 2016 James Marsh
South Branch Root River Fishing Report – April 28, 2024 The stream is flowing at a normal level and mostly clear. There are good Midge and Little Black Caddisfly hatches taking place. We are getting some good reports from customers.
Rate: 741 cfs, 3.73 ft
Afternoon Water Temperature: 50
Clarity: clear
USGS Real-Time Stream Flow Data Near Houston MN
7 Day Weather Forecast: (click the box below for more detailed weather info)
Recommended Trout Flies:
Brown Sculpin and White Belly Sculpin and Articulated streamers, size 6/4
Black Matuka and Olive Matuka Sculpin, size 4/6
Aquatic Worms, size 12, pink, red, and others
Midges: Blood, Light Green sizes 20/22, larva, pupa and adults
Scuds and sowbugs, size 14/16
Little Black Caddis: size 16 pupa and adults
South Branch of the Root River, Minnesota: The South Branch of the Root River is one of Minnesota’s better trout streams. This is a limestone, spring creek that for the most part, flows through pastures. Some of its better fishing is below the dam, a top discharge dam, in the little town of Lanesboro. Although we list it as a limestone spring creek, much of its water comes from rain and melting snow, so it’s also termed a freestone stream by some anglers. It does have lots of springs along its way and is definitely influenced by limestone water that has a high pH.At one time the brook trout in this area of Minnesota were all native trout but they were all caught out many years ago. The brook trout in the upper part of the stream are now stream-bred, wild trout. The brown trout are a mixture of wild and factory raised trout but the rainbows are mostly all stocked. Most of the better parts of the stream is above Preston. There the river is smaller and meanders close to roads at a few points and pastures in other areas. The best part of this section is in the Forestville State Park. There’s three miles of public water that can be accessed in the park.Most of the other public access is at bridge crossings. The sections of private property can usually be fished if one will just take the time to ask the land owner.
South Branch Root River Fly Fishing Guide: This beautiful small, spring fed stream has a constant flow of water with moderate runs, but mostly slow riffles and long pools. Much of its banks are grass covered but some areas have heavy brush along the banks. The fish are very plentiful and fishing is usually fairly easy. The stream is well stocked and the fish usually respond well to dry flies. Of course, the wild browns that exist in parts of the stream are not that easy to catch.The rainbows tend to stay out in the faster water of the runs and riffles along with the smaller brown trout. The larger browns seek the shade of heavy cover consisting mostly of undercut banks. The stream is much like a western meadow stream. It meanders back and forth trough pasture country with heavy streamside vegetation along its banks. The larger browns are usually found in the outside bends of the creek or anywhere there is deadfalls or trees limbs in the water. Although generic flies will work fine for the newly stocked rainbow and brown trout, catching the larger holdover brown trout usually requires matching the available aquatic insects. Streamers also work well for catching the larger brown trout during the Fall months.
South Branch Root River Hatches and Trout Flies: Our information on aquatic insects is based on our stream samples of larvae and nymphs, not guess work. We base fly suggestions on imitating the most plentiful and most available insects and other foods at the particular time you are fishing. Unlike the generic fly shop trout flies, we have specific imitations of all the insects in the South Branch of the Root River and in all stages of life that is applicable to fishing. If you want to fish better, more realistic trout flies, have a much higher degree of success, give us a call. We not only will help you with selections, you will learn why, after trying Perfect Flies, 92% of the thousands of our customers will use nothing else. 1-800-594-4726. The South Branch of the Root River has a large variety of aquatic insect hatches and a large number of terrestrials along its banks. Imitations of both types of insects can produce trout at the right time of the season.You can find various species of Blue-winged Olives, including baetis species, from about the middle of March all the way through the month of September. They are generally heavier in the early part of the year and again in the later part of that time span. Blue quills will hatch in the moderate to fast water sections of the streams from about the middle of April through the month of May. Hendrickson mayflies can hatch starting as early as the first of April and lasting as long in some areas as the end of May. Sulphurs hatch mostly in June but can be found in certain parts of the stream as early as middle May. Some Light Cahill can be found in the faster sections of water from about the middle of June until the middle of July. Slate Drakes exist in some parts of the stream. They hatch later in the year from about the middle of July on into September. The Tricos represent a big hatch on many parts of the Root River. They usually start about the middle of June and can hatch as late as the last part of September. The first caddisfly hatches of importance are the Little Black Caddisflies. These are the Brachycentrus species and can hatch as early as mid April and last until the middle of May, depending on the section of water. These are moderate to fast water caddisflies. Both spotted Sedges and Cinnamon Caddisflies exist in the Root River, but it has mostly Cinnamon Caddis. They start hatching as early as May and can last until the end of September. Little Green Caddis exist in most of the fast water areas of the stream. They are best known for their larva stage of life. The imitations of them are called Green Rock Worms. Trout can be taken most anytime of the year on these flies. Don’t overlook craneflies. They can be important, especially in the moderate to slow areas of water. Imitations of the adults and larva can be effective from June through September. Terrestrial insects are present in large quantities on many areas of the river. Imitations of grasshoppers, ants and beetles will catch trout from about the first of June through the month of September.Streamers are very important flies, especially for the larger brown trout. Imitations of sculpin, baitfish, minnows, and leeches are all effective at times, especially when the water has a little color to it. They also work in low light conditions such as early and late in the day or on heavily overcast days. We have “Perfect Flies” that imitate every aquatic and terrestrial insect that exist on the Root River. If you haven’t already done so, we invite you to give them an opportunity to prove valuable to you. They are not only the most imitative of the insects, they are the most effective trout flies at catching trout that you can purchase.