AU SABLE RIVER NEAR SOUTH BRANCH, MI

Water temperature for trout, salmon and steelhead

Federal guidance. Michigan DNR publishes no water-temperature line for trout anglers that we found. The lines below are the National Park Service's, federal guidance, not a Michigan rule:

• Under the federal 68°F line. Water 53.8°F now; the highest in the last 24 hours was 54.3°F. That is under the 68°F at which the National Park Service, at Grand Teton National Park, recommends anglers stop fishing in the afternoon (“cease fishing at 2 p.m. when water temperatures are likely to exceed 68°F”). Water warms through the afternoon, so check again later in the day: “Carry a pocket thermometer to monitor water temperature.”

  High water temperatures prompt fishing advisory in Grand Teton National Park (29 July 2022) (National Park Service)

Guidance from the readings above and the published thresholds named with each line; not a fishing forecast, a safety guarantee or a statement about access. Local rules and closures come first.

Our page for Au Sable River, on the same river: regulations, guides and shops

USGS gauge page

Checked Nov 5, 9:39 PM EST; readings refresh at most every 15 minutes and statistics daily. Provisional USGS data can be revised. Conditions change: re-check before you go. This is general guidance, not a fishing forecast, a safety guarantee or a statement about access.