West Branch DuPage River

Type
Freestone river, Illinois (Midwest)
Designation
Agency-named bass water
USGS gauges
3 live
Guides
1 nearby
Shops
4 nearby

Today on the West Branch DuPage River

Reading the gauge…

Regulations & access Guides & shops

The West Branch DuPage River is a freestone river in Illinois, listed as Agency-named bass water by Illinois Department of Natural Resources.

More about the West Branch DuPage River

3 USGS gauges on the water report flow; Illinois Department of Natural Resources lists 1 species. 1 guide and 4 shops nearby are listed here.

Updated · Sources: Site-specific smallmouth bass regulations on rivers and creeks, Site-specific smallmouth bass regulations on rivers and creeks, USGS Water Data

Representative photograph of similar water; not a photograph of this place.
Representative photograph, not this water.
Where it is

West Branch DuPage River is a freestone river in Illinois.

Flow now at 3 gauges
Reading the gauges…

Follow West Branch DuPage River for flow alerts

Pick one of its USGS gauges and hear from us when the flow moves into or out of its usual range for the date, or crosses a flow you set. We check the public USGS reading every 2 hours and email only when it crosses, at most once every 6 hours. Flow alone is not a fishing forecast or a safety call.

Follow this water

Signed in: one step. Otherwise we email a confirmation link first. Every alert has one-click links to stop it.

Where to fish

About this

Start from the agency's public access map. Nothing on this page grants or implies access: check the agency map, posted signs and landowner permission before you fish.

Nothing on this page grants or implies access.

West Branch DuPage River on the map

About this

Gauges, shops and guides within 40 miles

Map of West Branch DuPage River: gauges, shops and guides

RestroomsAccess map

Map of West Branch DuPage River with 3 USGS gauges, and shops and guides with an exact address within 40 miles.

Restrooms near West Branch DuPage River

Restrooms near West Branch DuPage River

Restrooms within 2 miles of West Branch DuPage River in a straight line, nearest first, with what anglers found when they went. The map says a restroom is there, not whether it is clean or open today.

Map of 6 restrooms near West Branch DuPage River

Skip the map; every place is in the list below

Map of 6 restrooms near West Branch DuPage River, numbered as in the list, with the water’s point marked.

  1. Restroom

    0.5 mi away in a straight line
    • Flush toilet (mapped)
    • Public (mapped)

    Not rated yet — be the first to tell other anglers if it's clean.

    We don't know yet: is it clean? · free? · step-free? — tell other anglers: show the questions
    • Is it clean?
    • Free?
    • Step-free?

    Mapped on OpenStreetMap · see or fix it on the map

  2. Restroom

    0.5 mi away in a straight line
    • Flush toilet (mapped)
    • Public (mapped)

    Not rated yet — be the first to tell other anglers if it's clean.

    We don't know yet: is it clean? · free? · step-free? — tell other anglers: show the questions
    • Is it clean?
    • Free?
    • Step-free?

    Mapped on OpenStreetMap · see or fix it on the map

  3. Restroom

    0.9 mi away in a straight line
    • Flush toilet (mapped)
    • Public (mapped)

    Not rated yet — be the first to tell other anglers if it's clean.

    We don't know yet: is it clean? · free? · step-free? — tell other anglers: show the questions
    • Is it clean?
    • Free?
    • Step-free?

    Mapped on OpenStreetMap · see or fix it on the map

  4. Restroom

    0.9 mi away in a straight line
    • Flush toilet (mapped)
    • Public (mapped)

    Not rated yet — be the first to tell other anglers if it's clean.

    We don't know yet: is it clean? · free? · step-free? — tell other anglers: show the questions
    • Is it clean?
    • Free?
    • Step-free?

    Mapped on OpenStreetMap · see or fix it on the map

  5. Restroom

    1.0 mi away in a straight line
    • Portable toilet (mapped)

    Not rated yet — be the first to tell other anglers if it's clean.

    We don't know yet: is it clean? · free? · open to everyone? · step-free? — tell other anglers: show the questions
    • Is it clean?
    • Free?
    • Open to everyone?
    • Step-free?

    Mapped on OpenStreetMap · see or fix it on the map

  6. Restroom

    1.5 mi away in a straight line

    Not rated yet — be the first to tell other anglers if it's clean.

    We don't know yet: is it clean? · flush or vault? · free? · open to everyone? · step-free? — tell other anglers: show the questions
    • Is it clean?
    • Flush or vault?
    • Free?
    • Open to everyone?
    • Step-free?

    Mapped on OpenStreetMap · see or fix it on the map

Restroom locations and map details: © OpenStreetMap contributors, Open Database License, read Oct 24, 2026. Ratings, answers and photos are members' own; who shared them is never shown, and every photo is reviewed before it appears. Visits older than 18 months no longer count. Distances are straight-line miles, not driving. Nothing here grants access to private land. Community guidelines.

More water near West Branch DuPage River

  • Aerial view of the Kickapoo River curving past a grassy landing lined with canoes and kayaksAgency-named bass waterRepresentative photo · not Fox River
    Photo credit

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    Fox River

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    Smallmouth bass

  • Sepia-toned view of Timber Coulee Creek flowing past tall grass below an old wooden barnAgency-named bass waterRepresentative photo · not South Branch Kishwaukee River
    Photo credit

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    South Branch Kishwaukee River

    Illinois · about 43 mi

    Smallmouth bass

  • Canoeists on the Pere Marquette River in autumn, between colourful woodsAgency-named bass waterRepresentative photo · not Kishwaukee River
    Photo credit

    The Pere Marquette River in autumn, Manistee National Forest. Photo: Yetiwriter, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons Not Kishwaukee River.

    Kishwaukee River

    Illinois · about 47 mi

    Smallmouth bass

  • The broad Muskegon River near Newaygo between banks of red and orange autumn treesAgency-named bass waterRepresentative photo · not Piscasaw Creek
    Photo credit

    The Muskegon River near Newaygo, Michigan. Photo: Marc Steensma, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons Not Piscasaw Creek.

    Piscasaw Creek

    Illinois · about 48 mi

    Smallmouth bass

  • The Huron River between wooded banks at Ann ArborAgency-named bass waterRepresentative photo · not Kankakee River
    Photo credit

    The Huron River at Ann Arbor, Michigan, from the Broadway Street bridge. Photo: Chris Rycroft from Madison, Wisconsin, United States, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons Not Kankakee River.

    Kankakee River

    Illinois · about 52 mi

    Smallmouth bass

  • The Whitewater River curving past a gravel bar and green summer growth in Whitewater State ParkCatch and releaseRepresentative photo · not Kent Creek
    Photo credit

    The Whitewater River in Whitewater State Park, Minnesota. Photo: Jonathunder, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons Not Kent Creek.

    Kent Creek

    Illinois · about 57 mi

Sources Illinois waterbodiesOverture Maps places (guide map points)

Where the map point comes from

Position: the USGS gauge WEST BRANCH DU PAGE RIVER NEAR WARRENVILLE, IL.

The map shows USGS gauges (tap one for its flow reading), and shops and guides within 40 miles that publish a street address on their own website. Everyone else is in the lists below.

Regulations

About this

Seasons, limits, special regulations and closures for each reach are on the agency pages below. Read them before you go.

Official designation: Agency-named bass water

Each comes from the agency's own published list; where the list names a reach it is quoted. A designation applies to the listed reach, not necessarily the whole water. Listed in the finder under bass.

The water on the map

About this

Measured from the NHDPlus High Resolution (flowlines and waterbodies) (U.S. Geological Survey, read 2026-11-04) for this water’s own mapped feature. Rounded figures; they describe the channel, not today’s conditions.

Length
35.1 mi (33.6 in IL)
Drains
115 sq mi
Drop
196 ft · 5.6 ft/mi
Flows into
DuPage River
Watershed
Des Plaines

Public land along it

About this

Areas the Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), public access (U.S. Geological Survey, Gap Analysis Project, read 2026-11-05) lists as owned or held in easement and open to the public, crossed by the mapped channel. Boundaries are mapped, not surveyed. Nothing on this page grants or implies access: check the agency map, posted signs and landowner permission before you fish.

13.2 of 33.6 mi on public land

  • McDowell GroveRegional Agency Land · 2.4 mi
  • Hawk Hollow 2Regional Agency Land · 1.9 mi
  • West BranchRegional Agency Land · 1.8 mi
  • West Dupage County Forest PreserveRegional Agency Land · 1.6 mi
  • Winfield Mounds County Forest PreserveRegional Agency Land · 0.9 mi
  • Fischer Woods County Forest PreserveRegional Agency Land · 0.6 mi
  • Knoch Knolls ParkRegional Agency Land · 0.6 mi
  • Riverwalk ParkCity Land · 0.6 mi

+14 smaller areas

Nothing on this page grants or implies access.

Guides and shops near West Branch DuPage River

About this

Listings marked Unclaimed are built from open map records and the business's own website: confirm licensing, rates, dates and hours directly.

Guides

4 shops nearby

How these are chosen

Guides whose own website names this water come first, nearest first. After them, fly-focused guides within 40 miles whose website does not name it. Distances are straight-line.

Shops: fly shops first. A distance is shown when the shop’s website gives its location (within 60 miles); otherwise the shop is in one of the towns within 25 miles of the water.

Guide and shop listings come from the Legendary directories.

Species and hatches

About this

The species the agency lists here; presence varies by reach and season.

Listed by the state agency

When the bugs come off

Plan a trip here

About this

None of our destination hubs is within 40 miles in a straight line. The trip planner builds a trip around the water itself: the guides and shops listed within 40 miles of it, its gauges and its nearest towns and airports.

No hub within 40 miles

Gear checklist

About this

A practical checklist for fly fishing small mountain trout streams: a short 3–4 weight rod, light line, a few buoyant dries and simple wet-wading gear, with estimated prices and where to buy.

An angler stands on a boulder at the edge of a fast forest stream and fishes the run

Small mountain streams

7′6″–8′6″ rod, 3–4 weight, floating line · Brook, cutthroat, rainbow and brown trout

Open the checklist
Videos for this water (5)

Watch: reading a trout stream

About this

Seams, shelves and soft water, shown on real rivers.

Public YouTube videos from established channels, chosen by us to support this page. Not sponsored; the creators are not affiliated with Legendary Fly Gear.

  • How I Learned to Read Water (Fly Fishing)Embedded from YouTube · Mad River Outfitters · not affiliated with Legendary Fly Gear. Watch on YouTube
  • How To Read The Water with Tom RosenbauerEmbedded from YouTube · The New Fly Fisher · not affiliated with Legendary Fly Gear. Watch on YouTube
  • Reading the Water to Successfully Locate TroutEmbedded from YouTube · Orvis Guide to Fly Fishing · not affiliated with Legendary Fly Gear. Watch on YouTube

Not sponsored All videos on reading water

Watch: nymphing basics

About this

Indicator rigs, depth and detecting the take.

Public YouTube videos from established channels, chosen by us to support this page. Not sponsored; the creators are not affiliated with Legendary Fly Gear.

  • 90° Nymph RigEmbedded from YouTube · Huge Fly Fisherman · not affiliated with Legendary Fly Gear. Watch on YouTube
  • Casting with an Indicator & Better Nymphing TechniquesEmbedded from YouTube · The New Fly Fisher · not affiliated with Legendary Fly Gear. Watch on YouTube

Not sponsored All videos on nymphing

Fish Tales

About this

Trip stories anglers chose to share publicly and tagged with West Branch DuPage River.

No stories from here yet.

Sources for this page

Not a statement of access, fish presence or conditions.

Something wrong?

All 13 sources and dates

A water page organises discovery. It does not assert public access, legal access, current fish presence, guide availability or fishing conditions.

Flows, gauge statistics and flood stages come from USGS and the National Weather Service when the page is shown. Regulations, stocking, species and season statements link to the agency that publishes them; this page copies only the species names and the quoted sentences. Guide and shop listings come from the Legendary directories. Position: the USGS gauge WEST BRANCH DU PAGE RIVER NEAR WARRENVILLE, IL. Water type is our own classification.