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South Fork Root River

Type
Freestone river, Minnesota (Midwest)
Designation
Catch and release · Special-regulation trout water +1
USGS gauges
1 live
Guides
1 nearby
Shops
None listed

Today on the South Fork Root River

Reading the gauge…

Regulations & access Guides & shops

The South Fork Root River is a freestone river in Minnesota, listed as Catch and release by Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (Division of Fish and Wildlife, Fisheries).

More about the South Fork Root River

1 USGS gauge on the water reports flow. 1 guide nearby are listed here; the nearest destination hub is The Driftless: Viroqua & Westby.

Updated · Sources: Trout stream special regulations: catch-and-release reaches, USGS Water Data

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

South Fork Root River is a freestone river in Minnesota. Our destination hub The Driftless: Viroqua & Westby is 36 mi away in a straight line (55 by road) and lists it among its waters.

Flow now at the gauge
Reading the gauges…

Check any river's flow

Follow South Fork Root 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.

Minnesota trout streams and angling easements map

South Fork Root River on the map

About this

Gauges, shops and guides within 40 miles

Map of South Fork Root River: gauges, shops and guides

RestroomsAccess map

Map of South Fork Root River with 1 USGS gauge, and shops and guides with an exact address within 40 miles.

Map: © OpenStreetMap contributors · OpenFreeMap · © OpenMapTiles

Restrooms near South Fork Root River

Restrooms near South Fork Root River

Restrooms within 2 miles of South Fork Root 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 2 restrooms near South Fork Root River

Skip the map; every place is in the list below

Map of 2 restrooms near South Fork Root River, numbered as in the list, with the water’s point marked.

Map: © OpenStreetMap contributors · OpenFreeMap · © OpenMapTiles

  1. Restroom

    1.6 mi away in a straight line

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

    Directions
    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

  2. Restroom

    1.8 mi away in a straight line

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

    Directions
    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 South Fork Root River

  • Sepia-toned view of Timber Coulee Creek flowing past tall grass below an old wooden barnClass 1 trout stream
    Photo credit

    Timber Coulee Creek in southwest Wisconsin (sepia-toned film photograph). Photo: Tom Hart, CC BY 2.0, cropped, via Flickr

    Timber Coulee Creek

    Wisconsin · about 34 mi

    Brown trout

  • Aerial view of the Kickapoo River curving past a grassy landing lined with canoes and kayaksCatch and releaseRepresentative photo · not French Creek
    Photo credit

    The Kickapoo River in Wisconsin's Driftless Area, from the air. Photo: Wikideas1, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons Not French Creek.

    French Creek

    Iowa · about 24 mi

    Brown & brook trout

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

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

    West Branch French Creek

    Iowa · about 26 mi

    Brown & brook trout

  • The Bois Brule River at Winneboujou in winter, dark water between snowy banks and evergreensWild Trout WaterRepresentative photo · not Bigalk Creek
    Photo credit

    The Bois Brule River at the County Highway B landing (Winneboujou), Wisconsin. Photo: Kriz420 (Wikimedia Commons user), public domain, via Wikimedia Commons Not Bigalk Creek.

    Bigalk Creek

    Iowa · about 30 mi

    Brown trout

  • Canoeists on the Pere Marquette River in autumn, between colourful woodsWild Trout WaterRepresentative photo · not Clear Creek
    Photo credit

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

    Clear Creek

    Iowa · about 31 mi

    Brown trout

  • The broad Muskegon River near Newaygo between banks of red and orange autumn treesWild Trout WaterRepresentative photo · not Wexford Creek
    Photo credit

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

    Wexford Creek

    Iowa · about 39 mi

    Brown trout

Regulations

About this

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

3 official designations

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 trout.

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
52.4 mi (48 in MN)
Drains
277 sq mi
Drop
638 ft · 12.2 ft/mi
Flows into
Root River
Watershed
Root

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.

9 of 48 mi on public land

  • So. Fork Root River State Aquatic Management Area (Fillmore)State Fish and Wildlife · 7.2 mi · restricted
  • Dr. Johan C. Hvoslef State Wildlife Management AreaState Fish and Wildlife · 1.3 mi · restricted
  • R J D Memorial Hardwood State ForestState Department of Natural Resources · 0.5 mi

Nothing on this page grants or implies access.

Guides and shops near South Fork Root 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

All Minnesota guides

Shops nearby

No shop nearby yet.

All Minnesota shops

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

What 1 nearby guide website mention: what guides advertise, not a survey or a promise of what you will catch.

Named on 1 nearby guide website

  • Brook trout1
  • Brown trout1
  • Smallmouth bass1

When the bugs come off

Regional hatch months: Driftless
About this chart

12 hatches charted for the region, not measured on this water. From Minnesota Trout Unlimited (secondary sources: an angling organisation or magazine, not an agency).

  1. January: no charted hatch
  2. February: no charted hatch
  3. March: no charted hatch
  4. April: 3 charted hatches
  5. May: 9 charted hatches
  6. June: 8 charted hatches
  7. July: 7 charted hatches
  8. August: 3 charted hatches
  9. September: 1 charted hatch
  10. October: no charted hatch
  11. November: no charted hatch
  12. December: no charted hatch

Giant stone (salmonfly) (April to May) · Hendrickson (April to June) · Little black caddis (April to May) · American grannom (Mother's Day caddis) (May to July) · Brown drake (May to June) · Light Hendrickson or pale evening dun (May to June) · and 6 more on the chart

How we put this together

Named by guides nearby (within 40 miles), counted from the species each guide lists on its own site. No agency page we hold lists species for this water.

The Driftless: Viroqua & Westby

About this

Viroqua and Westby sit on the ridges of Vernon County in Wisconsin's Driftless Area, the hill country the last ice sheets did not cover; Timber Coulee and Coon Creek run in the valleys below Westby and Coon Valley, the Kickapoo River runs south along the county's eastern side, and Minnesota's Root River country lies across the Mississippi.

Destination hub · 36 mi away in a straight line, 55 by road

Open the hubPlan a trip here

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 South Fork Root River.

No stories from here yet.

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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 SOUTH FORK ROOT RIVER NEAR HOUSTON, MN. Water type is our own classification.