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Oconto River Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Sep 4, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

Green Bay's quiet trib: brown trout Septembers, a steelhead spring and the smallmouth summer nobody drives past Door County for.

4/5
Good. Solid day ahead.Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.
Water temp
~66 F est.
Air / High
73 / 75 F
Wind
E 5 mph

Sources: Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
4
September 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

4/5Good. Solid day ahead.Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.

Oconto River offers the kind of conditions this water was made for. Today brings cloud cover, wind E around 5 mph, steady pressure near 1012 hPa and a high of 75. Water sits around 66 F for the season (estimated). With the last quarter, the solunar majors run 5:39 AM-7:39 AM and 5:39 PM-7:39 PM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

Smallmouth bassExcellent

Peak season. Tubes, jerkbaits and swimbaits around gravel points, boulders and current seams.

Brown troutExcellent

Terrestrials tight to the bank; streamers through the deeper runs on cloudy days.

SteelheadFair

First fall runs after rain: fresh chrome in the lower pools on spawn bags and beads.

Tomorrow: Similar at 72 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Sep 5, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Water and weather

Live readings.

No live gauge on this water

Conditions here are modeled from weather, season and the nearest stations. Water readings appear when a USGS gauge is available.

304050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~66 F now

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp73 F
High / Low75 / 69 F
WindE 5-5 mph
Pressure1012.0 hPa, steady
Sky / Rain100% cloud, 88%
Sunrise / Sunset06:17 / 19:22
MoonLast Quarter, 50%
Water temp (seasonal)~66 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunsetPRIMEPRIME

Next 7 days

Tap a day for the detailed outlook.

Fri Sep 4 · Rain, 75/69 F, wind 10 mph, rain 88%

Slow. High rain chance; fish the front edge before it arrives.

Species guide

The species that matter on Oconto River: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Steelhead illustration

Steelhead

Best: Oct-Apr

Lake-run rainbows that turn tributaries into winter fisheries. First fall runs after rain: fresh chrome in the lower pools on spawn bags and beads.

Smallmouth bass illustration

Smallmouth bass

Best: May-Oct

Current and rock. Finds gravel flats, boulders and drop-offs, and fights far above its weight. Peak season. Tubes, jerkbaits and swimbaits around gravel points, boulders and current seams.

Brown trout illustration

Brown trout

Best: Sep-Nov

Wary, predatory and nocturnal by preference. The big ones eat streamers. Terrestrials tight to the bank; streamers through the deeper runs on cloudy days.

When to come: the Oconto River calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Steelhead
Smallmouth bass
Brown trout
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 66 F (estimated, not a reading).

304050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~66 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Oconto River today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Sep 3

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Smallmouth bass led the card at excellent. High of 72 F, wind to 11 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Smallmouth bass led the card at excellent. High of 81 F, wind to 10 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

5/5 Excellent. Go now. Everything lines up: pressure, wind and light are in your favor. Smallmouth bass led the card at excellent. High of 90 F, wind to 9 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
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Before you go

License

Wisconsin requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

Wisconsin license + Great Lakes stamp for salmonids. Trib rules seasonal: check DNR.

Access

Stiles dam barrier pool, county park accesses, Oconto harbor ramps.

About this water

Green Bay's west-shore trib, Oconto County, WI. The quiet brown-trout run.

Fishing Oconto River: the full guide

The bay's west-shore run

The Oconto feeds Green Bay's western shore: a modest river with an outsized calendar: fall browns (the bay's trophy fish pushing up from September), a spring steelhead run through the stamp sands, and kings mixed in when the bay's stocking cycles favor them. The Machickanee flowage above adds a walleye-and-panfish standby.

The trophy-brown window

September-October is the Oconto's moment: Green Bay's browns (fish to 20 pounds swim the bay) enter on the cool rains: egg patterns and small spoons in the limestone runs below the Stiles dam. It is Wisconsin's most underrated big-brown shot: the crowds chase Door County's ramps while the river fills.

Spring chrome and summer bronze

March-April steelhead push to the dam (jigs and beads in the stained pushes), and summer hands the lower river to smallmouth: wading wet the riffles with topwater: plus the pike that ambush every backwater. The flowage's walleye troll fills family coolers between runs.

West-shore practicalities

Stiles dam anchors the fishery (the barrier pool concentrates everything): county parks ladder access: and the river's size makes hip boots sufficient: intimate water an hour north of the city. Oconto's harbor adds bay access when the river rests.

Common questions

When do big browns run the Oconto?

September-October on the cool rains: Green Bay's trophy fish in intimate water. Eggs and small spoons below Stiles dam: the underrated window.

What else does the Oconto offer?

Spring steelhead, summer smallmouth wading, and the Machickanee flowage's walleye: a full calendar on a river most maps skip.

Is fishing good at Oconto River right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.

Nearby waters

Green Bay25 miMenominee River30 miShawano Lake33 miKewaunee River35 miFord River65 miLake Winnebago66 mi
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