Waters · United States
Root River (Racine) fishing report
Updated Friday, 9 October 2026 · refreshed automatically through the day
Wisconsin's most dependable Lake Michigan tributary, fed by the steelhead facility weir at Racine. Low, clear flows make this a sight-fishing river far more often than a swinging one.
Today's report: excellent (81/100)
Coho salmon is the most promising species on Root River (Racine) today. Water temperature at the gauge is 14.8°C (59°F) and barometric pressure is stable. Gauge Root River at W. Eight Mile Rd near Caledonia, WI shows the water level falling (6 cm/24h).
Root River (Racine) water temperature and flow
- Water temperature: 14.8°C (59°F)
- Discharge: 1.7 m³/s (60 cfs) — down 13% over 24 hours
- Level trend: falling (6 cm/24h)
Measured at gauge Root River at W. Eight Mile Rd near Caledonia, WI · reading 27 min ago. Published by the national hydrological service, not estimated by us.
Best time to fish today
- 11:00–13:00 local time — score 79/100
- 00:00–02:00 local time — score 78/100
- 06:00–08:00 local time — score 75/100
3-day outlook by species
| Species | Friday 9 Oct | Saturday 10 Oct | Sunday 11 Oct |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steelhead | 69 — good | 65 — good | 62 — good |
| Chinook salmon | 79 — good | 78 — good | 76 — good |
| Coho salmon | 81 — excellent | 77 — good | 76 — good |
Why this score
Cast & Scan uses a deterministic, published scoring model — no black box. The strongest influences on today's Root River (Racine) rating:
- solunar period: helping (+1)
- season: helping (+1)
- cloud cover: helping (+0.95)
- wind: helping (+0.9)
- precipitation: helping (+0.9)
- water temperature: helping (+0.85)
Forecast computed Fri, 09 Oct 2026 15:56:48 GMT · data: Open-Meteo + gauge Root River at W. Eight Mile Rd near Caledonia, WI · refreshed automatically through the day · see our published accuracy
Wondering how this stacks up against the apps you already know? Cast & Scan vs Fishbrain vs BassForecast — an honest comparison, including where they beat us.
Read before you go
- Trout stream tactics, read through the forecast
- How river flow trend changes the bite
- Barometric pressure and fishing, explained
More steelhead waters
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- Au Sable River (Foote Dam) — Michigan, USA
- Cowlitz River (Castle Rock) — Washington, USA
- Deschutes River (Sherars Falls) — Oregon, USA
- Feather River (Oroville) — California, USA
Nearby waters
- Milwaukee River (Harbor) — Wisconsin, USA (21 km away)
- White River (Whitehall) — Michigan, USA (157 km away)
- Grand River (Lower) — Michigan, USA (160 km away)
- St. Joseph River (Niles) — Michigan, USA (181 km away)
- Muskegon River (Croton) — Michigan, USA (199 km away)
- Green Bay — Wisconsin, USA (201 km away)