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Black Earth Creek is a public river in Dane County and Iowa County, Wisconsin, managed by State of Wisconsin (public / navigable water). You can fish it on a Wisconsin fishing licence. Bank access is at WI DNR boat landings, state parks and forests, county forest land and road crossings; the public-trust doctrine gives the right to wade and travel below the ordinary high-water mark on any navigable stream even where the bank is private. Public access confirmed via marquee water.
Black Earth Creek near Madison — a Driftless Area limestone spring creek and one of the best-known wild brown trout fisheries close to a major city, restored through decades of habitat and land-use work. Technical, weedy, clear water.
It runs roughly 26 miles through the South Central region. Anglers here mostly fish for brown trout, brook trout, rainbow trout. Live flow and gauge height come from the Black Earth Creek At Black Earth, Wi USGS station shown below. The nearest other mapped waters on PiscaMaps are Vermont Creek and Halfway Prairie Creek.
Species from PiscaMaps water-type profiles, WI DNR trout designations and hand research.
Night fishing: No statewide night-fishing closure in Wisconsin, though many trout streams close outside the open season and a handful of musky and walleye waters have special night-fishing rules. Spearing for northern pike, sturgeon and rough fish, and the famous winter Lake Winnebago sturgeon spearing season, each have their own dates and licences.
Boats: The Great Lakes, Green Bay, Lake Winnebago, the Mississippi, Wisconsin and Chippewa/Flambeau flowages have no horsepower limit; many smaller Northwoods lakes have slow-no-wake zones or horsepower limits posted at the landing. Wisconsin requires boater-safety certification for operators born after 1 Jan 1989.
Bank & bivvy camping: Camp at Wisconsin state parks and forests (Devil's Lake, Governor Dodge, the Chippewa/Flambeau/Northern Highland-American Legion state forests on the flowages and Northwoods lakes), the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest, and the extensive county forest system (2.4 million acres, much of it dispersed-camping friendly). The Ice Age and North Country national scenic trails cross a lot of this land.
Camping: 1 site mapped nearby — Andersen Preserve DCA.
Source: OpenStreetMap contributors.
Loading live flow & gauge height…
Live from USGS gauge 05406500 — Black Earth Creek At Black Earth, Wi. Full gauge data →
Anyone 16+ needs a Wisconsin DNR fishing licence — the resident annual is about $20, the non-resident annual about $65, and non-resident 1-day/4-day/15-day licences are sold. The resident and non-resident licences cover both inland trout streams and the Great Lakes; a separate Great Lakes salmon/trout stamp is NOT required (folded into the base licence for residents; a Great Lakes trout/salmon stamp applies only in a few specific circumstances non-residents should check). Wisconsin residents 65 and older can buy a low-cost licence; anyone under 16 fishes free. Buy from the DNR at GoWild.wi.gov. A Wisconsin fishing licence covers navigable rivers; Wisconsin's public-trust doctrine gives the right to wade and travel below the ordinary high-water mark on any navigable stream. The Mississippi is fished on a Wisconsin, Minnesota or Iowa licence in the border reaches.
Every water carries species, bank & boat access, current regulations and live water conditions — and members get Swim Mapper, Catch Logger and Trip Planner. It's the only US map with a dedicated carp-water layer.
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