Elk River
A river in Wisconsin
About Elk River
The Elk River runs 19 miles through Price County, immediately east of Phillips. The survey puts 295 acres of surface and 39 miles of bank on it.
It is unusually well designated for a river of this size. Musky are managed on different reaches both as self-sustaining and as natural reproduction plus stocking. Walleye are classified as natural reproduction only in some stretches and stocking-supplemented in others. Fifteen miles carry a Class III trout classification with an Outstanding Resource Water listing. Smallmouth habitat is classified as nursery and wadable warm water.
There is no public boat landing catalogued on the river itself, which on water this close to a town usually means access is by bridge, by wading, or from the lakes and flowages the river connects.
Check the current Wisconsin DNR regulations for the reach being fished.
Written from Wisconsin DNR hydrography and fisheries data. State water ID WBIC 2236500.
How the state manages it
- musky · Natural reproduction plus stocking (Cat. 2); Self-sustaining via natural reproduction (Cat. 1)
- smallmouth · Wadable Nursery Waters; Wadable Warm Water
- trout · CLASS III
- walleye · Natural Reproduction Only; Stocking plus Natural Reproduction
Wisconsin DNR fisheries designations. These describe how the water is managed, not what is in it on any given day.
Fishing license
Wisconsin sells them online. Buy one from the state. We don’t know whether you need one — that depends on your age, where you live, the water, and what your guide’s own license covers.