North Branch Oconto River
A river in Wisconsin
About North Branch Oconto River
The North Branch of the Oconto runs 36 miles through Oconto and Forest counties, past Mountain, Suring, Bonita and Wabeno. The survey puts 441 acres of surface and 94 miles of bank on it.
The trout classification is the reason to know this river. Sixty-six miles of it — counting tributary reaches, more than its own straight-line length — carry Class I, II and III designations, with an Exceptional Resource Water listing. Class I means the state considers those trout self-sustaining without stocking. Smallmouth habitat is classified across cool, warm and nursery water lower down.
No public boat landing is on record. On sixty-six miles of classified trout water that is what one would expect: this is a river fished on foot.
Trout regulations here vary by reach and by season, and access depends on where public ground meets the water. Check the current DNR trout regulations and access maps.
Written from Wisconsin DNR hydrography and fisheries data. State water ID WBIC 457800.
How the state manages it
- smallmouth · Wadable Cool Water; Wadable Nursery Waters; Wadable Warm Water
- trout · CLASS I; CLASS II; CLASS III
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.