Rat River
A river in Wisconsin
About Rat River
The Rat River runs 21 miles through Forest County, through Blackwell and Blackwell Junction and past Laona. The survey puts 267 acres of surface and 49 miles of bank on it.
Musky here are classified as self-sustaining via natural reproduction — Category 1, meaning the state considers the population capable of maintaining itself without stocking. That is not a common classification on a river this size. Twenty-seven miles carry a Class III trout designation, and smallmouth habitat is classified across cool, warm and nursery water.
No public boat landing is catalogued. This is northern forest country and the river is reached from roads and bridges rather than from a ramp.
Check the current Wisconsin DNR regulations for the reach being fished.
Written from Wisconsin DNR hydrography and fisheries data. State water ID WBIC 550600.
How the state manages it
- musky · Self-sustaining via natural reproduction (Cat. 1)
- smallmouth · Wadable Cool Water; Wadable Nursery Waters; Wadable Warm Water
- trout · 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.