Sugar River
A river in Wisconsin
About Sugar River
The Sugar River runs 41 miles through Green and Rock counties, past Brooklyn, Albany and Avon toward the Illinois line. The survey gives it 1,022 acres of surface and 178 miles of bank.
Thirty-six miles are classified as Class II trout water, a long stretch for southern Wisconsin, and the river carries an Exceptional Resource Water listing. It is also on the impaired waters list. Smallmouth habitat is classified across five types, from nursery water through non-wadable coarse substrate — this river holds both coldwater and warmwater fishing depending on where a line goes in.
Six public accesses are on record: Albany Park, the County EE and County X ramps, Sugar River Park, and a carry-in. The Sugar River State Trail runs alongside much of it, which makes bank access easier here than on most southern Wisconsin rivers.
Trout and warmwater rules both apply on different reaches. Check the current DNR regulations for the stretch in question.
Written from Wisconsin DNR hydrography and fisheries data. State water ID WBIC 875300.
How the state manages it
- smallmouth · Non-Wadable Coarse Substrate; Non-Wadable Fine Substrate; Wadable Cool Water; Wadable Nursery Waters; Wadable Warm Water
- trout · CLASS II
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.