Trade River
A river in Wisconsin
About Trade River
The Trade River runs 12 miles through Burnett and Polk counties, through the settlements of Trade Lake and Trade River, on its way to the St. Croix. The survey puts 44 acres of surface and 11 miles of bank on it.
Twenty-four miles across its system are classified as Class I, Class II and Class III trout water — twice the river's own length, because the classification follows its tributaries too. It is on the state's impaired waters list. Smallmouth habitat is classified as nursery and wadable warm water.
No public boat landing is on record, which on twenty-four miles of classified trout water is exactly what one would expect. This is wading water.
Trout regulations vary by reach and by season. Check the current DNR trout regulations and access maps before fishing it.
Written from Wisconsin DNR hydrography and fisheries data. State water ID WBIC 2636000.
How the state manages it
- smallmouth · 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.
Do you know this water?
The state lists these ramps nearby but doesn’t say which water they belong to. If you fish Trade River, you’ll know better than we do.
Little Holmes Lake Access
listed as "Little Holmes Lake" · 28 m away