Waupaca River
A river in Wisconsin
About Waupaca River
The Waupaca River runs 25 miles through Portage and Waupaca counties and goes through the middle of nearly every town on its way — Amherst, Nelsonville, Waupaca, Weyauwega. The survey gives it 419 acres of surface and 96 miles of bank.
Thirty-two miles are classified as Class I and Class II trout water, with an Outstanding Resource Water listing, the state's highest. The river is also on the impaired waters list. Smallmouth habitat is classified across cool, warm and nursery water on the lower reaches.
One public landing is on record. A trout river running through four towns is largely fished from bridges, parks and public frontage rather than from a boat.
Trout regulations vary by reach and by season. Check the current DNR rules before fishing it.
Written from Wisconsin DNR hydrography and fisheries data. State water ID WBIC 257400.
How the state manages it
- smallmouth · Wadable Cool Water; Wadable Nursery Waters; Wadable Warm Water
- trout · CLASS I; 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.
Do you know this water?
The state lists these ramps nearby but doesn’t say which water they belong to. If you fish Waupaca River, you’ll know better than we do.
Tomorrow River
listed as "Tomorrow River" · 82 m away