Wisconsin River Castle Rock Tailwater Fishing Guides

About the Wisconsin River Castle Rock Tailwater

Castle Rock Dam holds back one of the largest flowages on the Wisconsin River, and the reach immediately below it is a classic big-river tailwater. The river here is draining better than seven thousand square miles, so the water that comes through the gates is substantial, and the tailwater pattern is correspondingly strong: a scoured plunge area below the structure, deep holes along the first bend, and long sand and gravel runs downstream toward Mauston. Fish stack in the released water because it concentrates forage and because the current gives them a predictable place to feed, and the result is one of the better known walleye tailwaters in central Wisconsin.

Walleye and sauger are the fishery most anglers come for, and they are present in good numbers through the open-water season with the spring and autumn concentrations the heaviest. Smallmouth bass hold on the rock and the current seams downstream of the plunge. Musky are present and are serious fish on this part of the river, drawing a dedicated following. Channel catfish are everywhere and flathead catfish reach real size in the deep holes, which is a night fishery worth taking seriously. White bass, black crappie, yellow perch and northern pike round out the mixed bag, lake sturgeon pass through, and freshwater drum are abundant. Boats launched below the dam reach the best of it, and there is shore access in the tailrace area.

The gauge below the dam reports stage and no temperature or discharge, which on a regulated reach is more useful than it sounds. The stage trace is effectively a record of what the dam is doing, and on a tailwater that is the single most important variable: a rising stage means the gates have opened and the fish will reposition onto the current seams and the edges of the scour, a steady stage means a predictable pattern, and a sudden drop can turn the fishing off for hours. Check the stage before launching, treat changing water below a dam as a genuine hazard, and fish the first hours of a release.

Access

Mauston - the Juneau County town downstream of the dam, with lodging, tackle and services.
Castle Rock Dam - the structure itself and the tailrace, with shore access and the nearest launch.
Castle Rock Flowage - the impoundment above the dam, a large fishery in its own right.
Petenwell Flowage - the next impoundment upstream in the chain, with its own tailwater below.
Necedah - the nearby town to the west, a second base for fishing the central river.
Wisconsin Dells - the tourist town downstream, with guides working the river below.
Adams County shoreline - the east bank access points along the released reach.

Seasons

Spring: the heaviest walleye and sauger concentration of the year in the released water, with high and variable flows demanding caution.
Summer: steady mixed-bag fishing, with smallmouth on the current seams, musky in play and flathead catfish best after dark.
Fall: the second strong walleye window, with cooling water and hard-feeding fish on the current edges and good musky activity.
Winter: cold and largely ice-governed upstream, with the open released water below the dam the main option on safe days.