Spring Brook Fishing Guides
A small spring fed tributary in the DuPage system, gauged for discharge and stage, and one of the few genuinely cool water streams left in suburban Chicago.
Guides on the Spring Brook
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About the Spring Brook
Spring Brook runs a short course through the south side of Naperville before joining the East Branch of the DuPage River. It is a small stream by any measure, but it is one of a handful of watercourses in the Chicago collar counties that still has a meaningful groundwater contribution, and that changes what lives in it. Where the surrounding suburban streams run warm and flashy, driven almost entirely by stormwater off pavement, Spring Brook keeps a base flow through dry spells and stays several degrees cooler through the worst of the summer.
The gauge at 87th Street reports discharge and stage. In a watershed this heavily developed the discharge trace is the whole story, because the stream rises and falls with astonishing speed after rain. A thunderstorm over Naperville can put the brook up a foot and turn it the colour of coffee within an hour, and it will be back near base flow in a day. Learning to read that pattern is the difference between a good morning and a wasted drive, and the gauge is the only reliable way to do it. The stable base flow between events is what holds the fish.
The fishery is smallmouth bass, rock bass and green sunfish in the brook itself, with creek chub and white sucker through the riffles, and the fishing improves as you move down toward the confluence. The East Branch DuPage below carries a better head of smallmouth along with channel catfish, carp and the occasional northern pike, and the forest preserve district holds a great deal of land along both. This is close urban fishing rather than wilderness, walkable from a car and best treated as an evening after work rather than a destination, but the cool water and the public access along the corridor make it worth knowing about.
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Access
Naperville - the city the brook runs through, with full services, tackle and the gauge reference point.
Springbrook Prairie Forest Preserve - the large preserve on the headwaters, with trails and marsh.
East Branch DuPage River - the receiving stream, with the better smallmouth water and forest preserve access.
Knoch Knolls Park - Naperville parkland at the DuPage confluence, with a nature centre and river access.
Whalon Lake - the forest preserve lake nearby, offering still water and a boat launch.
Warrenville Grove Forest Preserve - upstream on the East Branch, with bank access and parking.
Chicago - forty miles east, with the nearest major airport and full outfitting.
Seasons
Spring: high and frequently muddy as snowmelt and storms move through, though the first warm spells fish well.
Summer: the best of the year, with the spring contribution keeping the brook cool and the smallmouth active.
Fall: low, clear and pleasant, the easiest walking and the most consistent sight fishing of the season.
Winter: cold and largely dormant, with a base flow that keeps the stream open in the deeper pockets.
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Questions
What is the current flow on the Spring Brook?
As of Oct 18, 4:45 pm, the USGS gauge SPRING BROOK AT 87TH STREET NEAR NAPERVILLE, IL reads 2 cfs. Conditions update every 15 minutes.
What species can you catch on the Spring Brook?
Anglers target Bluegill, Channel Catfish, Common Carp, Creek Chub, Green Sunfish, Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike, Rock Bass, Smallmouth Bass, White Sucker on the Spring Brook in Illinois.
Where can you access the Spring Brook?
Naperville - the city the brook runs through, with full services, tackle and the gauge reference point. Springbrook Prairie Forest Preserve - the large preserve on the headwaters, with trails and marsh. East Branch DuPage River - the receiving stream, with the better smallmouth water and forest preserve access. Knoch Knolls Park - Naperville parkland at the DuPage confluence, with a nature centre and river access. Whalon Lake - the forest preserve lake nearby, offering still water and a boat launch. Warrenville Grove Forest Preserve - upstream on the East Branch, with bank access and parking....
When is the best time to fish the Spring Brook?
Spring: high and frequently muddy as snowmelt and storms move through, though the first warm spells fish well. Summer: the best of the year, with the spring contribution keeping the brook cool and the smallmouth active. Fall: low, clear and pleasant, the easiest walking and the most consistent sight fishing of the season. Winter: cold and largely dormant, with a base flow that keeps the stream open in the deeper pockets.
Where are the fishing regulations for the Spring Brook?
Regulations change by season and section. Read the current rules on the Illinois agency site: https://dnr.illinois.gov/fishing/regulations.html