Dowagiac River
Fishing, stocking, and current conditions
Brown trout water; 2 stockings on the 2026 record, all in April. One of 6 stocked waters on the Cass County record. A USGS gauge reports from this water, so the conditions card on this page is live.
Cass County · Michigan · see it on the national map
Water temp 57 °F at ST. JOSEPH RIVER AT NILES, MI, 2 km away USGS site 04101500 · read 7:45 pm this evening
The year here
stocked last 7 days announced ahead · tap a tick for details
What swims here
Brown trout
Stocking record 2026
Agency feed checked Oct 14.
| Date | Species | Size | Fish | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 21 | Brown trout x 2 sections | adult | 2,800 | completed |
When to fish Dowagiac River
| Major periods (~2 h) | Minor periods (~1 h) | |
|---|---|---|
| Today | 10:23 am-12:23 pm and 10:46 pm-12:46 am | 4:40-5:40 am and 4:55-5:55 pm |
| Tomorrow | 11:09 am-1:09 pm | 5:50-6:50 am and 5:17-6:17 pm |
Moon: waxing gibbous, 92% lit. These are solunar periods, the traditional feeding-time theory: majors around the moon's transit overhead and underfoot, minors around moonrise and moonset. Theory, not a measurement. Times are Eastern Time (EDT).
What the record actually says
- Last stocked Apr 21
- Water 57 °F at a gauge 2 km away, prime coldwater range
- Flow near normal for the season
Computed this evening, Oct 23 · Michigan fishing forecast
Getting on the water
| Access point | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Peavine Street | boat ramp | Recreation Passport required |
Access points from the Michigan DNR boating access inventory. Ramps, fees, and hours change; check before towing a boat a long way.
Gear for this water
It has been a while since the trucks came. The holdovers have spread out and wised up; downsize and fish natural.
For the trout (brown trout stocked 2 times here in 2026, moving water)
| Light spinning rod | 5 to 6.5 ft light or ultralight; short rods cast under branches |
| Inline spinners | 1/16 to 1/8 oz silver or gold; swing them across the current seams |
| Drifted bait | single salmon egg or half a crawler under light split shot, rolled along the bottom |
Suggestions follow from what the state actually stocks here and what kind of water it is, nothing else. No sponsored placements.
Nearby stocked waters
The closest waters with stocking pages of their own, straight-line miles from this one.
| Water | Distance | Most recent |
|---|---|---|
| Brandywine Creek | 2.5 mi | Apr 21 |
| McCoy Creek | 4.2 mi | Apr 21 |
| Dowagiac Creek | 11 mi | Apr 21 |
| Singer Lake | 12 mi | Mar 31 |
| Diamond Lake | 15 mi | Jun 2 |
Follow Cass County stocking: RSS / Calendar (iCal) / Print the schedule