South Branch Tobacco River

Fishing, stocking, and current conditions

Brown trout water, stocked 3 times in 2026, all in May; 2,820 fish reported. The most-stocked water on the Clare County record for 2026. A USGS gauge reports from this water, so the conditions card on this page is live.

Clare County · Michigan · see it on the national map

last stocked May 1 175 days ago

flow 80% of seasonal normal

best window 10:38 pm-12:38 am solunar major today

Water right now 4.52 ft gage height flow 68.6 cfs, 80% of the Oct 23 median USGS gauge 04152238 (SOUTH BRANCH TOBACCO RIVER NEAR BEAVERTON, MI) · read 7:15 pm this evening

3 stockings 2026

2,820 fish reported

The year here

stocked last 7 days announced ahead · tap a tick for details

What swims here

Brown trout 3 stockings

Stocking record 2026

Agency feed checked Oct 14.

Date	Species	Size	Fish	Status
May 1	Brown trout x 3 sections	adult	940	completed

When to fish South Branch Tobacco River

	Major periods (~2 h)	Minor periods (~1 h)
Today	10:16 am-12:16 pm and 10:38 pm-12:38 am	4:32-5:32 am and 4:47-5:47 pm
Tomorrow	11:02 am-1:02 pm	5:44-6:44 am and 5:08-6:08 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 May 1
Flow 80% of the seasonal median

Computed this evening, Oct 23 · Michigan fishing forecast

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 3 times here in 2026, moving water)

Drifted bait	single salmon egg or half a crawler under light split shot, rolled along the bottom
Small jerkbaits	floating minnows in the 2 to 3 inch class for the deeper bends
Waders or wet-wading boots	stocked stream fish stack in the obvious pools; getting to the next one is the edge

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
Wiggins Lake	8.0 mi	Jun 16
Pratt Lake	10.0 mi	Jun 16
North Branch Cedar River	10 mi	May 1
Lake Lancer	16 mi	Jun 16
Newton Creek	17 mi	May 1

Follow Clare County stocking: RSS / Calendar (iCal) / Print the schedule

Records from Michigan DNR (official page). Placement from USGS GNIS. Schedules change without notice. Seasons, limits, and licenses: Michigan fishing regulations.