In 2012, the Minnesota Trout Association laid out a self-guided, 9-hole trout fishing course to introduce trout anglers to a 0.8 mile reach of blue ribbon trout water in the South Branch Root River. Nine distinct holes ranging from 40 yards to 120 yards are marked beginning at hole 9 – The Big Bend Rapids, just below the trailhead, upstream to hole 1 – The St. Paul Street Bridge (known beyond the city limits as Fillmore County Road 17). Each hole features different flow characteristics that will challenge anglers and help develop your angling skills whether you fish from shore with live bait or wade in the stream with spinners or flies. All three species, brook, brown, and rainbow trout, inhabiting streams of the Driftless region, have been taken within the boundaries of the 9-hole course.
