Badfish Creek

Thank you mad City paddlers! Going to attempt Old stage to North Casey this morning. And if anybody is interested in shuttle service, I have been using Drift Away Paddle Company all summer. He will take you anywhere in the area. I used him for the Yahara and I'm going to use them for the Badfish today.

So if I'm reading this map correctly, they're saying it's clear of log jams right now? I used drift Away paddle company as a shuttle over the weekend, he told me that he drops some people on the bad fish last week and they said there was at least one bad portage.

We paddled from "A" to Cooksville (138) yesterday (June 9, 2024). The county road A bridge is brand new as of last year and the put-in is steep but do-able. The water is in the high 100s and passable the entire way with current rains. We did have to slide over a few tree trunks but we were in a 17' canoe and made it fine, so kayaks should be no problem. It took us 2 hours but we actively paddle the whole way, and your time may vary.

We paddled Old Stone Road to Old Stage Road today in a two person canoe with our dog. 103 CFS - only scraped a little at the put in. We were a little curious what we would find after the storm earlier this month, but it was a good sunny day for a winter paddle. Trip took us about 1.5 hours. There were 5 log jams total. Three we were able to slip under, one we were able to saw through and one we portaged. Since this is a good reliable creek to paddle in the winter, I am curious how the lower sections handled the storm... Thanks for all of your reviews Aaron!

I try to paddle this section once a month all year, so I took advantage of a "warm" and sunny 40 degree day to get my December paddle in. The creek was at 70 CFS, a bit lower than I like, but if you pay attention to where the chanel is you should be OK. We bumped a bit in a few of the rapids and scraped bottom in a few shallow spots, but never had to get out and walk. I was a bit surprised to see both duck and pheasant hunters at the Zelensky on Old Stage Rd, bit now I know that the upriver section is a public hunting area. Fairly good day for wildlife, deer, geeses, ducks,1 racoon,1 opossum,1 muskrat, great blue herons, kingfishers, and lots of fresh sings of beaver activity, including a new (to me at least) beaver dam on the little creek at the take out. Video/pics and map of our trip https://www.relive.cc/view/vXOdeAX1146

Just did the old stage coach rd to Casey route. No jams, good current. Water did seem lower than normal, lots of scooting. Weather was a little chilly but doable. 40s to 50s F. Saw a bald eagle flowing all around us. Leaf colors were amazing.

I made this trip yesterday, April 21st. There were quite a few strainers and near complete jams. The bridge at Leedle Mill Rd was nearly completely jammed up except for a spot on the southwest corner that I managed to squeeze through. There was another area just downstream of 138 that would've been completely jammed if the water level had been any lower. Managed to hop over the log in the middle, but just barely. It was at 130 CFS when I went. Definitely a nice little challenge for a novice/recreational paddler though and I couldn't have asked for better weather.

we took advantage of a sunny and usually warm (50!) February day to do this section. The river was low 4.9 ft (USGS CFS gauge was indicating ice, but was probably low as well) so getting in and out was a bit more difficult and muddy than usual. We saw a group of four eagles, hawks, geese, deer, and one trout fisherman, but no other paddlers. However,there were a few vehicles at the put-n and on Hwy 138. Lots of sun, blue sky, and some interesting ice formations and frozen seeps made for a good day for pics. Short video of our trip can be seen here https://www.relive.cc/view/v1Ow3XXNDXO

Thank you SO much for the great rundown of this trip. The trip map was super helpful. What a fun run! We have pretty long kayaks, so it took some maneuvering but it was a great time. Will do again.

We ran this Saturday 5/29 at around 120 CFS. The bike shuttle was an easy 5 miles on lightly traveled roads. The paddle took us about 2 hours and was great boat control practice for our 17' canoe. Lots of beautiful views and a few nice sandbars to hang out on. Saw some sort of weasel and of course ducks and geese. Love the large bur oaks along this reach!

Drif away paddle company offers rentals and shuttle for the bad fish and yahara.

We did the Badfish on Sunday, 7/12, from Hwy A to N. Casey Rd, an 11-mile stretch. The river was at ~220 cfs and it took us 4 hrs, no doubt helped by a nice current. It was a good stretch with nice stretches of shade in the earlier sections but also open meandering and winding river stretches towards the end. The occasional riffles were enjoyable, too. We'd recommend putting in on the NE corner of the Hwy A bridge, as there's no thick overgrowth at all there, just a bit of a steep bank, but nothing too bad. Exit at N. Casey Rd. was a breeze as well as there's a decent landing area there. While there were some tree and branch obstacles, we never had to get out of our boat to navigate through. Because we don't live in the area and only had one vehicle, we contacted Clark at Drift Away Paddle (608-295-4348) for a lift (with our kayaks) back to our car once we got out at N. Casey Rd. Their rates are VERY, VERY reasonable and certainly helped us in our situation. Thanks Badfish, this website, and to all those who've posted before to help make our planning considerably easier!

We did the Badfish on Sunday, 7/12, from Hwy A to N. Casey Rd, an 11-mile stretch. The river was at ~220 cfs and it took us 4 hrs, no doubt helped by a nice current. It was a good stretch with nice stretches of shade in the earlier sections but also open meandering and winding river stretches towards the end. The occasional riffles were enjoyable, too. We'd recommend putting in on the NE corner of the Hwy A bridge, as there's no thick overgrowth at all there, just a bit of a steep bank, but nothing too bad. Exit at N. Casey Rd. was a breeze as well as there's a decent landing area there. While there were some tree and branch obstacles, we never had to get out of our boat to navigate through. Because we don't live in the area and only had one vehicle, we contacted Clark at Drift Away Paddle (608-295-4348) for a lift (with our kayaks) back to our car once we got out at N. Casey Rd. Their rates are VERY, VERY reasonable and certainly helped us in our situation. Thanks Badfish, this website, and to all those who've posted before to help make our planning considerably easier!

I will be kayaking from Hwy A to N. Casey Rd. this weekend for the first time. Any insight into current creek conditions would be helpful. Also, are there any livery shuttle services to bring us back to Hwy A. from N. Casey Rd. once our trip is done? Or will we simply have to Uber it back? That's our biggest unknown at the moment. Thanks

Just did this section of the Badfish. Cool day (about 60 degrees) started sunny turned cloudy. Fast paced row with one portage. One limb has fallen over the channel about 2 miles after the put in. My son and I gave it the old heave howe but it would not budge. I will be back with a saw by the middle of May unless others can remove it. The portage was super easy. Saw a big turtle, pan fish, possible bass, ducks, geese, blue heron, hawks plenty of spring birds. Saw nobody today on the creek. Always take a saw if you can. Today I learned my lesson.

Paddled from Old Stage to N.Casey, with Jon. Lovely outing. New signage on 138, that says “Canoe Landing”, which directs you to Old Stage. Be wary of the wild parsnip! Its sap is phototoxic, which burns the skin, especially with sun exposure.

I did this section Fri 9/7/18, the creek was higher than usual after several weeks of heavy rains (230 CFS, 5.9 ft), but was very runnable. No obstructions and almost constant riffles and light rapids, plus the trip was fast,took us less than 2 hours. If anyone wants a fast fun trip I'd strongly recommend doing this trip soon before the levels return to normal. All this week should be good

There's a newly developed put-in via the parking lot northwest of Old Stage Rd. Link to map: https://goo.gl/maps/qKevmKJuPnN2 Here's a link to a news story: http://www.unifiednewsgroup.com/oregon_observer/news/badfish-friends-celebrate-boat-landing-opening/article_f4195af1-3b9d-5a11-991c-8f8bf8af29c9.html The stretch from Old Stone Rd. to Old Stage Rd. has been cleared for paddling. Some tight turns, but no portaging when we paddled it on July 8, 2018.

We paddled our 17' canoe from Hwy 138 to Casey Road last night. It was great: lots of wildlife (saw over a dozen deer, all down in the creek, plus herons, cranes, snakes, turtles, etc.), challenging but not too challenging riffles, some overhangs but no jams, and swift current. It took us 2 hours with a dinner break pulled up on a sandbar. Put in at 138 was rocky but take-out at Casey was fine, even with a two-person canoe. Don't take your $1000 kevlar canoe down here, though, as you will bump some rocks and sand bars, even with a shallow draft.

Appreciate the depth references Dave!

Caution: Always check the USGS gauge to see how fast Badfish is flowing. https://waterdata.usgs.gov/wi/nwis/uv/?site_no=05430150&agency_cd=USGS Normal summer flow is 100-150 cfs. At 200 cfs it starts getting to be fun. I paddled it once at 525 cfs and I needed every tool in my toolbox, in particular the backferry, to keep from getting slammed into the banks. At that level I'd say it was a solid Class II. Lots of fun, but if you don't have basic whitewater skills paddle the Yahara instead.

Oops, sorry for the duplicate posting. I didn't think the first one went through as I messed up on the "I am not a robot" verification

I did this today & enjoyed the challenge of swift current with light rapids. It took me just over 2 hours. The 5 mile bike shuttle on country roads was fine. And at the take out, there is a wooden ladder--how cool is that?!

Appreciate the comment Marsha!

I did this today, and really enjoyed it. It was challenging (as noted in the report: swift current, some shallow areas, light rapids and sharp turns) but a good skill builder. And there's a wooden ladder at the take out--how cool is that!!

Aaron, The Badfish is great with a canoe, there is always enough water, but you will have to be good at controlling the boat to avoid obstacles and shallow spots.

I've used my Mad River solo on this stretch, plus other sections many times over the years. Love it. Just enough of a challenge.

Hi Dan, I haven't heard anybody doing this but think it would be possible...especially a shorter canoe in lower water.

Curious if anyone has taken a canoe down this stretch. Doable?

Thanks for the comment!

This is a great guide- thank you! I love the photos & video.

Depends on the location. In many cases you can rent (like with Badfish Creek you could certainly rent from Rutabega, although they don't have a shuttle service). For a list of liveries/rentals throughout the state checkout my liveries page: https://www.wisconsinrivertrips.com/livery-map.html

Can people rent canoe/kayak for these creek trips or do we need to have our own equipment? THANKS!

Has anyone gone through Badfish creek this early in the season (Spring 2015)? Trying to figure out if the creek is clear or if portaging is necessary.

Wish I knew, but am unfortunately not good with fish species. You might check with the Dane County Conservation Department: https://www.countyofdane.com/lwrd/contact.aspx

Any idea what fish species are in here? Different fish in different sections? I live very close and enjoy the scenery on this creek. I'd love to wade and fish it. Thanks!

Thanks again Dave for the comment. I've included your update of the creek conditions in the writeup above.

I've paddled Badfish Creek dozens of times and assure you it is not just cosmetically clean. Since improvements were made in sewage treatment and disposal, the fish populations in Badfish have rebounded, which is why kingfishers and great blue herons are commonly seen. Please update your review to reflect this more accurate state of affairs.