Iowa Driftless Did Not Disappoint!

[DTro]

A while back I received a message from a friend, inviting a bunch of us guys that Catfish together, on a short weekend fishing retreat down the driftless area of Northeast Iowa to do a little stream fishing for Trout.

Excitedly I immediately accepted, not only because it was with a great bunch of guys, but also because I've never caught a stream trout in my life. While maybe quite common for most fishermen, still yet a bucket list item for myself.

I did a little poking around researching on what to expect and what kinds of lures/gear I might need. Like most fishing, you can keep it simple with a hook and worm, or go all out with high end gear. I figured I would try somewhere in between with a small spinning rod and a couple artificials.

As we arrived in Highlandsville, I had to keep reminding myself that we were Iowa. It seemed more like something you would expect in the Appalachians or Ozarks and once you found your way into the bottom of Bear Creek Valley, you were in a whole new world.

As we pulled into "The Lodge" it was a sight straight from "A River Runs Through It". The place was a full log dwelling with every ammenity you could think of (even WiFi, which was great because a cell signal was no where to be found).

It didn't take long to want to get out and wet a line so off we went. I pulled out a white Rooster tail and started to try and use my prior river knowledge to find a few fish. Right away it was obvious that this water was gin clear and the high sun had them spooked for sure. After much trial and error we decided to try a little live bait, and that it all it took for me to catch my first Brown Trout.

We continued to catch them the rest of the first evening basically one after another. Man that was fun!

More of the same the next day with a lot of exploring the miles and miles of crystal clear cold water streams that provided a surprise around each corner. It was fun to see the progression of our groups fishing tactics and now that we had caught a bunch of fish, things such as small spinners, stick baits, and dry flies were being used with smiles all around.

Up until this morning, the fishing was as easy as pulling up with our vehicle and working a roadside pool. Doesn't get much easier than that, but as the sun rose today, the weather was a bit different, it was somewhat cooler, and we had cloud cover. It was a late night on Sat visiting, sharing stories and enjoying a great meal of the days catch fresh off the grill, but today was the last day, and John and I managed to stumble out of bed to find our way to the water for one last chance to win the big fish pot. We took the opportunity of the weather to spend some time getting in the water and stalking the fish in a more "traditional" way.

It turned out to be a wise idea, and I don't know how many fish to normally expect because it was all mostly new to me, but in just a couple of short hours we easily caught and released 30 nice fish using small artificials.

Man what a blast!

If anyone wants a cool idea for a little different adventure or to experience catching some really neat fish, this area in Iowa offers everything to appease both the beginner and advanced trout fishermen. The creeks in the area are regularly stocked by the State and offer plenty of Browns, Bows and Brookies.

The place we stayed at was right on the creek and was called "The Lodge".

If you do a Google search for "Bear Creek Cabins Highlandsville Iowa" you can get a bit for information to plan a trip. I highly recommend this "cabin". It was simply amazing. From the huge double shower and jacuzzi tub, to the large flat screen TV's and even a large deck overlooking the valley. It would be tough to find a complaint.

I would most definitely be "IN" for another trip next year. Nothin better than good times and making memories.

[mrklean]

Great story and pics darren

[picksbigwagon]

Yep, my old stomping grounds, if I would have known you were heading down there DTRO, I could have given you some other hot spots down there as well. White Rooster tail usually works best when the black rooster tail is not catching anything. We have also found that a chartrues 1/8 jig and a 3" black grub tail woks really well along and under the bluffs too.

It has been too long since I have trout fished down there, guess I better fork out the cash for my IA license and stamp. My son has been begging to try stream fishing and there is no better place than Iowa trout streams.....

[Gordie]

Looked like a blast DTRo

[bobbymalone]

A It seemed more like something you would expect in the Appalachians or Ozarks

I grew up in Buttscratch, MO, the heart of the Ozarks, and that whole driftless area reminds me of home. Hills, valleys, bluffs, 89 camaro on blocks in the yard.

congrats on the first stream trout, dtro & crew.

[pushbutton]

Looks like a great time! How easy was it to access the streams/rivers? .....I know, do your home work and look for parks and what not....but what's the general rundown. Wow, really intrigued. Trout are still just on list for me as well and would rather fumble around and get my feet wet with that kind action.....stocked or not..

[bobbymalone]

Looks like a great time! How easy was it to access the streams/rivers? .....I know, do your home work and look for parks and what not....but what's the general rundown. Wow, really intrigued. Trout are still just on list for me as well and would rather fumble around and get my feet wet with that kind action.....stocked or not..

Generally access to trout streams in IA, WI, MN is pretty good. Sometimes I'll go to a park or something, but it's usually just drive to a bridge, find the well worn spot to park, start walking.

A lot of trout streams have angler easements and you can walk for miles up and down stream.

[DTro]

I was fortunate, as our host was semi familiar with the area. I would have never been able find that place on a whim, but after I was shown the ropes it was amazingly easy to find miles of streams to fish. Like stated, there are easements (ladders) that you go over and even lots of designated parking and camping.

On the other hand, the public areas down there were pretty popular on the weekend and the local landowner were actively “patrolling” their land. We were reminded a couple of times that our feet were on private property. We tried our best to respect the land owners, but a few places were tough to distinguish if public or private. I guess it’s best to err on the conservative side.

That General Store in Highlandsville has some very nice cabins for rent. The one we stayed in was outstanding. A creek runs right by the General Store there (and I’m sure the area gets fished quite a bit), but as you are driving by, from above you can see schools of fish surfacing and swimming around. It was a very cool experience.

[CarpinMNRiver]

That was a fun trip. You could probably spend a week wandering around on the streams down there. The Bear Creek cabins were unbelievably nice. Perfect for a large group.

[hanson]

Long time ago, I went to one of the Trout Day's down at Mystery Cave. I forgot who I fished with that day but we were casting small floating raps basically using them as jerkbaits and just crushed the brown trout. Haven't been back since but I'd sure like to, that was a lot of fun.

[Ice Shack Baby]

Great fishing down in that area. I grew up in Decorah and used to fish both Winneshiek and Allamakee counties for trout. You can also fish the Upper Iowa River for trout along with some walleye and decent smallmouth action as well.

There are also many good streams in the Whitewater area near Elba and Lanesboro.