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.

[ted4887]

That's a heck of a write up Dtro! Iowa's trout streams are truly top notch, and Bear is one of the best. A few of us trout bums will travel south once Minnesota's season closes to scratch the itch. Their stocking program is out of this world! Even if you gets skunked fish wise, the scenery in the Driftless makes the trip worthwhile anyways.

[Andrew Erickson]

awesome! looks like a great time

[Nate McVey]

Nicely done Darren! Now we need to get you up to the Brule for some steelhead!

[Ic3wind]

Great write up

Its a pretty fantastic area and really good fishing. Im really familiar with Bear Creek. I'ved looked at thos cabins before and thought it would be a great place for an overnighter.

I still dont know how I feel about Iowa's management tactics. They have higher trout stamp fees than MN does and because of it are much more agressive in their stocking. It's lead to larger fish, Iowa's avg size trout is 12 inches vs 8 inches here in Mn and there always seems to be an eager trout in every hole or run that you think might be holding something. It just always feels a little bit rigged to me since so many arent wild. but, I guess thats also never stopped me from getting my fix from Sep-Jan. Thanks for sharing.

[DTro]

Thanks guys, I can certainly see where this type of fishing could become a passion/obsession. I didn't want to quit.

I have no idea of average size structure like you mentioned (since I was new to the whole thing), but that 12" average seems right on. The biggest in our group (out of about 100 fish) was 15 right on the nose. The best I could do was 14 5/8.

Nate, the thought of fighting a steelhead in small water scares me because I know I would enjoy it WAY too much. I don't need any more time or money suck holes.

[Driftless]

way cool.

Congrats on a successful outing.

[itchmesir]

Dtro glad you had fun in the drfitless! Great story too... It is definitely a passion... Being streamside with no one else around.. no boats zipping up and down the water... No traffic noise... Its a very intimate experience when its just you and tghe trout... I agree with ted that its not always about catching trout in the da when you're surrounded by such beauty!

Btw dtro... I know I'll extend my invitation to take ya out any time you wanna get into some more trout action... Sure a few others would be glad as well.. even have extra fly rods if you wanna see the true addiction of trout fishing its a blast down here

[hookncook]

Gonna catch a trout

Once trout fever gets in your blood it's a hard disease to shed

I'll second Ich's proposal. Come on down! Iowa NEVER disappoints me, neither does any other stream in the tri county area.

[DARK30]

Can't wait to take that first cool step and whip the bug into that first dark green riffle You guys didn't have a smart fire did ya?

[rushing]

We had smart fires, dumb fires, explosions....and that's not even counting Dennis' Beans!

[DTro]

LOL

The fire was so smart that is tricked 2 separate people into sleeping on the rocks right next to it. You would think the grass would be a little softer, but man that was a sneaky fire.

[CarpinMNRiver]

I had the tarp doubled up over the rocks and sleeping bag on top of that. It was actually pretty comfortable. I slept like a baby. I think I was more comfortable than the guy sleeping right on the rocks with a sleeveless shirt. I should have done a little sleeping recon beforehand. Ha ha...

[Lowblazah]

I had the tarp doubled up over the rocks and sleeping bag on top of that.

nothing like a good ol tarp when it comes to comfort! LOL.

ps...It didnt look comfortable.

[CarpinMNRiver]

Why would you want to sleep in a 5 star lodge when you can sleep outside on rocks? Plus that is what the grain belt and yagerbombs were for...