Iowa at its Finest Northeast Iowa Trout

Iowa at its Finest Northeast Iowa Trout

By Earl Taylor

“Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal, and give strength to the body and soul alike.” John Muir
Little Paint. Sny Magill. Waterloo. Wexford. Bloody Run. Simple names that make my heart leap for joy. Are they far away magical places to hunt or fish? No, they are the names of a few of my favorite trout streams tucked away in the Northeast corner of Iowa. It is along these streams that my heart finds contentment and peace.

Most of us are satisfied with a great bass pond or a river full of age-old flatheads that can straighten out a line and push its reel to its limit. Fishing conditions in most of Iowa allow us plenty of opportunities to fill our freezer with tasty fillets. The availability of plenty of parks and small lakes dot nearly every county. The Iowa sportsmen are truly blessed at what is made available to us.

But as much as I like pulling four-pound bass out of my pond, which is only 100 yards from my home, I simply love driving four hours to my cabin in Allamakee county so I can perch myself on my three legged stool and catch three quarter pound rainbow and brown trout.

The streams are minuscule in comparison to the Des Moines River I live near; most streams are fordable with only knee high boots. What the streams lack in volume, they make up in eye-popping beauty. Every trout stream is perfectly designed to fit in amongst the extra-large hills and cliffs that overlook the valley below. If the fish are not biting, just the pure raw beauty of the surroundings can occupy the mind of even the most ardent fisherman.

I first arrived in Northeast Iowa over 50 years ago as a fifth-grader. I had all the characteristics of a regular kid: squirrelly and impatient. My first attempts at trying to catch trout were met with limited success while using cheeseballs for bait; however, my family and I did eventually catch enough fish to become hooked on the place.

Fast forward 50 years and I now own a cabin on the bluff overlooking one of our favorite streams. My dad is buried in the nearby Catholic cemetery – being one of the only Protestants to ever be buried in the Irish-Catholic community. With a last name like Taylor, my dad’s tombstone seems out of place amongst the Mullarkey, the O’Neal, and the Madden names engraved on nearly every stone, but my dad wanted it that way. He wanted to be close to the place that was near heaven on earth; his grave is less than 200 yards from one of his favorite trout streams.

“What is heavenly about following the stocking truck?” you might be wondering. The trout we seek to catch are deposited weekly in the streams by Iowa DNR fish hatchery workers. Yesterday the trout lived at the hatchery in Decorah or near Elkader, today; they are swimming in a deep hole at Bloody Run.

The magic is in the water: 50-degree water that bursts out of the ground from nowhere. Water that has been stored deep below the earth’s surface in aquifers; cooling it down to a level that trout can survive. Caves and cracks feed the streams found only along the limestone bluffs of a few counties located in the northeast corner of Iowa. A land is known as the “Driftless region,” due to the lack the last continental glacier.

A $13 trout fee and an Iowa regular fishing license, allows you to take five trout per day. You can have up to ten trout in your freezer. The secret is to eat lots of fish; a fish that is rich in Omega3 oils; a fish that is good for the heart twice; good for the physical heart, but good for the heart that is also called the “soul” of man. Sitting alone, with cold, clear water gurgling past me can wash all heartaches and sorrows from me. It truly is great medicine.

My technique has changed over the years, but I am still using a cane pole as one of my favorite ways to catch trout. Tipped with the smallest hook possible, along with a tiny split-shot, I limit-out effortlessly using only small pieces of nightcrawler. My 13-foot telescopic fiberglass pole is a step up from my old bamboo pole of 50 years ago, but the action is the same. Occasionally, I will use the tiniest bobber I can find to help me drift the hook and worm along a ripple or hole.

According to Jordon Mullen, “Most people try to fish trout with their regular bass and catfish rigs. They use heavy line and large hooks. Leave your heavy equipment in your truck for fishing the Mississippi River. When you fish for trout – think light gear. 4-pound test line and sizes 14 to 22 hooks work best. If you have a favorite crappie pole set up with light line, this works perfectly for throwing super-duper lures or white jigs to catch trout.”

Mullen continues, “However, one of the great things about Northeast Iowa fishing is that the Mississippi River is only a stone’s throw from many of the trout streams. Often, we catch our limit of trout by noon and end up at the river fishing in the evening. Mississippi River fishing is just plain exciting: you never know what you will catch – gar, walleyes, smallmouth bass, flat heads, and bluegill will surprise you.”

For the purist who love the catch and release from their fly rods, the lower section of Waterloo Creek (below Highway 76), offers over 2 miles of stream that meanders through an open field. Fly fisherman use barbless flies and lures as they drift from ripple to ripple, looking for native browns holed up under a layer of water crest or found in one of the deeper holes. Waterloo Creek located near the town of Dorchester is only 6 miles from the Minnesota border off of Highway 76. A local, rural motel, called the Sportsmen Motel, (563-497-3615), is available to the fisherman who wish to be close to the nearby trout streams.

The fishing is great; the sites are beautiful, and public camping is available near every trout stream. Camping at Pike’s Peak State Park outside of McGregor puts you close to several trout streams, just across the river from a Cabelas store at Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, and with a view of the convergence of the Wisconsin and Mississippi rivers that is considered the “prettiest places in Iowa.” Shops in the small river towns can keep even the most ardent shopping wife occupied while in the area.

From Decorah to Backbone State Park near Strawberry Point, campers and RVers can find ample accommodations to fit every family. To make reservations at state parks go online and reserve your camping spot at: www.iowastateparks.reserveamerica.com.. Other campgrounds are available on first come first serve basis and usually only offer minimal services that won’t include electricity, running water or sewer.

Trout stocking reports can be viewed on the Iowa DNR website or by calling on your cell phone for the recorded daily stocking report (563-927-5736). Often, the stocking truck will stock some of the less-used streams unannounced. Stocking begins April 1 and ends at the end of October.