Iowa’s Best Trout Fishing Stream is Less Than Two Hours From Waterloo
Iowa is home to nearly 100 trout streams, with nearly half of them located in just two counties in the extreme northeastern corner of the state; Winneshiek, and Allamakee.
Bear Creek is an 11.2-mile-long tributary of the Upper Iowa River. North Bear and South Bear are considered to be two of the top trout streams in all of Iowa. With more visits to these two streams than any other in the state, it’s been voted the top trout stream in the state three times in a row, according to the Iowa DNR.
North Bear Creek (six miles long) is known for having one of the largest populations of wild brown trout in Iowa. It is stocked weekly from April through October. The Iowa DNR says that in 2009, there were 526 brown trout per mile with fish up to 20 inches collected. It’s located just a couple miles north of Highlandville, which is only a few miles south of the Minnesota border.
South Bear Creek is 5.2 miles long and is also a popular spot for Brown and Rainbow Trout as well as white suckers.
In total, the area is nearly 1,000 acres. Check out a map of the Bear Creek area, HERE.
If you need any supplies, you can surely load up at the nearby General Store in the unincorporated town of Highlandville in Winneshiek County. (Which includes my favorite beverage -- “Spring Grove Soda.”)
FYI: There is also a Bear Creek located within Fayette County, between the towns of Arlington and Fayette…and another Bear Creek in Story County
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