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Stream Details

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Stream Details

Bear Creek

General Information

County: Allamakee
Location: From Waukon, take Hwy 76 north for 13 miles before turning west onto County Road A26 (Bear Creek Drive). Travel 2.5 miles and turn north on Washington Rd. Take Washington Rd north for about a mile before veering left onto Tahigwa Dr.
Stream Segment Length: 0.75

Amenities

Amenities at Bear Creek include:
  • Trails
  • Good/Excellent Shorefishing

Water levels on most are low but fishable. Trout stream stocking continues on all steams as scheduled even though some are not announced.
Brook Trout - Fair: The best brook trout streams are heavily vegetated making fishing difficult. Dabbling a fly through the narrow unvegetated runs is best or find deeper pools above beaver dams.
Brown Trout - Good: Brown trout are hard to catch in clear water. Anglers may have to be more stealthy when approaching streams. A variety of terrestrial insect patterns will work especially crickets, ants, and grasshoppers.
Rainbow Trout - Good: A small chunk of worm or cheese under a bobber fished through a deeper hole will turn a rainbow head. Cut line on deeply hooked fish if returning to water.
Brook Trout - Fair: The best brook trout streams are heavily vegetated making fishing difficult. Dabbling a fly through the narrow unvegetated runs is best or find deeper pools above beaver dams.
Water levels on most are low but fishable. Trout stream stocking continues on all steams as scheduled even though some are not announced. Beginning October 1, all streams become unannounced but continue to be stocked through the end of October.
Brown Trout - Good: Recent rain clouded up many streams creating an uptick in Brown Trout activity. They also flushed a good amount of new critters into the water. Anglers may have to be more stealthy when approaching streams. A variety of terrestrial insect patterns will work especially crickets, ants, and grasshoppers.
Rainbow Trout - Good: A small chunk of worm or cheese under a bobber fished through a deeper hole will turn a rainbow head. Cut line on deeply hooked fish if returning to water.

Sampling in 2017 at 2 sites indicated excellent natural reproduction of Brown Trout with fish ranging in size from young of year up to 18 inches and about 1,273 fish per mile. A few catchable Rainbow Trout emigrating from stocked areas on North and South Bear were also sampled. This section is not stocked with fingerling Brown Trout nor catchable Rainbow Trout and statewide trout regulations are in effect.(2021)

Stream Maps

Download Printable Stream Map

Parking Access
Catchable Trout Waters
Fingerling Stocked or Natural Reproduction
Restrictive Regulation Stream

You can zoom the map in and out using the slider on the left hand side, and you can pan the map by clicking and dragging. Rollover features for more information. Click streams to go to their page.

    No known aquatic invasive species have been found

  • 09/09/2019 - 11,186 Rainbow Trout (5.1)
  • 08/26/2019 - 30,714 Rainbow Trout (3.9)

The Fishing Regulations brochure is available for download. The summaries listed below are a partial listing provided for your benefit.

  • Brown Trout
    • Season: Continuous
    • Daily Bag Limit: combined trout (brook, brown, and rainbow) - 5 fish
    • Possession Limit: combined trout (brook, brown, and rainbow) - 10 fish
    • Length Limit: none
    • Other: Anglers must have paid the Trout Fee to fish for or possess trout
  • Rainbow Trout
    • Season: Continuous
    • Daily Bag Limit: combined trout (brook, brown, and rainbow) - 5 fish
    • Possession Limit: combined trout (brook, brown, and rainbow) - 10 fish
    • Length Limit: none
    • Other: Anglers must have paid the Trout Fee to fish for or possess trout
  • White Sucker
    • Season: Continuous
    • Daily Bag Limit: none
    • Possession Limit: unlimited
    • Length Limit: none
    • Other: May be taken by hand fishing, by snagging, by spear or by bow and arrow, day or night.

Tip: Click the arrow in the lower right corner to view the Fish Survey Data tool in full-screen mode.

Iowa-Caught Fish Are Safe to Eat, In Almost All Cases

The vast majority of Iowa’s streams, rivers and lakes offer safe and high-quality fish that pose little or no threat to human health if consumed. Some limitations may apply for young children and pregnant women. Here’s a Fish Consumption Fact Sheet from the Iowa DNR and the Iowa Dept. of Public Health for more information. Here is a list of current fish consumption advisories for Iowa lakes and rivers.

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