Official State of Iowa Website Here is how you know

Stream Details

  Fishing   >   Where to Fish   >   Trout Streams   >   Stream Details

Stream Details

Bigalk Creek

General Information

County: Howard
Location: Located 7 miles northeast of Cresco.
Stream Segment Length: 0.60

Amenities

Amenities at Bigalk Creek include:
  • Accessible Pier
  • Good/Excellent Shorefishing

Brook Trout - Fair: Brook trout taking a variety of flies imitating gnats, midges, caddis or an occasional mayfly. Use care not to alarm it when approaching the stream in gin clear water.
Streams maintain nice holdover numbers for the casual angler. With the start of turkey season, anglers should avoid wearing red, white, or blue. The calendar is now available on-line at https://www.iowadnr.gov/Fishing/Trout-Fishing.
Brown Trout - Good: Best time to fish spooky brown's is when water is off color. Use lures that mimic small minnows or midges.
Rainbow Trout - Good: Find rainbows in head ends of pools. Fish the afternoon hatches for fun action.

Bigalk Creek is stocked weekly April through October with catchable 10-12 inch Rainbow Trout. Fingerling Rainbow Trout were stocked annually from 2003 to 2011. Limited natural reproduction of Rainbow Trout has been documented. 2012 sample data saw 168 fish per mile with fish ranging in size from 6-12 inches. Stream access is easy and an accessible access is located downstream. Please be aware that segments of the stream are on private property where only angling is permitted.(2022)

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

  • Annual 2022 - 4,350 Rainbow Trout (12)
  • Annual 2021 - 4,750 Rainbow Trout (12)
  • Annual 2020 - 4,500 Rainbow Trout (12)
  • August 2019 - 300 Brook Trout (10.8)
  • annual 2019 - 4,552 Rainbow Trout (10.8)
  • August 2018 - 77 Brook Trout (2-3/lb)
  • annual 2018 - 4,656 Rainbow Trout (2-3/lb)
  • annual 2017 - 1,118 Brook Trout (2-3/lb)
  • annual 2017 - 3,408 Rainbow Trout (2-3/lb)
  • annual 2016 - 400 Brook Trout (2-3/lb)
  • annual 2016 - 4,550 Rainbow Trout (2-3/lb)
  • annual 2015 - 460 Brook Trout (2-3/lb)
  • annual 2015 - 4,200 Rainbow Trout (2-3/lb)
  • annual 2014 - 639 Brook Trout (2-3/lb)
  • annual 2014 - 3,753 Rainbow Trout (2-3/lb)

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

  • 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.

Return