Allamakee County

I was out yesterday doing some stream consultation on an Iowa stream. Despite the $53 they soaked me for a license and trout stamp, I was very impressed with the quality of the stream. We caught numerous browns in the 12-14 inch class including one that was 17 inches on a #18 rust colored pheasant tail nymph.

I realize that Iowa is a huge put and take fishery. With that said, there are also a ton of fish and the season is open year round. It was interesting to see that most of the vehicles I saw parked along the road yesterday were from Wisconsin. It’s not a shock that some of our border neighbors end up here considering how many guys from the Metro hammer the Rush and the Kinnie. One of my good fishing partners from Wisconsin fishes in Minnesota and Iowa simply to get away from the crowds and pressure of Wisconsin. The streams, terrain, and hatches are all the same. If you can read water, you can certainly fish in any of the three states.

PS The morning trico hatch was huge, so I can only assume that it’s going pretty strong south of 90 as well.

Dave, You didn’t say if you were consulting for the Iowa DNR? I may be wrong but I believe Iowa has a policy where certain individuals may be issued licenses free of charge if there is a determination the person will contribute to promoting Iowa hunting or fishing in a some positive way. As I said, I may be mistaken but if your connection/consulting is with the DNR, you may wish to ask if a free license is available in your situation? Of course you could easily add $53.00 to your fee/invoice.

I was on-stream with a private landowner showing him how it’s best to fly fish his property since he’s new to the sport. I’m not sure if Iowa has a requirement for a guide’s license, so I just call it some on-stream consultation .

There are a few real nice streams in Northeast Iowa, so I’m sure I’ll be back soon, as well as in October when the MN season closes and I can fish some late season Blue Winged Olives.