| The 2025 Catchable trout stocking calendar is now available. Catchable stocking season begins April 1. Start planning your getaway to beautiful northeast Iowa now. |
| Brook Trout - Slow: Use a midge, minnow, or leach pattern for fish looking to get more bang for their effort. |
| Brown Trout - Good: Fish around an undercut bank or similar structure. Cloudy days and off color water are a perfect mix for catching this trout. |
| Rainbow Trout - Good: Hatchery holdovers remain in the stream teasing anglers. Use small spinner baits or hair jigs floated past structure. |
This stream is managed under a "Catch and Release Brook Trout, Artificial lures only" regulation. Anglers must release all Brook Trout immediately. The stream supports naturally reproducing Brook Trout and Brown Trout populations. South Pine is a small open stream in a narrow valley surrounded by prairie in the floodplain. Access to this stream is challenging. The only way to access this fishery is by walking from the parking lot on Spring Creek Road following the mowed trail about 1 mile to the stream. At the bottom of the first hill past the pond, follow the mowed path to the right. Primitive camping is allowed on the South Pine Creek Wildlife Management Area.(2022)
In nearly all cases, Iowa fish are safe to eat. Cleaning and/or preparing the meal causes most of the problems regarding taste or color of fish. Like all living creatures, fish are susceptible to diseases, parasites, and other naturally occurring conditions in the water. If you suspect your fish is affected by any of these conditions, do not eat it. Consider eating smaller and younger fish which usually have lower levels of contaminants than larger ones. Most contaminants accumulate in larger, older fish. For additional information, check out our resources for eating and cooking Iowa caught fish.
To learn more about fish tissue monitoring, visit our Fish Tissue Monitoring page .