| Clarity on most streams is good. Stream flows up with recent rain. Rain over weekend may cause streams clarity to decline. |
| Brook Trout - Slow: Use midge, minnow, or leach patterns for fish looking to get more bang for their effort. Midge hatches on sunny afternoons. |
| Brown Trout - Good: Brown trout activity improves when water gets cloudy. Float a line past an undercut bank or current seam for luck. |
| Rainbow Trout - Good: Hatchery holdovers remain in the stream teasing anglers. Use a small spinner bait or hair jig floated past undercut bank or through a deep hole. |
Coldwater Creek is stocked weekly April through October with catchable 10-12 inch Rainbow Trout and also provides opportunities for wild Brown Trout. Sampling data for Coldwater from 2011 showed 1593 Brown Trout per mile with fish up to 19 inches present. This is an estimated population and actual trout numbers will be higher. Coldwater also has a population of Rainbow Trout with inconsistent natural reproduction. The spring source of Coldwater Creek is on public property and one of the most beautiful in Iowa. There are areas of easy streambank access. Primitive camping opportunities are available in the Coldwater 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 .