Driftless report 7-26 & 27

[Skeeter ZX190]

I fished 3 different creeks on a quick trip up to the Iowa Driftless.  North Bear, Pine Springs, and Waterloo.  Caught fish in all 3 with it being an equal mix of browns and rainbows.  No brookies but those 3 creeks aren't known for brook trout.  Fished a dry-dropper.  The dry was a size 14 Caddis pattern.  The dropper that produced the best was a size 20 mustard colored Walt's worm.  In the 6 hours of fishing that I did I probably caught around 50 fish.  Biggest was in the 13 inch range.  That's the good news.  The bad news was the bugs.  I have never seen anything like it.  Primarily gnats.  Might have been some mosquitoes mixed in there but the gnats were a plague.  Hundreds of them constantly buzzing around your face.  I only lasted 2 hours on my second day of fishing.  When I got back to the truck I took off my hat and it was covered with gnats.  I will NEVER go back in the summer.  It's a beautiful area, but next time I'll go in the fall or spring.

[ness]

Sounds like fun! We love the area, though we’ve never done it in the summer. Sounds like that was a good thing! 

[DADAKOTA]

Put some Vicks Vaporub behind your ears and on the brim of your cap.  Used to work for us in Upper Michigan.

[Quillback]

That's some great fishing, all these reports are getting me motivated to make it up there some day.  But not in gnat season, I hate those things.  

[Mitch f]

I avoid Iowa at all costs especially Cedar Rapids. I rented a car not long ago and received an email from Enterprise stating that due to the contract you signed we are going to charge you for tickets you received in Cedar Rapids. One for not paying a toll, (which I apparently never saw), the other for speeding. About $100 each. 

[Gavin]

Good for you! The Decorah area is a ton of fun!

[snagged in outlet 3]

Has anyone fished the Mississippi in NE Iowa?

[Skeeter ZX190]

2 hours ago, Quillback said:

That's some great fishing, all these reports are getting me motivated to make it up there some day.  But not in gnat season, I hate those things.  

The Decorah Visitors Center which is in downtown, has the trout fishing maps for all 4 counties of the Driftless area.  These maps are free and show the public water with parking also marked.