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Stream Details

Chihak Creek

General Information

County: Howard
Location: Lower: Take Hwy 9 south from Cresco. Turn south on 345th Ave and travel about 2.4 mi to Cleghorn Wildlife Area. Upper: Travel south from Cresco on Willow Ave. Turn east on King's Road and travel to the Turkey River WMA.
Stream Segment Length: 0.30

Amenities

Amenities at Chihak Creek include:

    Water flows elevated at most locations. Stream clarity highly variable depending on where rain fell but most are clear or clearing. Use care when wading streams with elevated flows. All streams were stocked this week. Gnats and no-see-ums out in force. Wild parsnip is beginning to bloom. Do not touch this plant. It can cause painful blisters.
    Brook Trout - Slow: Brook trout take more persuasion to bite in off-color water. Sneak up on brook trout for a better chance at catching one of these beauties. Good hatches of gnats, mayflies, caddis flies, and midges.
    Brown Trout - Good: Fish near or around logs or undercut banks. Spinner baits work well. Also try using streamers on larger waterbodies for some exciting action. Brown trout like cloudy water.
    Rainbow Trout - Good: Use spinner baits, hair jigs, or hooks tipped with a small piece of worm, bread, or cheese floated through deeper holes.

    Public fishing access to lower Chihak Creek is available on the Howard County Conservation Board's Cleghorn Wildlife Area and on the Iowa DNR's Turkey River Wildlife Management Area. The rest of the stream is on private ground and requires landowner permission to fish and access. The stream has naturally reproducing wild Brown Trout and not stocked. 2019 data show 252 Brown Trout per mile with fish ranging in size from 2 to 13 inches.(2021)

    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

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

      • Brown 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

      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.

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