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Stream Details

French Creek - West Branch

General Information

County: Allamakee
Location: Located on French Creek Wildlife Management Area 6 miles northeast of Waukon.
Stream Segment Length: 0.40

Amenities

Amenities at French Creek - West Branch include:
  • Trails
  • Camping

Brook Trout - Slow: Brook trout in pre-spawn condition and more interested in spawning than feeding making catching more difficult. Dabbling a fly through narrow vegetated runs or find a deeper pool above a beaver dam may grab a brooks attention.
Brown Trout - Fair: Avoid walking in cleared gravel areas in faster moving water. These are trout nests or redds. Brown trout spawning activity nearing an end. Try using flies imitating minnows or other small fish.
Rainbow Trout - Good: Even though catchable stocking is completed for the season, plenty of fish remain in the stream to confound anglers. A small chunk of worm or cheese under a bobber fished through a deeper hole may turn a rainbow head. Cut line on deeply hooked fish if returning to water.
As of November 1, trout stream stocking is finished for the year. Staff would like to thank all our trout anglers and supporters for making this season fun and rewarding. Fall community pond stocking in full swing. Visit our website to find out more. Many trout streams flow through public areas where hunting occurs.
Brook Trout - Slow: Brook trout more interested in spawning than feeding making catching more difficult. Dabbling a fly through narrow vegetated runs or find a deeper pool above a beaver dam may grab a brooks attention.
Brown Trout - Good: Avoid walking in cleared gravel areas in faster moving water. These are trout nests or redds. Try using flies or crankbaits imitating minnows or other small trout.
Rainbow Trout - Good: With the end of catchable trout stocking, plenty of fish remain in the stream to confound anglers. A small chunk of worm or cheese under a bobber fished through a deeper hole may turn a rainbow head. Cut line on deeply hooked fish if returning to water.
As of November 1, trout stream stocking is finished for the year. Staff would like to thank all our trout anglers and supporters for making this season fun and rewarding. Fall community pond stocking in full swing. Visit our website to find out more. Many trout streams flow through public areas where hunting occurs.

West branch of French Creek contains naturally reproducing populations of Brown Trout and South Pine strain Brook Trout. It was last sampled in 2011 and at that time, there were 216 Brook Trout per mile with fish up to 10 inches. There were 744 Brown Trout per mile with fish up to 13 inches collected. This is an estimated population and actual trout numbers will be higher. There is a catch and release regulation for Brown Trout only and an artificial lure only rule on French Creek. This is a direct tributary to French Creek and is a very secluded small stream with access provided by a 1 mile walk from the parking lot. Primitive camping is allowed on the French Creek Wildlife Management Area.(2022)

Stream Maps


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

  • 04/30/2020 - 3,000 Brook Trout (2.1)

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

  • Brook 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
  • 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.

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