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Stream Details

Middle Bear Creek

General Information

County: Winneshiek
Location: Stream located 7 miles northeast of Highlandville.
Stream Segment Length: 1.30

Amenities

Amenities at Middle Bear Creek include:

    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.

    This stream is entirely on private property. The lower quarter mile of Middle Bear is open to public fishing. The remainder of the stream requires permission from the landowners. Due to private ownership of this property, no map is available. Domestic Brown Trout stocked from 1972-1993. Domestic Brook Trout stocked from 1994-2005 with poor survival. In 2006 and 2009, Wisconsin Ash Creek Strain Brook Trout stocked and again stocked 2010 but all were fin clipped. 2010 samples showed excellent reproduction from 2010 (non-fin clipped fish). Good survival of 2009 fingerling stocking with some reproduction from 2007-08. No additional stocking necessary. Stream sampled in 2017 at 2 sites saw good numbers of Brook Trout up to 12 inches with good reproduction. (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

      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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