Driftless
Bear Creek
Live Conditions
Bear Creek — Bear Creek near Highlandville, IA
24-Hr Pressure
29.14 inHg · → High/stable
Local Weather
Tough conditions — fish deep
Today
🌤️Partly cloudy
77° / 55°
Tomorrow
☁️Overcast
82° / 54°
Wed
☁️Overcast
82° / 56°
Thu
🌧️Rain showers
77° / 61°
0.54"
Cold front incoming — go deep with nymphs, surface activity likely slow.
Weather by Open-Meteo · No API key · Updated every 30 min
What should I fish today?
One call. Specific to today's exact conditions on the Bear Creek.
Time of Day
What should I pack?
Rod, flies, tippet, and safety gear specific to today's Bear Creek conditions.
🪰 Hatch Calendar
Bear Creek · June · Early Summer
Showing typical dates — water temperature data unavailable for live hatch predictions.
Select month
SULPHURS at peak (size 16-18) evenings — defining Driftless hatch. Caddis. Trico spinner falls beginning late month.
River Map
About Bear Creek
Bear Creek near Highlandville in Winneshiek County is Iowa's #1 rated trout stream — the North Bear and South Bear branches form a small Driftless spring-creek system with high per-mile densities of wild brown trout, plus brook trout in cold headwater reaches. Cold limestone-spring water, technical small-stream fishing, and a long history as the flagship Iowa Driftless fishery.
Regulations
Iowa fishing license required (~$22 resident annual + ~$14.50 trout stamp; 2026 fee changes — verify current rates on Iowa DNR before publishing). Year-round trout season on most NE Iowa streams. 5-fish daily limit on most streams. Verify Winneshiek County special-regulation sections in current Iowa DNR trout regulations.