Waterloo Creek begins across the border in Minnesota where I believe it is known as Bee Creek. It flows into Iowa just north of the town of Dorchester. The upper reaches of this stream are stocked as a put and take fishery, while the section south of the Highway 76 bridge is maintained as catch and release, artificial lures only water. The picture on the right is Monte Bowden with a nice brown from the section of river just south of the Minnesota border.



Waterloo Creek has very good water quality for an Iowa stream. It is a mid-sized stream, bigger than most of our small spring fed streams, but smaller than the small rivers like the Yellow or Turkey. At times there are abundant (for Iowa anyway) hatches, which can provide great fly fishing. Most of the stream flows through pasture, further enhancing its appeal to fly fishers. The pictures on this page were taken in March of 2003, shortly after a decent snow melt. The water was high and slightly tinted that day, which made for excellent fishing using woolly buggers and other streamers. When the water is at normal levels, it's typically gin clear and fishing requires a stealthy approach.

For spinning gear, I'd recommend having along some small spinners like a panther martin, an assortment of small plugs, and definitely some fishy looking light jigs. The catch and release section can be tough with spinning gear when the water is low and clear, on these days it is best fished by night. I've heard stories of some monsters pulled from the deep hole right below the Highway 76 bridge during the dark of night. The big browns come out to hunt, and have trouble resisting a Rapala pulled past their noses.

This is a wonderful stream to test your fly fishing skills on. If the water is running clear, you will generally encounter some insect activity at sometime during the day. Small mayflies (BWO and Adams do a good job imitating them) seem to be a fairly consistent hatch, as well as midges. And on days when the fish are staying down go sub-surface with pheasant tails, hair's ears, copper johns, and other nymphs. I've had a good deal of luck using an un-weighted pheasant tail behind a blue winged olive during the hatches.



Later in the summer, the catch and release section can become a grasshopper smorgasbord. Pick your favorite hopper pattern and hold on. There seem to be good numbers of brown trout fourteen inches and larger in the section, and they love to explode on grasshoppers.

I haven't fished this stream much in the fall, but I suspect the good fishing just keeps on going. This might be a great time of year to get out and not see another person on this often visited stream.