The Yellow River is a smallish stream that runs through the hills and bluffs near Waukon in northeast Iowa. The beauty of this area is second to no other in the state, and the fishing isn't that far behind. I haven't spent a great deal of time fishing the Yellow lately, but it was a common destination when I lived a little closer.
One of the things that sets the Yellow River apart from many of the state's waters is the fact that you can catch both smallmouth bass and trout from the same stream. There are many spring fed creeks in this part of the state and many of them empty into the Yellow River. Consequently, the water remains cool during even the warmest parts of the year, which keeps the trout alive and the bass active throughout the summer.
My most recent trip to the Yellow didn't result in many fish, only two modest sized browns. I think this was due to the fact that the usually crystal clear water was severely stained from the previous day's rains. The water discoloration shut the smallmouth fishing down, but it was still a beautiful day to be out.
One of my most vivid fishing memories happened when I was 16 fishing on the Yellow River. A friend and I had parked the car near the bridge that crosses at County Road X26. I took my ultralight rod and tied on a 1/8 ounce chartreuse spinner bait. It had a small willow blade on it that allowed it to stay beneath the water even when worked against the current. I cast up to the first bridge piling from the shallow water below the bridge. I hadn't turned the reel five cranks when the first smallie slammed it. After a couple of minutes of acrobatic jumping, I had landed and released my first fish. My next cast was headed to the second bridge piling, upstream from the first. As I drug the lure past the concrete I had another slam, and another nice twelve inch smallie. I hadn't been there ten minutes and I had already released two nice fish. I made a couple more casts up towards the bridge, but received no further attention, so I decided to start moving downstream. About fifty yards downstream there was a boulder in the center of the stream. I cast my spinner bait up and across so that the retrieve would place the lure in the middle of the eddy created by the rock. As soon as the lure hit the eddy, there was a flash of silver and resistance on my line. I pulled to set the hook, but came up empty handed. So I quickly made another cast to the same place, and got the same result. I was a bit puzzled by this, the fish did not appear to be a smallmouth, but what else would be hitting my spinner bait? I made a third cast and finally hooked the fish. My rod bent quite a bit as the fish darted off with the current. I followed the fish downstream a bit before I was able to get it close enough to see that is was a nice rainbow trout. I couldn't believe that a trout had clobbered my spinner bait twice and not learned his lesson.
The Yellow River is definitely worth at least one trip a summer, and more if you aren't too far from it. I wish this stream was a little closer to me, or maybe that I was closer to it. It is one of the most scenic small streams in the state. And if the success of the trip isn't based solely on the size and number of fish, it might just be the best place to in the state to spend a day fishing.
