Mayflies
Caddisflies
A Delaware County creek near Manchester at the southwestern edge of the trout country, spring-fed and stocked, popular and accessible — a good place to start an Iowa Driftless trip.
- Limestone
Rules at a glance
- Free fishing
Water temperature for Rainbow Trout
Ideal18°C est.ideal 10–18°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Rainbow Trout
When
Nymphing can work through most of the day.
Where
Cover mixed depths.
Method
Start with tight-line nymphs and adjust if fish rise or drift higher.
Kit
9 ft #4 rod, floating line, 12 ft tapered leader to 4–5 lb fluoro tippet.
Why this works
Excellent — water temperature is right today, though insect activity could be better.
Likely species
Mayflies
Caddisflies
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 7am
12pm(now) — Grasshopper (Eastern)
Stage: Terrestrials on topApproach: Dry flyActivity: 63%
Also:Reed Smut55%Trico (Eastern)45%
Peak emergence windowWeather boostEmergence building5 food groups active
Peak activity at 7am — Trico (Eastern) (Trico (Eastern), Degree-days at peak)
Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface
Hatch predictions
Top nymph shown — see all 2 guilds with Pro.
Start free trial14-day free trial. Cancel anytime.
Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)
Hatch predictions
Top prey shown — see all 4 with Pro.
Start free trial14-day free trial. Cancel anytime.
Evidence
Records-basedModerate confidence
Based on species-occurrence records, not local invertebrate surveys.
Through the year
0–3 scale · September highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
SulphurHatch
2
3
2
Trico (Eastern)Hatch
2
3
3
2
Eastern Blue-Winged OliveHatch
2
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
2
Eastern Summer BWO (Drunella)Hatch
2
3
3
2
Numbers are intensity 0 (none) to 3 (peak) — a guide, not a guarantee.
Ranked for today
Rainbow Trout fly box
Local fly shops: Driftless Fly Fishing Co.
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
- Iowa DNR — verify regulations and stocking schedule.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
About this water
The full read · show the working · for Rainbow Trout · confidence 90%
How the 82 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature100 × 28%28.0
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity85 × 18%15.3
Feeding Time65 × 13%8.5
Pressure75 × 7%5.3
Insect activity59 × 12%7.1
Conditions total= 82
Can you trust it?
Water temperatureair-to-water estimateestimated
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Prey activitymodelled from regional profilemodelled
What would change the calculation
The dawn and dusk windows score higher than the midday lull.
Directions
Seasons & zones
- Trout Open all year → Open all year
Related guides
Booking & contacts
Spring Branch
A Delaware County creek near Manchester at the southwestern edge of the trout country, spring-fed and stocked, popular and accessible — a good place to start an Iowa Driftless trip.
Water temperature for Rainbow Trout
Ideal18°C est.ideal 10–18°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Rainbow Trout
When
Nymphing can work through most of the day.
Where
Cover mixed depths.
Method
Start with tight-line nymphs and adjust if fish rise or drift higher.
Kit
9 ft #4 rod, floating line, 12 ft tapered leader to 4–5 lb fluoro tippet.
Why this works
Excellent — water temperature is right today, though insect activity could be better.
Likely species
Mayflies
Caddisflies
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 7am
12pm(now) — Grasshopper (Eastern)
Stage: Terrestrials on topApproach: Dry flyActivity: 63%
Also:Reed Smut55%Trico (Eastern)45%
Peak emergence windowWeather boostEmergence building5 food groups active
Peak activity at 7am — Trico (Eastern) (Trico (Eastern), Degree-days at peak)
Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface
Hatch predictions
Top nymph shown — see all 2 guilds with Pro.
Start free trial14-day free trial. Cancel anytime.
Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)
Hatch predictions
Top prey shown — see all 4 with Pro.
Start free trial14-day free trial. Cancel anytime.
Evidence
Records-basedModerate confidence
Based on species-occurrence records, not local invertebrate surveys.
Through the year
0–3 scale · September highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
SulphurHatch
2
3
2
Trico (Eastern)Hatch
2
3
3
2
Eastern Blue-Winged OliveHatch
2
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
2
Eastern Summer BWO (Drunella)Hatch
2
3
3
2
Numbers are intensity 0 (none) to 3 (peak) — a guide, not a guarantee.
Ranked for today
Rainbow Trout fly box
Local fly shops: Driftless Fly Fishing Co.
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
- Iowa DNR — verify regulations and stocking schedule.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
About this water
A Delaware County creek near Manchester at the southwestern edge of the trout country, spring-fed and stocked, popular and accessible — a good place to start an Iowa Driftless trip.
- Limestone
The full read · show the working · for Rainbow Trout · confidence 90%
How the 82 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature100 × 28%28.0
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity85 × 18%15.3
Feeding Time65 × 13%8.5
Pressure75 × 7%5.3
Insect activity59 × 12%7.1
Conditions total= 82
Can you trust it?
Water temperatureair-to-water estimateestimated
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Prey activitymodelled from regional profilemodelled
What would change the calculation
The dawn and dusk windows score higher than the midday lull.
Directions
Seasons & zones
- Trout Open all year → Open all year
Related guides
Booking & contacts