Spring Creek · Limestone · Iowa

French Creek

French Creek terrain map
Marginal · Brown Trout
Trico Spinner · 20-24
Marginallive now
Slow going — pick your moments
River temperature is the limiting factor today, not the flow. Fish dawn or dusk if you go at all, and handle everything with extra care.
80% confidence
What moved it
  • LevelDry recentlyNo gauge reading
  • Water temp20.2°C
  • ClarityClear
Today's fly
TS
Trico Spinner20-24
Proven pattern for this period
Conditions on the water
Estimate
Level
Dry recently
No gauge reading
Water temp20.2°C
ClarityClear
Weather19°C
WindE 7 km/h
Pressure1016 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm
Rain · ahead2.9 mm

No gauge on this water — readings are regional estimates from weather, not a live gauge.

Water temperature for Brown Trout
Warm — slow
20°C est.ideal 10–16°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Brown 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
Water at 20.2°C — above the brown trout caution line (18°C). Fish dawn or dusk only. Land it fast, wet hands, no air shots.
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 6am

Hatch predictions

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 2 active hatches hour by hour with Pro.

Start free trial

14-day free trial. Cancel anytime.

Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 3 with Pro.

Start free trial

14-day free trial. Cancel anytime.

Evidence
ModelledModerate confidence

Modelled from regional ecology — no survey or occurrence data for this water yet.

Through the year
0–3 scale · July 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
Brown Trout fly box
Local fly shops: Driftless Fly Fishing Co.
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • Iowa DNR — French Creek is catch-and-release, artificial-only
  • Verify current regulations.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Cooler water nearby · 1
Water here around 20°C — probably warm enough to stress Brown Trout . These are likely cooler.
South Bear Creek
21 km
~19°C
Brown trout · Brook trout
Water quality · US Clean Water Act
  • Aquatic life: Supporting
  • Recreation: Impaired
What this classification means

Recreation: Bacteria/pathogen advisory — mind wading cuts and immersion.

EPA ATTAINS assessment unit 'French Creek' (IA 01-UIA-248), 2024 Integrated Report. Aquatic Life use: Fully Supporting. Listed impairment causes: Pathogens. This is a Clean Water Act assessment-unit classification (the US analogue of WFD), not a live reading.

Status is for the Clean Water Act assessment unit covering this reach.

EPA ATTAINS (Clean Water Act) · IA 01-UIA-248

The full read · show the working · for Brown Trout · confidence 80%
How the 26 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature23 × 28%6.4
Flow60 × 22%13.2
Clarity95 × 18%17.1
Feeding Time75 × 13%9.8
Pressure80 × 7%5.6
Insect activity58 × 12%7.0
Limiting factor: Water temperature (20.2°C) is outside Brown Trout's preferred range (10–16°C)= 59
Can you trust it?
Water temperatureair-to-water estimateestimated
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Prey activitymodelled from regional profilemodelled
What would change the calculation
Cooler water — back toward the 10–16 °C ideal band — would lift the score and ease welfare.
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • TroutOpen all year → Open all year
Related guides
Euro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Booking & contacts