Fly Fishing Grannis Creek

Grannis Creek is located east of the town of Fayette. The upper stretches of this stream contain some of the most beautiful scenery around. There is one rocky section with little springs falling out of the bluff walls, which is simply spectacular. Next time I get over that way I will take a picture and post it here. One of the benefits to fishing this part of the state is that you have so many options available to you. Mink and Bear Creeks are both located within a fifteen minute drive, and the Volga River provides some prime Iowa smallmouth fishing.

The fishing on Grannis is generally pretty good. They stock rainbow, brown, and a few brook trout. I have caught both of the former, but am yet to tie into a Grannis brookie. Inspecting the stream one notices that minnows are not overly abundant, none the less, I’ve had great luck with minnow imitations here. Most of the fish caught at Grannis are hatchery reared, I suspect that very few fish make it more than a week or two in the creek. Of course this is just my opinion, maybe one day I’ll catch one that changes it.

As for tackle for fishing Grannis, I always take along my ultra light spinning outfit. I like fishing upstream with a Rapala or small spinner. Working jigs up and across works well too. You can fly fish here, but you may find much of the stream is very tight quarters forcing you to roll cast quite a bit. Occasionally I will put my ultra light spinning real on my fly rod and use the length to delicately drop a jig right in front of a hiding fish. This can be affective when they will not take another lure. Good luck with your fishing!