A Trout Will Show the Way

Weather vanes are available in many designs. Around the farm fields of eastern Iowa you can generally see vanes with farm motifs - farm animals, machinery and plain pointed arrows. But at the Manchester Trout Hatchery a fish theme vane is present on the DNR workshop building. The hatchery is in a micro-environment of steep hills, a spring fed stream and shade trees - about the farthest scene one would conjure for a farming state.

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A Summer Visit to Manchester's Trout Hatchery

My third visit to the Manchester Trout Hatchery located just southeast of Manchester, Iowa occurred in early August. Previously, snow has been on the ground during the other trips. What a difference warmer months make. The facility is open to tour several concrete pools that hold growing trout segregated by species or size.

A big draw for kids of all ages is to feed the fish by throwing them tiny pellet sized trout food, probably something like Purina Trout-Chow. Hover above the long pools, extend your arm and drop the food into the water. Trout race to find the pellet feast. Even without food, the act of pretending to have some food for the fish, makes them ripple the water's surface in anticipation.

Most trout are eventually released into streams in throughout NE Iowa like this one which runs through the hatchery property.

Seems strange but anglers can try their luck catching trout that probably originated feet from this stream. There is a 14 inch minimum length limit in addition to having a fishing license and a trout stamp to catch these beauties.

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Spring Branch Trout in the Springtime

Spring branch, a spring-fed stream supports these two rainbow trout located on state fish hatchery property near Manchester, Iowa. About 50 yards downstream a fly fisherman tried his best to catch these two colorful swimmers and their brethren. He didn't have any luck while I was there.

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No Pout for Iowa's Winter Trout

For all the years that I have traveled eastern and central Iowa I apparently have not been to every location - shocking, yes. Yesterday for example the 42N staff was out on a drive enjoying the last day of this week’s January thaw. So it was up to Manchester, Iowato see the sites and enjoy the country side.

A sign posted a few miles southeast of town on county road D22 points to the state’s trout hatchery. I hadn't been to an open hatchery in decades so off the beaten path we went to investigate.

Along the way the land turns from relatively flat farm fields to hilly, timbered and with a spring-fed creek running along the road. At the Iowa DNR hatchery location there are a few one story buildings which are like extended ranch houses. In the hatchery’s open area tall fences surround holding ponds where you can see swarms of growing trout. Visitors can feed the fish using a bucket of fish food and Dixie cups available at the fence’s corner. Just pour a little in your hand and throw it over the fence, then watch the water boil in activity as the trout youngsters race to claim the food pellets.

On the west side of the parking lot a clear creek flows. There you can see freed trout in the stream which is only a few yards wide. We observed two anglers, one leaving and the other preparing to fish. The man dressed in waders walked down to the bridge, turned and began throwing a trout line upstream. A sign posted nearby proclaims any caught trout under 14 inches in length must be returned to the water immediately. By just glancing at the stream’s population of trout it appears that nearly a third of the fishes are over that minimum.

Need more of an Iowa trout fix? Then go to the DNR’s web site or see the hatchery’s live trout swimming in the holding ponds at this site.

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