Black Hawk Creek Fishing Guides
A three hundred square mile creek crossing Grundy and Black Hawk counties to the Cedar at Waterloo, with rock riffles, deep timbered bends, strong smallmouth and a pike fishery most anglers overlook.
Guides on the Black Hawk Creek
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About the Black Hawk Creek
Black Hawk Creek drains roughly three hundred square miles of Grundy and Black Hawk counties and runs northeast to join the Cedar River at Waterloo. The gauge sits at Hudson, a few miles above the mouth. The creek gives its name to the county and to the Sauk leader, and it is one of the larger direct tributaries entering the Cedar in this reach.
The upper watershed is flat, intensively farmed and heavily tile-drained, and the creek there is a modest prairie stream in a cut channel. As it moves downstream toward Hudson the valley deepens, limestone comes closer to the surface, and the creek develops the riffle-and-pool structure that makes it worth fishing. Rock ledges, gravel bars, and deep bends against timbered cut banks are the features that hold fish. Water is usually turbid in spring and after rain, settling to a workable green in a dry summer stretch.
Smallmouth bass are the main quarry and they use the rock and the current seams exactly as they do on the better-known Iowa streams nearby. Northern pike are the pleasant surprise here, holding in the slower weedy stretches and the backwater sloughs and reaching genuine size in a creek this modest. Walleye push up from the Cedar in spring. Channel and flathead catfish take the deep holes, largemouth bass occupy the slackwater, and rock bass, bluegill, white sucker, freshwater drum and common carp round out a long species list.
Wading is straightforward at summer flows and the lower creek will float a kayak most of the year. The creek comes up fast after storms and drops back within a couple of days, so the Hudson gauge is worth a look before committing to a drive.
Hudson, Cedar Falls and Waterloo are all within a few minutes and cover lodging, fuel and tackle.
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Access
Hudson - the gauge location and the nearest town on the lower creek.
Cedar River - the receiving river at Waterloo, with public ramps.
Cedar Falls - the university town just north, with full services and river access.
Waterloo - the larger city at the creek mouth, with lodging and tackle.
Grundy Center - the upstream county seat on the drainage.
Black Hawk County road crossings - bridge access at many points along the creek.
George Wyth State Park - public river access downstream on the Cedar.
Seasons
Spring: high and turbid, with walleye and pike moving up out of the Cedar River.
Summer: lower and greener, the best wading and the best smallmouth fishing of the year.
Fall: stable flows and cooling water, with smallmouth and pike both active.
Winter: cold, low and largely inaccessible, with fish holding in the deepest bends.
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Questions
What is the current flow on the Black Hawk Creek?
As of Oct 18, 4:45 pm, the USGS gauge Black Hawk Creek at Hudson, IA reads 839 cfs. Conditions update every 15 minutes.
What species can you catch on the Black Hawk Creek?
Anglers target Bluegill, Channel Catfish, Common Carp, Flathead Catfish, Freshwater Drum, Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike, Rock Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White Sucker on the Black Hawk Creek in Iowa.
Where can you access the Black Hawk Creek?
Hudson - the gauge location and the nearest town on the lower creek. Cedar River - the receiving river at Waterloo, with public ramps. Cedar Falls - the university town just north, with full services and river access. Waterloo - the larger city at the creek mouth, with lodging and tackle. Grundy Center - the upstream county seat on the drainage. Black Hawk County road crossings - bridge access at many points along the creek. George Wyth State Park - public river access downstream on the Cedar.
When is the best time to fish the Black Hawk Creek?
Spring: high and turbid, with walleye and pike moving up out of the Cedar River. Summer: lower and greener, the best wading and the best smallmouth fishing of the year. Fall: stable flows and cooling water, with smallmouth and pike both active. Winter: cold, low and largely inaccessible, with fish holding in the deepest bends.
Where are the fishing regulations for the Black Hawk Creek?
Regulations change by season and section. Read the current rules on the Iowa agency site: https://www.iowadnr.gov/things-do/fishing/regulations-laws