23 public waters in the Central Iowa region — 2 lakes/reservoirs and 21 rivers. Every one is public water fishable on a Iowa licence.
See every public fishing venue in Iowa on the map, with boat ramps, camping, parking and full rules for each one.
Shelby County, Iowa — Prairie Rose Lake is a 190-acre lake, managed by Iowa Department of Natural Resources (significant public lake): A small Iowa state or county park lake — Largemouth Bass, Bluegill, Redear Sunfish, Crappie and Channel Catfish, often with a boat ramp and shoreline fishing access. Managed by the DNR fisheries bureau; many have had aeration or renovation work.
Shelby County, Iowa — Manteno Lake is a 14-acre lake, managed by Iowa Department of Natural Resources (significant public lake): A small Iowa state or county park lake — Largemouth Bass, Bluegill, Redear Sunfish, Crappie and Channel Catfish, often with a boat ramp and shoreline fishing access. Managed by the DNR fisheries bureau; many have had aeration or renovation work.
West Nishnabotna River (208 km) flows through Shelby, Pottawattamie, Mills and 3 more counties in Iowa. A western Iowa river (the Little Sioux, Big Sioux, Boyer, Nishnabotna) — channel and Flathead Catfish, Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Carp and Drum in muddy, meandering loess-hills country rivers.
Pottawattamie, Mills, Shelby and 1 more county in Iowa — Keg Creek is a 9 km stream: A warmwater Iowa river or large creek — largemouth and Smallmouth Bass, channel and Flathead Catfish, Walleye, Bluegill and Carp. Wade or paddle; access at DNR sites, county parks and bridges.
Silver Creek runs 79 km through Pottawattamie, Shelby and Mills Counties, Iowa: A northeast-Iowa Driftless Area spring creek (French Creek, Bloody Run, Waterloo Creek, Paint Creek, Big Mill Creek) — cold, clear, spring-fed limestone water with wild and stocked brown and Brook Trout, and stocked rainbows in the put-and-take waters. Classic Driftless coulee-country fly fishing, an extension of the same geology as southwest Wisconsin and southeast Minnesota.
Walnut Creek (76 km) flows through Pottawattamie, Montgomery, Fremont and 2 more counties in Iowa. A warmwater Iowa river or large creek — largemouth and Smallmouth Bass, channel and Flathead Catfish, Walleye, Bluegill and Carp. Wade or paddle; access at DNR sites, county parks and bridges.
Mosquito Creek (23 km) flows through Pottawattamie, Shelby and Harrison Counties, Iowa. A warmwater Iowa river or large creek — largemouth and Smallmouth Bass, channel and Flathead Catfish, Walleye, Bluegill and Carp. Wade or paddle; access at DNR sites, county parks and bridges.
Pigeon Creek runs 27 km through Pottawattamie, Harrison and Shelby Counties, Iowa: A warmwater Iowa river or large creek — largemouth and Smallmouth Bass, channel and Flathead Catfish, Walleye, Bluegill and Carp. Wade or paddle; access at DNR sites, county parks and bridges.
East Branch West Nishnabotna River (47 km) flows through Shelby, Audubon, Pottawattamie and 1 more county in Iowa. A western Iowa river (the Little Sioux, Big Sioux, Boyer, Nishnabotna) — channel and Flathead Catfish, Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Carp and Drum in muddy, meandering loess-hills country rivers.
West Fork West Nishnabotna River runs 44 km through Crawford and Shelby Counties, Iowa: A western Iowa river (the Little Sioux, Big Sioux, Boyer, Nishnabotna) — channel and Flathead Catfish, Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Carp and Drum in muddy, meandering loess-hills country rivers.
Indian Creek runs 20 km through Cass, Audubon and Shelby Counties, Iowa: A warmwater Iowa river or large creek — largemouth and Smallmouth Bass, channel and Flathead Catfish, Walleye, Bluegill and Carp. Wade or paddle; access at DNR sites, county parks and bridges.
Middle Silver Creek runs 31 km through Pottawattamie and Shelby Counties, Iowa: A northeast-Iowa Driftless Area spring creek (French Creek, Bloody Run, Waterloo Creek, Paint Creek, Big Mill Creek) — cold, clear, spring-fed limestone water with wild and stocked brown and Brook Trout, and stocked rainbows in the put-and-take waters. Classic Driftless coulee-country fly fishing, an extension of the same geology as southwest Wisconsin and southeast Minnesota.
Harrison and Shelby Counties, Iowa — Picayune Creek is a 23 km stream: A warmwater Iowa river or large creek — largemouth and Smallmouth Bass, channel and Flathead Catfish, Walleye, Bluegill and Carp. Wade or paddle; access at DNR sites, county parks and bridges.
Mill Creek (17 km) flows through Harrison, Shelby and Crawford Counties, Iowa. A northeast-Iowa Driftless Area spring creek (French Creek, Bloody Run, Waterloo Creek, Paint Creek, Big Mill Creek) — cold, clear, spring-fed limestone water with wild and stocked brown and Brook Trout, and stocked rainbows in the put-and-take waters. Classic Driftless coulee-country fly fishing, an extension of the same geology as southwest Wisconsin and southeast Minnesota.
Elkhorn Creek (19 km) flows through Audubon and Shelby Counties, Iowa. A warmwater Iowa river or large creek — largemouth and Smallmouth Bass, channel and Flathead Catfish, Walleye, Bluegill and Carp. Wade or paddle; access at DNR sites, county parks and bridges.
Moser Creek runs 17 km through Shelby and Crawford Counties, Iowa: A warmwater Iowa river or large creek — largemouth and Smallmouth Bass, channel and Flathead Catfish, Walleye, Bluegill and Carp. Wade or paddle; access at DNR sites, county parks and bridges.
Long Branch (16 km) flows through Shelby and Audubon Counties, Iowa. A warmwater Iowa river or large creek — largemouth and Smallmouth Bass, channel and Flathead Catfish, Walleye, Bluegill and Carp. Wade or paddle; access at DNR sites, county parks and bridges.
Harrison and Shelby Counties, Iowa — Spring Creek is a 14 km stream: A warmwater Iowa river or large creek — largemouth and Smallmouth Bass, channel and Flathead Catfish, Walleye, Bluegill and Carp. Wade or paddle; access at DNR sites, county parks and bridges.
Harrison and Shelby Counties, Iowa — North Picayune Creek is a 9 km stream: A warmwater Iowa river or large creek — largemouth and Smallmouth Bass, channel and Flathead Catfish, Walleye, Bluegill and Carp. Wade or paddle; access at DNR sites, county parks and bridges.
Shelby County, Iowa — Elm Creek is a 8 km stream: A warmwater Iowa river or large creek — largemouth and Smallmouth Bass, channel and Flathead Catfish, Walleye, Bluegill and Carp. Wade or paddle; access at DNR sites, county parks and bridges.
In Shelby County, Iowa, Kidds Creek is a 9 km river or creek. A warmwater Iowa river or large creek — largemouth and Smallmouth Bass, channel and Flathead Catfish, Walleye, Bluegill and Carp. Wade or paddle; access at DNR sites, county parks and bridges.
Dutch Branch (7 km) flows through Shelby County, Iowa. A warmwater Iowa river or large creek — largemouth and Smallmouth Bass, channel and Flathead Catfish, Walleye, Bluegill and Carp. Wade or paddle; access at DNR sites, county parks and bridges.
Prairie Rose Creek runs 7 km through Shelby County, Iowa: A warmwater Iowa river or large creek — largemouth and Smallmouth Bass, channel and Flathead Catfish, Walleye, Bluegill and Carp. Wade or paddle; access at DNR sites, county parks and bridges.
Across its mapped waters, Shelby County holds 13 species on PiscaMaps, including Largemouth Bass, Channel Catfish, Flathead Catfish, Walleye, Common Carp, Bluegill, Smallmouth Bass and Freshwater Drum.
Ramps, put-ins and species for every water — plus the carp layer no other US app has.
Open the Iowa map Join PiscaMapsOne Iowa DNR fishing licence covers every public water in the state — the resident annual is about $22, the non-resident annual about $48, with non-resident 1-day and 7-day options. A ~$16.50 trout fee is required in addition to the fishing licence to fish for or keep trout in the Driftless Area streams. Iowa residents 65 and older can buy a discounted licence, and anyone under 16 fishes free. Buy at iowadnr.gov.