See every public fishing venue in Iowa on the map, with boat ramps, camping, parking and full rules for each one.
Clear Lake is a public lake in Cerro Gordo County and Hancock County, Iowa, managed by Iowa Department of Natural Resources (significant public lake). It is public water managed for fishing by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. Public access confirmed via marquee water.
Clear Lake (3,600 ac) in north-central Iowa — walleye, yellow perch and largemouth bass headline a shallow, wind-swept natural lake with a big summer boating and cottage scene, plus northern pike, bluegill and crappie.
Clear Lake covers about 3,891 acres in the Iowa Great Lakes & North Central region. Anglers here mostly fish for walleye, largemouth bass, northern pike, bluegill; black crappie, yellow perch, channel catfish, white bass are also on record. The nearest other mapped waters on PiscaMaps are Clear Creek and Beaverdam Creek.
Species from PiscaMaps water-type profiles, IA DNR trout designations and hand research.
Night fishing: No statewide night-fishing closure in Iowa. Some state-park and city lakes post hours or gate at dark. Snagging, gigging and bowfishing for carp, gar and buffalo are legal on many waters with their own seasons; trotlines and limb lines are permitted on most rivers and lakes (not on trout streams) with the gear tagged.
Boats: The Iowa Great Lakes, Clear Lake, Rathbun, Red Rock, Saylorville, Coralville and the Mississippi/Missouri rivers have no horsepower limit; smaller state and county lakes often have posted no-wake or horsepower-limit rules. Iowa requires boater education for operators born after 1 Jan 1986.
Bank & bivvy camping: Camp at Iowa state parks (many on the best lakes and rivers — the Iowa Great Lakes area, Clear Lake, Backbone, Pikes Peak overlooking the Mississippi, Lake Ahquabi, Lake Icaria) and Corps campgrounds on Rathbun, Coralville, Saylorville and Red Rock. County conservation boards also run extensive park and camping systems across the state.
Tackle: Statewide largemouth/smallmouth bass daily limit is 6 (14-inch minimum on most water, with special regulations on some Iowa Great Lakes); walleye/sauger 3 in combination (many waters have a minimum length); muskellunge 1 (per-water minimum, often 40+ inch); panfish and catfish generous. Trout limits and gear depend on the stream designation (special-regulation, catch-and-release, put-and-take). Check the current Iowa DNR fishing regulations for this water.
Boat ramps: 7 mapped — Boat ramp, Boat ramp, Boat ramp, Boat ramp, Boat ramp, Boat ramp and others nearby.
Camping: 2 sites mapped nearby — McIntosh Woods State Park Campground, Clear Lake State Park Campground.
Source: OpenStreetMap contributors.
Anyone 16-64 needs an Iowa DNR fishing licence — the resident annual is about $22, the non-resident annual about $48, and non-resident 1-day/7-day licences are sold. A trout fee (about $16.50) is required in addition to the fishing licence to fish for or keep trout in the Driftless Area streams and stocked trout lakes. Iowa residents 65 and older can buy a discounted licence, and anyone under 16 fishes free. Buy from Iowa DNR at iowadnr.gov. An Iowa fishing licence covers this water; a trout fee is also required to fish for or keep trout.
Every water carries species, bank & boat access, current regulations and live water conditions — and members get Swim Mapper, Catch Logger and Trip Planner. It's the only US map with a dedicated carp-water layer.
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