See every public fishing venue in Iowa on the map, with boat ramps, camping, parking and full rules for each one.
Saylorville Lake is a public lake in Polk County, Iowa, managed by US Army Corps of Engineers. It is public water managed for fishing by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. Public access confirmed via marquee water.
An Iowa Corps or DNR reservoir (Rathbun, Coralville, Saylorville, Red Rock, Brushy Creek, Big Creek, Lake Icaria, Three Mile Lake, Little River Lake) — largemouth bass, a stocked walleye and muskellunge fishery, white bass and hybrid stripers, slab crappie, bluegill and channel/flathead catfish. Iowa's biggest 'downstate' fishing lakes.
Saylorville Lake covers about 5,950 acres in the Central Iowa region. Anglers here mostly fish for largemouth bass, walleye, northern pike, muskellunge; black crappie, white crappie, bluegill, channel catfish are also on record. The nearest other mapped waters on PiscaMaps are Saylor Creek and Fourmile 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: 5 mapped — Boat ramp, Boat ramp, Boat ramp, Boat ramp, Boat ramp.
Camping: 3 sites mapped nearby — Cottonwood Recreation Area, Bob Shetler Picnic Area, Bob Shetler Recreation Area.
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.
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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