See every public fishing venue in Iowa on the map, with boat ramps, camping, parking and full rules for each one.
Des Moines River is a public river in Webster County, Polk County, Van Buren County, Marion County, Boone County and Wapello County, Iowa, managed by State of Iowa (public / navigable water). You can fish it on an Iowa fishing licence; bank access is at road crossings, state and county parks, DNR access sites and bridge crossings, and riparian owners control the bank on non-navigable reaches. A trout fee is required to fish for or keep trout on the Driftless Area streams. Public access confirmed via marquee water.
The Des Moines River — Iowa's longest river, running the length of the state from the Minnesota border to the Mississippi at Keokuk. Walleye, sauger, largemouth and smallmouth bass, channel and flathead catfish, white bass and drum, with Saylorville and Red Rock lakes as major impoundments along it.
It runs roughly 381 miles through the Central Iowa region. Anglers here mostly fish for walleye, sauger, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass; channel catfish, flathead catfish, white bass, freshwater drum are also on record. Live flow and gauge height come from the Des Moines River at St. Francisville, MO USGS station shown below. The nearest other mapped waters on PiscaMaps are Saylorville Lake and Saylor 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: 20 mapped — Boat ramp, Boat ramp, Boat ramp, Boat ramp, Boat ramp, Boat ramp and others nearby.
Camping: 20 sites mapped nearby — Des Moines YMCA Camp, Campsite, Ivans Recreation Area, Dolliver Memorial State Park Campground, Campsite, Pilot Point and others.
Source: OpenStreetMap contributors.
Loading live flow & gauge height…
Live from USGS gauge 05490600 — Des Moines River at St. Francisville, MO. Full gauge data →
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 navigable rivers. The Mississippi is fished on an Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin or Minnesota licence in the border reaches; the Missouri on an Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota or Missouri licence. A trout fee is required on the Driftless Area streams.
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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