See every public fishing venue in Iowa on the map, with boat ramps, camping, parking and full rules for each one.
Pleasant Creek is a public river in Mahaska County and Poweshiek 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 public-trust river.
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.
It runs roughly 6 miles through the Central Iowa region. Anglers here mostly fish for largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, channel catfish, flathead catfish; walleye, bluegill, common carp are also on record. The nearest other mapped waters on PiscaMaps are Hawthorn Lake and Hawthorne Lake.
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: Most Iowa rivers are waded or floated by canoe, kayak and jon boat; the Mississippi, Missouri and lower Des Moines take full-size boats.
Bank & bivvy camping: You may fish and float any navigable Iowa river on a fishing licence. Bank access is at DNR access sites, state and county parks, and bridge crossings; 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.
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.
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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