| Brook Trout - Fair: A variety of insect hatches occurring. Use care not to alarm fish when approaching stream with clear water. |
| Brown Trout - Good: Fish near or around undercut banks. Spinner baits work well especially in windy conditions. Try using streamers on larger waterbodies for some exciting action. Brown trout prefer slightly off color water. |
| Catchable trout stocking occurring weekly but streams announced once a month. Trout streams are in excellent condition. Flows remain elevated. Gnats and mosquitoes common. Caddis fly and mayfly hatches becoming more numerous especially on warm sunny afternoons. Turkey season in full swing. Anglers should avoid wearing red, white, or blue. These colors look like a turkey head. |
| Rainbow Trout - Excellent: Use spinner baits, hair jigs, or hooks tipped with a small piece of worm, dough ball, or cheese floated through deeper water. Use bait if keeping fish. |
| Catchable trout stocking occurring weekly but streams announced once a month. Trout streams are in excellent condition. Flows remain elevated. Gnats and mosquitoes common. Caddis fly and mayfly hatches becoming more numerous especially on warm sunny afternoons. |
| Brook Trout - Fair: A variety of insect hatches occurring. Use care not to alarm fish when approaching stream with clear water. |
| Brown Trout - Good: Fish near or around undercut banks. Spinner baits work well especially in windy conditions. Try using streamers on larger waterbodies for some exciting action. Brown trout prefer slightly off color water. |
| Rainbow Trout - Excellent: Use spinner baits, hair jigs, or hooks tipped with a small piece of worm, dough ball, or cheese floated through deeper water. Use bait if keeping fish. |
The Maquoketa River receives stockings of catchable rainbow trout from April-October. This section of river also offers a natural reproducing brown trout population. The river corridor is a combination of state land, trout stream easements open to public fishing and private land. Please obey signage as posted and respect private property rights.(2025)
In nearly all cases, Iowa fish are safe to eat. Cleaning and/or preparing the meal causes most of the problems regarding taste or color of fish. Like all living creatures, fish are susceptible to diseases, parasites, and other naturally occurring conditions in the water. If you suspect your fish is affected by any of these conditions, do not eat it. Consider eating smaller and younger fish which usually have lower levels of contaminants than larger ones. Most contaminants accumulate in larger, older fish. For additional information, check out our resources for eating and cooking Iowa caught fish.
To learn more about fish tissue monitoring, visit our Fish Tissue Monitoring page .