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Fishing in Iowa
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Fishing regulations in Iowa
Disclaimer: Always check local fishing regulations, water access rights and land ownership before fishing, regardless of any catches logged in that area by the Fishbrain community. Fishbrain has mapped millions of acres of government-owned land across the USA to help you identify potential fishing access, but you are responsible for ensuring compliance with all legal requirements.
Fishing regulations in Iowa can change throughout the year. Make sure to check this page before fishing for the most up to date rules and regulations for the current season. Local regulations govern when you can fish, the max size of the fish you can keep, how many fish you can keep, and more.
Below you will see fishing regulations for catching Walleye as of April 23rd, 2026. To view regulations for a different fish species, please click on your preferred species in the drop-down.
Seasons
Bag limit
Special gear
Aggregate
Inland Waters
- Season: Continuous except on West Okoboji Lake, East Okoboji Lake and Spirit Lake (Dickinson). The open season on West Okoboji Lake, East Okoboji Lake and Spirit Lake is from May 6, 2023 through Feb. 14, 2024.
- Length Limit: None except for the special lakes which are posted or published below.
- Daily Bag & Possession Limit: Combined daily 5 and combined possession limit of 10, except for special lakes listed below and boundary lakes listed on p. 16.
- Special Walleye Restrictions: The lakes listed below have a daily bag limit of 3 and possession limit of 6, except for Lake Rathbun, in addition to special length restrictions.
- Big Creek Lake (Polk) 15-inch minimum length limit, and no more than one Walleye longer than 20-inches may be taken per day
- Clear Lake (Cerro Gordo) immediately release alive all 17- to 22-inch Walleyes; no more than one Walleye longer than 22-inches may be taken per day
- Lake Rathbun (Appanoose) 15-inch minimum length limit; daily bag limit of 5 and possession limit of 10
- Storm Lake (Buena Vista) and West Okoboji Lake, East Okoboji Lake, Spirit Lake, Upper Gar, Minnewashta, Lower Gar (Dickinson) immediately release alive all 19 to 25-inch Walleyes; no more than one Walleye longer than 25-inches may be taken per day
Boundary Rivers
- Season: Continuous
- Length Limit: A 15-inch minimum length limit applies to Walleye on all pools of the Mississippi River. In addition, you must immediately release alive all walleye from 20 to 27-inches and no more than one Walleye above 27-inches may be taken per day.
- DAILY BAG & POSSESSION LIMIT: Mississippi River combined daily 6 and combined possession of 12. Big Sioux and Missouri rivers - combined daily of 4 and possession of 8.
Sander vitreus
Regulations for
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