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Little Cedar River (Iowa)

Fishing spots, fishing reports, and regulations in

Iowa, United States

4.6·39 catches

Top fish species at Little Cedar River (Iowa)

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Little Cedar River (Iowa) fishing reports

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Black crappie

length · weight

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Pumpkinseed

1 in · 1 lb

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Striped shiner

length · weight

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Smallmouth bass

length · weight

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20 in · 2 lb

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Walleye

23 in · 4 lb

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General info

Little Cedar River (Iowa) is a stream located in Mitchell County, Iowa, United States. It is also intersecting with Chickasaw County, Iowa and Mower County, Minnesota. It is most popular for fishing Smallmouth bass, Walleye, and Black crappie.

Location

43°13′29.3″N 92°40′46.9″W
Directions

Amenities

Fishing regulations at Little Cedar River (Iowa), IA

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 Smallmouth bass as of April 1st, 2026. To view regulations for a different fish species, please click on your preferred species in the drop-down.

Smallmouth bass

Seasons

Open

Bag limit

3

Min size

12"

Measurement

Total Length

Special gear

Aggregate

3

Statewide regulations: No closed season.

Daily bag limit = 3 bass (largemouth, smallmouth, and spotted bass, combined).

Daily possession limit = 6 bass (combined)

EXCEPTIONS:

All black bass caught from the following stream segments and lakes must be released alive immediately: 

  1. Brown Lake (Jackson)
  2. Cedar River (Mitchell) extending downstream from the bridge on county road A19 east of Otranto as posted to the bridge on county road T26 south of St. Ansgar 
  3. Maquoketa River (Delaware) extending downstream from below Lake Delhi Dam as posted to the first county gravel road bridge 
  4. Middle Raccoon River (Guthrie) extending downstream from below Lake Panorama Dam as posted to the dam at Redfield 
  5. Upper Iowa River (Winneshiek) extending downstream from the Fifth Street bridge in Decorah as posted to the upper dam 
  6. Wapello Lake (Davis).

Inland Waters:

  • Minimum size = 15-inches in all public lakes, including Coralville, Rathbun, Saylorville, and Red Rock reservoirs except as otherwise posted, including: 
  1. Ada Hayden (Story): 18-inch minimum
  2. Ahquabi, Hooper (Warren): 18-inch minimum
  3. Big Creek: 18-inch minimum
  4. Casey (Tama): 18-inch minimum
  5. Cold Springs (Cass): 18-inch minimum
  6. Green Valley (Union): 18-inch minimum
  7. Hawthorn (Mahaska): all 12 to 16-inch fish must be immediately released!
  8. Hendricks (Howard): 18-inch minimum
  9. Krumm (Jasper): 18-inch minimum
  10. Little Wall (Hamilton): 18-inch minimum
  11. Lost Grove (Scott): 18-inch minimum
  12. Mill Creek (O'Brien): 18-inch minimum
  13. Pleasant Creek (Linn): 18-inch minimum
  14. Smith (Kossuth): 18-inch minimum
  15. South Prairie (Black Hawk): 18-inch minimum 
  16. Sugema (Van Buren): all 12 to 18-inch fish must be immediately released! 
  17. Swan Lake (Carroll): 16-inch minimum
  18. Thomas Mitchell: 18-inch minimum
  19. Yellow Banks (Polk): 18-inch minimum

Interior Streams & River Impoundments 

  • Minimum size limit = 12-inch minimum except

Boundary Rivers (including associated chutes and backwaters where intermittent or constant flow occur)

  • Daily Bag Limit = 5 bass (largemouth, smallmouth, and spotted bass, combined).
  • Possession Limit = 10 bass (largemouth, smallmouth, and spotted bass, combined).
  • Mississippi River: Minimum size = 14-inches total length.
  • Missouri River: Minimum size = 12-inches total length.

Micropterus dolomieui

Regulations for

43°13′29.3″N 92°40′46.9″W
Regulations in the map
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Reviews of Little Cedar River (Iowa)

4.6
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FAQ about Little Cedar River (Iowa) fishing

the Little Cedar River (Iowa) is a stream located in Mitchell County, Iowa, United States. It is also intersecting with Chickasaw County, Iowa and Mower County, Minnesota. Its coordinates are:
43°13′29.3″N 92°40′46.9″W
.
Find the best fishing spots on the Little Cedar River (Iowa) by looking at where other anglers have caught fish. This can easily be done in the where it is also possible to see big fish potential and how good fishing is right now along with Garmin® depth maps.
The most common species in the Little Cedar River (Iowa) are:
The latest Little Cedar River (Iowa) fishing reports are:
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