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Hickory Grove Lake

General Information

County: Story
Location: 3 miles southwest of Colo
Acres: 81.50
Maximum Depth: 33.8 ft. (2022)
Motoring Restrictions: Electric Motors Only

Nearby Parks

Amenities

Amenities at Hickory Grove Lake include:
  • Boat Access
  • Fishing Jetty
  • Accessible Pier
  • Picnic Area
  • Beach
  • Trails
  • Playground
  • Restrooms
  • Camping
  • Good/Excellent Shorefishing
  • Hard Surface Boat Ramp
  • Accessible Shoreline

For information on Central Iowa lakes and rivers contact Ben Dodd at 641-891-3795 or Andy Otting at 515-204-5885.
Black Crappie - Fair: Catch crappies shallow casting plastics or live minnows under a bobber near riprap and treefalls throughout the lake.
Bluegill - Good: Catch bluegills that have moved shallow to spawn using night crawlers or redworms. Target the back of any cove in 3ft of water or less.

Lake Maps

Download Printable Lake Map

You can zoom in on the map for bathymetric information for some lakes

  • 6/15/22 - 8,665 Largemouth Bass (1.5)
  • 06/28/2021 - 7,547 Largemouth Bass (1.6)
  • 05/27/2021 - 5,020 Channel Catfish (1.6)
  • 05/07/2021 - 335,300 Walleye (Fry)
  • 03/30/2021 - 25,500 Bluegill (2.5)
  • 04/24/2020 - 314,709 Walleye (Fry)
  • 03/17/2020 - 30,000 Bluegill (4)
  • 09/21/2015 - 1,000 Channel Catfish (8")

  • Curlyleaf Pondweed

The Fishing Regulations brochure is available for download. The summaries listed below are a partial listing provided for your benefit.

  • Bluegill
    • Season: Continuous
    • Daily Bag Limit: 25 fish
    • Possession Limit: unlimited
    • Length Limit: none
    • Other: No daily limit on private waters
  • Channel Catfish
    • Season: Continuous
    • Daily Bag Limit: combined: channel, blue and flathead catfish, 8 fish
    • Possession Limit: combined: channel, blue and flathead catfish, 30 fish
    • Length Limit: none
    • Other:
  • Largemouth Bass
    • Season: Continuous
    • Daily Bag Limit: combined black bass, 3 fish
    • Possession Limit: combined black bass, 6 fish
    • Length Limit: 15-inch minimum
    • Other:
  • Walleye
    • Season: Continuous
    • Daily Bag Limit: combined walleye, sauger and saugeye; 5 fish
    • Possession Limit: combined walleye, sauger and saugeye; 10 fish
    • Length Limit: none
    • Other:

Hickory Grove Lake is continuing an excellent recovery from renovation in 2020. A fishery survey in spring 2023 found Largemouth Bass from 8- to 14-inches. Bluegills have grown well. The larger bluegills in the fall 2023 survey were 7.5- to 8.5-inches. Black Crappie numbers are increasing. There is a small group of initially stocked crappie that are 11.5- to 13-inches. The larger group that anglers will encounter the most were 8.5- to 9.5-inches in fall 2023. Channel Catfish have reached sizes up to 19-inches. Walleyes are abundant, with most fish being 11- to 13-inches.(2023)

Tip: Click the arrow in the lower right corner to view the Fish Survey Data tool in full-screen mode.

Contacts

Iowa-Caught Fish Are Safe to Eat, In Almost All Cases

The vast majority of Iowa’s streams, rivers and lakes offer safe and high-quality fish that pose little or no threat to human health if consumed. Some limitations may apply for young children and pregnant women. Here’s a Fish Consumption Fact Sheet from the Iowa DNR and the Iowa Dept. of Public Health for more information. Here is a list of current fish consumption advisories for Iowa lakes and rivers.