Stream Details

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Stream Details

Turkey River

General Information

County: Clayton
Location: Located 6 miles northwest of Elkader at Big Spring Hatchery.
Stream Segment Length: 1.00

Amenities

Amenities at Turkey River include:

Picnic Area
Trails
Restrooms
Camping
Good/Excellent Shorefishing
Carry Down Boat Launch

District-Wide Trout Stream Fishing Report

As of November 1, trout stream stocking is finished for the year. Staff would like to thank all our trout anglers and supporters for making this season fun and rewarding. Fall community pond stocking in full swing. Visit our website to find out more. Many trout streams flow through public areas where hunting occurs.

Brown Trout - Fair: Avoid walking in cleared gravel areas in faster moving water. These are trout nests or redds. Brown trout spawning activity nearing an end. Try using flies imitating minnows or other small fish.

Brook Trout - Slow: Brook trout in pre-spawn condition and more interested in spawning than feeding making catching more difficult. Dabbling a fly through narrow vegetated runs or find a deeper pool above a beaver dam may grab a brooks attention.

Rainbow Trout - Good: Even though catchable stocking is completed for the season, plenty of fish remain in the stream to confound anglers. A small chunk of worm or cheese under a bobber fished through a deeper hole may turn a rainbow head. Cut line on deeply hooked fish if returning to water.

Fishing Summary

Turkey River is stocked April through October with catchable 10-12 inch Rainbow Trout. Improvements have been made to ensure easy access to the river. A small campground with non-electric sites is available close to the hatchery.(2022)

Stream Maps

	Parking Access
	Catchable Trout Waters
	Fingerling Stocked or Natural Reproduction
	Restrictive Regulation Stream

You can zoom the map in and out using the slider on the left hand side, and you can pan the map by clicking and dragging. Rollover features for more information. Click streams to go to their page.

Popular Fish Species in this Stream

Aquatic Invasive Species

No known aquatic invasive species have been found

Fish Stocking

Annual 2022 - 7,772 Rainbow Trout (12)
Annual 2021 - 6,479 Rainbow Trout (12)
Annual 2020 - 5,729 Rainbow Trout (12)
annual 2019 - 2,262 Brook Trout (10.8)
annual 2019 - 4,287 Rainbow Trout (10.8)
annual 2018 - 2,305 Brook Trout (2-3/lb)
annual 2018 - 2,670 Rainbow Trout (2-3/lb)
annual 2017 - 890 Brook Trout (2-3/lb)
annual 2017 - 5,080 Rainbow Trout (2-3/lb)
annual 2016 - 785 Brook Trout (2-3/lb)
annual 2016 - 7,665 Rainbow Trout (2-3/lb)
annual 2015 - 1,657 Brook Trout (2-3/lb)
annual 2015 - 8,714 Rainbow Trout (2-3/lb)
annual 2014 - 1,555 Brook Trout (2-3/lb)
annual 2014 - 6,480 Rainbow Trout (2-3/lb)

Regulations

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

Brown Trout

Season: Continuous
Daily Bag Limit: combined trout (brook, brown, and rainbow) - 5 fish
Possession Limit: combined trout (brook, brown, and rainbow) - 10 fish
Length Limit: none
Other: Anglers must have paid the Trout Fee to fish for or possess trout

Rainbow Trout

Season: Continuous
Daily Bag Limit: combined trout (brook, brown, and rainbow) - 5 fish
Possession Limit: combined trout (brook, brown, and rainbow) - 10 fish
Length Limit: none
Other: Anglers must have paid the Trout Fee to fish for or possess trout

Smallmouth Bass

Season: Continuous
Daily Bag Limit: combined black bass, 3 fish
Possession Limit: combined black bass, 6 fish
Length Limit: 12-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:

Fish Survey Data

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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.

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