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Interior Rivers

Shell Rock River (Greene to Shell Rock)

General Information

Location: The city of Greene is located at the junction of Highway 14 and County Rd. C13.
Length in miles: 26.00
Motoring Restrictions: None

Nearby Parks

Amenities

Amenities at Shell Rock River (Greene to Shell Rock) include:
  • Boat Access
  • Restrooms
  • Camping
  • Good/Excellent Shorefishing
  • Gravel Boat Ramp
  • Hard Surface Boat Ramp
Angling has been fair to good on the interior rivers with the up and down weather pattern. There have been no reports on the surrounding area lakes. Trout streams remain in excellent condition and stocking season will begin this coming Monday, April 1st. For further information contact your local bait shops for the most recent information.
There have been no reports on the Shell Rock River but walleyes should be on the bite before the spring spawn.
Walleye - No Report: Anglers do best when casting and retrieving lead head jigs tipped with plastics and a minnow.
Download Printable River Map

  • 6/2/22 - 14,174 Walleye (1.4)
  • Spring 2021 - 21,539 Walleye (1.38)
  • 06/11/2020 - 13,849 Walleye (1.7)
  • 06/12/2019 - 17,189 Walleye (1.9)
  • 06/06/2018 - 20,480 Walleye (1.39)
  • 6/1/2017 - 13,800 Walleye (1.6")
  • 5/24/2017 - 2,075 Walleye (1.5")
  • 6/8/16 - 6,474 Walleye (1.7")
  • 6/8/16 - 6,696 Walleye (1.8")
  • 5/26/16 - 9,720 Walleye (Fingerling)
  • 4/29/16 - 52,500 Walleye (Fry)
  • 06/04/2015 - 7,219 Walleye (1.9")
  • 06/03/2015 - 7,243 Walleye (2")
  • 05/29/2015 - 3,752 Walleye (2")
  • 04/29/2015 - 51,750 Walleye (Fry)
  • 05/28/2014 - 22,000 Walleye (2")
  • 05/13/2014 - 50,000 Walleye (Fry)
    No known aquatic invasive species have been found
The Fishing Regulations brochure is available for download. The summaries listed below are a partial listing provided for your benefit.

  • Channel Catfish
    • Season: Continuous
    • Daily Bag Limit: combined: channel, blue and flathead catfish, 15 fish
    • Possession Limit: combined: channel, blue and flathead catfish, 30 fish
    • Length Limit: none
    • Other:
  • Muskellunge
    • Season: Continuous
    • Daily Bag Limit: combined: muskellunge and tiger muskellunge, 1 fish
    • Possession Limit: combined: muskellunge and tiger muskellunge, 1 fish
    • Length Limit: 40-inch minimum
    • Other:
  • Northern Pike
    • Season: Continuous
    • Daily Bag Limit: 3 fish
    • Possession Limit: 6 fish
    • Length Limit: none
    • Other:
  • 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:
This 26-mile stretch of river in Butler County from Greene downstream to the community of Shell Rock is a must for any angler. This river offers bountiful and robust smallmouth bass and walleye. An electrofishing survey conducted by staff in the fall of 2020 collected a total of seventy walleye with 30% of those being fifteen inches or greater in length. This fishery has greatly benefited from the IA DNR interior walleye stocking program. Good numbers of smallmouth bass can be caught along with an occasional musky that has escaped from Clear Lake and moved down the Winnebago River into the Shell Rock River. Channel catfish populations are lower in numbers, but are of preferred to memorable size with some catfish approaching 30-inches long. Navigation is best by a kayak, canoe or small jon boat powered with a shallow drive motor. There are two hard surface boat ramps recommended, Camp Comfort County Park (4 miles south of Greene) and Heary Woods State Park south of Clarksville. Boaters whom launch at these sites must motor up-river as there are obstacles (low-head riffle and dam) at both of these areas. There is a gravel access below the boulder riffle at the Camp Comfort County Park and a hard surface boat ramp on the east side of the river below the dam at Shell Rock.(2020)
Tip: Click the arrow in the lower right corner to view the Fish Survey Data tool in full-screen mode.

Contacts

Water Quality

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.

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