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
Black Crappie - Good: Catch suspended crappies slowly trolling small twister tail or swim baits 3 to 6 feet deep in the upper two thirds of the lake.
Bluegill - Fair: Catch bluegills drifting live bait over habitat in 15 feet of water or less.
For information on Central Iowa lakes and rivers contact Ben Dodd at 641-891-3795 or Andy Otting at 515-204-5885.
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.