Little River Watershed Lake

General Information

County: Decatur
Location: 1 mile west of Leon
Acres: 733.00
Maximum Depth: 35.8 ft. (2021 - 35.8 feet)
Motoring Restrictions: No motor restriction at no wake speed except for ski area

Nearby Parks

Amenities

Amenities at Little River Watershed Lake include:
  • Boat Access
  • Fishing Jetty
  • Accessible Pier
  • Picnic Area
  • Beach
  • Accessible Facilities
  • Playground
  • Restrooms
  • Camping
  • Concessions
  • Hard Surface Boat Ramp
  • Fish Cleaning Station
Water temperatures in most Mount Ayr district lakes are in the upper 60's to low 70's. For more information, please contact the Mount Ayr Fisheries office at 641-464-3108.
Black Crappie - Fair: Use jigs tipped with livebait fished near rockfields or creek channels for Crappie of all sizes.
Dock is in at the main boat ramp.
Largemouth Bass - Fair: Use finesse plastics fished near cedar tree brushpiles for Largemouth Bass of all sizes.
Bluegill - Fair: Use jigs tipped with livebait fished in 8-10 feet of water for Bluegill up to 8.5 inches.
Download Printable Lake Map
Download Printable Fishing Structures Map

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

  • 5/5/22 - 75,000 Walleye (Fry)
  • 11/1/22 - 14,956 Walleye (9.3)
  • September 2021 - 3,710 Channel Catfish (8.9)
  • October 2021 - 5,512 Walleye (9.7)
  • 10/27/2021 - 4,717 Walleye (9.4)
  • 10/26/2021 - 4,777 Walleye (9.3)
  • 04/27/2021 - 75,000 Walleye (Fry)
  • Fall 2020 - 12,431 Walleye (8.9)
  • 10/21/2020 - 4,098 Walleye (9.5)
  • 04/24/2020 - 78,675 Walleye (Fry)
  • October 2019 - 14,952 Walleye (9.4)
  • fall 2019 - 3,700 Channel Catfish (9.4)
  • 05/01/2019 - 2,304,000 Walleye (Fry)
  • 10/22/2018 - 3,715 Walleye (7.8)
  • 05/15/2018 - 75,000 Walleye (Fry)
  • 05/07/2018 - 2,229,000 Walleye (Fry)
  • 9/6/2017 - 268 Channel Catfish (8.3")
  • 9/28/2017 - 619 Channel Catfish (9.3")
  • 9/27/2017 - 2,693 Channel Catfish (9.3")
  • 4/28/2017 - 150,000 Walleye (fry)
  • 4/27/2017 - 2,229,000 Walleye (fry)
  • 10/25/2017 - 1,736 Walleye (9")
  • 10/24/2017 - 802 Walleye (9")
  • 10/24/2017 - 2,032 Walleye (9")
  • 10/23/2017 - 862 Walleye (9")
  • 10/23/2017 - 1,998 Walleye (9")
  • 5/3/16 - 150,000 Walleye (Fry)
  • 4/29/16 - 2,200,000 Walleye (Fry)
  • 10/27/16 - 7,813 Walleye (10.3")
  • 10/20/2015 - 7,430 Walleye (8")
  • 09/15/2015 - 4,264 Channel Catfish (8")
  • 04/29/2015 - 150,000 Walleye (Fry)
  • 04/22/2015 - 2,229,000 Walleye (Fry)
  • annual 2014 - 7,829 Walleye (8")
  • annual 2014 - 2,350,000 Walleye (Fry)
  • Curlyleaf Pondweed
The Fishing Regulations brochure is available for download. The summaries listed below are a partial listing provided for your benefit.

  • Black Bullhead
    • Season: Continuous
    • Daily Bag Limit: unlimited
    • Possession Limit: unlimited
    • Length Limit: none
    • Other:
  • Black Crappie
    • Season: Continuous
    • Daily Bag Limit: combined black and white crappie, 25 fish
    • Possession Limit: unlimited
    • Length Limit: none
    • Other: No daily limit on private waters
  • 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:
  • Green Sunfish
    • Season: Continuous
    • Daily Bag Limit: none
    • Possession Limit: unlimited
    • 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:
Spring electrofishing indicated a moderate abundance of Largemouth Bass up to 19 inches. Good numbers of Crappie mostly in the 10 inch length range are available to anglers. Bluegill up to 8.5 inches are available to anglers.(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.