Pool 12, Mississippi River
General Information
County: Jackson
Location: Between Dubuque and Bellevue, Iowa
Acres: 12349.00
Maximum Depth:
Motoring Restrictions: In a few selected places no wake and no motor
Nearby Parks
Amenities
Amenities at Pool 12, Mississippi River include:
- Boat Access
- Fishing Jetty
- Accessible Pier
- Picnic Area
- Beach
- Trails
- Accessible Facilities
- Playground
- Restrooms
- Camping
- Good/Excellent Shorefishing
- Gravel Boat Ramp
- Hard Surface Boat Ramp
- Carry Down Boat Launch
- Accessible Shoreline
- Fish Cleaning Station
| Water levels are low and stable on the River and water temps are still around 37 degrees. Some minor icing has been occurring but boat ramps remain open. Low levels elevate concern about backing off the back of ramps so use the minimum amount of ramp necessary to launch your boat. If you have angling questions, please call Bellevue Fisheries Management at 563-880-8781. |
| The river is stable at Dubuque with the level at Lock and Dam 11 at 4.6 feet and 7.6 feet at the RR bridge. Water temperature is around 36 degrees, and the water clarity is good. Some icing has occurred but as of Wednesday ramps remain open. |
| Bluegill - No Report: Bluegills have moved into backwater and marina areas in Pool 12. Simple bobber and worms are still the best technique to catch gills in these slack water areas. |
| Largemouth Bass - Good: Concentrate in warm sunlit areas in backwater habitats. Spinner baits and chatterbaits often work quite well even when temps are in the upper 30. Slow down retrieve. |
| Smallmouth Bass - Excellent: Fish in moderate current on wingdams. Heavy jigs or one-eyes are commonly used. No report this week but they were still biting well a week ago when temperatures were in the 40's. |
| Walleye - Good: Most anglers are targeting the tailwaters with jigging spoons or jig and minnow rigs. |
| Black Crappie - Good: Good crappie fishing in the backwaters and marinas with most anglers using small minnows. |
| Sauger - Excellent: Very nice Sauger are being caught in the tailwater mostly on a jig and minnow rig. The bite has slowed up a bit from what it was but some nice fish are still being reported. |
| Yellow Perch - Good: Some very nice 12 inch plus perch are being reported both from backwater areas and shallower water in the tailwaters. |
| Northern Pike - Good: Some smaller northern pike are being reported in the backwaters on spinners. |
- 05/01/2018 - 50,000 Walleye (Fry)
- Bighead Carp
- Brittle Naiad
- Eurasian Watermilfoil
- Flowering Rush
- Silver Carp
- Zebra Mussel
The
Fishing Regulations brochure is available for download. The summaries listed below are a partial listing provided for your benefit.
- Black Crappie
- Season: Continuous
- Daily Bag Limit: combined bluegill and pumpkinseed, 25 fish
- Possession Limit: combined bluegill and pumpkinseed, 50 fish
- Length Limit: none
- Other: Associated chutes and backwaters of border rivers are included where intermittent or constant flow occur
- Bluegill
- Season: Continuous
- Daily Bag Limit: combined bluegill and pumpkinseed, 25 fish
- Possession Limit: combined bluegill and pumpkinseed, 50 fish
- Length Limit: none
- Other: Associated chutes and backwaters of border rivers are included where intermittent or constant flow occur
- Channel Catfish
- Season: Continuous
- Daily Bag Limit: none
- Possession Limit: unlimited
- Length Limit: none
- Other:
- Flathead Catfish
- Season: Continuous
- Daily Bag Limit: none
- Possession Limit: unlimited
- Length Limit: none
- Other:
- Largemouth Bass
- Season: Continuous
- Daily Bag Limit: combined black bass, 5 fish
- Possession Limit: combined black bass, 10 fish
- Length Limit: 14-inch minimum
- Other: Associated chutes and backwaters of border rivers are included where intermittent or constant flow occur
- Northern Pike
- Season: Continuous
- Daily Bag Limit: 5 fish
- Possession Limit: 10 fish
- Length Limit: none
- Other:
- Sauger
- Season: Continuous
- Daily Bag Limit: combined walleye, sauger and saugeye; 6 fish
- Possession Limit: combined walleye, sauger and saugeye; 12 fish
- Length Limit: 15-inch minimum length limit; all walleye from 20 to 27-inches must be immediately released alive
- Other: No more than one walleye longer than 27 inches may be taken per day on these pools
- Smallmouth Bass
- Season: Continuous
- Daily Bag Limit: combined black bass, 5 fish
- Possession Limit: combined black bass, 10 fish
- Length Limit: 14-inch minimum
- Other: Associated chutes and backwaters of border rivers are included where intermittent or constant flow occur
- Walleye
- Season: Continuous
- Daily Bag Limit: combined walleye, sauger and saugeye; 6 fish
- Possession Limit: combined walleye, sauger and saugeye; 12 fish
- Length Limit: 15-inch minimum length limit; all walleye from 20 to 27-inches must be immediately released alive
- Other: No more than one walleye longer than 27 inches may be taken per day on these pools
- White Bass
- Season: Continuous
- Daily Bag Limit: combined yellow and white bass, 25 fish
- Possession Limit: combined yellow and white bass, 50 fish
- Length Limit: none
- Other: Associated chutes and backwaters of the Mississippi River are included where intermittent or constant flow occur. In these areas, the daily bag and possession limit for the Mississippi River apply.
- Yellow Perch
- Season: Continuous
- Daily Bag Limit: 25 fish
- Possession Limit: 50 fish
- Length Limit: none
- Other:
Fishery is in good shape. Excellent spawn of yellow perch and walleye in 2015 bode well for the future. Lots of nice crappies up to 13 inches were caught in the fall. Northern pike numbers were very high and a substantial fishery for this species developed. Largemouth and smallmouth bass support excellent numbers and should provide a quality fishery for years to come. The Sunfish Lake habitat restoration project is complete and should provide quality angling well into the future. The next major restoration work with begin in Tippy's Lake and Stone Lake. (2016)
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.