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:
  • Restrooms
  • Camping
  • Good/Excellent Shorefishing
  • Carry Down Boat Launch

Brook Trout - Good: Eleven streams have naturally reproducing populations with public access. Go to https://www.iowadnr.gov/Fishing/Trout-Fishing to find out where.
Brown Trout - Good: Streams are full of brown trout and a wide variety of insects are hatching. With many streams off color due to recent rain, Brown Trout will go into a feeding frenzy. Try terrestrial flies like grasshoppers, crickets, and ants.
Take time to enjoy and keep cool on one of Iowa's many trout streams. Trout stream stocking continues to be unannounced but streams are stocked regularly with lots of fish. Wild Parsnip is in full bloom. Use care around this plant. It can cause skin to blister.
Rainbow Trout - Good: A small number of trout streams are not stocked in July and August due to marginal water temperatures. This is an annual occurrence. To check which ones, please visit the trout fishing website. Rainbows are easily caught using a hook tipped with a worm, cheese, or even bread fished under a bobber. They will also come to a variety of flies.
Brook Trout - Good: Eleven streams have naturally reproducing populations with public access. Go to https://www.iowadnr.gov/Fishing/Trout-Fishing to find out where.
Take time to enjoy and keep cool on one of Iowa's many trout streams. Trout stream stocking continues to be unannounced but streams are stocked regularly with lots of fish. Wild Parsnip is dying off. Use care around this plant. It can cause painful blisters.
Brown Trout - Good: Streams are full of brown trout. With a wide variety of terrestrial insects hatching, try flies imitating grasshoppers, crickets, and ants.
Rainbow Trout - Good: A small number of trout streams are not stocked in July and August due to marginal water temperatures. This is an annual occurrence. To check which ones, please visit the trout fishing website. Rainbows are easily caught using a hook tipped with a worm, cheese, or even bread fished under a bobber. They will also come to a variety of flies.

Turkey River is stocked twice a week April through October with catchable 10-12 inch brook and 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.(2012)

Stream Maps

Download Printable Stream Map

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.

  • 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)
  • annual 2013 - 771 Brook Trout (2-3/lb)
  • annual 2013 - 6,090 Rainbow Trout (2-3/lb)
  • 05/04/2011 - 22,000 Walleye (Fry)

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:

Tip: Click the arrow in the lower right corner to view the Fish Survey Data tool in full-screen mode.

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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