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

District-Wide Trout Stream Fishing Report

Brook Trout - Good: When fishing private property open to angling, leave that property as was or better by picking up trash. Close gates if you opened them; be considerate.

Brown Trout - Good: More terrestrials are out. Use beetles or other bright flies fished along grassed edges. Afternoon hatches of caddis and may flies have been slow. Pheasant tailed nymphs and bead headed midges working well. Use hair jigs or spinners for aggressive fish.

Rainbow Trout - Excellent: Use a worm or cheese floated through a pool under a bobber. Use an ultra-light pole and reel for fun action. Small crappie or bluegill jigs work well on a hungry bow.

Wild parsnip is coming on strong. Please don't touch this plant. It causes painful blisters. All trout streams are being stocked but will be unannounced for the rest of the year due to COVID-19 precautions. Hatchery grounds are open to the public, but feeders and other conveniences are temporarily closed. Hatchery visitors must be mindful of one another’s safety and keep at least 6 feet of distance between you and others.

Fishing Summary

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.

Popular Fish Species in this Stream

Fish Stocking

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)
05/19/2010 - 19,300 Walleye (1.4")

Regulations

The Fishing Regulations brochure is available for download. The summaries listed below are a partial listing provided for your benefit.

Brook 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:

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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