The Iowa Department of Natural Resources fall trout stocking program is underway.
Northeast Iowa Regional Fisheries Supervisor, Mike Steuck says they stock the trout in water bodies that are within 15 to 20 miles of the state’s largest cities.
He says the goal is to be in the urban areas and create some excitement and get people out to go trout fishing. Steuck says they hope people will enjoy the trout and then use their trout stamp to fish some of the trout streams in northeast Iowa.
Steuck says the trout thrive in the cool streams in northeast Iowa and that’s why they wait to stock them in other areas until the fall. “They can’t survive in temperatures higher than 60 to 70 degrees — so we wait until October or November or even through the ice to stock them — when the waters in those ponds are cold enough to support the trout,” Steuck says.
He says they have a complete list of the lakes and ponds that will be stocked on the DNR website. Steuck says many of the communities are hosting events in conjunction with the trout stocking, but he says if you miss an event, you should still be able to find fish.
“We stock between 1,500 and 2,000 fish,” he says. Steuck says you can fish for the stocked trout throughout the fall and even into the ice fishing season. “And it doesn’t take anything special to catch them either,” Steuck says, “any old ice rod, or if it’s open water, all you need is a little spinner and some line on your fishing pole. Cast it out there and you are going to catch trout.”
The stocked trout are ready to bring home. “They’re 10 to 12 inches in size and so they’re going to be a half a pound a piece. They should be more than big enough to eat,” Steuck says. You need a valid fishing license and must pay the trout fee to fish for or possess trout.
The daily limit is five trout per licensed angler with a possession limit of 10. Children age 15 or younger can fish for trout with a properly licensed adult, but they must limit their catch to one daily limit. The child can purchase a trout fee which will allow them to catch their own limit.