Fishing in Council Bluffs, IA

Statewide regulations: No closed season.

Daily bag limit = 3 bass (largemouth, smallmouth, and spotted bass, combined).

Daily possession limit = 6 bass (combined)

EXCEPTIONS:

All black bass caught from the following stream segments and lakes must be released alive immediately: 

1. Brown Lake (Jackson)
2. Cedar River (Mitchell) extending downstream from the bridge on county road A19 east of Otranto as posted to the bridge on county road T26 south of St. Ansgar 
3. Maquoketa River (Delaware) extending downstream from below Lake Delhi Dam as posted to the first county gravel road bridge 
4. Middle Raccoon River (Guthrie) extending downstream from below Lake Panorama Dam as posted to the dam at Redfield 
5. Upper Iowa River (Winneshiek) extending downstream from the Fifth Street bridge in Decorah as posted to the upper dam 
6. Wapello Lake (Davis).

Inland Waters:

• Minimum size = 15-inches in all public lakes, including Coralville, Rathbun, Saylorville, and Red Rock reservoirs except as otherwise posted, including: 

1. Ada Hayden (Story): 18-inch minimum
2. Ahquabi, Hooper (Warren): 18-inch minimum
3. Big Creek: 18-inch minimum
4. Casey (Tama): 18-inch minimum
5. Cold Springs (Cass): 18-inch minimum
6. Green Valley (Union): 18-inch minimum
7. Hawthorn (Mahaska): all 12 to 16-inch fish must be immediately released!
8. Hendricks (Howard): 18-inch minimum
9. Krumm (Jasper): 18-inch minimum
10. Little Wall (Hamilton): 18-inch minimum
11. Lost Grove (Scott): 18-inch minimum
12. Mill Creek (O'Brien): 18-inch minimum
13. Pleasant Creek (Linn): 18-inch minimum
14. Smith (Kossuth): 18-inch minimum
15. South Prairie (Black Hawk): 18-inch minimum 
16. Sugema (Van Buren): all 12 to 18-inch fish must be immediately released! 
17. Swan Lake (Carroll): 16-inch minimum
18. Thomas Mitchell: 18-inch minimum
19. Yellow Banks (Polk): 18-inch minimum

Interior Streams & River Impoundments 

• Minimum size limit = 12-inch minimum except

Boundary Rivers (including associated chutes and backwaters where intermittent or constant flow occur)

• Daily Bag Limit = 5 bass (largemouth, smallmouth, and spotted bass, combined).
• Possession Limit = 10 bass (largemouth, smallmouth, and spotted bass, combined).
• Mississippi River: Minimum size = 14-inches total length.
• Missouri River: Minimum size = 12-inches total length.