LivewellFish consumption advisories
Iowa
Iowa publishes advisories for 2 waters, covering 12 species-and-size recommendations.
Contaminants of concern: Mercury, PCBs
Statewide advisory
These apply across Iowa, including waters with no specific advisory of their own.
- Black Crappie Women who may become pregnant, pregnant or breastfeeding women, and children For women who may become pregnant, pregnant or breastfeeding women, and children: limit to two meals per week due to elevated Mercury. Iowa statewide mercury advisory
- Bluegill Women who may become pregnant, pregnant or breastfeeding women, and children For women who may become pregnant, pregnant or breastfeeding women, and children: limit to two meals per week due to elevated Mercury. Iowa statewide mercury advisory
- Channel Catfish Under 24" Women who may become pregnant, pregnant or breastfeeding women, and children For women who may become pregnant, pregnant or breastfeeding women, and children: limit to two meals per week due to elevated Mercury. Iowa statewide mercury advisory
- Channel Catfish Over 24" Women who may become pregnant, pregnant or breastfeeding women, and children For women who may become pregnant, pregnant or breastfeeding women, and children: limit to one meal per week due to elevated Mercury. Iowa statewide mercury advisory
- Largemouth Bass Over 13" Women who may become pregnant, pregnant or breastfeeding women, and children For women who may become pregnant, pregnant or breastfeeding women, and children: limit to one meal per week due to elevated Mercury. Iowa statewide mercury advisory
- Muskellunge Women who may become pregnant, pregnant or breastfeeding women, and children For women who may become pregnant, pregnant or breastfeeding women, and children: limit to one meal per week due to elevated Mercury. Iowa statewide mercury advisory
- Spotted Seatrout Women who may become pregnant, pregnant or breastfeeding women, and children For women who may become pregnant, pregnant or breastfeeding women, and children: limit to two meals per week due to elevated Mercury. Iowa statewide mercury advisory
- Walleye Over 19" Women who may become pregnant, pregnant or breastfeeding women, and children For women who may become pregnant, pregnant or breastfeeding women, and children: limit to one meal per week due to elevated Mercury. Iowa statewide mercury advisory
Waters with advisories in Iowa
2 waters on file. A water not listed here has no advisory in the state's data — which usually means it has never been sampled, not that it's been cleared.
Lakes 1
- McKinley Lake Union
Rivers 1
- Mississippi River Scott
Browse Iowa by county
Every named water in the state, county by county — including the many with no advisory on file.
- Adair
- Adams
- Allamakee
- Appanoose
- Audubon
- Benton
- Black Hawk
- Boone
- Bremer
- Buchanan
- Buena Vista
- Burt
- Butler
- Calhoun
- Carroll
- Cass
- Cedar
- Cerro Gordo
- Cherokee
- Chickasaw
- Clarke
- Clay
- Clayton
- Clinton
- Crawford
- Dallas
- Davis
- Decatur
- Delaware
- Des Moines
- Dickinson
- Dubuque
- Emmet
- Fayette
- Floyd
- Franklin
- Fremont
- Greene
- Guthrie
- Hamilton
- Hancock
- Hardin
- Harrison
- Henderson
- Henry
- Howard
- Humboldt
- Ida
- Iowa
- Jackson
- Jasper
- Jefferson
- Johnson
- Jones
- Keokuk
- Keya Paha
- Kossuth
- Lee
- Linn
- Louisa
- Lucas
- Lyon
- Madison
- Mahaska
- Marion
- Marshall
- Martin
- Mercer
- Mills
- Mitchell
- Monona
- Monroe
- Montgomery
- Muscatine
- Nobles
- O'Brien
- Osceola
- Page
- Palo Alto
- Plymouth
- Pocahontas
- Polk
- Pottawattamie
- Poweshiek
- Ringgold
- Sac
- Scott 1
- Shelby
- Sioux
- Story
- Tama
- Taylor
- Union 1
- Van Buren
- Wapello
- Warren
- Washington
- Wayne
- Webster
- Winnebago
- Winneshiek
- Woodbury
- Worth
- Wright
Iowa statewide fishing limits
Statewide defaults — specific waters and zones may differ. Verify the current rules before keeping a fish.
| Species | Size | Daily limit | Open season | Keep season |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Walleye | — | 5 | Year-round | Same as open |
| Sauger | — | 5 | Year-round | Same as open |
| Largemouth Bass | 15" min | 3 | Year-round | Same as open |
| Smallmouth Bass | 15" min | 3 | Year-round | Same as open |
| Northern Pike | — | 3 | Year-round | Same as open |
| Muskellunge | 40" min | 1 | Year-round | Same as open |
| Channel Catfish | — | 8 | Year-round | Same as open |
| Black Crappie | — | 25 | Year-round | Same as open |
| Bluegill | — | 25 | Year-round | Same as open |
| Yellow Perch | — | 25 | Year-round | Same as open |
| Rainbow Trout | — | 5 | Year-round | Same as open |
| White Bass | — | — | Year-round | Same as open |
Official rules: Iowa — Iowa DNR