Warm water delays trout stocking plans in Eastern Iowa

The DNR will reschedule the trout stocking for later this fall

Natural resources technician Eric Bailey tosses rainbow trout into the water at Prairie Park Fishery in Cedar Rapids on March 21, 2024. The fish come from the Manchester Fish Hatchery and are 3-year-old females. The DNR dropped 2,000 fish into the cold water, which is the most ideal condition for trout. (Savannah Blake/The Gazette)

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Trout stocking by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources has been delayed at several Eastern Iowa locations due to water temperature.

The DNR was scheduled to stock fish at more than a dozen sites across the state between Oct. 23 and the end of November, but unseasonable warm weather has kept water temperatures too warm.

The maximum water temperature for trout is about 75 degrees, according to the DNR. Weather in Iowa has been warm in recent weeks. In early October, the Cedar Rapids area had a string of days when temperatures topped out in the upper 80s. The high on Sunday was 75 degrees.

Iowa Climatologist Justin Glisan reported that “unseasonable warmth persisted across the state” last week, with temperatures up to 14 degrees above normal.

Trout stocking events that were scheduled for Oct. 23, 24 and 25 will be postponed, the DNR announced Tuesday.

These stockings have been rescheduled:

East Lake Park Pond in Mount Pleasant, Nov. 14 at 10 a.m.
Wilson Lake in Donnellson, Nov. 14 at noon
Lake of the Hills in Davenport, Nov. 14 at noon

Planned stockings at Ottumwa Park Pond, Liberty Centre Pond in North Liberty, and Prairie Park Fishery in Cedar Rapids will be rescheduled once water temperatures reach “acceptable levels.” They will be announced once dates have been set.

At each stocking, DNR will release 1,000 to 2,000 rainbow trout as part of its cool weather trout program that brings trout to areas that cannot support them during the summer months.

Dan Stauffer of Muscatine holds a freshly caught trout at Liberty Centre Pond in North Liberty on Oct. 25, 2024. (Nick Rohlman/The Gazette)

In total, 18 stockings are planned.

A family-friendly event is often paired with the stocking to help anglers have success and fun while fishing. Check the Iowa DNR Community Trout Stocking Schedule website to see which lakes are having events.

Anglers need a valid fishing license and 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 keep their own limit.

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