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Prairie Rose Lake

General Information

County: Shelby
Location: 8 miles southeast of Harlan
Acres: 196.10
Maximum Depth: 25 ft. (2015)
Motoring Restrictions: No Size Limit at No Wake

Nearby Parks

Prairie Rose State Park

Amenities

Amenities at Prairie Rose Lake include:
  • Boat Access
  • Fishing Jetty
  • Picnic Area
  • Beach
  • Trails
  • Accessible Facilities
  • Playground
  • Restrooms
  • Camping
  • Good/Excellent Shorefishing
  • Hard Surface Boat Ramp
  • Accessible Shoreline
  • Fish Cleaning Station

As of 12/18 there are no lakes safe for ice fishing in the southwest district. This is a good time to prepare ice fishing tackle for the season ahead. For information on lakes in the Cold Springs District call (712) 769-2587
Bluegill - No Report:
Prairie Rose has provided excellent ice fishing since the renovation. This winter will be no exception with large bluegill and a decent crappie population.
Black Crappie - No Report:
Channel Catfish - No Report:
Largemouth Bass - No Report:

Lake Maps

Download Printable Lake Map
Download Printable Fishing Structures Map

You can zoom in on the map for bathymetric information for some lakes

  • 09/27/2021 - 2,506 Channel Catfish (9.5)
  • 07/18/2020 - 9,628 Walleye (3.8)
  • 09/23/2019 - 2,411 Channel Catfish (9.4)
  • 05/03/2019 - 220,000 Walleye (Fry)
  • 05/07/2018 - 346,000 Walleye (Fry)
  • 9/14/2017 - 2,000 Channel Catfish (7.4")
  • 4/26/2017 - 222,800 Walleye (fry)
  • 09/09/2015 - 2,411 Channel Catfish (8")
  • 10/03/2014 - 788 Black Crappie (Adult)

  • Brittle Naiad
  • Curlyleaf Pondweed

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

  • Black Crappie
    • Season: Continuous
    • Daily Bag Limit: combined black and white crappie, 25 fish
    • Possession Limit: unlimited
    • Length Limit: none
    • Other: No daily limit on private waters
  • Bluegill
    • Season: Continuous
    • Daily Bag Limit: 25 fish
    • Possession Limit: unlimited
    • Length Limit: none
    • Other: No daily limit on private waters
  • Channel Catfish
    • Season: Continuous
    • Daily Bag Limit: combined: channel, blue and flathead catfish, 8 fish
    • Possession Limit: combined: channel, blue and flathead catfish, 30 fish
    • Length Limit: none
    • Other:
  • Green Sunfish
    • Season: Continuous
    • Daily Bag Limit: none
    • Possession Limit: unlimited
    • Length Limit: none
    • Other:
  • Largemouth Bass
    • Season: Continuous
    • Daily Bag Limit: combined black bass, 3 fish
    • Possession Limit: combined black bass, 6 fish
    • Length Limit: 15-inch minimum
    • Other:

The fishery at Prairie Rose Lake is really good now 10 years past the 2012 lake restoration effort. The Largemouth Bass are 13 to 15-inches with some quality size 20-inch fish. This is a high density population so expect to do a lot of catch and release bass fishing. The bluegill population has quality 8- to 10-inch bluegills in good numbers. Black Crappies average 10-inches. Look for crappies around the rocks reefs in early May and bluegills on the beds in late May/June. Harvestable size channel catfish are also available in the lake. The quality of the fish in Prairie Rose makes this a great fishing destination.(2022)

Tip: Click the arrow in the lower right corner to view the Fish Survey Data tool in full-screen mode.

Contacts

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.