Yellow Smoke Park Lake
General Information
County: Crawford
Location: 2 miles east, 2 miles north of Denison
Acres: 40.00
Maximum Depth: 29.8 ft. (2013)
Motoring Restrictions: Electric Motors Only
Nearby Parks
Amenities
Amenities at Yellow Smoke Park Lake include:
- Boat Access
- Accessible Pier
- Picnic Area
- Beach
- Trails
- Accessible Facilities
- Restrooms
- Camping
- Good/Excellent Shorefishing
- Hard Surface Boat Ramp
- Accessible Shoreline
- 9/20/22 - 720 Channel Catfish (9.1)
- 09/21/2020 - 724 Channel Catfish (8.3)
- 09/26/2018 - 723 Channel Catfish (8.9)
- 10/11/16 - 722 Channel Catfish (9.3")
- 09/25/2014 - 700 Channel Catfish (8")
- 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:
- 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:
- White Bass
- Season: Continuous
- Daily Bag Limit: none
- Possession Limit: unlimited
- Length Limit: none
- Other:
Yellow Smoke Lake has exceptionally clear water, which can make fishing difficult. While the bluegill population in Yellow Smoke is good, they can be difficult to catch. Yellow Smoke consistently produces 9.5+-inch bluegill, but anglers that catch 6 to 8 of those fish can consider that a good day of fishing. In the spring, target your efforts in the upper arms and coves where the nests will likely be found. Later in the summer, drift fish with very light tackle and line. The larger crappie are 10- to 12-inches; focus efforts around the stand of submerged trees. Largemouth bass are abundant. There are a lot of 10- to 14-inch bass, but plenty of larger fish to keep the avid bass angler happy. Channel catfish are stocked on a regular basis and there are many different size classes. Redear sunfish are present and some are very large (10+-inches). Fish deeper around submerged woody habitat and vegetation for those redears.(2020)
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.