Hawthorn Lake
General Information
County: Mahaska
Location: 1 mile south of Barnes City on the east side of V13
Acres: 182.00
Maximum Depth: 29.2 ft. (2015 - 29.2')
Motoring Restrictions: No Size Limit at No Wake
Nearby Parks
Amenities
Amenities at Hawthorn Lake include:
- Fishing Jetty
- Trails
- Good/Excellent Shorefishing
- Hard Surface Boat Ramp
- Accessible Shoreline
Contact the Rathbun Fish Hatchery at 641-647-2406 with questions about fishing in south central Iowa. |
Black Crappie - Fair: Target brush piles with jig and minnow combinations. |
Bluegill - Fair: Try jigs along the shoreline and open areas in the vegetation. |
Largemouth Bass - Good: Target the fishing jetties and rip-rapped shorelines. Use plastics or spinnerbaits in these areas. |
- 5/18/22 - 200 Muskellunge (12.8)
- 10/3/22 - 423 Muskellunge (6.6)
- Fall 2021 - 1,839 Channel Catfish (8.9)
- 05/13/2020 - 200 Muskellunge (12.4)
- 09/12/2019 - 1,800 Channel Catfish (8.7)
- 05/04/2018 - 199 Muskellunge (11.8)
- 9/18/2017 - 1,416 Channel Catfish (8.2")
- 4/28/16 - 200 Muskellunge (10")
- 09/24/2015 - 1,499 Channel Catfish (8")
- 05/08/2015 - 200 Muskellunge (12.3")
- 05/13/2014 - 198 Muskellunge (9.6")
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: All 12 to16-inch fish must be immediately released
- Other:
- Muskellunge
- Season: Continuous
- Daily Bag Limit: combined: muskellunge and tiger muskellunge, 1 fish
- Possession Limit: combined: muskellunge and tiger muskellunge, 1 fish
- Length Limit: 40-inch minimum
- Other:
Black crappie abundance is high and angling for large fish was excellent in 2020, especially early in the year. Most fish are over nine inches but a very larger proportion is greater than 10 inches. Bluegill angling continues to improve, abundance is high, and fish approaching 9 inches were sampled in 2020. Redear sunfish are also abundant and can be found at sizes greater than 9 inches. Largemouth bass remain abundant, growth is somewhat slow but the size range of fish is good. A high abundance of fish greater than 15 inches is present. Channel catfish are dominated by large fish, many greater than 27 inches in length.(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.