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Red Rock Reservoir

General Information

County: Marion
Location: 4 miles north of Knoxville
Acres: 15250.00
Maximum Depth: 44 ft. (1987)
Motoring Restrictions: none

Nearby Parks

Elk Rock State Park

Amenities

Amenities at Red Rock Reservoir include:
  • Boat Access
  • Boat Rental
  • Picnic Area
  • Beach
  • Trails
  • Accessible Facilities
  • Playground
  • Restrooms
  • Camping
  • Concessions
  • Hard Surface Boat Ramp

For information on Central Iowa lakes and rivers contact Ben Dodd at 641-891-3795 or Andy Otting at 515-204-5885.
Black Crappie - Slow: The fall crappie bite has been slow, but crappie fishing during mild weather in November can be good. Drift or troll small plastics or jigs tipped with minnow in bays and arms off the main lake and Whitebreast arm.

Lake Maps


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

  • June 2022 - 95,646 Wiper (Hybrid Striped Bass) (1.4)
  • 7/14/22 - 3,124 Walleye (4.1)
  • 6/3/22 - 80,176 Northern Pike (1.6)
  • 5/6/22 - 9,609,000 Walleye (Fry)
  • 5/12/22 - 1,000,000 Wiper (Hybrid Striped Bass) (Fry)
  • April 2021 - 10,000,000 Walleye (Fry)
  • 06/28/2021 - 6,568 Largemouth Bass (1.6)
  • 06/24/2021 - 110,425 Wiper (Hybrid Striped Bass) (1.5)
  • 05/20/2021 - 950,000 Wiper (Hybrid Striped Bass) (Fry)
  • 04/28/2021 - 75,000 Walleye (Fry)
  • 06/25/2020 - 6,042 Largemouth Bass (1.8)
  • 06/26/2019 - 93,921 Wiper (Hybrid Striped Bass) (1.5)
  • 05/30/2019 - 8,593 Northern Pike (1.99)
  • 05/07/2019 - 69 Walleye (16)
  • 05/03/2019 - 31,412 Northern Pike (Fry)
  • 05/01/2019 - 10,075,000 Walleye (Fry)
  • 06/27/2018 - 93,013 Wiper (Hybrid Striped Bass) (1.64)
  • 06/07/2018 - 6,017 Largemouth Bass (1.6)
  • 06/07/2018 - 24,902 Northern Pike (2.9)
  • 05/08/2018 - 75,000 Walleye (Fry)
  • 05/07/2018 - 2,500,000 Walleye (Fry)
  • 05/07/2018 - 7,500,000 Walleye (Fry)
  • 6/29/2017 - 64,381 Wiper (Hybrid Striped Bass) (2")
  • 6/28/2017 - 13,529 Wiper (Hybrid Striped Bass) (2")
  • 6/23/2017 - 17,066 Wiper (Hybrid Striped Bass) (1.8")
  • 5/19/2017 - 41,027 Northern Pike (2.3")
  • 4/25/2017 - 11,473,882 Walleye (fry)
  • 7/8/16 - 5,410 Largemouth Bass (1.2")
  • 6/22/2016 - 25,653 Wiper (Hybrid Striped Bass) (1.5")
  • 6/16/2016 - 122,219 Wiper (Hybrid Striped Bass) (1.4")
  • 5/4/16 - 1,000,000 Wiper (Hybrid Striped Bass) (Fry)
  • 5/12/16 - 62,520 Wiper (Hybrid Striped Bass) (Fry)
  • 5/11/16 - 1,000,000 Wiper (Hybrid Striped Bass) (Fry)
  • 4/29/16 - 77,000 Walleye (Fry)
  • 4/29/16 - 12,012,749 Walleye (Fry)
  • 4/21/16 - 25,024 Northern Pike (1.4")
  • 06/16/2015 - 38,388 Wiper (Hybrid Striped Bass) (1.3")
  • 06/16/2015 - 77,845 Wiper (Hybrid Striped Bass) (479/lb)
  • 05/12/2015 - 850,000 Wiper (Hybrid Striped Bass) (Fry)
  • 05/05/2015 - 50,000 Wiper (Hybrid Striped Bass) (Fry)
  • 04/30/2015 - 100,000 Wiper (Hybrid Striped Bass) (Fry)
  • 04/30/2015 - 150,000 Wiper (Hybrid Striped Bass) (Fry)
  • 04/29/2015 - 10,000,000 Walleye (Fry)
  • 06/13/2014 - 382,391 Wiper (Hybrid Striped Bass) (2")
  • 06/02/2014 - 51,539 Northern Pike (2-3")
  • 05/14/2014 - 55,397 Wiper (Hybrid Striped Bass) (Fry)
  • 05/10/2014 - 11,000,000 Walleye (Fry)

  • Zebra Mussel

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

  • Bigmouth Buffalo
    • Season: Continuous
    • Daily Bag Limit: none
    • Possession Limit: unlimited
    • Length Limit: none
    • Other:
  • Black Crappie
    • Season: Continuous
    • Daily Bag Limit: combined black and white crappie, 25 fish
    • Possession Limit: unlimited
    • Length Limit: none
    • Other:
  • Bluegill
    • Season: Continuous
    • Daily Bag Limit: 25 fish
    • Possession Limit: unlimited
    • Length Limit: none
    • Other:
  • Channel Catfish
    • Season: Continuous
    • Daily Bag Limit: combined: channel, blue and flathead catfish, 15 fish
    • Possession Limit: combined: channel, blue and flathead catfish, 30 fish
    • Length Limit: none
    • Other:
  • Common Carp
    • Season: Continuous
    • Daily Bag Limit: none
    • Possession Limit: unlimited
    • Length Limit: none
    • Other: May be taken by hand fishing, by snagging, by spear or by bow and arrow, day or night.
  • Flathead Catfish
    • Season: Continuous
    • Daily Bag Limit: combined: channel, blue and flathead catfish, 15 fish
    • Possession Limit: combined: channel, blue and flathead catfish, 30 fish
    • Length Limit: none
    • Other:
  • Freshwater Drum
    • Season: Continuous
    • Daily Bag Limit: none
    • Possession Limit: unlimited
    • Length Limit: none
    • Other: May be taken by hand fishing, by snagging, by spear or by bow and arrow, day or night.
  • 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:
  • Northern Pike
    • Season: Continuous
    • Daily Bag Limit: 3 fish
    • Possession Limit: 6 fish
    • Length Limit: none
    • Other:
  • Walleye
    • Season: Continuous
    • Daily Bag Limit: combined walleye, sauger and saugeye; 5 fish
    • Possession Limit: combined walleye, sauger and saugeye; 10 fish
    • Length Limit: none
    • Other:
  • White Bass
    • Season: Continuous
    • Daily Bag Limit: none
    • Possession Limit: unlimited
    • Length Limit: none
    • Other:
  • White Crappie
    • Season: Continuous
    • Daily Bag Limit: combined black and white crappie, 25 fish
    • Possession Limit: unlimited
    • Length Limit: none
    • Other:
  • White Sucker
    • Season: Continuous
    • Daily Bag Limit: none
    • Possession Limit: unlimited
    • Length Limit: none
    • Other: May be taken by hand fishing, by snagging, by spear or by bow and arrow, day or night.

Red Rock Reservoir provides a diverse fishery for anglers to choose from. The most sought after species are crappie, white bass, hybrid striped bass and channel catfish. Anglers should expect some good crappie fishing. 2020 fishery surveys found black and white crappies in good numbers. Black crappies ranged in size from 5- to 14-inches. White crappies ranged in size from 6- to 15-inches. White bass were surveyed in good numbers from 4.5- to 8-inches and in lower numbers from 9- to 16-inches. If the large group of 4.5- to 8-inch fish survive to the larger sizes, there may be some better white bass fishing after 2021. While targeting white bass, anglers also have the chance to hook into an occasional 2 to 15 pound hybrid striped bass. The channel catfish population is abundant at all sizes up to 30-inches. A good largemouth bass fishery can be found around the rock habitat with fish surveyed from 8- to 19-inches. A good portion of the bass population is between 15- and 19-inches. Walleyes, stocked each year, maintain a fair population of healthy fish, but are mostly an occasional catch by anglers trolling for white bass. These walleyes also create good spring fishing up the river as far as the dams in Des Moines and below the Red Rock spillway.(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.