Pool 12, Mississippi River
General Information
Location: Between Dubuque and Bellevue, Iowa
Acres: 12349.00
Motoring Restrictions: In a few selected places no wake and no motor
Nearby Parks
Amenities
Amenities at Pool 12, Mississippi River include:
- Boat Access
- Fishing Jetty
- Accessible Pier
- Picnic Area
- Beach
- Trails
- Accessible Facilities
- Playground
- Restrooms
- Camping
- Good/Excellent Shorefishing
- Gravel Boat Ramp
- Hard Surface Boat Ramp
- Carry Down Boat Launch
- Accessible Shoreline
- Fish Cleaning Station
| Water has peaked and is presently at moderate or major flood stage throughout the district. Caution is required when boating on the River. Nearly all boat ramps are flooded.
If you have angling questions, please call Bellevue Fisheries Management at 563-880-8781. |
| Channel Catfish - Good: Channel catfish like flood waters and will move along the banks to feed. Try using stink baits. |
| Water level at Dubuque Lock and Dam is 19.9 feet and water level at the RR Bridge is 21.4 feet. The water is receding but still near major flood stage, so caution is required when boating on the River. Water clarity is stained with temps are at 73 degrees. Most boat ramps are being affected by the flooding. In addition, please note that the campground's at Massey and Spruce Creek are closed. |
| White Bass - No Report: White bass have been a consistent in the creel even with the dirty water. Try some flashy spinners in the tailwater areas. |
| Flathead Catfish - Fair: Anglers are starting to use trot lines where they can find a non-flooded banks. |
| Largemouth Bass - No Report: Find some cleaner water edges and bass are often stacked up. Most people are using crank baits or spinning baits on abundant bass. |
| Northern Pike - Good: Some pike are being reported in flooded areas like the O'Leary's access. |
| Walleye - No Report: Many anglers are targeting smaller flowing sloughs with crankbaits. |
| Bluegill - Good: flooded grass areas out of the flood currents are attracting many bluegills. |
| Water has peaked and is presently at moderate or lower flood stages throughout the district. Caution is required when boating on the river. Nearly all boat ramps are flooded or will have flood debris on them.
If you have angling questions, please call Bellevue Fisheries Management at 563-880-8781. |
| Water level at Dubuque Lock and Dam is 17.9 feet and water level at the RR Bridge is 29.6 feet as of Sunday. The water is receding but still in moderate to minor flood stages, so caution is required when boating on the river. Water clarity is stained with temps are at 73 degrees. Most boat ramps are being affected by the flooding. In addition, please note that the campground's at Massey and Spruce Creek are closed. |
| Channel Catfish - Good: Channel catfish like flood waters and will move along the banks to feed. Try using stink baits. |
| Flathead Catfish - Fair: Anglers are starting to use trot lines where they can find a non-flooded banks. |
| White Bass - No Report: White bass have been a consistent in the creel even with the dirty water. Try some flashy spinners in the tailwater areas. |
| Bluegill - Good: flooded grass areas out of the flood currents are attracting many bluegills. |
| Largemouth Bass - No Report: Find some cleaner water edges and bass are often stacked up. Most people are using crank baits or spinning baits on abundant bass. |
| Northern Pike - Good: Some pike are being reported in flooded areas like the O'Leary's access. |
| Walleye - No Report: Many anglers are targeting smaller flowing sloughs with crankbaits. |
- 05/01/2018 - 50,000 Walleye (Fry)
- Bighead Carp
- Brittle Naiad
- Eurasian Watermilfoil
- Flowering Rush
- Silver Carp
- Zebra Mussel
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 bluegill and pumpkinseed, 25 fish
- Possession Limit: combined bluegill and pumpkinseed, 50 fish
- Length Limit: none
- Other: Associated chutes and backwaters of border rivers are included where intermittent or constant flow occur
- Bluegill
- Season: Continuous
- Daily Bag Limit: combined bluegill and pumpkinseed, 25 fish
- Possession Limit: combined bluegill and pumpkinseed, 50 fish
- Length Limit: none
- Other: Associated chutes and backwaters of border rivers are included where intermittent or constant flow occur
- Channel Catfish
- Season: Continuous
- Daily Bag Limit: none
- Possession Limit: unlimited
- Length Limit: none
- Other:
- Flathead Catfish
- Season: Continuous
- Daily Bag Limit: none
- Possession Limit: unlimited
- Length Limit: none
- Other:
- Largemouth Bass
- Season: Continuous
- Daily Bag Limit: combined black bass, 5 fish
- Possession Limit: combined black bass, 10 fish
- Length Limit: 14-inch minimum
- Other: Associated chutes and backwaters of border rivers are included where intermittent or constant flow occur
- Northern Pike
- Season: Continuous
- Daily Bag Limit: 5 fish
- Possession Limit: 10 fish
- Length Limit: none
- Other:
- Sauger
- Season: Continuous
- Daily Bag Limit: combined walleye, sauger and saugeye; 6 fish
- Possession Limit: combined walleye, sauger and saugeye; 12 fish
- Length Limit: 15-inch minimum length limit; all walleye from 20 to 27-inches must be immediately released alive
- Other: No more than one walleye longer than 27 inches may be taken per day on these pools
- Smallmouth Bass
- Season: Continuous
- Daily Bag Limit: combined black bass, 5 fish
- Possession Limit: combined black bass, 10 fish
- Length Limit: 14-inch minimum
- Other: Associated chutes and backwaters of border rivers are included where intermittent or constant flow occur
- Walleye
- Season: Continuous
- Daily Bag Limit: combined walleye, sauger and saugeye; 6 fish
- Possession Limit: combined walleye, sauger and saugeye; 12 fish
- Length Limit: 15-inch minimum length limit; all walleye from 20 to 27-inches must be immediately released alive
- Other: No more than one walleye longer than 27 inches may be taken per day on these pools
- White Bass
- Season: Continuous
- Daily Bag Limit: combined yellow and white bass, 25 fish
- Possession Limit: combined yellow and white bass, 50 fish
- Length Limit: none
- Other: Associated chutes and backwaters of the Mississippi River are included where intermittent or constant flow occur. In these areas, the daily bag and possession limit for the Mississippi River apply.
- Yellow Perch
- Season: Continuous
- Daily Bag Limit: 25 fish
- Possession Limit: 50 fish
- Length Limit: none
- Other:
Fishery is in good shape. Excellent spawn of yellow perch and walleye in 2015 bode well for the future. Lots of nice crappies up to 13 inches were caught in the fall. Northern pike numbers were very high and a substantial fishery for this species developed. Largemouth and smallmouth bass support excellent numbers and should provide a quality fishery for years to come. The Sunfish Lake habitat restoration project is complete and should provide quality angling well into the future. The next major restoration work with begin in Tippy's Lake and Stone Lake. (2016)
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. Here is a list of current fish consumption advisories for Iowa lakes and rivers.