Pool 12, Mississippi River
General Information
County: Jackson
Location: Between Dubuque and Bellevue, Iowa
Acres: 12349.00
Maximum Depth:
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 levels are low. Boaters should use caution to avoid backing off end of ramps. Fall fishing can be great on the River right until ice in. If you have angling questions, please call Bellevue Fisheries Management at 563-880-8781. |
| Water level at Dubuque Lock and Dam is stable at 5.6 feet and the RR Bridge is at 8.1 feet. Water is clear with the temperature is around 52 degrees. |
| White Bass - Excellent: White bass have been a consistent in the creel. Try some flashy spinners in the tailwater areas. |
| Largemouth Bass - Excellent: Bass are stacked up along shorelines with old weed lines and in large woody habitats. |
| Walleye - Good: Walleyes and sauger are being reported by crappie anglers in the brush piles as well! Some walleye and sauger are being taken in the tailwaters mostly on a jig and minnow. |
| Northern Pike - Good: Lots of small pike have been reported this year. This bodes well for the future of pike fishing in the Mississippi River. |
| Bluegill - Good: Starting to move to the brush piles and dead falls in deeper backwater habitats. |
| Smallmouth Bass - Excellent: Try fishing along rock lines with small crankbaits or spinners |
| Black Crappie - Excellent: Hit the brush piles with small jigs and minnows. |
| Yellow Perch - Fair: Starting to hear of some yellow perch being caught. They seemed to disappear for awhile but strong populations are present on the Mississippi River. |
- 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)
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.