Official State of Iowa Website

LakeDetails

  Fishing   >   Where to Fish   >   Lakes Ponds & Reservoirs   >   LakeDetails

Prairie Rose Lake

General Information

County: Shelby
Location: 8 miles southeast of Harlan
Acres: 196.10
Maximum Depth: 25 ft. (2015)
Motoring Restrictions: No Size Limit at No Wake

Nearby Parks

Prairie Rose State Park

Amenities

Amenities at Prairie Rose Lake include:
  • Boat Access
  • Fishing Jetty
  • Picnic Area
  • Beach
  • Trails
  • Accessible Facilities
  • Playground
  • Restrooms
  • Camping
  • Good/Excellent Shorefishing
  • Hard Surface Boat Ramp
  • Accessible Shoreline
  • Fish Cleaning Station

Lakes and ponds in the southern part of the district are unsafe. Drill holes often when venturing out and never walk on black ice. For information on lakes in the Cold Springs District call (712) 769-2587
Prairie rose has 7 inches of ice.
Bluegill - Slow: Anglers can catch bluegill around the cedar tree piles in the lake. The bite is slower than a week ago.
Black Crappie - Slow: Move often to find the 10 to 12 inch black crappies in the lake.

Lake Maps

Download Printable Lake Map
Download Printable Fishing Structures Map

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

  • 09/27/2021 - 2,506 Channel Catfish (9.5)
  • 07/18/2020 - 9,628 Walleye (3.8)
  • 09/23/2019 - 2,411 Channel Catfish (9.4)
  • 05/03/2019 - 220,000 Walleye (Fry)
  • 05/07/2018 - 346,000 Walleye (Fry)
  • 9/14/2017 - 2,000 Channel Catfish (7.4")
  • 4/26/2017 - 222,800 Walleye (fry)
  • 09/09/2015 - 2,411 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:
  • Green Sunfish
    • Season: Continuous
    • Daily Bag Limit: none
    • Possession Limit: unlimited
    • 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:

The fishery at Prairie Rose Lake is really good now 12 years past the 2012 lake restoration effort. The Largemouth Bass are 12 to 16-inches with some quality size 20-inch fish. This is a high density population so expect to do a lot of catch and release bass fishing. The bluegill population is one of the best in the state. Bluegill bag limits are routinely had of all 8.5+ inch fish. 40% of the bluegill sampled in fykes were over 8 inches. 58% of the Black Crappies sampled were over 10-inches. Look for crappies around the rocks reefs in early May and bluegills on the beds in late May/June. Harvestable size channel catfish are also available in the lake. The quality of the fish in Prairie Rose makes this a great fishing destination.(2024)

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.