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Blue Heron Lake (Raccoon River Park)

General Information

County: Polk
Location: southwest of West Des Moines; Raccoon River Park
Acres: 232.00
Maximum Depth: 29.3 ft. (2017)
Motoring Restrictions: No Size Limit at No Wake

Nearby Parks

Walnut Woods State Park

Amenities

Amenities at Blue Heron Lake (Raccoon River Park) include:
  • Boat Access
  • Accessible Pier
  • Picnic Area
  • Beach
  • Trails
  • Accessible Facilities
  • Playground
  • Restrooms
  • Good/Excellent Shorefishing
  • Hard Surface Boat Ramp
  • Community Fishing Location

No recent updates

Lake Maps

Download Printable Lake Map

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

  • 10/25/2021 - 612 Wiper (Hybrid Striped Bass) (8.2)
  • 06/24/2021 - 2,474 Wiper (Hybrid Striped Bass) (1.5)
  • 06/26/2019 - 2,300 Wiper (Hybrid Striped Bass) (1.3)
  • annual 2017 - 3,000 Rainbow Trout (2-3/lb)
  • 9/13/2017 - 551 Channel Catfish (7.4")
  • 6/29/2017 - 2,300 Wiper (Hybrid Striped Bass) (2")
  • 10/9/2017 - 1,900 Wiper (Hybrid Striped Bass) (6.13")
  • 09/29/2015 - 998 Channel Catfish (8")

    No known aquatic invasive species have been found

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

  • 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:
  • 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.
  • 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:

Blue Heron offers crappie, largemouth bass, channel catfish and hybrid striped bass fishing. White and black crappies are present, with the majority being white crappies. Black crappie sizes are generally less than anglers prefer with most being around 7-inches. The white crappies are larger. Expect to catch white crappies mostly 8.5- to 10-inches with some reaching 11-inches. The largemouth bass fishery is good with fish surveyed at all sizes from 9- to 20-inches. Channel catfish are very abundant with the most common sizes being 12- to 16.5-inches, but good numbers of fish from 17- to 22-inches were also observed. Channel catfish over 25-inches are likely present. Hybrid striped bass continue to be stocked. They are not typically caught in many numbers during standard surveys, but fish around 20-inches were observed.(2023)

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.