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Harold Getty Lake

General Information

County: Black Hawk
Location: Located in southeast Waterloo about 1 mile north of the intersection of Highway 20 and Highway 218. Follow Mitchell Street about 0.25 miles east from Highway 218 to the Riverview Recreation Area.
Acres: 35.00
Maximum Depth: 55.8 ft. (2012)
Motoring Restrictions: No Wake Speed

Nearby Parks

George Wyth State Park

Amenities

Amenities at Harold Getty Lake include:
  • Boat Access
  • Fishing Jetty
  • Picnic Area
  • Trails
  • Restrooms
  • 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

  • 09/13/2021 - 981 Channel Catfish (8.8)
  • 09/30/2019 - 983 Channel Catfish (9.6)
  • 9/5/2017 - 988 Channel Catfish (8.3")
  • 09/22/2015 - 634 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.

  • 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:
  • 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:

Harold Getty Lake (formerly Mitchell Lake) supports populations of bluegill, largemouth bass, crappie and channel catfish. Bluegill and crappie reproduction is good with limited recruitment to larger sizes. Bluegills top out at about 6-7 inches and crappies top out at about 9-inches. Largemouth bass reproduction and recruitment is very good, and survey data from 2020 showed multiple year classes of bass. Growth and recruitment of channel catfish is also good. Harold Getty is connected to the Cedar River during flood flows, so common carp, freshwater drum, yellow bass, walleye, flathead catfish and white bass are occasionally caught. Harold Getty Lake has good shore access and a hard surface boat ramp.(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.