Official State of Iowa Website

LakeDetails

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

Hawthorn Lake

General Information

County: Mahaska
Location: 1 mile south of Barnes City on the east side of V13
Acres: 182.00
Maximum Depth: 29.2 ft. (2015 - 29.2')
Motoring Restrictions: No Size Limit at No Wake

Nearby Parks

Amenities

Amenities at Hawthorn Lake include:
  • Fishing Jetty
  • Trails
  • Good/Excellent Shorefishing
  • Hard Surface Boat Ramp
  • Accessible Shoreline

Contact the Rathbun Fish Hatchery at 641-647-2406 with questions about fishing in south central Iowa.
Black Crappie - Slow: Target brush piles with jig and minnow combinations.
Bluegill - Slow: Try jigs around the brushpiles.
Largemouth Bass - Fair: Target the fishing jetties and rip-rapped shorelines. Use plastics or spinnerbaits in these areas.

Lake Maps

Download Printable Lake Map
Download Printable Fishing Structures Map

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

  • 5/18/22 - 200 Muskellunge (12.8)
  • 10/3/22 - 423 Muskellunge (6.6)
  • Fall 2021 - 1,839 Channel Catfish (8.9)
  • 05/13/2020 - 200 Muskellunge (12.4)
  • 09/12/2019 - 1,800 Channel Catfish (8.7)
  • 05/04/2018 - 199 Muskellunge (11.8)
  • 9/18/2017 - 1,416 Channel Catfish (8.2")
  • 4/28/16 - 200 Muskellunge (10")
  • 09/24/2015 - 1,499 Channel Catfish (8")
  • 05/08/2015 - 200 Muskellunge (12.3")
  • 05/13/2014 - 198 Muskellunge (9.6")

  • 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:
  • Largemouth Bass
    • Season: Continuous
    • Daily Bag Limit: combined black bass, 3 fish
    • Possession Limit: combined black bass, 6 fish
    • Length Limit: All 12 to16-inch fish must be immediately released
    • Other:
  • Muskellunge
    • Season: Continuous
    • Daily Bag Limit: combined: muskellunge and tiger muskellunge, 1 fish
    • Possession Limit: combined: muskellunge and tiger muskellunge, 1 fish
    • Length Limit: 40-inch minimum
    • Other:

Black crappie abundance is high and angling for large fish was excellent in 2020, especially early in the year. Most fish are over nine inches but a very larger proportion is greater than 10 inches. Bluegill angling continues to improve, abundance is high, and fish approaching 9 inches were sampled in 2020. Redear sunfish are also abundant and can be found at sizes greater than 9 inches. Largemouth bass remain abundant, growth is somewhat slow but the size range of fish is good. A high abundance of fish greater than 15 inches is present. Channel catfish are dominated by large fish, many greater than 27 inches in length.(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.