Reservoir · Marion, Iowa
Lake Red Rock
Lake Red Rock
Reservoir · Iowa
Information Only
StrikeTracks does not currently provide a live condition rating for this destination. Destination and fishery information is still available.
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Fishery Profile
Documented species you may encounter at Lake Red Rock.
Species images are AI-generated illustrations for visual reference and may simplify natural variation. Fishery records are based on the cited agency sources. About fish illustrations
Fishery overview
Lake Red Rock is Iowa's largest reservoir and a central-Iowa destination for crappie, white bass, hybrid striped bass, and catfish. StrikeTracks publishes complete static Fishery with catalog-visible Unavailable conditions because no same-lake live USGS 00010 exists. Downstream Pella temperature is not lake temperature. This is not Saylorville Lake and not Rathbun Lake.
Target species
Black Crappie
Pomoxis nigromaculatus
- Expectation
- Primary
- Population
- Established
- Native status
- native
- Confidence
- High confidence
Iowa DNR Red Rock: black crappie 5–14 inches. Not Saylorville crappie.
White Bass
Morone chrysops
- Expectation
- Primary
- Population
- Established
- Native status
- native
- Confidence
- High confidence
Iowa DNR Red Rock: white bass a primary summer target. Not Storm Lake white bass.
White Crappie
Pomoxis annularis
- Expectation
- Primary
- Population
- Established
- Native status
- native
- Confidence
- High confidence
Iowa DNR Red Rock: white crappie 6–15 inches in 2020 surveys. Combined crappie 25/day. Not Rathbun crappie as a copy.
Channel Catfish
Ictalurus punctatus
- Expectation
- Common
- Population
- Established
- Native status
- native
- Confidence
- High confidence
Iowa DNR Red Rock: abundant channel catfish to 30 inches. Stream catfish bag at federal flood-control impoundments. Not Storm Lake catfish.
Largemouth Bass
Micropterus nigricans
- Expectation
- Common
- Population
- Established
- Native status
- native
- Confidence
- High confidence
Iowa DNR Red Rock: rock-habitat largemouth 8–19 inches, many 15–19. 15-inch minimum.
Wiper
Morone saxatilis × Morone chrysops
Canonical species: Hybrid Striped Bass
- Expectation
- Common
- Population
- Stocked
- Native status
- introduced
- Confidence
- High confidence
Iowa DNR Red Rock: occasional 2–15 pound hybrid striped bass while targeting white bass.
Walleye
Sander vitreus
- Expectation
- Present
- Population
- Stocked
- Native status
- native
- Confidence
- High confidence
Iowa DNR Red Rock: stocked walleye are a fair/occasional catch and a spring river-run fish. Not Rathbun's 5-fish special as a copy.
Fishery characteristics
- Composition
- Mixed wild and stocked
Broad Des Moines River USACE flood-control pool north of Knoxville with creek arms, flooded timber, and a rock dam face. Catalog coordinates are the Iowa DNR Fish Iowa point, not USGS 05488110 tailwater.
Best seasons
- Spring
- Summer
- Fall
Common techniques
- Boat fishing
- Shore fishing
- Spinning
- Trolling
Access and Public Fishing Rights
Iowa DNR and USACE document public ramps, marina, and camping. Confirm current pool and ramp status. Catalog coordinates are not a verified launch pin.
Stocking information
Iowa DNR stocks walleye and manages white bass / hybrid striped bass. Confirm current official Fish Iowa stocking records.
- Stocked
Wiper
Stocked · Iowa Department of Natural Resources
- Stocked
Walleye
Stocked · Iowa Department of Natural Resources
Official sources
Inland black bass 15-inch minimum on the reservoir. Stream catfish bag rules apply at this federal flood-control impoundment. Distinct from Rathbun's 15-inch / 5-fish walleye special. Confirm current Iowa DNR regulations.
conditionPublicationPolicy=static-value-structural-unavailable. Lake Red Rock is Iowa's largest flood-control reservoir with destination-specific Fish Iowa RRO63 fishery for crappie, white bass, hybrid striped bass, and catfish plus documented public access. inlandHasCompleteStaticFisheryValue passes on official Iowa DNR fishery, access, and regulations. USGS 05488110 is the Des Moines River tailwater near Pella and is not pool thermal; reservoir elevation is not 00010. No new Estimated science is introduced. HIGH plus PATH B does not auto-approve; public catalog-visible Unavailable is approved because Red Rock is the largest-reservoir class, not Rathbun and not Saylorville. This justification is Red Rock-specific and does not copy Rathbun or Coralville prose.
Location and Access
Cataloged lake location
Marion, Iowa
The map marker represents the cataloged waterbody or monitoring location and may not indicate legal parking or public access. Confirm access through the official information before visiting.
Lake Details
County
Marion
Management Category
USACE flood-control reservoir
Regulation Scope
Lake Red Rock
Regulation Summary
Lake Red Rock: Iowa DNR inland reservoir rules on the USACE Red Rock project. Confirm current official regulations.
Target Species
White Crappie, Black Crappie, White Bass, Hybrid Striped Bass, Channel Catfish, Largemouth Bass, Walleye
Public Access
Public
Boat Launch
Available
Shore Fishing
Available
Description
Lake Red Rock, Marion County, Iowa. About 15,250-acre USACE Des Moines River flood-control reservoir, Iowa's largest. Catalog-visible Unavailable: USGS 05488110 Des Moines River near Pella is the tailwater below the dam, not pool thermal. Reservoir elevation is not lake temperature. Not Saylorville and not Rathbun.
