Fish Iowa - Lakes, Ponds, and Reservoirs - Humeston Reservoir

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About Humeston Reservoir

Surface Area (acres): 42.20
Maximum Depth (feet): 16.5 ft. (2009 - 16.5')
Motoring Restrictions: Electric Motors Only
See below for additional location-specific regulations

Location

County: Wayne
Description: Humeston
Coordinates: 40.88024588, -93.50598831

Nearby Parks

Stephens State Forest

Amenities

Amenities at Humeston Reservoir include:
  • Accessible Pier
  • Picnic Area
  • Trails
  • Accessible Facilities
  • Playground
  • Restrooms
  • Camping
  • Good/Excellent Shorefishing
  • Hard Surface Boat Ramp
  • Accessible Shoreline

Fishing Report

- No recent updates found

Popular Fish Species

Fishing Forecast

Excellent largemouth bass fishery. Largemouth bass are abundant with sizes up to 22 inches available. Crappie abundance is high with fish up to 12 inches common. Bluegill size quality is good with fish up to 9 inches common. (2014)

Consumption Guidelines

Iowa-Caught Fish Are Safe to Eat, In Almost All Cases

In nearly all cases, Iowa fish are safe to eat. Cleaning and/or preparing the meal causes most of the problems regarding taste or color of fish. Like all living creatures, fish are susceptible to diseases, parasites, and other naturally occurring conditions in the water. If you suspect your fish is affected by any of these conditions, do not eat it. Consider eating smaller and younger fish which usually have lower levels of contaminants than larger ones. Most contaminants accumulate in larger, older fish. For additional information, check out our resources for eating and cooking Iowa caught fish.

To learn more about fish tissue monitoring, visit our Fish Tissue Monitoring page .

Stocking

  • 9/27/22 - 420 Channel Catfish (9.3)
  • 09/30/2020 - 421 Channel Catfish (8.4)
  • 10/02/2018 - 500 Channel Catfish (8.2)
  • fall 2016 - 498 Channel Catfish (9.4")

Management

  • 2023 - Stocking-Other: 250 panfish (bluegill, crappie, redear), 11 largemouth bass, and 3 channel catfish were stocked after being collected from Lake Keomah.
  • 2023 - Stocking-Other: 150 panfish (bluegill, crappie, redear), 8 largemouth bass, 8 channel catfish were stocked after being collected from Lake Keomah.
  • 2023 - Stocking-Other: 80 bluegill, 12 crappie, 7 redear and 8 largemouth bass were stocked as they were surplus fish left over from a state fair demonstration collection.
  • 2023 - Stocking-Largemouth Bass: 400 3-4" largemouth bass were stocked. They were surplus fish from Mt. Ayr hatchery.
  • 2023 - Stocking-Other: 100 8-16" largemouth bass and 100 panfish (bluegill/crappie/redear sunfish) were stocked after being collected from Lake Keomah.
  • 2022 - Fish Kills-Dissolved Oxygen: Summer event
  • 2021 - Water Sampling-Secchi Disc: 5/4-40" 6/15-15" 9/7-17"
  • 2021 - Water Sampling-Temperature: 5/4-62° 6/15-79° 9/7-75°
  • 2014 - Water Sampling-Temperature: 64° F
  • 2014 - Water Sampling-Secchi Disc: 14"
  • 2013 - Fishery Renovation-Chemical-Rotenone: A low dose rotenone application was used to eliminate the gizzard shad and yellow bass populations.
  • 2013 - Water Sampling-Secchi Disc: 8"
  • 2013 - Water Sampling-Temperature: 58° F, 65° F
  • 2012 - Water Sampling-Secchi Disc: Multiple dates and values
  • 2012 - Water Sampling-Temperature: Multiple dates and values
  • 2011 - Exotic Species-Fish: Gizzard shad presence was confirmed with an electrofishing sample. Adult and YOY gizzard shad were collected.
  • 2011 - Fishery Renovation-Chemical-Rotenone: A low dose rotenone application was used to eliminate the gizzard shad and yellow bass populations.
  • 2009 - Water Sampling-Secchi Disc: 9"
  • 2009 - Water Sampling-Temperature: 70° F, 67.5° F
  • 2009 - Morphology-Maximum Depth: 16.5'
  • 2009 - Morphology-Mean Depth: 6.5'
  • 2009 - Morphology-Watershed Size: 626 acres
  • 2009 - Morphology-Watershed Area Ratio: 14.8:1
  • 2009 - Morphology-Lake Surface Area: 42 acres

Motoring Restrictions

Motoring Restrictions: Electric Motors Only

Contacts for this Location

Fishing Regulations

  • 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:

Aquatic Invasive Species

    No known aquatic invasive species have been found

To learn more about AIS, visit the Iowa DNR's Aquatic Invasive Species page for more information and resources.

Fish Surveys

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