Fish Iowa - Lakes, Ponds, and Reservoirs - Pilot Knob Lake

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About Pilot Knob Lake

Surface Area (acres): 15.00
Maximum Depth (feet): 12 ft. (1972)
Motoring Restrictions: None
See below for additional location-specific regulations

Location

County: Hancock
Description: Pilot Knob
Coordinates: 43.25098748, -93.56109864

Nearby Parks

Rice Lake State Park

Amenities

Amenities at Pilot Knob Lake include:
- No results found

Fishing Report

- No recent updates found

Popular Fish Species

- No results found

Fishing Forecast

Bluegill, largemouth bass, and channel catfish are available. This pond gets vegetated in the warm months. Spring, fall and winter are the best times to fish.(2024)

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

  • 9/12/22 - 101 Channel Catfish (9.4)
  • 09/14/2020 - 101 Channel Catfish (8)
  • 09/18/2018 - 100 Channel Catfish (8.4)
  • 9/14/16 - 150 Channel Catfish (9.1")

Management

  • 2025 - Water Sampling-Dissolved Oxygen: Winter oxygen monitoring. Reading was 13.3ppm taken in 5 feet of water.
  • 2024 - Water Sampling-Dissolved Oxygen: Winter oxygen monitoring. Reading was taken in 5 feet of water.
  • 2024 - Vegetation-Treatment: treatment of CEDE4 and POPU7 around fishing pier
  • 2023 - Water Sampling-Dissolved Oxygen: Winter oxygen monitoring. Reading was taken in 4.5 feet of water.
  • 2023 - Vegetation-Treatment: CEDE4 herbicide treatment with sprayer - Reward and Cide Kick II
  • 2022 - Water Sampling-Dissolved Oxygen: Winter oxygen monitoring. Reading was taken in 3 feet of water.
  • 2022 - Vegetation-Treatment: Coontail management near access areas.
  • 2021 - Water Sampling-Dissolved Oxygen: Winter oxygen monitoring. Reading was taken in 4 feet of water.
  • 2021 - Water Sampling-Dissolved Oxygen: Winter oxygen monitoring. Reading was taken in in 4 feet of water.
  • 2021 - Vegetation-Treatment: Treated around fishing dock with Reward to open up better fishing access. Used ATV sprayer and a long pole to extend the wand out away from the dock.
  • 2020 - Water Sampling-Dissolved Oxygen: Winter oxygen monitoring. Reading was taken in 6'.
  • 2019 - Fishing Dock-Construction: Used older courtesy docks to create permanent fishing dock.
  • 2016 - Water Sampling-Dissolved Oxygen: winter monitoring results
  • 2010 - Fish Kills-Winterkill: Bluegill and largemouth bass were dead upon ice out. Largemouth bass were mainly 12-15 inch fish. Bluegill were more numerous and varied in size from 3 - 7 inches.

Motoring Restrictions

Motoring Restrictions: None

Contacts for this Location

Fishing Regulations

- No results found

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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