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Red Rock Reservoir provides a diverse fishery for anglers to choose from. The most sought after species are crappie, white bass, hybrid striped bass and channel catfish. Anglers should expect some good crappie fishing. 2020 fishery surveys found black and white crappies in good numbers. Black crappies ranged in size from 5- to 14-inches. White crappies ranged in size from 6- to 15-inches. White bass were surveyed in good numbers from 4.5- to 8-inches and in lower numbers from 9- to 16-inches. If the large group of 4.5- to 8-inch fish survive to the larger sizes, there may be some better white bass fishing after 2021. While targeting white bass, anglers also have the chance to hook into an occasional 2 to 15 pound hybrid striped bass. The channel catfish population is abundant at all sizes up to 30-inches. A good largemouth bass fishery can be found around the rock habitat with fish surveyed from 8- to 19-inches. A good portion of the bass population is between 15- and 19-inches. Walleyes, stocked each year, maintain a fair population of healthy fish, but are mostly an occasional catch by anglers trolling for white bass. These walleyes also create good spring fishing up the river as far as the dams in Des Moines and below the Red Rock spillway.(2020)
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 .