Fish Iowa - Lakes, Ponds, and Reservoirs

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About Lake of Three Fires

Surface Area (acres): 97.00
Maximum Depth (feet): 27.4 ft. (2021 - 27.4 feet)
Motoring Restrictions: No Size Limit at 5 mph speed
See below for additional location-specific regulations

Location

County: Taylor
Description: Three Fires
Coordinates: 40.71155426, -94.69018770

Nearby Parks

Lake of Three Fires State Park

Amenities

Amenities at Lake of Three Fires include:

Boat Access
Fishing Jetty
Picnic Area
Beach
Trails
Accessible Facilities
Playground
Restrooms
Camping
Good/Excellent Shorefishing
Hard Surface Boat Ramp
Fish Cleaning Station

What to Fish For

Fishing Report

- No recent updates found

Popular Fish Species

Fishing Forecast

Spring electrofishing indicated a good abundance of Largemouth Bass up to 20 inches. Bluegill up to 8.5 inches and Crappie up to 111 inches are available to anglers. Channel Catfish up to 20 inches are also available to anglers.(2023)

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 .

Where to Go

Printable Map (PDF)

Explore the full Fishing Atlas

Stocking and Management

Stocking

09/30/2021 - 1,296 Channel Catfish (9)
09/16/2019 - 379 Channel Catfish (8.6)
04/30/2019 - 216,000 Walleye (Fry)
05/07/2018 - 216,000 Walleye (Fry)
9/18/2017 - 377 Channel Catfish (8.2")
09/15/2015 - 375 Channel Catfish (8")

Management

2023 - Survey-Population: A standard survey was conducted using electrofishing and fyke nets.
2023 - Vegetation-Treatment: American Lotus surface spray treatment with aquatic labeled glyphosate
2022 - Vegetation-Treatment: Two treatments on same 15.42 acres for American Lotus control. Private company provided herbicide and application while following Iowa DNR aquatic vegetation management plan.
2021 - Structures-Other: Southwest Iowa Fishing Team artificial structures
2021 - Morphology-Maximum Depth: 27.4 feet
2021 - Morphology-Mean Depth: 9.2 feet
2021 - Morphology-Lake Surface Area: 97 acres
2021 - Morphology-Lake Volume: 881.3 acre-feet
2020 - Survey-Population: A comprehensive fish population survey was conducted using electrofishing, baited hoop nets, and fyke nets.
2019 - Survey-Population: Fall night electrofishing was conducted to evaluate walleye fry survival.
2018 - Structures-Trees Cedar: Cedar Trees
2018 - Survey-Population: A standard fish population survey was conducted using electrofishing and fyke nets.
2017 - Survey-Population: A standard fish population survey was conducted using electrofishing and fyke nets.
2017 - Vegetation-Treatment: Lotus was treated to reduce abundance.
2016 - Survey-Population: A standard sample was done with electrofishing and fyke netting.
2015 - Vegetation-Treatment: Lotus was treated to reduce abundance.
2015 - Fish Cleaning Station-Fish Cleaning Station: Floating Fish Cleaning Station
2015 - Survey-Population: A standard survey was done with electrofishing and fyke netting.
2014 - Vegetation-Treatment: Lotus was treated to reduce abundance.
2014 - Survey-Population: A fishery standard survey was done with electrofishing and fyke netting gears.
2013 - Survey-Population: A fishery comprehensive survey was done with electrofishing, hoop netting, and fyke netting gears.
2012 - Survey-Population: A fishery trend survey was done with electrofishing and fyke netting gears.
2011 - Survey-Population: A standard sampled was done on 3 Fires with electrofishing and trapnetting gears.
2010 - Survey-Population: A standard sampled was done on 3 Fires with electrofishing and trapnetting gears.
2009 - Survey-Population: Three Fires was sampled with spring electrofishing and fall trapnetting.

Regulations and Who to Talk To

Motoring Restrictions

Motoring Restrictions: No Size Limit at 5 mph speed

Contacts for this Location

Andrea Bevington, Conservation Officer; 712-520-0508; Andrea.Bevington@dnr.iowa.gov
Andy Jansen, Fisheries Biologist; 641-464-3108; Andy.Jansen@dnr.iowa.gov

Fishing Regulations

Black Bullhead

Season: Continuous
Daily Bag Limit: unlimited
Possession Limit: unlimited
Length Limit: none
Other:

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:

Green Sunfish

Season: Continuous
Daily Bag Limit: none
Possession Limit: unlimited
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:

White 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

Fish Iowa - Lakes, Ponds, and Reservoirs - Lake of Three Fires