Rainbow trout headed to Cedar Falls lake Oct. 28
Grab a rod and check your trout fee: a nearby fall fishing option is on the calendar.
A fall fishing trip does not have to mean heading all the way to northeast Iowa. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources plans to stock rainbow trout at North Prairie Lake in Cedar Falls on Wednesday, Oct. 28, at 11:30 a.m.
For anglers from La Porte City and Dysart, the lake offers a regional option for trying trout fishing as cooler weather returns. The stocking is part of the DNR’s community trout program, which brings the fish to waters that cannot support them during the summer.
Before heading out, check your fishing license and trout fee. Iowa residents who need an annual fishing license pay $22, and the resident trout fee is $14.50. Other license options and exemptions are listed in the DNR’s current regulations.
The daily limit is five trout, with a possession limit of 10. Children age 15 or younger may fish with a properly licensed adult who has paid the trout fee, but their combined catch must stay within the adult’s daily limit of five. A child who buys a trout fee can keep a separate daily limit.
The DNR suggests simple tackle: a small hook baited with a nightcrawler or corn beneath a small bobber, or a small spinner.
The Oct. 28 listing is a scheduled stocking, rather than a confirmed separate festival or organized family event. Check the DNR’s community trout stocking schedule again before making the trip, and review the current fishing rules at iowadnr.gov.