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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Feb. 8, 2022
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) released between 1,000 to 2,000 rainbow trout at Moorland Pond (Fort Dodge) and Big Lake (Council Bluffs) as part of its cool weather trout program that brings trout to areas that cannot support them during the summer.
All winter/spring community trout stockings will be unannounced this year. Check the DNR website at www.iowadnr.gov/trout and watch for future press releases to find out when the remaining community trout locations have been stocked.
The winter/spring community trout stockings are a great place to take kids to catch their first fish. A small hook with a nightcrawler or corn under a small bobber or small simple spinners, such as a Panther Martin or Mepps, is all you need to get in on the fun.
Bringing trout to cities and towns offers a “close to home” option for Iowans who might not travel to the coldwater streams in northeast Iowa to discover trout fishing.
The popular program is supported by the sales of the trout fee. Anglers need a valid fishing license and pay the trout fee to fish for or possess trout. The daily limit is five trout per licensed angler with a possession limit of 10.
Children age 15 or younger can fish for trout with a properly licensed adult, but they must limit their catch to one daily limit. The child can purchase a trout fee which will allow them to catch their own limit.
Find more information about trout fishing in Iowa on the DNR trout fishing webpage.
Media Contact: Mike Steuck, regional fisheries supervisor, Northeast Iowa, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, 563-927-3276.
The US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) offers several programs for landowners to enroll environmentally sensitive farmland into the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP).
The continuous and general CRP signups provide annual rental payments to producers and landowners for establishing long-term, resource-conserving plant species on cropland, to control soil erosion, improve water quality and enhance wildlife habitat
Continuous CRP allows landowners to enroll new land at any time during the year, and includes the State Acres For wildlife Enhancement (SAFE) practice. Under SAFE, landowners can design special habitat for pheasant, bobwhite, grassland songbirds, and other species. SAFE is only available in targeted geographies, producers not eligible for SAFE can offer land into other continuous practices or thru the general signup.
USDA announced a general signup that began Jan. 31 and runs thru March 11. Producers and landowners who are not eligible for continuous CRP practices like SAFE can enroll in the general signup if the farmland meets eligibility requirements. Rental rates for the general signup are capped at $240 per acre, and at $300 per acre for Continuous CRP. Approximately 119,000 acres in Iowa enrolled in CRP will expire this year.
Landowners and producers interested in re-enrolling existing CRP or offering new cropland should contact staff with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources Private Lands Program, Pheasants Forever farm bill biologists, or their local USDA Service Center to learn their options before the general signup March 11 deadline. Fact sheets and other resources are available at fsa.usda.gov/crp.
More information, including local staff contact information, is available online at https://www.iowadnr.gov/Conservation/Wildlife-Landowner-Assistance/Conservation-Reserve-Program and at https://www.iowapf.net/staff/.
Media contact: Todd Bogenschutz, Upland Wildlife Research Biologist, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, 515-979-0828.
SPIRIT LAKE – The walleye fishing season on Spirit, East and West Okoboji lakes is open through Feb. 14. It will close after that date and reopens on May 7. These are the only Iowa lakes that have a closed season for walleye.
For more information on fishing regulations, go to www.iowadnr.gov/fishing.
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is hosting a series of town hall-style meetings where local staff will provide updates on recently completed hunting and trapping seasons, discuss possible changes to hunting and trapping rules and regulations, and address other topics as requested.
“We want people to come out to these meetings, listen to the seasons reviews, ask questions and hear directly from our staff,” said Todd Bishop, chief of the Iowa DNR’s Wildlife Bureau. “Part of the meeting will be devoted to discussing potential rule changes and collecting feedback as we work through the rules process.”
The meetings are open to the public. Comments collected from these public meetings will be considered along with other related comments received by the Iowa DNR prior to proposing changes to hunting rules and regulations. Proposed rules will be presented to the Natural Resource Commission during a regular public meeting for consideration and additional public comment.
Meeting date, time and location
- Creston, Feb. 21, 6 p.m., Multi-Purpose Room, Southern Prairie YMCA, 1201 West Townline Street
- Algona, Feb. 22, 6 p.m., Waters Edge Nature Center, 1010 250th Street
- Des Moines, Feb. 22, 6:45 p.m., Des Moines Izaak Walton League, 4343 George Flagg Parkway
- Dubuque, Feb. 22, 7 p.m., EB Lyons Nature Center at Mines of Spain, 8991 Bellevue Heights Road
- Jefferson, Feb. 22, 6:30 p.m., The Depot, Raccoon River Valley Trailhead, 507 E Lincoln Way
- Okoboji, Feb. 22, 6 p.m., Maser Monarch Lodge, 22785 Nature Center Road
- Sac City, Feb 22, 6:30 p.m., Sac County Conservation Center, Hagge Park, 2970
- 280th Street
- Ventura, Feb. 22, 7 p.m., Iowa DNR Wildlife Office, 15326 Balsam Avenue
- Waverly, Feb. 22, 6 p.m., Waverly Public Library, 1500 W Bremer Avenue
- Burlington, Feb. 23, 5 p.m., Starr's Cave Nature Center, 11627 Starr's Cave Road
- Calmar, Feb. 23, 7 p.m., Northeast Iowa Dairy & Agriculture Foundation (Dairy Center), Room 115, 1527 Hwy. 150 South
- Iowa City, Feb. 23, 6:30 p.m., Johnson County ISU Extension Office, 3109 Old Hwy. 218 South
- Onawa, Feb. 23, 6 p.m., Lewis and Clark State Park visitor center banquet room, 21914 Park Loop
- Bloomfield, Feb. 24, 6 p.m., Wapello County Conservation Board Pioneer Ridge Nature Center, 1339 Hwy. 63
- Chariton, Feb. 24, 7 p.m., Pin Oak Lodge, 45996 State Hwy. 14
- Council Bluffs, Feb. 24, 6:30 p.m., Council Bluffs Fish & Game Club, 531 Comanche St. DeWitt, Feb. 24, 7 p.m., DeWitt Community Library, 917 Fifth Avenue
- Toledo, Feb. 24, 6:30 p.m., Tama County Nature Center, 2283 Park Road
Any person attending the public meeting that has special requirements, such as those related to mobility or hearing impairments, should contact the Iowa DNR or ADA Coordinator at 515-725-8200, Relay Iowa TTY Service 800-735-7942, or Webmaster@dnr.iowa.gov, and advise of specific needs.
DES MOINES – Ice fishing shelters, left unattended, must be removed from all state-owned lands and waters by Feb. 20. Ice shelter owners are encouraged not to wait until the last minute to get their shelter off the ice. If a shelter falls through the ice, the owner is responsible for getting it out of the lake.
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