Fishing Areas

Fishing is allowed in 7 areas managed by the JCCB: Jefferson County Park, Mac Coon Access, Round Prairie Park, Zillman's Hickory Hills, Whitham Woods, Cedar Creek Timber, and Turkey Run Wildlife Area.

All of the rules and regulations of the Iowa State DNR apply. For instance, you must have a valid fishing license.

Go to the Iowa DNR site for complete information - Iowa DNR Fishing

Catfish

If there was a family of fishes that was the monarch in any locality, then to Iowa anglers catfishes would be "King".

The latest poll on fishing in Iowa revealed that nearly one-third of our fishermen prefer to catch channel catfish and bullheads. Of all the fish caught in the state during 1981, over 6.2 million were channel catfish and nearly 12.5 million were bullheads.

The Skunk River provides river rats with miles of snag-filled holes that support not only channel catfish but giant flatheads as well.

Ten species of catfish inhabit Iowa waters.

• These species include large catfishes such as channel catfish, flathead catfish and blue catfish, all of which often reach weights of over 20 pounds;
• the bullheads, including black, yellow and brown, which rarely exceed 4 pounds in weight;
• and four species of madtoms, which are the smallest of the catfishes.

Catfishes are easily identified by their smooth scale-less bodies, eight elongated fleshy barbels or "whiskers" about their mouth, and the strong, sharp spines that are located at the insertion of the dorsal and pectoral fins. It is believed that the spines are adapted as defensive structures in the catfish family.

A locking mechanism allows the fish to extend the spine outward when attacked or touched, making it hazardous for a predator to grasp it and nearly impossible to swallow. Madtoms and small bullheads have glands at the base of the spines that secrete a mild but painful venom when danger is threatened.

The barbels of catfish carry well-developed sensory organs which are used to transmit both touch and taste. Additional taste buds are found at other locations on the body.

It has been estimated that an adult bullhead has perhaps 100,000 nerve sensory sites on its body. All of the catfishes are adapted to foraging in muddy and dark waters where feeding by senses is essential. (From Iowa DNR website.)

Learn about the Cedar Creek.