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Location
In Jones County, the Maquoketa flows roughly 35 miles passing through the community of Monticello before entering Jackson County near Canton. The Eby's Mill River Access is located on the east side of the Eby's Mill Road, just downstream of the bridge, on the left side of the river.
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Overview
In Jones County, the Maquoketa flows roughly 35 miles passing through the community of Monticello before entering Jackson County near Canton. Anyone willing to wet a line along the river will enjoy pulling walleye, smallmouth bass, northern pike, catfish, and suckers from hidden pools and riffles.
Location
In Jones County, the Maquoketa flows roughly 35 miles passing through the community of Monticello before entering Jackson County near Canton. The Eby's Mill River Access is located on the east side of the Eby's Mill Road, just downstream of the bridge, on the left side of the river.
Features
The diversity of the Maquoketa River creates conditions in which a variety of fish species can flourish. Multiple dams and man-made lakes, excellent water quality, varying river bottom substrates, coldwater stream tributaries, and connectedness with the Mississippi all make the Maquoketa River a sought after fishery.
From its headwaters near Arlington to Backbone State Park, the river is primarily a trout fishery with catchable trout stocked weekly during the fishing season. Anglers can expect to catch rainbow, brown and brook trout in this section. After its departure from the Backbone Dam, the river is host to multiple river species including smallmouth bass and walleye.
The Maquoketa River is most well-known for its smallmouth bass fishing having the most bass per mile as well as some of the highest percentages of mature bass in Iowa. Bass can be found from Backbone Dam to the Mississippi and are most abundant from Dundee to Pictured Rocks where the river bottom is dominated by large boulders and rocks. Fish species diversity increases even more near its confluence at the Mississippi where large river fish species travel upstream into the Maquoketa River. In addition to smallmouth bass at the lower end, the river is also host to walleye, northern pike, largemouth bass, white bass, channel catfish, drum, crappie, bluegill, sunfish, sturgeon, sauger, and flathead catfish.
Hours
4 am - 10:30 pm
Closed
10:30 pm - 4 am
