The Ankeny Brief
The Iowa DNR knows exactly what's in these waters - it just buries the data in a clunky website. So we pulled it out. Below is every public pond, lake and river within about 30 minutes of Ankeny - 20 of them, from in-town ponds and creeks to the big metro reservoirs - each with the real fish sizes from DNR biologist surveys. Tap the fish you're after and it'll show you where to go.
Closest to home, Ankeny Lake (DMACC) is loaded with bass and has a pier for the kids. Want a wall-hanger bass? Try Promenade Pond in town or Blue Heron Lake out west. Chasing trout? Terra Lake (Johnston) and Lake Petocka (Bondurant) both get stocked rainbows. Going big with a boat? Saylorville, Big Creek and Easter Lake have walleye, catfish and more. Use the finder below to filter by what you want to catch.
Fish sizes are from Iowa DNR Fish Iowa electrofishing surveys - biologists sampling each water and measuring what they find - plus DNR stocking records. Access, amenities and addresses come from the city and county park agencies that own each water (Ankeny, Johnston, Des Moines, West Des Moines, Pleasant Hill, Bondurant, Polk County Conservation) and, for Saylorville and Big Creek, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. These are all public, government sources - not crowd-sourced catch apps, which we avoid on purpose. Survey data tells you what's in the water and how big; it's not a log of individual catches, and clear water or timing can hide the biggest fish. Drive times are approximate from central Ankeny.
The Ankeny Brief is a free weekly email: what's open, what's happening this week, deals, and where to be around town. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
In town: Ankeny Lake (DMACC), Promenade Pond, Hawkeye Park Pond and the Prairie Ridge ponds. A short drive: Terra Lake (Johnston) and Lake Petocka (Bondurant), plus the big reservoirs at Saylorville and Big Creek. Farther across the metro (still ~20-30 min): Easter Lake, Gray's Lake, Blue Heron Lake (Raccoon River Park), Copper Creek Lake (Pleasant Hill) and Banner Lakes at Summerset. The finder above sorts all 20 by drive time.
Ankeny Lake (DMACC) is stacked with bass to 14.5″ and Promenade Pond has given up 20″ fish right in town. For the widest size range, Big Creek runs 8-19.5″ with most between 12.5 and 17″.
Terra Lake in Johnston (~14 min) gets stocked with catchable rainbow trout Nov-April - the closest reliable cold-season trout to Ankeny. You'll need a trout fee added to your Iowa license to keep them.
Yes - anyone 16 or older needs an Iowa fishing license, plus a trout fee to keep trout. Kids under 16 fish free. Confirm current limits at iowadnr.gov before you go.
The Ankeny fishing guide · Trails & bike paths · The outdoors guide · Camping