Fishing at Beattys Pond, Muscatine County, Iowa

• Overview

  In Iowa, Beattys Pond falls inside Muscatine County. The bank gives way to pine and birch. Surface area is around 42 acres, which gives you real water without needing a boat. It lies lower than most water we list in Iowa. The nearest place of any size is Muscatine, 6.9 miles away. Davenport is the closest city, 29 miles away. You are close to a county edge here; who manages the access can change within a short drive.

• Where to Fish on Beattys Pond

  We hold no depth figure for this one. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Muscatine County records list channel catfish, freshwater drum, bluegill and orangespotted sunfish among the fish reported. It is the county picture; the agency list is water-specific. Beattys Pond responds to conditions more than to tactics.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warm month here averages 76°F; the cold one sits at 21°F. The freeze arrives properly here and holds. Count on hard cover from midwinter, and open water from mid March. Averages place the thaw at mid March and the freeze at mid December. The middle of summer slows a little, with dawn and dusk carrying it. Beattys Pond runs to that rhythm year in and year out.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. Public mapping records no formal access here, so plan for a walk and soft ground. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Check whether a boat is allowed before you tow one. Close seasons apply to some species and not others. For a change of water, Otter Pond is 2.3 miles distant. For Beattys Pond in particular, ask before you travel.