Folsom Lake Fishing in Mills County, Iowa

• Overview

  Out in Mills County, Iowa, sits Folsom Lake. It stands 945 feet above sea level. At about 127 acres, a day is enough to walk the shoreline properly. Shoreline comes to about 1.5 miles, small enough to learn in a day. It is the biggest water on our Mills County list. Nearest town is Glenwood, 4.9 miles off. Bellevue is 5 miles and Offutt Air Force Base 5.7 miles. The county edge is within a short distance of the bank.

• Where to Fish on Folsom Lake

  The records we hold are silent on depth, so plan to find it yourself. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Across Mills County, recorded fish include common carp, green sunfish, channel catfish, black crappie and goldeye. The list covers the county rather than this water alone, so treat it as a guide. Read Folsom Lake for ten minutes before the first cast goes out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July near 76°F and January near 22°F on the long-run figures. A solid cap is the normal state through winter. Count on hard cover from midwinter, and open water from mid March. Ice usually gives way near mid March, and forms again about mid December. Just after the ice goes and just before it returns, the fishing lifts. Folsom Lake fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  No access rule appears in what we hold. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. Launching is possible: a slipway lies half a mile off. A car park lies half a mile away, so the walk in is short. There are picnic tables recorded roughly half a mile off. Facilities include toilets around half a mile from here. Part of this sits inside or beside West Oak Forest, so read the notices. Sort the permit out before you load the car. Signs at Folsom Lake carry more weight than any list.