Hickory Grove Lake in Story County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Hickory Grove Lake stands in Story County, Iowa. The setting is rolling bush on every side. At about 79 acres, a day is enough to walk the shoreline properly. Around 3.0 miles of margin, front to back. Nothing else we list in Story County covers more water. Head to Nevada, 5.5 miles away, for anything you forgot. Des Moines is the closest city, 30 miles away. There is no boundary nearby to worry about.

• Where to Fish on Hickory Grove Lake

  Nothing in our records gives a depth for this one. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Fish documented in Story County include green sunfish, bluegill and johnny darter. Take it as the county picture rather than a promise for this water. Hickory Grove Lake fishes better once you know its edges.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July runs about 74°F on average, January about 17°F. Winter shuts things down for a spell, then spring reopens them fast. Ice-out usually falls in late March, and the weeks after it fish hardest. In an average year the thaw lands around late March and the freeze near early December. Spring is short and heavy here; autumn is longer and steadier. Time your trip to Hickory Grove Lake by conditions rather than dates.

• Tackle & Baits

  We have no record of the rules that apply on this bank. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. You can launch: the ramp is half a mile away. A car park sits roughly 140 yards away. There is a pier recorded roughly half a mile away. Parking is often the real limit rather than the bank itself. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. Should this one be busy, Twin Anchors Lake is 1.4 miles off. Nothing here settles the position at Hickory Grove Lake for certain.