Humeston Reservoir in Wayne County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Humeston Reservoir sits within Wayne County in Iowa. Elevation runs to 1,079 feet. The water covers some 37 acres, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. Shoreline comes to about 1.4 miles, small enough to learn in a day. Head to Corydon, 13 miles away, for anything you forgot. Chariton is 14 miles and Leon 16 miles. Rules can differ a short way off, since the county line is near.

• Where to Fish on Humeston Reservoir

  We hold no survey for this water; read the slope of the shoreline instead. Look for where the old bank line still shows under the surface. Held water runs deepest at the wall and shallows back to the inflow. Reported across Wayne County: common carp, channel catfish, gizzard shad and largemouth bass. Read it as a county summary, not a water-by-water list. On Humeston Reservoir the obvious spot is not always the productive one.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages move between 21°F in January and 75°F in July. A full turn of seasons, with the strongest sport on either side of summer. The lid usually goes in mid March, which opens the strongest weeks of the year. From about mid March to around mid December, expect open water on the long-run figures. June through September is the settled part of the year, with the shoulders busier for fish. Humeston Reservoir runs to that rhythm year in and year out.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. Parking is close: a car park sits half a mile from the bank. There is a mapped landing stage 150 yards away. A rest area sits about half a mile from the water. Check locally before you travel, because a wasted drive is a long one. Fishing rules and camping rules are set separately here. Should this one be busy, Stephens Forest Pond is 9.6 miles off. Nothing here settles the position at Humeston Reservoir for certain.