Walleye, sauger and saugeye (a combined total) size limit in Iowa

Closes each year Closed February 15 through the first Saturday of May (in 2026: reopened May 2) to protect spawning walleye - a closure written directly into the Iowa Administrative Code for these three lakes

The Iowa Great Lakes run stricter than the rest of the state on purpose: 3 per day instead of the statewide 5, a spring closure the statewide rule does not have, and a posted 19-25-inch protected slot. The 2026 season was the 151st consecutive walleye opener on these lakes.

Iowa DNR source page

What we left out on purpose

• The 19-25-inch protected walleye slot is a 'posted or published' length limit under 81.2(3)(b), documented in the DNR's own 2026 season announcement rather than in the Administrative Code itself - it could change with a future posting, which is why this entry carries a short review cycle.
• The walleye closure reopens on the first Saturday of May, a moving date modeled here as the fixed window 02-15 to 05-01 (correct for 2026, when the season opened May 2) - the window needs re-pinning each year at review.
• Muskellunge and tiger muskie carry their own season on these lakes (May 21 - November 30, 1 per day, 40-inch minimum statewide) - not modelled, no target species of this site.
• Yellow perch (25/50 statewide) and bluegill are popular here but not modelled - outside this site's tracked targets for the water; the three species modelled match the page's walleye/bass/crappie targets exactly.