These waters feature easy access, bathrooms, wooden fishing piers and other amenities made for memorable getaways.

Lake of the Hills, near Davenport, has abundant bluegill populations. Kid-friendly with a snack shop, parking lot, beach, fishing pier, great shoreline access and other features.

Kent Park Lake, near Iowa City, is a small lake with excellent bluegill and channel catfish populations. Shore access is excellent, with a beach, hiking trails, playgrounds and conservation education center to explore.

Three Mile Lake, near Creston, has a playground, campground, fishing jetties and bathrooms. It holds strong bluegill and bass populations, as well as crappie and channel catfish.

Lake Anita, near Atlantic, has excellent bluegill, crappie, bass and catfish populations. A nice playground, good shore access, large campground, restrooms, trails and fishing jetties make for fun-filled weekends.

Lake Pahoja, Lyon County, near Sioux Falls, S.D., is a small impoundment with lots of easy-to-catch bluegills and crappies. A playground, beach, bike trails, boat and paddle boat rental and campground will keep families active for days.

Beeds Lake, near Hampton, has lots of bluegills and crappies, good access, a causeway, campground, bait for sale and boats for rent. The nice largemouth bass populations and good numbers of catfish will keep rods and reels in action.

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Swan Lake, near Carroll, has large populations of bluegills and crappies. A fish house, fishing jetties, picnic shelters, camping, beach and nature center with bison will keep the entire family busy.

The Turkey River at the Big Spring Trout Hatchery near Elkader is stocked three times per week from April through September. The hatchery has a public fishing pond at the entrance. For those 12 years old and younger, a kids-only trout
pond is a must.

A new handicap accessible site at Sny Magill Trout Stream, near McGregor, was completed last fall. Decorah’s Trout Run has a recreation trail parallel to the stream with four universally accessible sites.

Lake Meyer in Winneshiek County has a fishing jetty and universally accessible dock and a trail around half the lake with bathrooms and playground.

Other family friendly areas in northeast Iowa include Bailey’s Ford, Swiss
Valley Nature Center, Richmond Springs and Casey Lake.

The Mississippi River has new shoreline access areas near Harpers Ferry and Nobles Island. Guttenberg’s sidewalk access below the lock and dam is next to the public visitor aquarium. Mud Lake Park, in Dubuque County, has sidewalk
shoreline access.

Mitchell Lake, at Waterloo’s Riverview Recreation Area, underwent a major improvement to greatly enhance shoreline access to the 50-acre lake.

TIPS for fishing with kids

• Bring spare fishing rods rigged up so if one gets tangled, there is a replacement at the ready.
• Kids can have short attention spans. Bring things like books or toys if they get bored.
• Don’t plan all-day trips. Keep it at three hours or less.
• Use bobbers for kid-friendly fishing.
• If shore fishing, find routes that avoid head-high grass.
• Ensure equipment is child-sized, but avoid ineffective toy fishing rods. Kids strong enough to handle regular sized rods will have less frustration and better success.
• Pack along sunblock and mosquito spray.
• At home, hone casting skills with a practice plug on the fishing rod.
• Species that are easier to catch for kids include bluegills, suckers, white bass, drum and redhorse.
• Take lots of photos to remember the day. Put them around the house for the kids to see and entice more fishing trips.
• Bring home those 5- to 6-inch bluegills for supper. Your neighbor may not think much of it, but your child will be proud.
• Choose a nice day so everyone is comfortable. Fit the fishing activity to the attention span of the child.
• Have a Plan B if the fish are not biting to do something else outdoors.
• Bring plenty of snacks that kids can look forward to.
• Target a species that is readily biting. Bluegills in late May through mid-June. Catfish after ice out.
• Be flexible on species. If one is not biting, switch to another.