An angler on the Iowa River has officially set a new state record for the spotted bass (Micropterus punctulatus), a non-native species whose growing presence is evident in Iowa’s waterways south of Cedar Rapids. Toby Franks was fishing on October 18, 2025, when he landed a spot weighing 2.32 pounds and measuring 16 inches. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) confirmed the catch, noting that the new record was officially weighed on a certified scale before being released alive.
The record-breaking catch occurred within a productive stretch of the Iowa River, specifically between Coralville Lake and River Junction. This area has become a reliable location for the southerly bass species in Iowa.
Franks’s catch is geographically consistent with a trend of spotted bass being caught from these specific, local-area waters. The Coralville Reservoir, an impoundment of the Iowa River, and Lake MacBride—formed from Mill Creek—have historically yielded other notable spot catches, demonstrating an established population within the region.
The new bass entry tops all other catches for this invasive species within the state. But it might not last too long. Spotted bass rarely grow larger than 15 inches, but Iowa DNR sampling regularly finds spotted bass over 3 pounds in the Iowa River. To qualify as an Iowa state record, a fish must exceed the weight of the former record by a minimum of one ounce…