Liberalized fishing allowed at Dan Green Slough

(Photo by Russ Mitchell) Changes are under way at the Dan Green Slough east of Langdon in Clay County. The area will be drained, so outdoors enthusiasts can bend some rules to get fish from the DNR habitat. [Order this photo]

Members of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources have relaxed some rules as it continues to drain a Clay County slough.

Dan Green Slough is about 4 miles east of Langdon along county road B17. Over the next two years, conservation officials plan to drain water from the area. The process will allow wetland vegetation to get a start in the mud flats. It will also eliminate rough fish, which contribute to murky conditions.

A contractor will install about 1,000 feet of pipe out into the marsh when it freezes, according to Iowa DNR Biologist Bryan Hellyer. The deepest part of Dan Green Slough is about three feet deep.

Liberalized fishing regulations only apply to fish -- not turtles or frogs, for example. The relaxed regulations will allow fish to be taken by any means except by the use of explosives, poison, electric shock, or stupefying substances.

A current fishing license will still be needed to participate in liberalized fishing activities.

"People using Dan Green Slough are reminded that the area around the pump house and water control structure is posted as a no trespass area; therefore users will have to use the public access on the southwest side of the lake," a statement from the DNR said.

Dan Green Slough is being pumped to low levels to rid the lake of problem fish like carp and to allow for beneficial plants to re-establish in the lake. A fish barrier will keep most problem fish out of the lake, according to the DNR.

Collectively, excluding fish from the lake and reestablishing emergent and submergent plants in the lake will result in much cleaner water and improved habitat conditions for aquatic wildlife.

Unlike other deeper-water lakes that are going through similar improvement processes, fish will not be restocked in Dan Green Slough. The DNR says the shallowness of the lake will not support a healthy game fish population over time.