<p>The section of the Turkey River I have fished extends from Eldorado down to Motor Mill below Elkader. Good fishing surely extends both above and below this section. The Turkey River has a nice rocky bottom through most of this section providing cover to smallmouth, walleye, rock bass, and many varieties of rough fish. Additionally, the influx of cold water from Big Springs gives refuge to stocked trout in the area directly downstream from the hatchery. In the cooler months, these fish disperse and can be caught quite a ways up and downstream of the hatchery. </p><p>The Turkey can be fished on foot or floated. It is a slightly larger stream than the Volga to its south and the Yellow to the north. Perfect water for that summer float when the other rivers might be a bit too low and require some dragging. </p><p>Like the Volga, the average smallmouth in the Turkey is not too large. My experience is that they run a bit larger, maybe 11 or 12 inches to 8 to 10 for the Volga. There are bigger fish present though, and if you find the right spot you might catch two or three from one hole. I've caught fish to 16 or 17 inches here, but there are plenty of fish that would exceed 18 inches. If you spend a day floating, wading and fishing, you'll likely have at least one fish to remember the day by. And if not, it's really a beautiful river to float. </p>