← Iowa fishing maps

Best northern pike lakes in Iowa

29 Iowa waters list northern pike (official records or labelled estimates), 26 mapped with survey or official-chart depth data. Ranked below by size and depth-data quality, leading with the waters in our reviewed search catalog — open any water to see exactly where to fish it: depth contours, scored spots with plain-English reasons, seasonal windows and bait picks. Aggressive ambush predator that patrols weed edges and cool water.

1. Des Moines River — 11 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White BassWhy #1: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 18 public access sites
2. West Okoboji Lake — 135 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White BassWhy #2: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
3. Mississippi River Pool 13 (Clinton) — 53 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass, SaugerWhy #3: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 4 public access sites
4. Spirit Lake — 22 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White BassWhy #4: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 8 public access sites
5. East Okoboji Lake — 20 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White BassWhy #5: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 9 public access sites
6. Clear Lake — 22 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass, Northern PikeWhy #6: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 2 public access sites
7. Five Island Lake — 22 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White BassWhy #7: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 4 public access sites
8. Trumbull Lake — 4 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike, Crappie, BluegillWhy #8: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 5 public access sites
9. Snyder Bend Lake — 11 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike, Crappie, BluegillWhy #9: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
10. Maquoketa River — 6 ft max · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, Channel CatfishWhy #10: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 4 public access sites
11. Silver Lake (Palo Alto) — 6 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, CrappieWhy #11: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
12. Blue Lake — 10 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike, Crappie, BluegillWhy #12: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 2 public access sites
13. Browns Lake — 10 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, CrappieWhy #13: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
14. Ingham Lake — 10 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, CrappieWhy #14: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 3 public access sites
15. West Swan Lake S.W.M.A. — 5 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike, Crappie, BluegillWhy #15: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 2 public access sites
16. Silver Lake (Worth) — 7 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike, Crappie, BluegillWhy #16: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 2 public access sites
17. Silver Lake (Dickinson) — 8 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass, Northern PikeWhy #17: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 2 public access sites
18. Center Lake — 16 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White BassWhy #18: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
19. Crystal Lake — 18 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, CrappieWhy #19: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
20. Elk Lake — 5 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, CrappieWhy #20: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
21. Lost Island Lake — 12 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass, Northern PikeWhy #21: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
22. Minnewashta Lake — 14 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White BassWhy #22: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 2 public access sites
23. George Wyth Lake — 18 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, CrappieWhy #23: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
24. Prairie Park Fishery — 37 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White BassWhy #24: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
25. Little Spirit — 5 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass, Northern PikeWhy #25: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site

…plus 4 more Iowa waters holding northern pike.

Find the closest northern pike waters to you →

When to fish northern pike in Iowa

• Spring 2–8 ft — Shallow, dark-bottomed bays that warm first; pike spawn in flooded vegetation.
• Summer 8–20 ft — Deep weedlines and cool water; the biggest fish slide deeper than most anglers fish.
• Fall 6–18 ft — Trophy time: big baits near the last green weeds and steep breaks.
• Winter 5–15 ft — Weedy flats near drop-offs; pike remain active all winter.

Also in Iowa: best largemouth bass lakes · best smallmouth bass lakes · best walleye lakes · best white bass lakes · best crappie lakes · best bluegill lakes · best channel catfish lakes · best muskellunge lakes · best yellow perch lakes · best flathead catfish lakes · best freshwater drum lakes · best common carp lakes

Northern Pike elsewhere: Ontario · Sweden · Wisconsin · Minnesota · British Columbia · Québec · Finland · Michigan · Germany · United Kingdom · Norway · Maine · New Hampshire · Lithuania · New York · Montana · Saskatchewan · Massachusetts · Indiana · North Dakota · Estonia · Alberta · Connecticut · Nebraska · Netherlands · Vermont · Alaska · South Dakota · Colorado · Illinois · New Mexico · New Jersey · Denmark · Manitoba