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Best yellow perch lakes in Iowa

173 Iowa waters list yellow perch (official records or labelled estimates), 171 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. The premier eating panfish. Roams soft-bottom flats and weed edges in schools — a daytime biter.

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. Spirit Lake — 22 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White BassWhy #3: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 8 public access sites
4. East Okoboji Lake — 20 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White BassWhy #4: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 9 public access sites
5. Clear Lake — 22 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass, Northern PikeWhy #5: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 2 public access sites
6. DeSoto Bend at DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge — 18 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie, BluegillWhy #6: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 2 public access sites
7. Big Creek Lake — 50 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White BassWhy #7: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 2 public access sites
8. Storm Lake (incl Little Storm Lake) — 17 ft max · real survey depth contours · Walleye, White Bass, Crappie, Channel CatfishWhy #8: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 2 public access sites
9. Five Island Lake — 22 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White BassWhy #9: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 4 public access sites
10. Three Mile Lake — 48 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie, BluegillWhy #10: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 3 public access sites
11. Twelve Mile Creek Lake — 40 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, CrappieWhy #11: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 3 public access sites
12. Brushy Creek Lake — 72 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie, BluegillWhy #12: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 8 public access sites
13. Rice Lake — 10 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill, Channel CatfishWhy #13: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 3 public access sites
14. Lake Icaria — 24 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie, BluegillWhy #14: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 3 public access sites
15. Black Hawk Lake — 20 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass, CrappieWhy #15: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 3 public access sites
16. Trumbull Lake — 4 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike, Crappie, BluegillWhy #16: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 5 public access sites
17. Snyder Bend Lake — 11 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike, Crappie, BluegillWhy #17: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
18. Rock Creek Lake — 16 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie, BluegillWhy #18: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 2 public access sites
19. Lost Grove Lake — 48 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White BassWhy #19: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 7 public access sites
20. Silver Lake (Palo Alto) — 6 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. Blue Lake — 10 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike, Crappie, BluegillWhy #21: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 2 public access sites
22. Big Hollow Lake — 44 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White BassWhy #22: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
23. Roberts Creek Lake — 20 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass, CrappieWhy #23: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 2 public access sites
24. South Twin Lake — 5 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill, Channel CatfishWhy #24: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 2 public access sites
25. Little River Watershed Lake — 32 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White BassWhy #25: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 4 public access sites

…plus 148 more Iowa waters holding yellow perch.

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When to fish yellow perch in Iowa

• Spring 3–12 ft — Spawning runs to shallow weeds and gravel — find the school, stay on it.
• Summer 10–30 ft — Schools slide deeper to soft-bottom flats and deep weedlines.
• Fall 12–35 ft — Jumbo perch pod up on deep basin flats feeding on invertebrates.
• Winter 15–35 ft — A premier ice-fishing target — deep mud flats, small jigs.

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

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