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289-acre lake near Clay County. Iowa DNR survey water. The lake tops out around 5 ft. The depth chart is built from real state fisheries GPS surveys, so the humps, channels and drop-offs you see are measured, not guessed. The season-by-season read for each species follows, from the map's own numbers.
On the chart, Elk Lake draws 289 acres inside 2.5 miles of shoreline. A shoreline index of 1.1 says round and simple: fish relate to depth changes here, not shoreline features. Nothing on this chart breaks 15 ft, which makes the whole surface littoral: weeds, bait and ambush cover everywhere. Tip to tip the water measures near 0.9 mi with a 0.7-mi widest point. You'll find it in Clay County. The nearest mapped water is Virgin Lake, 2 mi to the northeast.
The spring pattern is a shallow one: largemouth bass in 1 to 5 ft. The depth story barely changes: 2 to 5 ft through summer, 2 to 5 ft in winter. The spot to know is Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in about 2 ft of water that rates prime for largemouth bass in spring. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Summer baits: a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 5 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (2 ft) | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 2 to 5 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (2 ft) | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 1 to 5 ft | midday & dawn | Main-lake point (2 ft) | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 2 to 5 ft | midday | Break off the point (4 ft) | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
In spring, bluegill run shallow here, mostly 1 to 5 ft. Summer keeps them at 1 to 5 ft, and they winter in 2 to 5 ft. Spring bluegill concentrate at Shallow bay flat, a prime-rated weed flat around 2 ft. Fish it in early morning and the evening and you'll meet the bite. You won't need more than a small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig most summer days.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 5 ft | midday & dusk | Shallow bay flat (2 ft) | 1/32 oz jig + micro plastic, Tiny popper (evenings) |
| Summer | 1 to 5 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (2 ft) | Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig |
| Fall | 2 to 5 ft | midday | Shallow bay flat (2 ft) | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 2 to 5 ft | midday | Deep basin (5 ft) | Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon |
Start shallow in spring: crappie sit in 1 to 5 ft that time of year. They don't go far with the seasons — 2 to 5 ft covers summer, 2 to 5 ft covers winter. Top water on the chart: Deep basin, a deep basin in the 5 ft range, prime in winter. Fish it in early morning and the evening and you'll meet the bite. Throw a jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) until the fish tell you otherwise.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 5 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (2 ft) | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 2 to 5 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (2 ft) | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 2 to 5 ft | dawn | Shallow bay flat (2 ft) | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 2 to 5 ft | midday | Deep basin (5 ft) | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
Come spring, look for yellow perch tight to the bank in 1 to 5 ft. Through summer count on 2 to 5 ft; the winter hold is 2 to 5 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Shallow bay flat: a weed flat around 2 ft that scores prime in spring. Best bite is early morning. A drop-shot micro plastics or a small spoon tipped with worm is the honest summer answer here.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 5 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (2 ft) | Small jig + curly tail, Perch-pattern micro crank |
| Summer | 2 to 5 ft | dawn | Deep basin (5 ft) | Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm |
| Fall | 2 to 5 ft | midday | Deep basin (5 ft) | Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader |
| Winter | 2 to 5 ft | midday & dawn | Deep basin (5 ft) | Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small) |
The spring pattern is a shallow one: channel catfish in 1 to 5 ft. The depth story barely changes: 2 to 5 ft through summer, 2 to 5 ft in winter. The spot to know is Deep basin, a deep basin in about 5 ft of water that rates prime for channel catfish in winter. Plan around after dark and the evening in the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 5 ft | dusk | Shallow bay flat (2 ft) | |
| Summer | 2 to 5 ft | night & dusk | Deep basin (5 ft) | |
| Fall | 2 to 5 ft | dusk | Deep basin (5 ft) | |
| Winter | 2 to 5 ft | midday | Deep basin (5 ft) |
Elk Lake carries 6 mapped structure features, topping out (or rather bottoming out) at Deep basin, about 5 ft down.
Access data: Iowa DNR — Boat Ramps. Confirm conditions and fees locally before you launch.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Iowa waters are set by the Iowa DNR — and special regulations can apply to Elk Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Iowa fishing regulations →
Elk Lake is about 5 ft (2 m) deep at its deepest point. The depth chart here comes from real state fisheries GPS surveys, so the contours reflect measured depths.
Anglers target largemouth bass, bluegill, crappie, yellow perch, channel catfish on Elk Lake. This isn't a survey of the water — none is published for it — but an informed estimate from the species common to the region, narrowed by this water's depth, size and each species' range.
Shallow bay flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 2 ft of water that rates prime for largemouth bass in spring. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
For largemouth bass, the summer bite is best in early morning and the evening. Each species page section below lists the seasonal windows, and the map shows a live NOW badge when you're inside one.
Fishing on Elk Lake is regulated by the Iowa DNR. Check the official Iowa regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.
Virgin Lake 2 mi · Silver Lake (Palo Alto) 4 mi · Lost Island Lake 6 mi · Trumbull Lake 8 mi · Pickeral Lake 12 mi · Five Island Lake 14 mi · Stolley Pit 14 mi · Twelve Mile Lake 15 mi · Ingham Lake 20 mi · Lower Gar Lake 21 mi · Minnewashta Lake 22 mi · Upper Gar Lake 22 mi
See how Elk Lake stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Iowa · best crappie lakes in Iowa · best bluegill lakes in Iowa · best channel catfish lakes in Iowa
Browse all Iowa fishing maps or see every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: state fisheries survey programs. How we build these maps. Fish here with a sonar unit that logs? Send us your depth data and we'll improve this chart, credited to you. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.