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Fishing Elk Lake: what the data says
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. Below is the species-by-species picture, pulled from the same data the map uses.
Largemouth Bass fishing at Elk Lake
In spring, largemouth bass run shallow here, mostly 1 to 5 ft. Summer fish stay in 2 to 5 ft, and winter fish hold in 2 to 5 ft. 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. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Tie on a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 5 ft | dawn & dusk | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 2 to 5 ft | dawn & dusk | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 1 to 5 ft | midday & dawn | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 2 to 5 ft | midday | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Bluegill fishing at Elk Lake
In spring, bluegill run shallow here, mostly 1 to 5 ft. Summer fish stay in 1 to 5 ft, and winter fish hold in 2 to 5 ft. Shallow bay flat is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 2 ft, rated prime for spring bluegill. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Tie on a small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 5 ft | midday & dusk | 1/32 oz jig + micro plastic, Tiny popper (evenings) |
| Summer | 1 to 5 ft | dawn & dusk | Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig |
| Fall | 2 to 5 ft | midday | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 2 to 5 ft | midday | Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon |
Crappie fishing at Elk Lake
Start shallow in spring: crappie sit in 1 to 5 ft that time of year. Summer fish stay in 2 to 5 ft, and winter fish hold in 2 to 5 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Deep basin: a deep basin around 5 ft that scores prime in winter. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Tie on a jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 5 ft | midday & dawn | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 2 to 5 ft | dawn & dusk | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 2 to 5 ft | dawn | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 2 to 5 ft | midday | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
Yellow Perch fishing at Elk Lake
In spring, yellow perch run shallow here, mostly 1 to 5 ft. Summer fish stay in 2 to 5 ft, and winter fish hold in 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. Plan around early morning in the warm months. A drop-shot micro plastics or a small spoon tipped with worm covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 5 ft | midday & dawn | Small jig + curly tail, Perch-pattern micro crank |
| Summer | 2 to 5 ft | dawn | Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm |
| Fall | 2 to 5 ft | midday | Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader |
| Winter | 2 to 5 ft | midday & dawn | Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small) |
Channel Catfish fishing at Elk Lake
In spring, channel catfish run shallow here, mostly 1 to 5 ft. Summer fish stay in 2 to 5 ft, and winter fish hold in 2 to 5 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Deep basin: a deep basin around 5 ft that scores prime in winter. In summer the feeding windows fall in after dark and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 5 ft | dusk | |
| Summer | 2 to 5 ft | night & dusk | |
| Fall | 2 to 5 ft | dusk | |
| Winter | 2 to 5 ft | midday |
Notable structure
- Deep basin: deep basin, around 5 ft
- Break off the point: drop-off, around 4 ft
- Main-lake point: point, around 2 ft
- Secondary point: point, around 2 ft
- Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 2 ft
- Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 2 ft
Common questions
How deep is Elk Lake?
Elk Lake is about 5 ft at its deepest point. The depth chart here comes from real state fisheries GPS surveys, so the contours reflect measured depths.
What fish are in Elk Lake?
Anglers target largemouth bass, crappie, bluegill, channel catfish, yellow perch on Elk Lake.
Where is the best fishing spot on Elk Lake?
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.
When is the best time to fish Elk Lake?
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.
Nearby waters
Virgin Lake · Silver Lake (Palo Alto) · Lost Island Lake · Trumbull Lake · Pickeral Lake · Twelve Mile Lake
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 every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: state fisheries survey programs. How we build these maps. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.