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Fishing Five Island Lake: what the data says
1,617-acre lake near Palo Alto County. Iowa DNR survey water. The lake tops out around 22 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. What follows comes from the same scoring engine that paints the spots above.
Largemouth Bass fishing at Five Island Lake
Start shallow in spring: largemouth bass sit in 2 to 10 ft that time of year. They move out to 8 to 20 ft in summer and finish the year down in 7 to 22 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Shallow bay flat: a weed flat around 5 ft that scores prime in spring. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. 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 | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 7 to 22 ft | midday | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Bluegill fishing at Five Island Lake
Start shallow in spring: bluegill sit in 1 to 6 ft that time of year. By summer they slide out to 4 to 15 ft, and by winter most fish are in 7 to 22 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Shallow bay flat: a weed flat around 5 ft that scores prime in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. A small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 6 ft | midday & dusk | 1/32 oz jig + micro plastic, Tiny popper (evenings) |
| Summer | 4 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig |
| Fall | 6 to 18 ft | midday | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 7 to 22 ft | midday | Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon |
Crappie fishing at Five Island Lake
Start shallow in spring: crappie sit in 2 to 8 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 7 to 22 ft, and winter fish settle into 7 to 22 ft. The spot to know is Deep basin, a deep basin in about 19 ft of water that rates prime for crappie in winter. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. A jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 7 to 22 ft | dawn & dusk | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 8 to 20 ft | dawn | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 7 to 22 ft | midday | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
Yellow Perch fishing at Five Island Lake
Start shallow in spring: yellow perch sit in 3 to 12 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 7 to 22 ft, and winter fish settle into 7 to 22 ft. Shallow bay flat is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 5 ft, rated prime for spring yellow perch. Plan around early morning in the warm months. Summer baits: a drop-shot micro plastics or a small spoon tipped with worm gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | midday & dawn | Small jig + curly tail, Perch-pattern micro crank |
| Summer | 7 to 22 ft | dawn | Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm |
| Fall | 7 to 22 ft | midday | Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader |
| Winter | 7 to 22 ft | midday & dawn | Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small) |
Channel Catfish fishing at Five Island Lake
Start shallow in spring: channel catfish sit in 3 to 12 ft that time of year. They move out to 7 to 22 ft in summer and finish the year down in 7 to 22 ft. Deep basin is the standout, a deep basin at roughly 19 ft, rated prime for winter channel catfish. Plan around after dark and the evening in the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dusk | |
| Summer | 7 to 22 ft | night & dusk | |
| Fall | 7 to 22 ft | dusk | |
| Winter | 7 to 22 ft | midday |
Walleye fishing at Five Island Lake
Spring walleye on Five Island Lake hold shallow, usually 4 to 15 ft. By summer they slide out to 7 to 22 ft, and by winter most fish are in 7 to 22 ft. Deep basin is the standout, a deep basin at roughly 19 ft, rated prime for winter walleye. Plan around the evening and early morning in the warm months. Summer baits: a crawler harness on bottom bouncer or a deep crankbait (trolled) gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 4 to 15 ft | dusk & dawn | 1/8 oz jig + minnow, Hair jig |
| Summer | 7 to 22 ft | dusk & dawn | Crawler harness on bottom bouncer, Deep crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 7 to 22 ft | dusk & night | Jigging rap, Jig + big minnow |
| Winter | 7 to 22 ft | dusk & dawn | Jigging spoon + minnow head, Rattle bait |
Five Island Lake also holds smallmouth bass (7 to 22 ft in summer), white bass (7 to 22 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
Notable structure
- Deep basin: deep basin, around 19 ft
- Shallow bay flat: weed flat, 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
- Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 2 ft
Common questions
How deep is Five Island Lake?
Five Island Lake is about 22 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 Five Island Lake?
Anglers target largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, walleye, white bass, crappie, bluegill, channel catfish, yellow perch on Five Island Lake.
Where is the best fishing spot on Five Island Lake?
Shallow bay flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 5 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 Five Island 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
Ingham Lake · West Swan Lake S.W.M.A. · Virgin Lake · Lost Island Lake · Silver Lake (Palo Alto) · Twelve Mile Lake
See how Five Island Lake stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Iowa · best smallmouth bass lakes in Iowa · best walleye lakes in Iowa · best white bass lakes in Iowa
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