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Fishing Lake Manawa: what the data says
660-acre lake near Council Bluffs. The lake tops out around 21 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 Lake Manawa
Start shallow in spring: largemouth bass sit in 2 to 10 ft that time of year. By summer they slide out to 8 to 20 ft, and by winter most fish are in 6 to 21 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Shallow bay flat: a weed flat around 3 ft that scores prime in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. A texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait covers the summer program.
| 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 | 6 to 21 ft | midday | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Crappie fishing at Lake Manawa
In spring, crappie run shallow here, mostly 2 to 8 ft. By summer they slide out to 6 to 21 ft, and by winter most fish are in 6 to 21 ft. Deep basin is the standout, a deep basin at roughly 20 ft, rated prime for winter crappie. In summer the feeding windows fall in 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 | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 6 to 21 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 | 6 to 21 ft | midday | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
Channel Catfish fishing at Lake Manawa
Start shallow in spring: channel catfish sit in 3 to 12 ft that time of year. By summer they slide out to 6 to 21 ft, and by winter most fish are in 6 to 21 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Deep basin: a deep basin around 20 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 | 3 to 12 ft | dusk | |
| Summer | 6 to 21 ft | night & dusk | |
| Fall | 6 to 21 ft | dusk | |
| Winter | 6 to 21 ft | midday |
Walleye fishing at Lake Manawa
Start shallow in spring: walleye sit in 4 to 15 ft that time of year. They move out to 6 to 21 ft in summer and finish the year down in 6 to 21 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Break off the point: a drop-off around 12 ft that scores prime in fall. Plan around the evening and early morning in the warm months. A crawler harness on bottom bouncer or a deep crankbait (trolled) covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 4 to 15 ft | dusk & dawn | 1/8 oz jig + minnow, Hair jig |
| Summer | 6 to 21 ft | dusk & dawn | Crawler harness on bottom bouncer, Deep crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 6 to 21 ft | dusk & night | Jigging rap, Jig + big minnow |
| Winter | 6 to 21 ft | dusk & dawn | Jigging spoon + minnow head, Rattle bait |
Freshwater Drum fishing at Lake Manawa
Start shallow in spring: freshwater drum sit in 5 to 20 ft that time of year. By summer they slide out to 6 to 21 ft, and by winter most fish are in 6 to 21 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Deep basin: a deep basin around 20 ft that scores prime in winter. In summer the feeding windows fall in the evening. A jig + crawler combo or a small crankbait (slow) covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 20 ft | midday & dawn | Jig + curly tail (bounced), Small blade bait |
| Summer | 6 to 21 ft | dusk | Jig + crawler combo, Small crankbait (slow) |
| Fall | 6 to 21 ft | midday | Blade bait (vertical), Jigging spoon |
| Winter | 6 to 21 ft | midday | Jigging spoon (slow) |
Common Carp fishing at Lake Manawa
Start shallow in spring: common carp sit in 2 to 10 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 3 to 15 ft, and winter fish settle into 6 to 21 ft. The spot to know is Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in about 3 ft of water that rates prime for common carp in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | midday & dawn | |
| Summer | 3 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | |
| Fall | 5 to 18 ft | midday | |
| Winter | 6 to 21 ft | midday |
Notable structure
- Deep basin: deep basin, around 20 ft
- Break off the point: drop-off, around 12 ft
- Secondary point: point, around 3 ft
- Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 3 ft
- Main-lake point: point, around 2 ft
- Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 2 ft
Common questions
How deep is Lake Manawa?
Lake Manawa is about 21 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 Lake Manawa?
Anglers target largemouth bass, walleye, crappie, channel catfish, freshwater drum, common carp on Lake Manawa.
Where is the best fishing spot on Lake Manawa?
Shallow bay flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 3 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 Lake Manawa?
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
Carter Lake · Arrowhead Pond · DeSoto Bend at DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge · Farm Creek Lake (a.k.a. Young's Pond) · Willow Lake · Lake Virginia
See how Lake Manawa stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Iowa · best walleye lakes in Iowa · best crappie 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.