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Fishing Lake Smith: what the data says
46-acre lake near Kossuth County. Iowa DNR survey water. The lake tops out around 11 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 Lake Smith
In spring, largemouth bass run shallow here, mostly 2 to 10 ft. By summer they slide out to 3 to 11 ft, and by winter most fish are in 3 to 11 ft. The spot to know is Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in about 3 ft of water that rates prime for largemouth bass in spring. Best bite is 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 | 3 to 11 ft | dawn & dusk | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 3 to 11 ft | midday & dawn | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 3 to 11 ft | midday | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Bluegill fishing at Lake Smith
In spring, bluegill run shallow here, mostly 1 to 6 ft. By summer they slide out to 3 to 11 ft, and by winter most fish are in 3 to 11 ft. Shallow bay flat is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 3 ft, rated prime for spring bluegill. In summer the feeding windows fall in 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 6 ft | midday & dusk | 1/32 oz jig + micro plastic, Tiny popper (evenings) |
| Summer | 3 to 11 ft | dawn & dusk | Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig |
| Fall | 3 to 11 ft | midday | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 3 to 11 ft | midday | Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon |
Crappie fishing at Lake Smith
Start shallow in spring: crappie sit in 2 to 8 ft that time of year. By summer they slide out to 3 to 11 ft, and by winter most fish are in 3 to 11 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Deep basin: a deep basin around 11 ft that scores prime 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 | 3 to 11 ft | dawn & dusk | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 3 to 11 ft | dawn | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 3 to 11 ft | midday | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
Yellow Perch fishing at Lake Smith
Spring yellow perch on Lake Smith hold shallow, usually 3 to 11 ft. Summer fish stay in 3 to 11 ft, and winter fish hold in 3 to 11 ft. Shallow bay flat is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 3 ft, rated prime for spring yellow perch. 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 | 3 to 11 ft | midday & dawn | Small jig + curly tail, Perch-pattern micro crank |
| Summer | 3 to 11 ft | dawn | Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm |
| Fall | 3 to 11 ft | midday | Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader |
| Winter | 3 to 11 ft | midday & dawn | Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small) |
Channel Catfish fishing at Lake Smith
Spring channel catfish on Lake Smith hold shallow, usually 3 to 11 ft. Summer fish stay in 3 to 11 ft, and winter fish hold in 3 to 11 ft. The spot to know is Deep basin, a deep basin in about 11 ft of water that rates prime for channel catfish in winter. Best bite is after dark and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 11 ft | dusk | |
| Summer | 3 to 11 ft | night & dusk | |
| Fall | 3 to 11 ft | dusk | |
| Winter | 3 to 11 ft | midday |
Notable structure
- Deep basin: deep basin, around 11 ft
- Break off the point: drop-off, around 9 ft
- Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 3 ft
- Main-lake point: point, around 2 ft
- Secondary point: point, around 2 ft
Common questions
How deep is Lake Smith?
Lake Smith is about 11 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 Smith?
Anglers target largemouth bass, crappie, bluegill, channel catfish, yellow perch on Lake Smith.
Where is the best fishing spot on Lake Smith?
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 Smith?
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
Five Island Lake · Crystal Lake · West Swan Lake S.W.M.A. · Ingham Lake · Lizard Lake · Badger Lake
See how Lake Smith 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.