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32-acre lake near Union County. Iowa DNR survey water. The lake tops out around 4 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. Here is how the season plays out for each species, straight from the data behind the map.
On the chart, McKinley Lake draws 32 acres inside 0.9 miles of shoreline. Nearly circular (index 1.2), so the story is the bottom, not the bank. There is no deep basin to speak of — the entire surface is under ~15 ft, prime weed water end to end. The basin spans about 0.4 mi end to end and 0.2 mi across at its widest. The water lies in Union County. For a second option, Summit Lake lies 1 mi north.
Start shallow in spring: largemouth bass sit in 1 to 4 ft that time of year. They don't go far with the seasons — 1 to 4 ft covers summer, 1 to 4 ft covers winter. The spot to know is Main-lake point, a point in about 2 ft of water that rates prime for largemouth bass in fall. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and the evening. Throw a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait until the fish tell you otherwise.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 4 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (2 ft) | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 1 to 4 ft | dawn & dusk | Break off the point (3 ft) | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 1 to 4 ft | midday & dawn | Main-lake point (2 ft) | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 1 to 4 ft | midday | Break off the point (3 ft) | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Spring puts bluegill in skinny water — 1 to 4 ft is the zone. Summer fish stay in 1 to 4 ft, and winter fish hold in 1 to 4 ft. Winter bluegill concentrate at Deep basin, a prime-rated deep basin around 4 ft. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and the evening. A small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 4 ft | midday & dusk | open water | 1/32 oz jig + micro plastic, Tiny popper (evenings) |
| Summer | 1 to 4 ft | dawn & dusk | open water | Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig |
| Fall | 1 to 4 ft | midday | Break off the point (3 ft) | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 1 to 4 ft | midday | Deep basin (4 ft) | Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon |
The spring pattern is a shallow one: crappie in 1 to 4 ft. The depth story barely changes: 1 to 4 ft through summer, 1 to 4 ft in winter. Top water on the chart: Deep basin, a deep basin in the 4 ft range, prime in winter. Time it for early morning and the evening. Summer baits: a jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 4 ft | midday & dawn | open water | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 1 to 4 ft | dawn & dusk | Break off the point (3 ft) | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 1 to 4 ft | dawn | Break off the point (3 ft) | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 1 to 4 ft | midday | Deep basin (4 ft) | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
When the water first warms, yellow perch slide up into 1 to 4 ft. There's no big seasonal slide here — summer means 1 to 4 ft, winter 1 to 4 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Deep basin: a deep basin around 4 ft that scores prime in fall. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning. Keep a drop-shot micro plastics or a small spoon tipped with worm rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 4 ft | midday & dawn | open water | Small jig + curly tail, Perch-pattern micro crank |
| Summer | 1 to 4 ft | dawn | Deep basin (4 ft) | Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm |
| Fall | 1 to 4 ft | midday | Deep basin (4 ft) | Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader |
| Winter | 1 to 4 ft | midday & dawn | Deep basin (4 ft) | Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small) |
Start shallow in spring: channel catfish sit in 1 to 4 ft that time of year. They don't go far with the seasons — 1 to 4 ft covers summer, 1 to 4 ft covers winter. The spot to know is Deep basin, a deep basin in about 4 ft of water that rates prime for channel catfish in winter. Warm-month bites cluster around after dark and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 4 ft | dusk | open water | |
| Summer | 1 to 4 ft | night & dusk | Deep basin (4 ft) | |
| Fall | 1 to 4 ft | dusk | Deep basin (4 ft) | |
| Winter | 1 to 4 ft | midday | Deep basin (4 ft) |
McKinley Lake carries 4 mapped structure features, topping out (or rather bottoming out) at Deep basin, about 4 ft down.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Iowa waters are set by the Iowa DNR — and special regulations can apply to McKinley Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Iowa fishing regulations →
McKinley Lake is about 4 ft (1 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 McKinley 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.
Main-lake point is the top-rated area: a point in about 2 ft of water that rates prime for largemouth bass in fall. 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 McKinley 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.
Summit Lake 1 mi · Hurley Creek Pond 2 mi · Green Valley Lake 4 mi · Twelve Mile Creek Lake 6 mi · Three Mile Lake 8 mi · Orient Lake 10 mi · Fogle Lake S.W.A. 16 mi · Thayer Lake 17 mi · Wilson Park Lake 17 mi · Binder Lake 17 mi · Nodaway Lake 17 mi · Greenfield Lake 17 mi
See how McKinley 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
More water nearby: Union County fishing maps (7 charts). 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.