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Bellevue to Fulton: the widest pool on the Upper Miss. Backwater largemouth, slab bluegills and wing-dam walleye. The river tops out around 53 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.
Mississippi River Pool 13 (Clinton) maps at 11,222 acres behind 93.6 miles of shoreline, with 16 islands in the mix. The 6.3 development index tells the story — a convoluted bank whose fishable edge far outruns the acreage. Roughly 39% of the water is 15 ft or less, the band where the food chain lives. The basin spans about 28.2 mi end to end and 8.4 mi across at its widest. It sits in Jackson County. Its nearest charted neighbour, Lost Grove Lake, is 29 mi to the south.
When the water first warms, largemouth bass slide up into 2 to 10 ft. Summer is an 8 to 20 ft game here, winter a 15 to 35 ft one. Start at Spring Lake backwaters (Savanna). It's a weed flat holding about 15 ft of water and rates prime come summer. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. Keep a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Elk River backwater stumps (12 ft) | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Spring Lake backwaters (Savanna) (15 ft) | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Lock & Dam 12 tailrace (Bellevue) (8 ft) | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Outside-bend hole (mile 13.1) (15 ft) | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
When the water first warms, bluegill slide up into 1 to 6 ft. By summer they slide out to 4 to 15 ft, and by winter most fish are in 10 to 25 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Spring Lake backwaters (Savanna): a weed flat around 15 ft that scores prime in summer. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Keep a small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 6 ft | midday & dusk | Spring Lake backwaters (Savanna) (15 ft) | 1/32 oz jig + micro plastic, Tiny popper (evenings) |
| Summer | 4 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Spring Lake backwaters (Savanna) (15 ft) | Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig |
| Fall | 6 to 18 ft | midday | Spring Lake backwaters (Savanna) (15 ft) | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 10 to 25 ft | midday | Tailout eddy (mile 33.7) (14 ft) | Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon |
Come spring, look for crappie tight to the bank in 2 to 8 ft. They move out to 10 to 25 ft in summer and finish the year down in 15 to 35 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Elk River backwater stumps: a standing timber / brush around 12 ft that scores prime in summer. Best bite is early morning and the evening. A jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) is the honest summer answer here.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | Lock & Dam 12 tailrace (Bellevue) (8 ft) | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 10 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Elk River backwater stumps (12 ft) | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 8 to 20 ft | dawn | Lock & Dam 12 tailrace (Bellevue) (8 ft) | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Outside-bend hole (mile 13.1) (15 ft) | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
Spring puts walleye in skinny water — 4 to 15 ft is the zone. Warm water sends them out to 15 to 35 ft; cold water stacks them in 20 to 40 ft. Maquoketa River mouth is the standout, an inflow / creek mouth at roughly 7 ft, rated prime for spring walleye. 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 | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 4 to 15 ft | dusk & dawn | Maquoketa River mouth (7 ft) | 1/8 oz jig + minnow, Hair jig |
| Summer | 15 to 35 ft | dusk & dawn | Dam No. 12 tailrace (20 ft) | Crawler harness on bottom bouncer, Deep crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 12 to 40 ft | dusk & night | Dam No. 13 tailrace (14 ft) | Jigging rap, Jig + big minnow |
| Winter | 20 to 40 ft | dusk & dawn | Dam No. 12 tailrace (20 ft) | Jigging spoon + minnow head, Rattle bait |
In spring, sauger run shallow here, mostly 4 to 18 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 10 to 30 ft, and winter fish settle into 15 to 45 ft. Maquoketa River mouth is the standout, an inflow / creek mouth at roughly 7 ft, rated prime for spring sauger. Time it for early morning and the evening. You won't need more than a bottom bouncer + crawler or a 3-way rig with stickbait most summer days.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 4 to 18 ft | dawn & dusk | Maquoketa River mouth (7 ft) | 3/8 oz jig + ringworm, Hair jig + minnow |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Dam No. 13 tailrace (14 ft) | Bottom bouncer + crawler, 3-way rig with stickbait |
| Fall | 12 to 35 ft | dusk & dawn | Dam No. 13 tailrace (14 ft) | Jig + big minnow, Blade bait |
| Winter | 15 to 45 ft | dusk | Dam No. 12 tailrace (20 ft) | Heavy jigging spoon, Jig + minnow (vertical) |
In spring, white bass run shallow here, mostly 2 to 12 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 8 to 25 ft, and winter fish settle into 15 to 40 ft. Maquoketa River mouth is the standout, an inflow / creek mouth at roughly 7 ft, rated prime for spring white bass. Time it for early morning and the evening. You won't need more than a slab spoon or a small topwater (schooling fish) most summer days.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Maquoketa River mouth (7 ft) | Curly-tail jig (white), Small lipless crank |
| Summer | 8 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Dam No. 13 tailrace (14 ft) | Slab spoon, Small topwater (schooling fish) |
| Fall | 6 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Dam No. 13 tailrace (14 ft) | Jigging spoon, Blade bait |
| Winter | 15 to 40 ft | midday | Dam No. 12 tailrace (20 ft) | Jigging spoon (deep), Blade bait |
Mississippi River Pool 13 (Clinton) also holds northern pike (8 to 20 ft in summer), channel catfish (8 to 25 ft in summer), flathead catfish (8 to 30 ft in summer), freshwater drum (8 to 30 ft in summer), common carp (3 to 15 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
48 pieces of structure are mapped here — Wing dam row (mile 22.8), around 31 ft, is the deepest of them.
Access data: Iowa DNR — Boat Ramps. Confirm conditions and fees locally before you launch.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Iowa waters are set by the Iowa DNR — and special regulations can apply to Mississippi River Pool 13 (Clinton) specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Iowa fishing regulations →
Mississippi River Pool 13 (Clinton) is about 53 ft (16 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, walleye, sauger, white bass, northern pike, channel catfish, flathead catfish, freshwater drum, common carp on Mississippi River Pool 13 (Clinton).
Elk River backwater stumps is the top-rated area: a standing timber / brush in about 12 ft of water that rates prime for crappie in summer. 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 Mississippi River Pool 13 (Clinton) 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.
Lost Grove Lake 29 mi, IA · O'Leary Lake 37 mi, WI · Horseshoe Lake 40 mi, WI · Lambach Lake 43 mi, IA · Railroad Lake 43 mi, IA · Beckman Lake 44 mi, WI · Lake of the Hills 44 mi, IA · Zander Lake 44 mi, WI · Central Park Lake 44 mi, IA · Rock River 46 mi, IL · Yellowstone Lake 50 mi, WI · McCartney Lake 52 mi, WI
See how Mississippi River Pool 13 (Clinton) stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Iowa · best walleye lakes in Iowa · best white bass lakes in Iowa · best northern pike lakes in Iowa
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.