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Fishing Nodaway Lake: what the data says
32-acre lake near Adair 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. Below is the species-by-species picture, pulled from the same data the map uses.
Largemouth Bass fishing at Nodaway Lake
Spring largemouth bass on Nodaway Lake hold shallow, usually 2 to 10 ft. They move out to 8 to 20 ft in summer and finish the year down in 7 to 22 ft. The spot to know is Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in about 2 ft of water that rates prime for largemouth bass in spring. Best bite is early morning and the evening. 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 Nodaway Lake
In spring, bluegill run shallow here, mostly 1 to 6 ft. They move out to 4 to 15 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 2 ft that scores prime in spring. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Summer baits: a small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig gets it done.
| 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 Nodaway Lake
Spring crappie on Nodaway Lake hold shallow, usually 2 to 8 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 20 ft, rated prime for winter crappie. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Summer baits: a jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) gets it done.
| 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 Nodaway Lake
Spring yellow perch on Nodaway Lake hold shallow, usually 3 to 12 ft. They move out to 7 to 22 ft in summer and finish the year down in 7 to 22 ft. The spot to know is Deep basin, a deep basin in about 20 ft of water that rates prime for yellow perch in fall. 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 Nodaway Lake
Spring channel catfish on Nodaway Lake hold shallow, usually 3 to 12 ft. They move out to 7 to 22 ft in summer and finish the year down in 7 to 22 ft. The spot to know is Deep basin, a deep basin in about 20 ft of water that rates prime for channel catfish in winter. 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 Nodaway Lake
In spring, walleye run shallow here, mostly 4 to 15 ft. They move out to 7 to 22 ft in summer and finish the year down in 7 to 22 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Break off the point: a drop-off around 15 ft that scores prime in fall. In summer the feeding windows fall in the evening and early morning. Tie on a crawler harness on bottom bouncer or a deep crankbait (trolled) and you're in the game.
| 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 |
Nodaway 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 20 ft
- Break off the point: drop-off, around 15 ft
- Main-lake point: point, around 4 ft
- Secondary point: point, around 2 ft
- Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 2 ft
Common questions
How deep is Nodaway Lake?
Nodaway 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 Nodaway Lake?
Anglers target largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, walleye, white bass, crappie, bluegill, channel catfish, yellow perch on Nodaway Lake.
Where is the best fishing spot on Nodaway Lake?
Shallow bay flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 2 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 Nodaway 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
Greenfield Lake · Orient Lake · Meadow Lake · Mormon Trail Lake · Green Valley Lake · Summit Lake
See how Nodaway 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
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.