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97-acre lake near Tama 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. The rest of this page walks each species through its year, using the map's own scoring.
The drawn water covers 97 acres wrapped in 1.6 miles of bank. At index 1.2 the outline is almost a bowl — read the depth changes, not the shoreline. The shallow band under 15 ft claims about 82% of the surface — that's where the groceries are. Call it 0.6 mi long by 0.3 mi wide at the broadest reach. Tama County claims this one. If the bite dies, Union Grove Lake is 12 mi to the northwest.
When the water first warms, largemouth bass slide up into 2 to 10 ft. By summer they slide out to 8 to 20 ft, and by winter most fish are 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. In summer the feeding windows fall in 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 | Shallow bay flat (2 ft) | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Break off the point (5 ft) | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Secondary point (3 ft) | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 7 to 22 ft | midday | Break off the point (5 ft) | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
When the water first warms, bluegill slide up into 1 to 6 ft. Summer is a 4 to 15 ft game here, winter a 7 to 22 ft one. Start at Shallow bay flat. It's a weed flat holding about 2 ft of water and rates prime come spring. The feeding windows run 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 | Shallow bay flat (2 ft) | 1/32 oz jig + micro plastic, Tiny popper (evenings) |
| Summer | 4 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (2 ft) | Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig |
| Fall | 6 to 18 ft | midday | Break off the point (5 ft) | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 7 to 22 ft | midday | Deep basin (22 ft) | Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon |
Come spring, look for crappie tight to the bank in 2 to 8 ft. Expect a summer slide to 7 to 22 ft, then a winter hold in 7 to 22 ft. Start at Deep basin. It's a deep basin holding about 22 ft of water and rates prime come winter. Prime time lands in 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 | Shallow bay flat (2 ft) | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 7 to 22 ft | dawn & dusk | Deep basin (22 ft) | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 8 to 20 ft | dawn | Deep basin (22 ft) | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 7 to 22 ft | midday | Deep basin (22 ft) | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
Start shallow in spring: yellow perch sit in 3 to 12 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 7 to 22 ft, and winter fish settle into 7 to 22 ft. The spot to know is Deep basin, a deep basin in about 22 ft of water that rates prime for yellow perch in fall. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning. Throw a drop-shot micro plastics or a small spoon tipped with worm until the fish tell you otherwise.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (2 ft) | Small jig + curly tail, Perch-pattern micro crank |
| Summer | 7 to 22 ft | dawn | Deep basin (22 ft) | Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm |
| Fall | 7 to 22 ft | midday | Deep basin (22 ft) | Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader |
| Winter | 7 to 22 ft | midday & dawn | Deep basin (22 ft) | Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small) |
When the water first warms, channel catfish slide up into 3 to 12 ft. By summer they slide out to 7 to 22 ft, and by winter most fish are in 7 to 22 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Deep basin: a deep basin around 22 ft that scores prime in winter. In summer the feeding windows fall in after dark and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dusk | Shallow bay flat (2 ft) | |
| Summer | 7 to 22 ft | night & dusk | Deep basin (22 ft) | |
| Fall | 7 to 22 ft | dusk | Deep basin (22 ft) | |
| Winter | 7 to 22 ft | midday | Deep basin (22 ft) |
Spring puts walleye in skinny water — 4 to 15 ft is the zone. As the season builds they drop to 7 to 22 ft, wintering in 7 to 22 ft. Winter walleye concentrate at Deep basin, a prime-rated deep basin around 22 ft. Warm-month bites cluster around the evening and early morning. 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 | Secondary point (3 ft) | 1/8 oz jig + minnow, Hair jig |
| Summer | 7 to 22 ft | dusk & dawn | Break off the point (5 ft) | Crawler harness on bottom bouncer, Deep crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 7 to 22 ft | dusk & night | Break off the point (5 ft) | Jigging rap, Jig + big minnow |
| Winter | 7 to 22 ft | dusk & dawn | Deep basin (22 ft) | Jigging spoon + minnow head, Rattle bait |
Otter Creek 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.
Structure-wise the chart holds 6 features, led in depth by Deep basin at roughly 22 ft.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Iowa waters are set by the Iowa DNR — and special regulations can apply to Otter Creek Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Iowa fishing regulations →
Otter Creek Lake is about 22 ft (7 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, walleye, smallmouth bass, white bass on Otter Creek 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.
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. Every other rated spot, per species and season, is on the map above.
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 Otter Creek 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.
Union Grove Lake 12 mi · Casey Lake (aka Hickory Hills Lake) 18 mi · Green Castle Lake 19 mi · Iowa River 20 mi · Arbor Lake 24 mi · Hannen Lake 24 mi · Rodgers Park Lake 25 mi · Rock Creek Lake 27 mi · Cedar River 28 mi · Mariposa Lake 29 mi · South Prairie Lake 30 mi · Green Belt Lake 31 mi
See how Otter Creek 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 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.