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Fishing Pickeral Lake: what the data says
185-acre lake near Buena Vista County. Iowa DNR survey water. The lake tops out around 6 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 Pickeral Lake
Spring largemouth bass on Pickeral Lake hold shallow, usually 1 to 6 ft. Summer fish stay in 2 to 6 ft, and winter fish hold in 2 to 6 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. 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 | 1 to 6 ft | dawn & dusk | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 2 to 6 ft | dawn & dusk | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 2 to 6 ft | midday & dawn | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 2 to 6 ft | midday | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Bluegill fishing at Pickeral Lake
Spring bluegill on Pickeral Lake hold shallow, usually 1 to 6 ft. Summer fish stay in 2 to 6 ft, and winter fish hold in 2 to 6 ft. The spot to know is Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in about 2 ft of water that rates prime for bluegill 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 | 2 to 6 ft | dawn & dusk | Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig |
| Fall | 2 to 6 ft | midday | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 2 to 6 ft | midday | Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon |
Crappie fishing at Pickeral Lake
Start shallow in spring: crappie sit in 2 to 6 ft that time of year. Summer fish stay in 2 to 6 ft, and winter fish hold in 2 to 6 ft. The spot to know is Deep basin, a deep basin in about 5 ft of water that rates prime for crappie in winter. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Tie on a jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 6 ft | midday & dawn | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 2 to 6 ft | dawn & dusk | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 2 to 6 ft | dawn | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 2 to 6 ft | midday | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
Yellow Perch fishing at Pickeral Lake
In spring, yellow perch run shallow here, mostly 2 to 6 ft. Summer fish stay in 2 to 6 ft, and winter fish hold in 2 to 6 ft. The spot to know is Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in about 2 ft of water that rates prime for yellow perch in spring. Best bite is early morning. 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 | 2 to 6 ft | midday & dawn | Small jig + curly tail, Perch-pattern micro crank |
| Summer | 2 to 6 ft | dawn | Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm |
| Fall | 2 to 6 ft | midday | Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader |
| Winter | 2 to 6 ft | midday & dawn | Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small) |
Channel Catfish fishing at Pickeral Lake
Start shallow in spring: channel catfish sit in 2 to 6 ft that time of year. Summer fish stay in 2 to 6 ft, and winter fish hold in 2 to 6 ft. Deep basin is the standout, a deep basin at roughly 5 ft, rated prime for winter channel catfish. Best bite is after dark and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 6 ft | dusk | |
| Summer | 2 to 6 ft | night & dusk | |
| Fall | 2 to 6 ft | dusk | |
| Winter | 2 to 6 ft | midday |
Notable structure
- Deep basin: deep basin, around 5 ft
- Break off the point: drop-off, around 5 ft
- Main-lake point: point, around 2 ft
- Secondary point: point, around 2 ft
- Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 2 ft
- Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 2 ft
Common questions
How deep is Pickeral Lake?
Pickeral Lake is about 6 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 Pickeral Lake?
Anglers target largemouth bass, crappie, bluegill, channel catfish, yellow perch on Pickeral Lake.
Where is the best fishing spot on Pickeral 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 Pickeral 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
Silver Lake (Palo Alto) · Elk Lake · Virgin Lake · Lost Island Lake · Trumbull Lake · Five Island Lake
See how Pickeral 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
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.