Sign inSign up free Sign inSign up free Sign inSign up freeShared by DepthScout anglers. Exact spots stay private, always.
14-acre lake near Floyd County. The lake tops out around 18 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.
The outline encloses 14 acres, worked by 0.8 miles of shoreline. A middling shoreline index (1.5) gives it some bays to work without being a maze. Roughly 88% of the water is 15 ft or less, the band where the food chain lives. Call it 0.4 mi long. Floyd County claims this one. Its nearest charted neighbour, Bluebill Lake, is 22 mi to the west.
Spring crappie on Rudd Lake hold shallow, usually 2 to 8 ft. By summer they slide out to 5 to 18 ft, and by winter most fish are in 5 to 18 ft. The chart's best answer is Deep basin — deep basin, 17 ft, prime for winter. Prime time lands in early morning and the evening. The summer box starts with a jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled).
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | open water | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 5 to 18 ft | dawn & dusk | Break off the point (13 ft) | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 5 to 18 ft | dawn | Break off the point (13 ft) | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 5 to 18 ft | midday | Deep basin (17 ft) | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
Spring bluegill on Rudd Lake hold shallow, usually 1 to 6 ft. They move out to 4 to 15 ft in summer and finish the year down in 5 to 18 ft. Put Deep basin first on the milk run — a deep basin near 17 ft that grades prime for winter. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. The summer box starts with a small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 6 ft | midday & dusk | open water | 1/32 oz jig + micro plastic, Tiny popper (evenings) |
| Summer | 4 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | open water | Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig |
| Fall | 6 to 18 ft | midday | Break off the point (13 ft) | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 5 to 18 ft | midday | Deep basin (17 ft) | Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon |
Early season largemouth bass use the shallows, holding in 2 to 10 ft. Expect a summer slide to 5 to 18 ft, then a winter hold in 5 to 18 ft. Put Main-lake point first on the milk run — a point near 5 ft that grades prime for fall. In summer the feeding windows fall in 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 | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (5 ft) | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 5 to 18 ft | dawn & dusk | Break off the point (13 ft) | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Main-lake point (5 ft) | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 5 to 18 ft | midday | Break off the point (13 ft) | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Early season channel catfish use the shallows, holding in 3 to 12 ft. Expect a summer slide to 5 to 18 ft, then a winter hold in 5 to 18 ft. Put Deep basin first on the milk run — a deep basin near 17 ft that grades prime for 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 | open water | |
| Summer | 5 to 18 ft | night & dusk | Deep basin (17 ft) | |
| Fall | 5 to 18 ft | dusk | Deep basin (17 ft) | |
| Winter | 5 to 18 ft | midday | Deep basin (17 ft) |
Spring puts yellow perch in skinny water — 3 to 12 ft is the zone. As the season builds they drop to 5 to 18 ft, wintering in 5 to 18 ft. Fall yellow perch concentrate at Deep basin, a prime-rated deep basin around 17 ft. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning. A drop-shot micro plastics or a small spoon tipped with worm covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | midday & dawn | open water | Small jig + curly tail, Perch-pattern micro crank |
| Summer | 5 to 18 ft | dawn | Deep basin (17 ft) | Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm |
| Fall | 5 to 18 ft | midday | Deep basin (17 ft) | Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader |
| Winter | 5 to 18 ft | midday & dawn | Deep basin (17 ft) | Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small) |
Start shallow in spring: walleye sit in 4 to 15 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 5 to 18 ft, and winter fish settle into 5 to 18 ft. The spot to know is Break off the point, a drop-off in about 13 ft of water that rates prime for walleye in fall. Warm-month bites cluster around the evening and early morning. Throw a crawler harness on bottom bouncer or a deep crankbait (trolled) until the fish tell you otherwise.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 4 to 15 ft | dusk & dawn | Main-lake point (5 ft) | 1/8 oz jig + minnow, Hair jig |
| Summer | 5 to 18 ft | dusk & dawn | Break off the point (13 ft) | Crawler harness on bottom bouncer, Deep crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 5 to 18 ft | dusk & night | Break off the point (13 ft) | Jigging rap, Jig + big minnow |
| Winter | 5 to 18 ft | dusk & dawn | Deep basin (17 ft) | Jigging spoon + minnow head, Rattle bait |
Rudd Lake carries 4 mapped structure features, topping out (or rather bottoming out) at Deep basin, about 17 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 Rudd Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Iowa fishing regulations →
Rudd Lake is about 18 ft (5 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 crappie, bluegill, largemouth bass, channel catfish, yellow perch, walleye on Rudd 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.
Deep basin is the top-rated area: a deep basin in about 17 ft of water that rates prime for crappie in winter. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
For crappie, 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 Rudd 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.
Bluebill Lake 22 mi · Lake Hendricks 24 mi · Shell Rock River 24 mi · Clear Lake 27 mi · Beeds Lake 30 mi · Louise Mill Pond 33 mi, MN · Avenue of the Saints Pond 34 mi · Rice Lake 35 mi · Silver Lake (Worth) 36 mi · Eldred Sherwood Lake 36 mi · East Side 38 mi, MN · Mill Pond 38 mi, MN
See how Rudd Lake stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Iowa · best walleye lakes in Iowa · best crappie lakes in Iowa · best bluegill 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.