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42-acre lake near Clay County. Iowa DNR survey water. The lake tops out around 12 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's the year, species by species, as the scoring engine sees it.
Drawn out, this is 42 acres of water rimmed by 1.1 miles of bank. The basin is a simple one (shoreline index 1.2) — close to a bowl, so the structure on the chart matters more than the bank. Every acre of it sits shallower than ~15 ft: one big littoral zone, cover and forage throughout. Call it 0.5 mi long by 0.2 mi wide at the broadest reach. You'll find it in Clay County. Closest neighbour on DepthScout: Trumbull Lake, 12 mi east of here.
Spring puts largemouth bass in skinny water — 2 to 10 ft is the zone. Warm water sends them out to 4 to 12 ft; cold water stacks them in 4 to 12 ft. Shallow bay flat is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 5 ft, rated prime for spring largemouth bass. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. A texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (5 ft) | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 4 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (5 ft) | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 3 to 12 ft | midday & dawn | Main-lake point (6 ft) | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 4 to 12 ft | midday | Break off the point (10 ft) | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Start shallow in spring: bluegill sit in 1 to 6 ft that time of year. Warm water sends them out to 3 to 12 ft; cold water stacks them in 4 to 12 ft. Top water on the chart: Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in the 5 ft range, prime in spring. Fish it in early morning and the evening and you'll meet the bite. Throw a small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig until the fish tell you otherwise.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 6 ft | midday & dusk | Shallow bay flat (5 ft) | 1/32 oz jig + micro plastic, Tiny popper (evenings) |
| Summer | 3 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (5 ft) | Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig |
| Fall | 4 to 12 ft | midday | Shallow bay flat (5 ft) | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 4 to 12 ft | midday | Deep basin (12 ft) | Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon |
In spring, crappie run shallow here, mostly 2 to 8 ft. Midsummer fish sit out in 4 to 12 ft before dropping to 4 to 12 ft for winter. Winter crappie concentrate at Deep basin, a prime-rated deep basin around 12 ft. Fish it in early morning and the evening and you'll meet the bite. You won't need more than a jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) most summer days.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (5 ft) | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 4 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (5 ft) | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 4 to 12 ft | dawn | Shallow bay flat (5 ft) | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 4 to 12 ft | midday | Deep basin (12 ft) | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
Early season yellow perch use the shallows, holding in 3 to 12 ft. Even in summer they hold at 4 to 12 ft; winter keeps them in 4 to 12 ft. The chart's best answer is Shallow bay flat — weed flat, 5 ft, prime for spring. Best bite is early morning. Tie on a drop-shot micro plastics or a small spoon tipped with worm and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (5 ft) | Small jig + curly tail, Perch-pattern micro crank |
| Summer | 4 to 12 ft | dawn | Deep basin (12 ft) | Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm |
| Fall | 4 to 12 ft | midday | Deep basin (12 ft) | Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader |
| Winter | 4 to 12 ft | midday & dawn | Deep basin (12 ft) | Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small) |
Spring puts channel catfish in skinny water — 3 to 12 ft is the zone. Summer fish stay in 4 to 12 ft, and winter fish hold in 4 to 12 ft. Deep basin is the standout, a deep basin at roughly 12 ft, rated prime for winter channel catfish. Plan around after dark and the evening in the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dusk | Shallow bay flat (5 ft) | |
| Summer | 4 to 12 ft | night & dusk | Deep basin (12 ft) | |
| Fall | 4 to 12 ft | dusk | Deep basin (12 ft) | |
| Winter | 4 to 12 ft | midday | Deep basin (12 ft) |
Stolley Pit carries 5 mapped structure features, topping out (or rather bottoming out) at Deep basin, about 12 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 Stolley Pit specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Iowa fishing regulations →
Stolley Pit is about 12 ft (4 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 on Stolley Pit. 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 5 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 Stolley Pit 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.
Trumbull Lake 12 mi · Westport Park Pond 14 mi · Lower Gar Lake 14 mi · Lost Island Lake 14 mi · Elk Lake 14 mi · Minnewashta Lake 15 mi · Virgin Lake 15 mi · Upper Gar Lake 15 mi · West Okoboji Lake 16 mi · Silver Lake (Palo Alto) 17 mi · East Okoboji Lake 18 mi · Center Lake 18 mi
See how Stolley Pit 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 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.