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Fishing Upper Gar Lake: what the data says
41-acre lake near Dickinson County. Iowa DNR survey water. The lake tops out around 7 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 Upper Gar Lake
Start shallow in spring: largemouth bass sit in 1 to 7 ft that time of year. Summer fish stay in 2 to 7 ft, and winter fish hold in 2 to 7 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. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. 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 7 ft | dawn & dusk | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 2 to 7 ft | dawn & dusk | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 2 to 7 ft | midday & dawn | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 2 to 7 ft | midday | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Bluegill fishing at Upper Gar Lake
Start shallow in spring: bluegill sit in 1 to 6 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 2 to 7 ft, and winter fish settle into 2 to 7 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. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. A small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig covers the summer program.
| 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 7 ft | dawn & dusk | Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig |
| Fall | 2 to 7 ft | midday | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 2 to 7 ft | midday | Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon |
Crappie fishing at Upper Gar Lake
Spring crappie on Upper Gar Lake hold shallow, usually 2 to 7 ft. Summer fish stay in 2 to 7 ft, and winter fish hold in 2 to 7 ft. The spot to know is Deep basin, a deep basin in about 6 ft of water that rates prime for crappie in winter. 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 7 ft | midday & dawn | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 2 to 7 ft | dawn & dusk | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 2 to 7 ft | dawn | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 2 to 7 ft | midday | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
Yellow Perch fishing at Upper Gar Lake
Spring yellow perch on Upper Gar Lake hold shallow, usually 2 to 7 ft. Summer fish stay in 2 to 7 ft, and winter fish hold in 2 to 7 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. 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 | 2 to 7 ft | midday & dawn | Small jig + curly tail, Perch-pattern micro crank |
| Summer | 2 to 7 ft | dawn | Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm |
| Fall | 2 to 7 ft | midday | Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader |
| Winter | 2 to 7 ft | midday & dawn | Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small) |
Channel Catfish fishing at Upper Gar Lake
Start shallow in spring: channel catfish sit in 2 to 7 ft that time of year. Summer fish stay in 2 to 7 ft, and winter fish hold in 2 to 7 ft. The spot to know is Deep basin, a deep basin in about 6 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 | 2 to 7 ft | dusk | |
| Summer | 2 to 7 ft | night & dusk | |
| Fall | 2 to 7 ft | dusk | |
| Winter | 2 to 7 ft | midday |
Notable structure
- Deep basin: deep basin, around 6 ft
- Break off the point: drop-off, around 3 ft
- Main-lake point: point, around 2 ft
- Secondary point: point, around 2 ft
- Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 2 ft
Common questions
How deep is Upper Gar Lake?
Upper Gar Lake is about 7 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 Upper Gar Lake?
Anglers target largemouth bass, crappie, bluegill, channel catfish, yellow perch on Upper Gar Lake.
Where is the best fishing spot on Upper Gar 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 Upper Gar 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
Minnewashta Lake · West Okoboji Lake · Lower Gar Lake · East Okoboji Lake · Center Lake · Spirit Lake
See how Upper Gar 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.