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297-acre lake near Palo Alto 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.
The drawn water covers 297 acres wrapped in 2.6 miles of bank. A shoreline index of 1.1 says round and simple: fish relate to depth changes here, not shoreline features. There is no deep basin to speak of — the entire surface is under ~15 ft, prime weed water end to end. The basin spans about 0.9 mi end to end and 0.7 mi across at its widest. It sits in Palo Alto County. Its nearest charted neighbour, Elk Lake, is 2 mi to the southwest.
Come spring, look for largemouth bass tight to the bank in 1 to 6 ft. Through summer count on 2 to 6 ft; the winter hold is 2 to 6 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Shallow bay flat: a weed flat around 1 ft that scores prime in spring. Best bite is early morning and the evening. A texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait is the honest summer answer here.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 6 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (1 ft) | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 2 to 6 ft | dawn & dusk | Break off the point (2 ft) | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 2 to 6 ft | midday & dawn | Main-lake point (1 ft) | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 2 to 6 ft | midday | Break off the point (2 ft) | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Come spring, look for bluegill tight to the bank in 1 to 6 ft. Through summer count on 2 to 6 ft; the winter hold is 2 to 6 ft. Start at Shallow bay flat. It's a weed flat holding about 1 ft of water and rates prime come spring. Prime time lands in early morning and the evening. A small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig is the honest summer answer here.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 6 ft | midday & dusk | Shallow bay flat (1 ft) | 1/32 oz jig + micro plastic, Tiny popper (evenings) |
| Summer | 2 to 6 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (1 ft) | Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig |
| Fall | 2 to 6 ft | midday | Break off the point (2 ft) | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 2 to 6 ft | midday | Deep basin (6 ft) | Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon |
When the water first warms, crappie slide up into 2 to 6 ft. There's no big seasonal slide here — summer means 2 to 6 ft, winter 2 to 6 ft. Start at Deep basin. It's a deep basin holding about 6 ft of water and rates prime come winter. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. Keep a jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 6 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (1 ft) | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 2 to 6 ft | dawn & dusk | Break off the point (2 ft) | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 2 to 6 ft | dawn | Break off the point (2 ft) | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 2 to 6 ft | midday | Deep basin (6 ft) | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
The spring pattern is a shallow one: yellow perch in 2 to 6 ft. The depth story barely changes: 2 to 6 ft through summer, 2 to 6 ft in winter. The spot to know is Deep basin, a deep basin in about 6 ft of water that rates prime for yellow perch in fall. 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 | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 6 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (1 ft) | Small jig + curly tail, Perch-pattern micro crank |
| Summer | 2 to 6 ft | dawn | Deep basin (6 ft) | Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm |
| Fall | 2 to 6 ft | midday | Deep basin (6 ft) | Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader |
| Winter | 2 to 6 ft | midday & dawn | Deep basin (6 ft) | Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small) |
Come spring, look for channel catfish tight to the bank in 2 to 6 ft. Through summer count on 2 to 6 ft; the winter hold is 2 to 6 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Deep basin: a deep basin around 6 ft that scores prime in winter. Best bite is after dark and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 6 ft | dusk | Shallow bay flat (1 ft) | |
| Summer | 2 to 6 ft | night & dusk | Deep basin (6 ft) | |
| Fall | 2 to 6 ft | dusk | Deep basin (6 ft) | |
| Winter | 2 to 6 ft | midday | Deep basin (6 ft) |
Count 6 structure marks on this chart. The deepest, Deep basin, sits near 6 ft.
Access data: Iowa DNR — Boat Ramps. Confirm conditions and fees locally before you launch.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Iowa waters are set by the Iowa DNR — and special regulations can apply to Virgin Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Iowa fishing regulations →
Virgin Lake is about 6 ft (2 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 Virgin 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 1 ft of water that rates prime for largemouth bass in spring. Scroll up to the map for the complete spot list by species and season.
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 Virgin 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.
Elk Lake 2 mi · Lost Island Lake 5 mi · Silver Lake (Palo Alto) 5 mi · Trumbull Lake 7 mi · Five Island Lake 12 mi · Twelve Mile Lake 13 mi · Pickeral Lake 14 mi · Stolley Pit 15 mi · Ingham Lake 18 mi · Lower Gar Lake 20 mi · West Swan Lake S.W.M.A. 21 mi · Minnewashta Lake 21 mi
See how Virgin 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 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.