Big Spirit Lake is the largest natural lake in Iowa. It is part of the Chain of Lakes known as the Iowa Great Lakes and it covers more than 5,600 surface acres. This lake has plenty of deep water, but it isn’t so deep that it’s overwhelming to the angler. It maxes out at 24 feet of water with an average depth of 17 feet. The primary species of fish are walleye and panfish such as perch, bluegill and crappie. Anglers also catch largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, northern pike and muskie. This lake is home to a lot of trophy fish and it is home to the state record muskie, white bass and freshwater drum.
This Lake Can Get Choppy
Big Spirit Lake is a popular summer time lake for boaters, so the lake can get real choppy just from all the boat traffic. When the winds pick up, it also can get pretty rough in a hurry because it is so open. On windy days, this is a tough lake to fish.
Fish the Docks
The docks provide some very good fishing in the spring and early summer. Anglers target both species of bass and a variety of panfish around the docks. Before the weeds come up, you can experience good fishing for bass, crappie, perch and bluegill. Once the weeds come up in the summer, it’s pretty tough to fish around most of the docks.
Fish the Main Basin
This lake is pretty much a big bowl and it does not have a lot of main lake structure in it. As a result, anglers usually troll the main lake basin as they use their electronics to help find schools of bait fish. Walleye is usually the preferred target by these anglers, however some very big muskie patrol these deeper waters too in the summer and fall.
Fish the Rocks
There are some nice rocky areas to fish around Stony Point and near Buffalo Run. You can catch just about everything that swims in the lake in these rocky areas, but smallmouth bass love the rocks so these are great spots to try for smallies.
Fish the Shorelines
There are some good spots to fish along the shorelines throughout the lake. The shoreline bite is definitely better in the spring as weeds are emerging and fish are moving shallow to get ready to spawn.
Fish the Weeds
Big Spirit Lake has a lot of weeds, so targeting the weed lines is definitely a pattern most anglers will fish on the lake. As summer progresses, the deeper weed line will hold just about everything that swims in the lake. Anglers target walleye, largemouth bass, northern pike, a variety of panfish, smallmouth bass and muskie around the weed lines.
