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Center Lake is a 220-acre lake located in the center of the Iowa Great Lakes region in Dickinson County. Maximum depth is 17.9 feet. An electrofishing survey was conducted on May 22 and May 23, 2025, as part of the Iowa DNR comprehensive survey process. Largemouth Bass (48 fish/hour) and Bluegill (46.4 fish/hour) were abundant in the electrofishing survey and should offer favorable angling opportunities. Largemouth Bass length averaged 9.3 inches and ranged from 4.5 to 17.7 inches. Largemouth Bass weight averaged 0.52 pounds and ranged from 0.04 to 3.2 pounds. Mean relative weight of Largemouth Bass was 104, indicating that the average fish had a healthy weight relative to its length. Bluegill length averaged 5.6 inches and ranged from 1.5 to 8.1 inches. Bluegill weight averaged 0.2 pounds and ranged from 0.04 to 0.5 pounds. Mean relative weight of Bluegills was 109, indicating that the average fish was fairly heavy relative to its length. Black Crappie (23.2 fish/hour) and Pumpkinseed (14.4 fish/hour) were moderately abundant and should provide decent angling opportunities. Black Crappie length averaged 7.5 inches, ranging from 6.7 to 9.8 inches. Black Crappie weight averaged 0.23 pounds and ranged from 0.2 to 0.4 pounds. Mean relative weight of Black Crappies was 101, indicating that the average fish had a healthy weight relative to its length. Pumpkinseed length averaged 5.9 inches and ranged from 4.2 to 7.8 inches. Pumpkinseed weight averaged 0.2 pounds and ranged from 0.06 to 0.3 pounds. Mean relative weight of Pumpkinseeds was 110, indicating that the average fish was fairly heavy relative to its length. Walleye (8.8 fish/hour) and Yellow Perch (8.8 fish/hour) were also documented in the survey. Walleye length averaged 12.7 inches, ranging from 10.2 to 24.9 inches. The average Walleye was 1 pound, with weights ranging from 0.34 to 5.4 pounds. Mean relative weight of Walleye was 86, indicating that the average fish was skinny. Yellow Perch length averaged 5.8 inches and ranged from 3.6 to 8.7 inches. Yellow Perch weight averaged 0.2 pounds, ranging from 0.18 to 0.28 pounds. Mean relative weight of Yellow Perch was 86, indicating that the average fish was skinny. Fish species observed in low abundance in the electrofishing survey included Black Bullhead (N = 1, length = 3.0 inches), Common Carp (N = 3, length range = 16.0–27.4 inches, weight range = 2.5–12.0 pounds), Freshwater Drum (N = 1, length = 16.9 inches, weight = 2.4 pounds), Green Sunfish (N = 5, length range = 3.1–5.3 inches, weight range = 0.04–0.12 pounds), Yellow Bass (N = 3, length range = 8.2–9.6 inches, weight range = 0.3–0.5 pounds), and Yellow Bullhead (N = 7, length range = 6.6–9.9 inches, weight range = 0.1–0.6 pounds). A hoop-net survey was conducted at Center Lake on July 21–28, 2025, as part of the Iowa DNR comprehensive survey protocol. Overall, the hoop-net survey confirmed a key message from the electrofishing survey: in 2025, Center Lake offers anglers plentiful fish and a diverse array of species to catch. Black Crappies were highly abundant in hoop nets (N = 155 total, 15.5 fish/series-night) and represented more than 35 percent of the fish captured with this gear type. Black Crappie length averaged 8.1 inches and ranged from 7.3 to 10.9 inches. Black Crappie weight averaged 0.29 pounds and ranged from 0.2 to 0.4 pounds. Mean relative weight of Black Crappies was 105, indicating that fish were in excellent condition and heavy for their length. With these population statistics, Center Lake promises to offer enjoyable Black Crappie fishing in 2025 and perhaps future years. Bluegills (N = 104, 10.4 fish/series-night) and Black Bullheads (N = 87, 8.7 fish/series-night) were abundant in hoop nets. Bluegills represented almost 24 percent of the fish captured with this gear type. Bluegill length averaged 5.0 inches and ranged from 2.1 to 7.2 inches. Bluegill weight averaged 0.14 pounds and ranged from 0.08 to 0.3 pounds. Mean relative weight of Bluegill was 103, indicating that fish were in great condition and heavy for their length. Black Bullhead length averaged 10 inches, ranging from 6.8 to 11.5 inches. Black Bullhead weight averaged 0.6 pounds, ranging from 0.2 to 0.9 pounds. Mean relative weight of Black Bullheads was 89, indicating that fish were relatively thin for their length. Fish species that were present but not particularly abundant in hoop nets included Pumpkinseed (N = 29, 2.9 fish/series-night) and Yellow Perch (N = 42, 4.2 fish/series-night). Pumpkinseed length averaged 6.4 inches and ranged from 4.6 to 7.9 inches. Pumpkinseed weight averaged 0.2 pounds and ranged from 0.06 to 0.32 pounds. Mean relative weight of Pumpkinseeds was 102—fish were in excellent condition and relatively heavy for their length. Yellow Perch length averaged 8.5 inches and ranged from 6.8 to an impressive 11.2 inches. Yellow Perch weight averaged 0.3 pounds, ranging from 0.22 to 0.38 pounds. Mean relative weight of Yellow Perch was 96, indicating that fish had a healthy weight for their length. Fish species observed in low abundance in hoop nets included Channel Catfish (N = 6, length range = 11.5–25.3 inches, weight range = 0.4–7.4 pounds), Common Carp (N = 1, length = 29 inches, weight = 11.9 pounds), Green Sunfish (N = 1, length = 6.5 inches, weight = 0.2 pounds), Walleye (N = 8, length range = 10.1–19.8 inches, weight range = 0.4–2.7 pounds), and Yellow Bullhead (N = 5, length range = 7.1–12.3 inches, weight range = 0.2–1.0 pounds). A fyke-net survey was performed at Center Lake on September 2–9, 2025, as part of the Iowa DNR comprehensive survey protocol. A number of species were captured. The most abundant species was Black Crappie (N = 781, 78.1 fish/net-night). Black Crappie length averaged 8.4 inches and ranged from 4.5 to an impressive 12.6 inches. Black Crappie weight averaged 0.4 pounds and ranged from 0.1 to an impressive 1.1 pounds. Mean relative weight of Black Crappies was 102, indicating that the average fish had a good weight for its length. Other abundant species included Bluegill (N = 276, 27.6 fish/net-night), Pumpkinseed (N = 104, 10.4 fish/net-night), and Walleye (N = 129, 12.9 fish/net-night). Bluegill length averaged 6.0 inches and ranged from 2.1 to 8.4 inches. Bluegill weight averaged 0.2 pounds and ranged from 0.08 to 0.4 pounds. Mean relative weight of Bluegills was a respectable 95. The average Pumpkinseed (6.2 inches) was approximately the same length as the average Bluegill. Pumpkinseed length ranged from 3.8 to 7.6 inches. Pumpkinseed weight averaged 0.2 pounds, ranging from 0.1 to 0.3 pounds. Mean relative weight of Pumpkinseeds was a healthy 98. Walleye length averaged 12.1 inches and ranged from 9.0 to 24.8 inches. Walleye weight averaged 0.6 pounds and ranged from 0.2 to a respectable 5.9 pounds. The average relative weight of Walleyes (81) indicated that this species may be experiencing intraspecific competition or limited food availability. Species present in the fyke-net survey in moderate abundance included Black Bullhead (N = 68, 6.8 fish/net-night), Yellow Bullhead (N = 81, 8.1 fish/net-night), and Yellow Perch (N = 84, 8.4 fish/net-night). Black Bullhead length averaged 10.1 inches, ranging from 7 to 12.2 inches. Black Bullhead weight averaged 0.6 pounds and ranged from 0.2 to 1.0 pounds. As with Walleyes, the average relative weight of Black Bullheads (86) indicated that this species is having difficulty accumulating sufficient food resources. Yellow Bullhead length averaged 8.9 inches, ranging from 3.6 to 15.0 inches. Yellow Bullhead weight averaged 0.5 pounds, ranging from 0.1 to 1.4 pounds. In contrast to Black Bullheads, Yellow Bullheads had a healthy mean relative weight (100). Yellow Perch length averaged 7.6 inches and ranged from 4.7 to 10.6 inches, with weights averaging 0.2 pounds and ranging from 0.04 to 0.6 pounds. The mean relative weight of Yellow Perch (92) indicated that members of this species had relatively healthy weights for their lengths. Finally, species captured in low abundance included Common Carp (N = 13, 1.3 fish/net-night), Green Sunfish (N = 3, 0.3 fish/net-night), Largemouth Bass (N = 1, 0.1 fish/net-night), Northern Pike (N = 2, 0.2 fish/net-night), and Yellow Bass (N = 39, 3.9 fish/net-night). Common Carp length averaged 15.4 inches and ranged from 6.0 to 25.0 inches, with weights averaging 2.3 pounds and ranging from 0.1 to 8.0 pounds. Mean relative weight of Common Carp was 93. Green Sunfish length averaged 4.9 inches and ranged from 2.8 to 6.4 inches, with weights averaging 0.16 pounds and ranging from 0.12 to 0.2 pounds. Green Sunfish had a healthy mean relative weight of 99. The lone Largemouth Bass captured in the fyke-net survey measured 10.6 inches and 0.6 pounds and had a healthy relative weight of 109. Northern Pike length averaged 30 inches and ranged from 29 to 30 inches, with weights averaging 6.3 pounds and ranging from 5.4 to 7.2 pounds. Finally, Yellow Bass length averaged 8.8 inches and ranged from 6.7 to 10.4 inches, with weights averaging 0.4 pounds and running from 0.2 to 0.6 pounds. Yellow Bass had a healthy mean relative weight of 99. Overall, Center Lake’s sportfish populations are in good shape in 2025. The lake features a notably wide variety of species for anglers to catch. If you have any questions or would like to learn more about Iowa’s fisheries, please contact Andrew Carlson, Fisheries Biologist, at andrew.carlson@dnr.iowa.gov or (712) 330-3706. - Last updated on 10/27/2025.
In nearly all cases, Iowa fish are safe to eat. Cleaning and/or preparing the meal causes most of the problems regarding taste or color of fish. Like all living creatures, fish are susceptible to diseases, parasites, and other naturally occurring conditions in the water. If you suspect your fish is affected by any of these conditions, do not eat it. Consider eating smaller and younger fish which usually have lower levels of contaminants than larger ones. Most contaminants accumulate in larger, older fish. For additional information, check out our resources for eating and cooking Iowa caught fish.
To learn more about fish tissue monitoring, visit our Fish Tissue Monitoring page .
The summaries listed below are a partial listing provided for your benefit. Familiarize yourself with the complete Fishing Regulations here: Iowa DNR Fishing Regulations and Laws.