Fish Iowa - Lakes, Ponds, and Reservoirs

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About Silver Lake (Palo Alto)

Surface Area (acres): 648.00
Maximum Depth (feet): 6.4 ft. (2015)
Motoring Restrictions: none
See below for additional location-specific regulations

Location

County: Palo Alto
Description: Silver
Coordinates: 43.03223681, -94.88508867

Nearby Parks

- No results found

Amenities

Amenities at Silver Lake (Palo Alto) include:

Boat Access
Picnic Area
Restrooms
Good/Excellent Shorefishing
Hard Surface Boat Ramp
Accessible Shoreline
Fish Cleaning Station

What to Fish For

Fishing Report

- No recent updates found

Popular Fish Species

Fishing Forecast

Yellow perch anglers will enjoy another good winter as superior numbers of angler acceptable size fish will be available to harvest. The Silver Lake angler will continue to enjoy good walleye fishing as recent surveys show superb numbers of this species. Black bullheads will again provide quality angling for the 2018 fishing season.(2017)

Consumption Guidelines

Iowa-Caught Fish Are Safe to Eat, In Almost All Cases

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 .

Where to Go

Printable Map (PDF)

Explore the full Fishing Atlas

Stocking and Management

Stocking

5/10/22 - 325,125 Walleye (Fry)
05/05/2021 - 343,000 Walleye (Fry)
10/05/2020 - 3,546 Walleye (6.4)
07/15/2020 - 7,065 Walleye (3.2)
05/06/2019 - 369,900 Walleye (Fry)
10/23/2018 - 7,500 Walleye (5.1)
05/17/2018 - 353,700 Walleye (Fry)

Management

2023 - Fish Cleaning Station-Fish Cleaning Station: Silver Lake (Palo Alto) Fish Cleaning Station
2016 - Other-Other: The final results of the feasibility study were presented to the advisory team on July 25th, 2016
2015 - Other-Other: meeting to discuss the first year of the feasibility study.
2015 - Water Sampling-Dissolved Oxygen: Winter D.O. readings were taken under the ice.
2015 - Commercial Fishing-Other: A total of 2,100 (carp), 17,000 lbs (buffalo) and 00 lbs FWD for a total of 19,100 lbs of rough fish was removed by commercial fisherman
2014 - Fish Cleaning Station-Fish Cleaning Station: 345464, 4766799 Water and electricity
2014 - Water Sampling-Other: Winter D.O. readings were taken under the ice.
2014 - Commercial Fishing-Other: A total of 17,125 (carp), 11,350 lbs (buffalo) and 00 lbs FWD for a total of 28,475 lbs of rough fish was removed by commercial fisherman
2014 - Other-Other: A diagnostic and feasibility study of Silver Lake and its watershed was initiated through Iowa State University.
2014 - Other-Other: A diagnostic and feasibility study of the lake and its watershed was initiated through Iowa State University.
2014 - Other-Other: Iowa State University hosted a public meeting in Ayrshire on July 10th to discuss the preliminary and anticipated results of the study
2013 - Water Sampling-Dissolved Oxygen: Winter D.O. readings were taken under the ice.
2013 - Water Sampling-Dissolved Oxygen: Winter D.O. readings were taken under the ice.
2013 - Other-Other: A decision was made to move forward with a Diagnostic and Feasibility Study in the Silver Lake Watershed.
2013 - Commercial Fishing-Other: A total of 10,100 (carp), 16,345 lbs (buffalo) and 00 lbs FWD for a total of 26,445 lbs of rough fish was removed by commercial fisherman
2012 - Commercial Fishing-Other: A total of 50,330 (carp), 35,305 lbs (buffalo) and 00 lbs FWD for a total of 85,635 lbs of rough fish was removed by commercial fisherman
2012 - Survey-Population: Electrofishing (May) and fyke net (October) assessment.
2012 - Stocking-Northern Pike: 3,052 northern pike @ 3.0"
2012 - Other-Other: Silver Lake Protective Association contracted with McClure Engineering to survey and provide preliminary designs and cost estimates for repair and retrofitting of the Silver Lake dam and water level control structure for carp exclusion effectiveness
2011 - Water Sampling-Dissolved Oxygen: Winter D.O. readings were taken under the ice.
2011 - Other-Other: The association successfully petitioned the DNR to be included in the Iowa Lakes Restoration Project
2010 - Water Sampling-Dissolved Oxygen: March winter D.O. reading
2010 - Commercial Fishing-Other: A total of 27,500 lbs (carp), 31,800 lbs (buffalo) and 00 lbs FWD for a total of 59,300 lbs of rough fish was removed by commercial fisherman.
2010 - Other-Other: New courtesy dock.
2010 - Other-Other: Silver Lake Protective Association was officially formed.
2010 - Other-Other: New courtesy docks were placed
2010 - Other-Other: Silver Lake Protective Association was officially formed.
2010 - Other-Other: The Spirit Lake Fisheries Management Team has presented watershed and restoration planning information on multiple occasions to residents of the Silver Lake area.
2009 - Other-Other: An EPA non-point source funding project was continued
2009 - Stocking-Northern Pike: 650,813 northern pike fry stocked
2009 - Commercial Fishing-Other: A total of 21,980 (carp), 32,800 lbs (buffalo) and 00 lbs FWD for a total of 54,780 lbs of rough fish was removed by commercial fisherman

Regulations and Who to Talk To

Motoring Restrictions

Motoring Restrictions: none

Contacts for this Location

Mike Hawkins, Fisheries Biologist; 712-336-1840; Michael.Hawkins@dnr.iowa.gov
Chris Subbert, Conservation Officer; 712-260-1009; Chris.Subbert@dnr.iowa.gov

Fishing Regulations

Black Bullhead

Season: Continuous
Daily Bag Limit: unlimited
Possession Limit: unlimited
Length Limit: none
Other:

Northern Pike

Season: Continuous, except for boundary lakes
Daily Bag Limit: 3 fish
Possession Limit: 6 fish
Length Limit: none
Other: Except for border lakes

Walleye

Season: Continuous
Daily Bag Limit: combined walleye, sauger and saugeye; 5 fish
Possession Limit: combined walleye, sauger and saugeye; 10 fish
Length Limit: none
Other:

Yellow Perch

Season: Continuous
Daily Bag Limit: 25 fish
Possession Limit: 50 fish
Length Limit: none
Other:

Fish Iowa - Lakes, Ponds, and Reservoirs - Silver Lake (Palo Alto)