Fish Iowa - Lakes, Ponds, and Reservoirs

Lakes, Ponds, and Reservoirs DNR Homepage

About Lake Cornelia

Surface Area (acres): 243.00
Maximum Depth (feet): 20.6 ft. (2006 - Data collected as part of the statewide lake mapping program.)
Motoring Restrictions: none
See below for additional location-specific regulations

Location

County: Wright
Description: Cornelia
Coordinates: 42.78631230, -93.68949344

Nearby Parks

- No results found

Amenities

Amenities at Lake Cornelia include:

Boat Access
Fishing Jetty
Picnic Area
Beach
Accessible Facilities
Playground
Restrooms
Camping
Hard Surface Boat Ramp

What to Fish For

Fishing Report

- No recent updates found

Popular Fish Species

Fishing Forecast

Multiple stockings have taken place following the selective removal of Yellow Bass. Walleye, Bluegill, Yellow Perch, Largemouth Bass, Blue Catfish and Flathead Catfish have all been stocked. Angling should improve over the next several seasons.(2024)

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

9/12/22 - 2,404 Channel Catfish (9.4)
09/14/2020 - 2,386 Channel Catfish (8)
11/04/2019 - 1,223 Walleye (9)
10/19/2018 - 1,857 Walleye (5.1)
09/18/2018 - 2,402 Channel Catfish (8.4)
9/30/16 - 2,438 Walleye (4.4")
9/27/16 - 2,403 Channel Catfish (9.5")
11/03/2015 - 2,581 Walleye (8")
10/13/2015 - 2,436 Walleye (6")

Management

2025 - Vegetation-Treatment: 1.7 ppb bump to increase lake concentration to 3.5 ppb for POCR3 control.
2025 - Water Sampling-Dissolved Oxygen: Taken in 10 feet of water east of boat ramp.
2024 - Water Sampling-Dissolved Oxygen: Taken in 11 feet of water east of boat ramp.
2024 - Vegetation-Treatment: POCR3 treatment subsurface
2024 - Vegetation-Treatment: Whole lake treatment targeting POCR3 using Sonar (A.S.) at 5 ppb.
2023 - Water Sampling-Dissolved Oxygen: Taken in 9 feet of water east of boat ramp.
2022 - Fishery Renovation-Chemical-Rotenone: A low dose Rotenone application at 8ppb was used to selectively remove the abundant Yellow Bass population. The treatment was successful.
2022 - Water Sampling-Dissolved Oxygen: Taken in 12 feet of water east of boat ramp.
2021 - Water Sampling-Dissolved Oxygen: Taken in 10 feet of water east of boat ramp.
2021 - Water Sampling-Dissolved Oxygen: winter monitoring results
2020 - Water Sampling-Dissolved Oxygen: Taken in 10 feet of water east of boat ramp.
2016 - Water Sampling-Dissolved Oxygen: winter monitoring results
2014 - Exotic Species-Mussels: Zebra mussels reported by Kurt Meek

Regulations and Who to Talk To

Motoring Restrictions

Motoring Restrictions: none

Contacts for this Location

Ben Bergman, Conservation Officer; 641-425-0823; Ben.Bergman@dnr.iowa.gov
Scott Grummer, Fisheries Biologist; 641-357-3517; Scott.Grummer@dnr.iowa.gov

Fishing Regulations

Black Bullhead

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

Black Crappie

Season: Continuous
Daily Bag Limit: combined black and white crappie, 25 fish
Possession Limit: unlimited
Length Limit: none
Other: No daily limit on private waters

Blue Catfish

Season: Continuous
Daily Bag Limit: combined: channel, blue and flathead catfish, 8 fish
Possession Limit: combined: channel, blue and flathead catfish, 30 fish
Length Limit: none
Other: Except for border lakes

Channel Catfish

Season: Continuous
Daily Bag Limit: combined: channel, blue and flathead catfish, 8 fish
Possession Limit: combined: channel, blue and flathead catfish, 30 fish
Length Limit: none
Other: Except for border lakes

Common Carp

Season: Continuous
Daily Bag Limit: none
Possession Limit: unlimited
Length Limit: none
Other: May be taken by hand fishing, by snagging, by spear or by bow and arrow, day or night.

Flathead Catfish

Season: Continuous
Daily Bag Limit: combined: channel, blue and flathead catfish, 8 fish
Possession Limit: combined: channel, blue and flathead catfish, 30 fish
Length Limit: none
Other: Except for border lakes

Green Sunfish

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

Largemouth Bass

Season: Continuous
Daily Bag Limit: combined black bass, 3 fish
Possession Limit: combined black bass, 6 fish
Length Limit: 15-inch minimum
Other:

Muskellunge

Season: Continuous
Daily Bag Limit: combined: muskellunge and tiger muskellunge, 1 fish
Possession Limit: combined: muskellunge and tiger muskellunge, 1 fish
Length Limit: 40-inch minimum
Other: except for West Okoboji, East Okoboji, and Spirit Lakes (Dickinson County)

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:

White Bass

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

White Crappie

Season: Continuous
Daily Bag Limit: combined black and white crappie, 25 fish
Possession Limit: unlimited
Length Limit: none
Other: No daily limit on private waters

Yellow Bass

Season: Continuous
Daily Bag Limit: none
Possession Limit: unlimited
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 - Lake Cornelia