Fish Iowa - Lakes, Ponds, and Reservoirs - DeSoto Bend at DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge

Lakes, Ponds, and Reservoirs DNR Homepage

About DeSoto Bend at DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge

Surface Area (acres): 811.00
Maximum Depth (feet): 19 ft. (2014)
Motoring Restrictions: No Size Limit at No Wake
See below for additional location-specific regulations

Location

County: Harrison
Description: DeSoto Bend
Coordinates: 41.54372356, -96.02534236

Nearby Parks

Wilson Island State Recreation Area

Amenities

Amenities at DeSoto Bend at DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge include:

Boat Access
Fishing Jetty
Accessible Pier
Picnic Area
Trails
Accessible Facilities
Restrooms
Good/Excellent Shorefishing
Hard Surface Boat Ramp
Accessible Shoreline

What to Fish For

Fishing Report

- No recent updates found

Popular Fish Species

Fishing Forecast

The fishery survey from 2024 shows an extremely low largemouth bass population (less than 1/hour electrofishing) and an extremely low bluegill population (less than 10/hour electrofishing). Channel catfish and Flathead catfish appear to be doing well. No crappies were sampled in 2024. Rough fish are abundant (mainly buffalo and common carp) but Silver carp numbers have dropped substantially and only 2 were sampled in 5 electrofishing runs.(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

4/26/2017 - 2,008,000 Walleye (fry)

Management

2024 - Survey-Population: A general electrofishing survey was completed to evaluate the fishery as well as a low frequency electrofishing survey for one run to evaluate the flathead population.
2017 - Stocking-Other: Blue catfish 6 to 8" were stocked.
2017 - Stocking-Walleye: Walleye fry 2 million stocked.
2015 - Stocking-Walleye: Walleye fry stocked.
2014 - Stocking-Other: Blue catfish fingerlings from Missouri DOC were stocked. Fish were 18.2/lbs.
2014 - Stocking-Other: Blue Catfish stocked.
2011 - Other-Other: Inundated by the Missouri River most of the summer.
2011 - Exotic Species-Fish: Silver Carp and Bighead Carp.

Regulations and Who to Talk To

Motoring Restrictions

Motoring Restrictions: No Size Limit at No Wake

Contacts for this Location

Aaron Johnson, Conservation Officer; 712-249-2015; aaron.johnson@dnr.iowa.gov
John Lorenzen, Fisheries Biologist; 712-769-2587; John.Lorenzen@dnr.iowa.gov

Fishing Regulations

Black Crappie

Season: 30 min prior to sunrise until 30 min after sunset; open water, Apr 15 - Oct 14; ice, Jan 2-31 & Feb
Daily Bag Limit: Federal Refuge regulations apply; combined bluegill and crappie, 15 fish
Possession Limit: Federal Refuge regulations apply
Length Limit: none
Other: The daily bag and minimum length limit for all fish species in De Soto Lake are the most restrictive limit of either Iowa or Nebraska. Anglers are limited to 2 lines, and 2 hooks per line.

Bluegill

Season: 30 min prior to sunrise until 30 min after sunset; open water, Apr 15 - Oct 14; ice, Jan 2-31 & Feb
Daily Bag Limit: Federal Refuge regulations apply; combined bluegill and crappie, 15 fish
Possession Limit: Federal Refuge regulations apply
Length Limit: none
Other: The daily bag and minimum length limit for all fish species in De Soto Lake are the most restrictive limit of either Iowa or Nebraska. Anglers are limited to 2 lines, and 2 hooks per line.

Channel Catfish

Season: 30 min prior to sunrise until 30 min after sunset; open water, Apr 15 - Oct 14; ice, Jan 2-31 & Feb
Daily Bag Limit: Federal Refuge regulations apply; 5 fish
Possession Limit: Federal Refuge regulations apply
Length Limit: Federal Refuge regulations apply
Other: Trotlines, bank lines, set lines, and float lines are prohibited. The daily bag and minimum length limit for all fish species in De Soto Lake are the most restrictive limit of either Iowa or Nebraska. Anglers are limited to 2 lines, and 2 hooks per line.

Flathead Catfish

Season: 30 min prior to sunrise until 30 min after sunset; open water, Apr 15 - Oct 14; ice, Jan 2-31 & Feb
Daily Bag Limit: Federal Refuge regulations apply; 5 fish, only one fish 30" or longer
Possession Limit: Federal Refuge regulations apply
Length Limit: none
Other: Trotlines, bank lines, set lines, and float lines are prohibited. The daily bag and minimum length limit for all fish species in De Soto Lake are the most restrictive limit of either Iowa or Nebraska. Anglers are limited to 2 lines, and 2 hooks per line.

Freshwater Drum

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.

Largemouth Bass

Season: 30 min prior to sunrise until 30 min after sunset; open water, Apr 15 - Oct 14; ice, Jan 2-31 & Feb
Daily Bag Limit: combined black bass, 3 fish, only one fish 21" or longer; Federal Refuge regulations apply
Possession Limit: Federal Refuge regulations apply
Length Limit: 15-inch minimum; Federal Refuge regulations apply
Other: The daily bag and minimum length limit for all fish species in De Soto Lake are the most restrictive limit of either Iowa or Nebraska. Anglers are limited to 2 lines, and 2 hooks per line.

Paddlefish

Season: closed
Daily Bag Limit: none, protected species
Possession Limit: cannot be possessed
Length Limit: cannot be possessed
Other: none

Sauger

Season: 30 min prior to sunrise until 30 min after sunset; open water, Apr 15 - Oct 14; ice, Jan 2-31 & Feb
Daily Bag Limit: combined walleye/sauger/saugeye, 3 fish, only one fish 22" or longer
Possession Limit: Federal Refuge regulations apply
Length Limit: 15-inch minimum
Other: The daily bag and minimum length limit for all fish species in De Soto Lake are the most restrictive limit of either Iowa or Nebraska. Anglers are limited to 2 lines, and 2 hooks per line.

Walleye

Season: 30 min prior to sunrise until 30 min after sunset; open water, Apr 15 - Oct 14; ice, Jan 2-31 & Feb
Daily Bag Limit: combined walleye/sauger/saugeye, 3 fish, only one fish 22" or longer
Possession Limit: Federal Refuge regulations apply
Length Limit: 15-inch minimum
Other: The daily bag and minimum length limit for all fish species in De Soto Lake are the most restrictive limit of either Iowa or Nebraska. Anglers are limited to 2 lines, and 2 hooks per line.

White Bass

Season: 30 min prior to sunrise until 30 min after sunset; open water, Apr 15 - Oct 14; ice, Jan 2-31 & Feb
Daily Bag Limit: 15 fish, only one fish 16" or longer
Possession Limit: Federal Refuge regulations apply
Length Limit: none
Other: The daily bag and minimum length limit for all fish species in De Soto Lake are the most restrictive limit of either Iowa or Nebraska. Anglers are limited to 2 lines, and 2 hooks per line.

Yellow Bass

Season: Continuous
Daily Bag Limit: none
Possession Limit: unlimited
Length Limit: none
Other: Associated chutes and backwaters of the Mississippi River are included where intermittent or constant flow occur. In these areas, the daily bag and possession limit for the Mississippi River apply.