Fish Iowa - Lakes, Ponds, and Reservoirs - Storm Lake (incl Little Storm Lake)

Lakes, Ponds, and Reservoirs DNR Homepage

About Storm Lake (incl Little Storm Lake)

Surface Area (acres): 3097.00
Maximum Depth (feet): 20.3 ft. (2018)
Motoring Restrictions: None
See below for additional location-specific regulations

Location

County: Buena Vista
Description: Storm Lake
Coordinates: 42.61690043, -95.18590368

Nearby Parks

- No results found

Amenities

Amenities at Storm Lake (incl Little Storm Lake) include:
  • Boat Access
  • Fishing Jetty
  • Accessible Pier
  • Boat Rental
  • Picnic Area
  • Beach
  • Trails
  • Accessible Facilities
  • Playground
  • Restrooms
  • Camping
  • Concessions
  • Good/Excellent Shorefishing
  • Hard Surface Boat Ramp
  • Accessible Shoreline
  • Fish Cleaning Station

Fishing Report

- No recent location updates found

Species Reports
Walleye - Fair: Look for walleye off shore near the dredge cuts. Use crankbaits, a jig tipped with a minnow fished just off the bottom, or a bottom bouncer with a crawler harness. . Last updated on 07/24/2026
Channel Catfish - Fair: Look for catfish around rocky shorelines and near the dredge cuts. Use cut bait, stink bait, or a crawler on the bottom. . Last updated on 07/24/2026

Fishing Summary

There is a strong year class of 21 to 23 inch walleye. These fish are protected by the slot regulation until 22.1 inches, but should provide fun catch and release fishing. Target the shorelines and rocky points where the wind is blowing in throughout April. Popular (and publicly accessible) shore fishing spots include the east shore from the boat ramp at Sunset Park on north to King’s Pointe, and the north shore from the Chautauqua jetty working westward along the high bank. Into May and early June anglers have better success fishing from boats. Trolling crank baits and slow death rigs are among the most popular methods. Target the dredge cuts (new and old) and troll across the points on the southern part of the lake including, Stoney, Schaller and Cassino. Channel catfish numbers are strong with many of the fish ranging from 2 to 5 pounds. Fish windy shorelines after ice out, target rock piles in June, and drift fish later in the summer. The size structure of the white bass population has improved and anglers can expect to find many white bass over 14 inches. White bass are commonly caught while targeting walleye, but anglers can look for baitfish breaking the surface on calm evenings in the summer and cast into those areas to target white bass. - Last updated on 08/01/2019.

Popular Fish Species

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 .

Stocking

  • 5/1,5/3, & 5/5/25 2025 - 11,313,273 Walleye (Fry)
  • 10/27, 10/28 & 11/4/25 2025 - 6,967 Walleye (4.2)
  • 4/26, 4/27, 4/30, 5/2, 5/4/24 2024 - 14,843,826 Walleye (Fry)
  • 11/7, 11/8, 11/19, 11/25, & 12 2024 - 15,615 Walleye (9.0)
  • 5/3, 5/5 & 5/10/23 2023 - 13,945,641 Walleye (Fry)
  • 10/11, 10/12-10/13, & 10/17/23 2023 - 30,928 Walleye (6.4)
  • October 2022 - 26,040 Walleye (8.8)
  • May 2022 - 14,707,993 Walleye (Fry)
  • 9/27/22 - 3,096 Channel Catfish (9.3)
  • October 2021 - 33,169 Walleye (4.7)
  • May 2021 - 15,925,909 Walleye (Fry)
  • October 2020 - 21,363 Walleye (8.4)
  • 09/16/2020 - 7,000 Walleye (6.5)
  • 09/09/2020 - 3,096 Channel Catfish (8)
  • 05/03/2020 - 11,837,975 Walleye (Fry)
  • October 2019 - 15,500 Walleye (9.3)
  • May 2019 - 14,054,850 Walleye (Fry)
  • 10/25/2018 - 12,376 Walleye (9.7)
  • 10/12/2018 - 1,265 Walleye (6.7)
  • 10/02/2018 - 3,098 Channel Catfish (8.2)
  • 05/18/2018 - 7,935,110 Walleye (Fry)
  • 05/11/2018 - 8,000,000 Walleye (Fry)
  • 4/28/2017 - 5,000,780 Walleye (fry)
  • 4/26/2017 - 10,503,532 Walleye (fry)
  • 11/6/2017 - 3,157 Walleye (9.3")
  • 11/1/2017 - 748 Walleye (9")
  • 11/1/2017 - 2,216 Walleye (9")
  • 10/30/2017 - 3,878 Walleye (8.9")
  • spring 2016 - 19,781,500 Walleye (Fry)
  • fall 2016 - 3,097 Channel Catfish (9.1")
  • fall 2016 - 15,482 Walleye (9.6")

Management

  • 2025 - Vegetation-Treatment: Control native plants for boating and fishing access.
  • 2025 - Survey-Population: A comprehensive survey was conducted at Storm Lake, which included spring electrofishing, summer baited hoop nets, and fall fyke netting.
  • 2025 - Survey-Population: Annual YOY seining was conducted at Storm Lake to determine year class strength.
  • 2025 - Survey-Population: Annual fall night electrofishing for Walleye was also conducted at Storm Lake to assess young of year and adult numbers.
  • 2025 - Commercial Fishing-Other: Ralph Mohn held the contract for Storm Lake. A total of 700 pounds of Bigmouth Buffalo and 230 pounds of Common Carp were harvested in May from Storm Lake
  • 2025 - Other-Other: Black Hawk Staff operated the Storm Lake Hatchery for three nights in April. A total of 404 female walleye were caught and 146.70 quarts of eggs were fertilized and sent to the Rathbun and Spirit Lake hatcheries.
  • 2024 - Vegetation-Treatment: herbicide application for pondweeds
  • 2024 - Other-Other: USGS gaging station was installed in the marina next to the hathcery.
  • 2024 - Survey-Population: Conducted spring electrofishing general survey.
  • 2024 - Survey-Population: Annual YOY seining was conducted at Storm Lake to determine year class strength.
  • 2024 - Survey-Population: Annual fall night electrofishing for Walleye was also conducted at Storm Lake to assess young of year and adult numbers.
  • 2024 - Commercial Fishing-Other: Ralph Mohn held the commercial fishing contract for Storm Lake (Buena Vista) for 2024. He reported harvesting 10,610 pounds of Bigmouth Buffalo and 500 pounds of Common Carp.
  • 2024 - Other-Other: Black Hawk Fisheries staff ran the Storm Lake Hatchery from April 4th through April 9th. A total of 1,394 fish were brought into the hatchery and 448 quarts of eggs were delivered to the Rathbun and Spirit Lake fish hatcheries.
  • 2024 - Fish Kills-Other: Channel catfish. The lab determined that a severe infestation of Ergasilus (gill lice) likely led to weakened immune systems and an outbreak of Aeromona spp. Water quality conditions were also likely to be a stress contributor.
  • 2023 - Survey-Population: Conducted spring electrofishing general survey.
  • 2023 - Survey-Population: Annual YOY seining was conducted at Storm Lake to determine year class strength.
  • 2023 - Survey-Population: Annual fall night electrofishing for Walleye was also conducted at Storm Lake to assess young of year and adult numbers.
  • 2023 - Commercial Fishing-Other: Ralph Mohn held the commercial fishing contract for Storm Lake (Buena Vista) for 2023. He reported harvesting 20,300 pounds of Bigmouth Buffalo and 5,270 pounds of Common Carp.
  • 2023 - Other-Other: Black Hawk Fisheries staff ran the Storm Lake Hatchery from April 6th through April 13th. A total of 645.80 quarts of eggs were harvested from Storm Lake. All of the eggs were fertilized and hardened at the Storm Lake Hatchery.
  • 2023 - Vegetation-Treatment: contact herbicide application for Pondweed - Tribune and komeen
  • 2022 - Fish Kills-Other: Common Carp fish kill caused by Koi Herpes Virus.
  • 2022 - Shoreline Activities-Rip-rap: Approximately 2,000 feet of shoreline was armored with native stone rip rap at Frank Starr Park. The Storm Lake LPA and City of Storm Lake each contributed $40,000 to this project, which totaled about $200,000.
  • 2022 - Survey-Population: Conducted spring electrofishing as part of general survey.
  • 2022 - Survey-Population: Annual YOY seining was conducted at Storm Lake to determine year class strength.
  • 2022 - Survey-Population: Annual fall night electrofishing for Walleye was also conducted at Storm Lake to assess young of year and adult numbers.
  • 2022 - Commercial Fishing-Other: Ralph Mohn held the contract for Storm Lake (Buena Vista) in 2022. His operation reported conducting one seine haul and harvesting 12,480 pounds of Bigmouth Buffalo and 5,640 pounds of Common Carp.
  • 2022 - Other-Other: The Storm Lake Hatchery operated for seven nights from April 8th through the morning of April 15th. A total of 204.55 quarts of eggs were collected and fertilized. Eggs were sent to both the Rathbun and Spirit Lake hatcheries.
  • 2022 - Vegetation-Treatment: Narrow leaf pondweed treatment conducted by private company following DNR aquatic vegetation management plan.
  • 2021 - Survey-Population: Annual YOY seining was conducted at Storm Lake (Buena Vista) to determine year class strength.
  • 2021 - Survey-Population: Annual fall night electrofishing for Walleye was also conducted at Storm Lake to assess young of year and adult numbers. Aging structures and data were also taken off adult walleye captured during the annual broodstock collection efforts.
  • 2021 - Commercial Fishing-Other: Storm Lake (Buena Vista) 18,300 pounds of rough fish were harvested.
  • 2021 - Other-Other: Netting operations began on April 4th and ended on April 11th, 2021. A total of 1,443 Walleye were brought into the hatchery and 360.75 quarts of eggs were produced. Approximately half of the eggs were shipped via DFT and the other half were fertil
  • 2020 - Other-Other: A pre-fabricated Huffcutt single stall bathroom facility was installed in Spring of 2020 at Bel Aire boat ramp. Parking lines were also painted in an attempt to restore order to the parking in this area.
  • 2020 - Survey-Population: Conducted spring electrofishing as part of a general survey.
  • 2020 - Survey-Population: Annual YOY seining was conducted at Storm Lake to determine year class strength.
  • 2020 - Survey-Population: Annual fall night electrofishing for Walleye was also conducted at Storm Lake to assess young of year and adult numbers.
  • 2020 - Commercial Fishing-Other: Greg Mohr held the commercial fishing contract for Storm Lake (Buena Vista) in 2020. He did not fish Storm Lake and let the contract go at the end of the 2020 season.
  • 2020 - Other-Other: The Storm Lake Hatchery Operation was cancelled in 2020 due to Covid-19 issues.
  • 2019 - Survey-Population: Annual YOY seining was conducted at Storm Lake to determine year class strength.
  • 2019 - Survey-Population: Annual fall night electrofishing for Walleye was also conducted at Storm Lake to assess young of year and adult numbers
  • 2019 - Commercial Fishing-Other: Jason Dillion held the contract, but did not fish Storm Lake in 2019, and therefore, did not meet the minimum requirements for fishing effort per the contract.
  • 2019 - Other-Other: Black Hawk staff operated the Storm Lake Hatchery, with the assistance of Cold Springs Research and Management and Mount Ayr Management crews during the Walleye broodstock collection efforts. Crews netted for seven nights starting on April 7, 2019.
  • 2019 - Shoreline Activities-Rip-rap: DNR assisted the city with guidance on repairing section of shoreline near Methodist Manor that heaved in high water winter event. Project was funded by FEMA.
  • 2018 - Jetty-Maintenance: The Chautauqua Jetty was repaired in 2018. Much of the armoring around the jetty had sloughed and approximately 50% of the surfacing of the jetty had eroded away. Contractors pulled in the sloughed material and brought in new, larger native field s
  • 2018 - Shoreline Activities-Rip-rap: The Shorty’s Island project was completed in 2018. The Big Island in Storm Lake was repaired and armored in 2018.
  • 2018 - Ramp-Construction: The Black Hawk fisheries staff worked with DNR Parks, DNR Wildlife, and the City of Storm Lake to create a new access for ice anglers at Storm Lake. Prior to creating this access point, there were no good public accesses to the western part of the l
  • 2018 - Survey-Population: Conducted spring electrofishing and fall fyke netting.
  • 2018 - Survey-Population: Annual YOY seining was conducted at Storm Lake to determine year class strength. Young of year Walleye numbers were lower than the long term average.
  • 2018 - Survey-Population: Annual fall night electrofishing for Walleye was also conducted at Storm Lake to assess young of year and adult numbers.
  • 2018 - Commercial Fishing-Other: Storm Lake (Buena Vista) was the only lake in the Black Hawk District that had a harvest contract for 2018. The commercial harvesters did conduct two seine hauls, but did not harvest any fish.
  • 2018 - Other-Other: Full scale hatchery operations began on April 11th and ran for three nights. A blizzard shut operations down for a full week. Crews were called back and operations resumed on April 21st and ran through the night of April 24th
  • 2018 - Exotic Species-Mussels: Zebra Mussel reported by Jason Euchner
  • 2018 - Exotic Species-Mussels: Zebra mussels reported by AIS crew. Positive veliger sample followed by survey of hard substrate
  • 2018 - Exotic Species-Invertebrates: Rusty crayfish observed
  • 2017 - Fish Cleaning Station-Fish Cleaning Station: Manual hand pump/table on floating dock platform next to the marina boat ramps on the SW side of the lake.
  • 2017 - Dredging-State-funded: An estimated 328,325 cubic yards of sediment were removed from Storm Lake in 2017 using a hydraulic dredge. A total of 7,051,000 CY have been removed since 2002. This marked the final year for dredging on Storm Lake and the machines have been dry do
  • 2017 - Shoreline Activities-Rip-rap: The Shorty’s Island reconstruction project began in summer of 2017 and is ongoing. This project will reestablish an island that has eroded away over the years and designed to provide protection from wind and wave action and help reduce sediment resu
  • 2017 - Survey-Population: Conducted spring electrofishing and fall fyke netting as part of a general survey.
  • 2017 - Survey-Population: Annual YOY seining was conducted at Storm Lake to determine year class strength. Young of year Walleye numbers were similar to the long term average.
  • 2017 - Survey-Population: Annual fall night electrofishing for Walleye was also conducted at Storm Lake to assess young of year and adult numbers.
  • 2017 - Commercial Fishing-Other: A total of 13,935 pounds of fish were harvested from Storm Lake
  • 2017 - Other-Other: Staff from the Black Hawk, Cold Springs, and Mt. Ayr offices netted 6 nights at the Storm Lake hatchery. A total of 1,764 Walleye were brought through the hatchery with 61% of the fish being females. A total of 329.5 quarts of eggs were collected a
  • 2016 - Dredging-State-funded: Approximately 170,000 cubic yards (cy) of sediment were removed from Storm Lake in 2016 using a hydraulic dredge. This was the first year that the dredge was operated under the management of Dredge America, a cooperative effort funded by the Lake Imp
  • 2016 - Commercial Fishing-Other: A total of 22,024 pounds of fish were harvested from Storm Lake
  • 2016 - Other-Other: Netted ten nights at the Storm Lake Satellite Hatchery. A total of 2,639 walleye were caught, with nearly two thirds of the fish being females. A total of 641 quarts of eggs were collected.
  • 2016 - Other-Other: Common carp samples were collected from Storm Lake by Black Hawk Fisheries personnel, for a research project being conducted by the Idaho Game and Fish Department. Fin clips were taken from carp, sex was recorded and fin clips and information were se
  • 2016 - Survey-Population: Annual young of year seining was conducted at four sites.
  • 2016 - Survey-Population: Annual fall electrofishing for walleye was conducted at three sites.
  • 2015 - Dredging-State-funded: A total of 87,000 cubic yards were removed from Storm Lake in 2015 using a hydraulic dredge. The Lake Improvement Commission contracted with Dredge America to run the dredging the operation for the next five years. This change is expected to improv
  • 2015 - Survey-Population: Annual fall night electrofishing for walleye was conducted at Storm Lake
  • 2015 - Survey-Population: Annual fall night seining for sampling young of year fish was conducted at Storm Lake
  • 2015 - Commercial Fishing-Other: A total of 43,165 pounds of common carp and buffalo were harvested from Storm Lake.
  • 2015 - Other-Other: Staff from the Black Hawk, Cold Springs, and Mt. Ayr offices netted 10 nights at the Storm Lake hatchery. A total of 2,752 walleye were caught, including 1,655 females and 1,097 males. 229.25 quarts of eggs were shipped to the Rathbun hatchery and
  • 2015 - Other-Other: Walleye tissue samples were taken as part of the mercury study.
  • 2014 - Dredging-State-funded: Dredging activities continued on Storm Lake in 2014 marking the twelfth year of this effort. The dredge ran for 117 days and ceased operation on November 4th. Approximately 261,895 yds3 of sediment were removed in 2014. By the end of the 2014 seas
  • 2014 - Survey-Population: Conducted spring electrofishing, summer baited hoop netting, and fall fyke netting as part of a comprehensive survey.
  • 2014 - Survey-Population: Four locations were sampled at night with a 30 foot seine in 2014. Young-of-year walleye catch in 2014 was 43 and is the highest it’s been in four years. The long-term average for YOY walleye catch in Storm Lake is 67.7.
  • 2014 - Survey-Population: Three locations on Storm Lake were electrofished for 30 minutes each as part of the annual fall walleye monitoring. Catch rates more than doubled in 2014 with 265 walleye being sampled. The increase in the number of walleye sampled may be due to th
  • 2014 - Commercial Fishing-Other: A total of 52,700 pounds of rough fish were harvested from Storm Lake, consisting of buffalo and common carp. Total effort consisted of five 2,800 foot seine hauls.
  • 2014 - Other-Other: Black Hawk staff, with the assistance of SW fisheries staff, collected broodstock walleye at Storm Lake from April 8th through April 13th. A total of 3 crews netted for 5 nights each. A total of 1,284 walleye were collected, including 630 males and
  • 2013 - Dredging-State-funded: Dredging activities continued on Storm Lake in 2013 marking the eleventh year of this effort. The dredge ran approximately 16 hours a day during the open water season. Approximately 246,955 yds3 of sediment were removed in 2013. By the end of the
  • 2013 - Survey-Population: Four locations were sampled at night with a 30 foot seine in 2013. Young-of-year walleye catch in 2013 was 9 compared to 15 in 2012. The long-term average for YOY walleye catch in Storm Lake is 68.7.
  • 2013 - Survey-Population: Three locations on Storm Lake were electrofished for 30 minutes each as part of the annual fall walleye monitoring. Catch rates were quite similar to last year with 110 fish sampled in 2012 and 107 fish sample in 2013. Catch per unit effort (fish/m
  • 2013 - Survey-Population: Electrofishing was conducted as part of a general survey in the spring.
  • 2013 - Survey-Population: Fish were collected for tissue samples as part of the Mercury study.
  • 2013 - Creel-Seasonal: A quantitative creel survey was conducted during the open water season (April through September) on Storm Lake in 2013. Anthony Zimmerman was the creel clerk. A total of 11,057 anglers fished for 28,380 hours on Storm Lake during the creel period.
  • 2013 - Commercial Fishing-Other: A total of 17,295 pounds of rough fish were harvested from Storm Lake, consisting of buffalo and common carp. Total effort consisted of two 2,800 foot seine hauls.
  • 2013 - Other-Other: Black Hawk staff, with the assistance of SW fisheries staff, collected broodstock walleye at Storm Lake from April 7th through April 14th. Netters were sent home during three days of the broodstock collection due to poor weather conditions. A total
  • 2012 - Dredging-State-funded: Dredging activities continued on Storm Lake (Buena Vista) marking the tenth year of this effort. The dredge ran approximately 16 hours a day through the open water season in 2012. Approximately 281,448 yds3 of sediment were removed in 2012. This i
  • 2012 - Dam-Construction: Construction of the Little Storm Lake project was completed in the spring of 2012. A dike was built around the entire south and west edge of Little Storm Lake’s basin. Three water control structures and a 5,000 GPM pump, were incorporated into the
  • 2012 - Survey-Population: Four locations on Storm Lake were sampled at night with a 30 foot seine in 2012. Young-of-year walleye catch in 2012 was 15, which is down from the long-term average of 71.1. Additionally, catch for every single species sampled was down from the pr
  • 2012 - Survey-Population: Three locations on Storm Lake were electrofished for 30 minutes each as part of the annual fall walleye monitoring. A total of 110 walleye were sampled in 2012, which down from 160 and 165 in 2011 and 2010, respectively. The average length of walle
  • 2012 - Creel-Seasonal: A quantitative creel survey was conducted during the open water season (April through September) on Storm Lake in 2012. Melanie Thompson was the creel clerk. The creel was conducted in the same manner as the previous creel surveys on Storm Lake wit
  • 2012 - Commercial Fishing-Other: Storm Lake (Buena Vista): A total of 65,565 pounds of rough fish were removed, including 57,719 pounds of buffalo and 7,846 pounds of carp.
  • 2012 - Other-Other: The Storm Lake hatchery was prepped for broodstock collection, but early high water temps and test netting yielded no fish. The Storm Lake walleye broodstock collection did not occur in 2012.
  • 2011 - Dredging-State-funded: Dredging activities continued on Storm Lake (Buena Vista) marking the ninth year of this effort. The dredge ran approximately 16 hours a day through the open water season in 2011. Approximately 566,846 cubic yards of sediment were removed from a 44
  • 2011 - Survey-Population: Conducted young of year seine hauls at four locations.
  • 2011 - Survey-Population: Conducted three 30 minute electrofishing runs for fall walleye sampling.
  • 2011 - Creel-Seasonal: A quantitative creel survey was conducted during the open water season (May through August) on Storm Lake in 2011. The 2011 creel survey differed from the 2010 survey in that it did not include the months of April, latter part of August, and Septemb
  • 2011 - Commercial Fishing-Other: Over the months of April and May, commercial fishing efforts on Storm Lake (Buena Vista) resulted in the harvest of 14,230 and 77,230 pounds of common carp and buffalo, respectively.
  • 2011 - Other-Other: Walleye brood stock and eggs were collected at Storm Lake in 2011. In January of 2007, a new slot length limit was put on Storm Lake walleye to protect the brood stock and increase the average size of the brood fish. All walleye 17-22 inches must be
  • 2011 - RAFT sampling-RAFT: Tissue samples were taken from Walleye and Channel Catfish at Storm Lake.
  • 2011 - Dam-Construction: In the winter of 2011 a project was initiated in Little Storm Lake to build a dike to separate it from the main lake basin. A pump is also planned to be installed to draw LSL down and revegetate it. DU was design engineer for the project.
  • 2010 - Dredging-State-funded: A projected total of 1,185,040 cubic yards of sediment will be removed in 2010 and 2011.
  • 2010 - Survey-Population: Annual young of year beach seining at four locations.
  • 2010 - Survey-Population: Annual fall walleye electrofishing at three sites.
  • 2010 - Creel-Seasonal: Six month creel survey from April through September.
  • 2010 - Commercial Fishing-Other: Over the months of April and May, commercial fishing efforts on Storm Lake (Buena Vista County) resulted in the harvest of 27,900 and 15,660 pounds of common carp and buffalo, respectively.
  • 2010 - Other-Other: Walleye brood stock and eggs were collected at Storm Lake in 2010. In January of 2007, a new slot length limit was put on Storm Lake walleye to protect the brood stock and increase the average size of the brood fish. All walleye 17-22 inches must be

Motoring Restrictions

Motoring Restrictions: None

Contacts for this Location

Fishing Regulations

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.

Aquatic Invasive Species

  • Rusty Crayfish
  • Zebra Mussel

To learn more about AIS, visit the Iowa DNR's Aquatic Invasive Species page for more information and resources.

Fish Surveys

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