Fish Iowa - Lakes, Ponds, and Reservoirs - Virgin Lake


About Virgin Lake

Surface Area (acres): 222.00
Maximum Depth (feet): 6.7 ft. (2008)
Motoring Restrictions: none
See below for additional location-specific regulations

Location

County: Palo Alto
Description: Virgin
Coordinates: 43.10297893, -94.89498589

Nearby Parks

- No results found

Amenities

Amenities at Virgin Lake include:
  • Boat Access
  • Accessible Facilities
  • Gravel Boat Ramp

Fishing Report

- No recent updates found

Popular Fish Species

Fishing Forecast

Virgin Lake yellow perch anglers will find good numbers of fish approaching 8 inches during the spring of 2019. Continued good growth throughout the year will provide an upswing to the fishery with numbers of fish, averaging 10 inches available for the 2019 fall/winter seasons. Good opportunities to catch angler acceptable size walleye throughout the 2019 fishing season. Persistence and patience is needed for the northern pike angler; but, opportunities exist to catch angler acceptable size fish. Continued good growth will provide an upswing as numbers of angler acceptable size fish enters the fishery which will sustain the lake for the next few years. Bullhead anglers will note fish approaching 8 inches during the spring of 2019. Continued good growth throughout the 2019 season will provide angler quality fishing for the next few years. (2018)

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

  • 10/25/2018 - 2,506 Walleye (5.1)
  • 07/12/2018 - 3,335 Walleye (2.8)
  • 05/17/2018 - 117,900 Walleye (Fry)
  • 6/29/2017 - 10,710 Yellow Perch (2")
  • 5/4/2017 - 116,500 Walleye (fry)
  • 4/18/2017 - 500 Yellow Perch (Adult)
  • 11/7/2017 - 1,391 Walleye (9.3")
  • 06/30/2015 - 3,622 Walleye (2.4")
  • 05/18/2015 - 3,500 Northern Pike (2.9")
  • 04/30/2015 - 500 Yellow Perch (Adult)
  • 04/27/2015 - 113,000 Walleye (Fry)

Management

  • 2017 - Stocking-Other: The lake was restocked with yellow perch and walleye.
  • 2016 - Drawdown-Natural: A severe leak was found on the east side of the outlet structure. The lake was drawn down through most of 2016 to facilitate repairs.
  • 2015 - Stocking-Yellow Perch: Adult yellow perch (200) were stocked
  • 2015 - Stocking-Walleye: Walleye fry (112,000) were stocked
  • 2015 - Stocking-Northern Pike: 3,500 northern pike fingerings (3”) were stocked.
  • 2014 - Stocking-Other: Yellow perch ribbons (2 quarts) followed by 23,000 2"yellow perch fingerlings.
  • 2014 - Other-Other: Heavy June rains brought water levels close to crest level.
  • 2013 - Drained-Natural: The lake remained completely dry during the entire 2013 season.
  • 2012 - Dam-Removal: The outlet structure was completed during the drawdown of the lake. This project included the removal of the old dam and installation of a new water control structure and the excavation of a drawdown channel.
  • 2011 - Fish Kills-Winterkill: Low D.O. reading 0.8 ppm and dead fish observed in the tile inlet suggests winterkill.
  • 2011 - Water Sampling-Dissolved Oxygen: Winter D.O. readings were taken under the ice.
  • 2011 - Other-Other: Final engineering of a new outlet structure and drawdown strategy were finalized
  • 2011 - Other-Other: Lake open to promiscuous fishing prior to the lake being drained as part of a renovation project.
  • 2011 - Fish Kills-Natural Causes: Low dissolved oxygen resulted in winterkill for the second consecutive year
  • 2011 - Other-Other: The lake was opened to liberalized fishing, December.
  • 2011 - Drawdown-Artificial: Wildlife initiated drawdown of the lake - final week in November
  • 2010 - Water Sampling-Dissolved Oxygen: February and March winter D.O. reading
  • 2010 - Fish Kills-Winterkill: Dead fish at the ramp - carp, buffalo, bullhead and yellow perch was observed
  • 2010 - Survey-Population: D.C. electrofishing survey - May 17th, 2010 - winterkill assessment and comprehensive survey. Data results suggests major winterkill during the winter 2009 - 2010 winter season.
  • 2010 - Commercial Fishing-Other: A total of 50 lbs (carp), 1,450 lbs (buffalo) and 00 lbs FWD for a total of 1,500 lbs of rough fish was removed by commercial fisherman.
  • 2010 - Fish Kills-Dissolved Oxygen: Reported winterkill was confirmed, spring 2010
  • 2010 - Survey-Population: Comprehensive survey - Fall fyke net assessment
  • 2009 - Commercial Fishing-Other: Buffalo - 19,700 - carp - 23,200 - total pounds 42,900

Motoring Restrictions

Motoring Restrictions: none

Contacts for this Location

Fishing Regulations

  • 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:

Aquatic Invasive Species

    No known aquatic invasive species have been found

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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