Big Creek Lake fishing: Muskellunge, Walleye, Largemouth Bass

Target species: Muskellunge, Walleye, Largemouth Bass, Channel Catfish, Sunshine Bass

The lake

Big Creek Lake covers 841 acres in Iowa, across Polk County. It is a lake: 90.5% of it is 33 feet deep or less; the deepest point measured is at least 50 feet (15.2 m). Our records hold 6 species for this water.

5 target fish, led by Muskellunge

  • Muskellunge — Feeding water: 65–75°F.
  • Walleye — Feeding water: 50–75°F.
  • Largemouth Bass — Feeding water: 65–85°F.
  • Channel Catfish — Feeding water: 70–85°F.
  • Sunshine Bass — Feeding water: 70–80°F. Nonnative.

Also recorded here: Common Carp.

Stocking: 26,832,374 fish, 2012–2025

Iowa DNR records list 26,832,374 fish released into this water from 2012 to 2025.

Aerial imagery: USDA NAIP 2023
USDA Farm Service Agency, NAIP 2023 aerial imagery (USGS The National Map) · Public domain
  • Walleye: 26,746,362 in 2012–2025
  • Largemouth Bass: 9,625 in 2018–2019
  • Muskellunge: 6,011 in 2012–2025
  • Channel Catfish: 63 in 2017

One more species on the stocking list.

Depth and bottom

Deepest measured point: at least 50 ft (15.2 m). That is the deepest contour line: the bottom goes deeper. 90.5% of the water is 33 feet or shallower. We hold 67 depth contour lines for this water.

  • 0–3 ft: 13.5% of the water
  • 3–6 ft: 8% of the water
  • 6–9 ft: 9.3% of the water
  • 9–12 ft: 8.4% of the water
  • 12–15 ft: 9% of the water
  • 15–18 ft: 7.1% of the water
  • 18–21 ft: 10.9% of the water
  • 21–24 ft: 7.7% of the water
  • 24–27 ft: 6.2% of the water
  • 27–30 ft: 6.8% of the water
  • 30–33 ft: 3.6% of the water
  • 33–36 ft: 4% of the water
  • 36–39 ft: 2.9% of the water
  • 39–42 ft: 1.9% of the water
  • 42–45 ft: 0.7% of the water

Water and conditions

Water clarity runs 1.5–4.6 feet on our readings, averaging 3.1 feet, from 208 readings. Our water temperature readings average 74°F; they do not cover the whole year, so this is not a yearly average. The coldest single reading we hold is 44°F and the warmest is 88°F; the warmest monthly average is 80°F. pH averages 8.3. These readings span 2017–2026.

Where this data comes from

  • Iowa DNR — Iowa DNR: depth contours: class A, a survey of the bottom.
  • Webster, K.E., McCullough, I.M., Soranno, P.A. LAGOS-US DEPTH v1.0, EDI, doi:10.6073/pasta/64ddc4d04661d9aef4bd702dc5d8984f (CC BY 4.0); Cheruvelil et al. LAGOS-US LOCUS v1.0 (EDI) — LAGOS-US DEPTH v1.0: Lake depth for 17,675 lakes in the conterminous U.S.: class B, a depth figure measured and published by an agency, without a bottom map.