DeSoto Lake fishing: Walleye

Target species: Walleye
Boat: 1 ramp or launch on file for this water.
Start here: Launch at DeSoto Bend NWR, 1 lane.

The lake

DeSoto Lake covers 899 acres in Iowa, across 2 counties: Harrison and Pottawattamie. It is a lake: 90.8% of it is 10 feet deep or less; the deepest point measured is at least 24 feet (7.3 m). Our records hold 3 species for this water. 36% of the water lies in Nebraska.

Depth and bottom

Deepest measured point: at least 24 ft (7.3 m). That is the deepest contour line: the bottom goes deeper. 90.8% of the water is 10 feet or shallower. We hold 59 depth contour lines for this water.

DeSoto Snow Geese and Morphs and White Fronted Geese in flight.jpg
MONGO · Public domain
  • 0–1 ft: 5.2% of the water
  • 1–2 ft: 8.4% of the water
  • 2–3 ft: 8.4% of the water
  • 3–4 ft: 12.6% of the water
  • 4–5 ft: 13.8% of the water
  • 5–6 ft: 10.2% of the water
  • 6–7 ft: 6.5% of the water
  • 7–8 ft: 6.7% of the water
  • 8–9 ft: 8.7% of the water
  • 9–10 ft: 10.3% of the water
  • 10–11 ft: 6.4% of the water
  • 11–13 ft: 2.8% of the water
  • 13–14 ft: 0.1% of the water

The target fish: Walleye

  • Walleye — Feeding water: 50–75°F.

Also recorded here: Bighead Carp, Common Carp.

Stocking: 2,008,000 fish in 2017

Iowa DNR records list 2,008,000 fish released into this water in 2017. The latest stocking on record is from 2017, more than three years ago.

Desoto.Lake.JPG
Wikimedia Commons · Public domain
  • Walleye: 2,008,000 in 2017

1 ramp or launch on this water

On this water we hold 1 trailer ramp.

  • DeSoto Bend NWR — 1 lane, restrooms. NWR.

The place listed has no fee or opening hours on file: a blank means we hold no such field, not that it is free or always open, and this list may not be complete.

Desoto Lake1.jpg
Wikimedia Commons · Public domain

Water and conditions

Our water temperature readings average 76°F; they do not cover the whole year, so this is not a yearly average. pH averages 8.3. These readings span 2017–2024.

What is hard here

With 90.8% of the water 10 feet or less, low level turns the flats into hazards. Only 1 public ramp is on file, so the launch decides where you fish.

Where this data comes from

  • Iowa DNR — Iowa DNR: depth contours: class A, a survey of the bottom.
  • Nebraska Game and Parks — Nebraska Game and Parks: 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.