Lake Darling fishing: Largemouth Bass, Redear, Bluegill

Target species: Largemouth Bass, Redear, Bluegill, Channel Catfish, Northern Pike

The lake

Lake Darling covers 294 acres in Iowa, across Washington County. It is a lake: 93.6% of it is 15 feet deep or less; the deepest point measured is at least 18 feet (5.5 m). Our records hold 6 species for this water.

5 target fish, led by Largemouth Bass

  • Largemouth Bass — Feeding water: 65–85°F.
  • Redear — Feeding water: 65–85°F.
  • Bluegill — Feeding water: 70–85°F.
  • Channel Catfish — Feeding water: 70–85°F.
  • Northern Pike — Feeding water: 50–75°F.

Also recorded here: Common Carp.

Aerial imagery: USDA NAIP 2023
USDA Farm Service Agency, NAIP 2023 aerial imagery (USGS The National Map) · Public domain

Stocking: 601,800 fish, 2008–2024

Iowa DNR records list 601,800 fish released into this water from 2008 to 2024.

  • Bluegill: 181,930 in 2008–2014
  • Largemouth Bass: 63,114 in 2008–2015
  • Channel Catfish: 41,826 in 2008–2024

One more species on the stocking list.

Depth and bottom

Deepest measured point: at least 18 ft (5.5 m). That is the deepest contour line: the bottom goes deeper. 93.6% of the water is 15 feet or shallower. We hold 51 depth contour lines for this water.

  • 0–2 ft: 8.3% of the water
  • 2–3 ft: 8% of the water
  • 3–4 ft: 12% of the water
  • 4–5 ft: 8.5% of the water
  • 5–6 ft: 7.5% of the water
  • 6–7 ft: 6.5% of the water
  • 7–8 ft: 5.4% of the water
  • 8–9 ft: 5.6% of the water
  • 9–10 ft: 6.1% of the water
  • 10–11 ft: 6.2% of the water
  • 11–13 ft: 8.9% of the water
  • 13–14 ft: 5.1% of the water
  • 14–15 ft: 5.5% of the water
  • 15–17 ft: 4% of the water
  • 17–18 ft: 2.6% of the water

Water and conditions

Our water temperature readings average 79°F; they do not cover the whole year, so this is not a yearly average. pH averages 8.8. These readings span 2017–2024.

What is hard here

With 93.6% of the water 15 feet or less, low level turns the flats into hazards.

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.