Lake Wapello fishing: Largemouth Bass, Channel Catfish, Bluegill

Target species: Largemouth Bass, Channel Catfish, Bluegill, Redear, Sunshine Bass

The reservoir

Lake Wapello covers 266 acres in Iowa, across Davis County. It is a reservoir: 91% of it is 24 feet deep or less; the deepest point measured is at least 32 feet (9.8 m); at the dam, USGS RESSED gives 40.4 feet (12.3 m) at full pool. Our records hold 6 species for this water.

5 target fish, led by Largemouth Bass

  • Largemouth Bass — Feeding water: 65–85°F.
  • Channel Catfish — Feeding water: 70–85°F.
  • Bluegill — Feeding water: 70–85°F.
  • Redear — Feeding water: 65–85°F.
  • Sunshine Bass — Feeding water: 70–80°F. Nonnative.

Also recorded here: Bighead Carp.

Depth and bottom

Deepest measured point: at least 32 ft (9.8 m). That is the deepest contour line: the bottom goes deeper. USGS RESSED gives 40.4 ft (12.3 m) at the dam at full pool: a measured figure, not a survey map. 91% of the water is 24 feet or shallower. We hold 48 depth contour lines for this water.

Aerial imagery: USDA NAIP 2023
USDA Farm Service Agency, NAIP 2023 aerial imagery (USGS The National Map) · Public domain
  • 0–2 ft: 10.1% of the water
  • 2–4 ft: 6% of the water
  • 4–6 ft: 7.5% of the water
  • 6–8 ft: 8.7% of the water
  • 8–10 ft: 8.9% of the water
  • 10–12 ft: 9.5% of the water
  • 12–14 ft: 8.1% of the water
  • 14–16 ft: 6.8% of the water
  • 16–18 ft: 6.6% of the water
  • 18–20 ft: 6.7% of the water
  • 20–22 ft: 5.9% of the water
  • 22–24 ft: 6.2% of the water
  • 24–26 ft: 5.1% of the water
  • 26–28 ft: 3.3% of the water
  • 28–30 ft: 0.7% of the water

Water and conditions

Our water temperature readings average 78°F; they do not cover the whole year, so this is not a yearly average. pH averages 8.3. These readings span 2017–2024.

Stocking: 176,027 fish, 1999–2020

Iowa DNR records list 176,027 fish released into this water from 1999 to 2020. The latest stocking on record is from 2020, more than three years ago.

  • Bluegill: 90,000 in 2009–2010
  • Largemouth Bass: 42,100 in 2006–2010
  • Channel Catfish: 20,886 in 1999–2020

2 more species on the stocking list.

Where this data comes from

  • Iowa DNR — Iowa DNR: depth contours: class A, a survey of the bottom.
  • USGS RESSED — USGS RESSED reservoir sedimentation database: class B, a depth figure measured and published by an agency, without a bottom map.
  • 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.