Official State of Iowa Website

LakeDetails

  Fishing   >   Where to Fish   >   Lakes Ponds & Reservoirs   >   LakeDetails

DeSoto Bend at DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge

General Information

County: Harrison
Location: 5 miles west of Missouri Valley at DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge
Acres: 811.00
Maximum Depth: 19 ft. (2014)
Motoring Restrictions: No Size Limit at No Wake

Nearby Parks

Wilson Island State Recreation Area

Amenities

Amenities at DeSoto Bend at DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge include:
  • Boat Access
  • Fishing Jetty
  • Accessible Pier
  • Picnic Area
  • Trails
  • Accessible Facilities
  • Restrooms
  • Good/Excellent Shorefishing
  • Hard Surface Boat Ramp
  • Accessible Shoreline

No recent updates

Lake Maps

Download Printable Lake Map
Download Printable Fishing Structures Map

You can zoom in on the map for bathymetric information for some lakes

  • 4/26/2017 - 2,008,000 Walleye (fry)
  • 09/19/2014 - 10,757 Blue Catfish (6")

    No known aquatic invasive species have been found

The Fishing Regulations brochure is available for download. The summaries listed below are a partial listing provided for your benefit.

  • Black Crappie
    • Season: 30 min prior to sunrise until 30 min after sunset; open water, Apr 15 - Oct 14; ice, Jan 2-31 & Feb
    • Daily Bag Limit: Federal Refuge regulations apply; combined bluegill and crappie, 15 fish
    • Possession Limit: Federal Refuge regulations apply
    • Length Limit: none
    • Other: The daily bag and minimum length limit for all fish species in De Soto Lake are the most restrictive limit of either Iowa or Nebraska. Anglers are limited to 2 lines, and 2 hooks per line.
  • Bluegill
    • Season: 30 min prior to sunrise until 30 min after sunset; open water, Apr 15 - Oct 14; ice, Jan 2-31 & Feb
    • Daily Bag Limit: Federal Refuge regulations apply; combined bluegill and crappie, 15 fish
    • Possession Limit: Federal Refuge regulations apply
    • Length Limit: none
    • Other: The daily bag and minimum length limit for all fish species in De Soto Lake are the most restrictive limit of either Iowa or Nebraska. Anglers are limited to 2 lines, and 2 hooks per line.
  • Channel Catfish
    • Season: 30 min prior to sunrise until 30 min after sunset; open water, Apr 15 - Oct 14; ice, Jan 2-31 & Feb
    • Daily Bag Limit: Federal Refuge regulations apply; 5 fish
    • Possession Limit: Federal Refuge regulations apply
    • Length Limit: Federal Refuge regulations apply
    • Other: Trotlines, bank lines, set lines, and float lines are prohibited. The daily bag and minimum length limit for all fish species in De Soto Lake are the most restrictive limit of either Iowa or Nebraska. Anglers are limited to 2 lines, and 2 hooks per line.
  • Flathead Catfish
    • Season: 30 min prior to sunrise until 30 min after sunset; open water, Apr 15 - Oct 14; ice, Jan 2-31 & Feb
    • Daily Bag Limit: Federal Refuge regulations apply; 5 fish, only one fish 30" or longer
    • Possession Limit: Federal Refuge regulations apply
    • Length Limit: none
    • Other: Trotlines, bank lines, set lines, and float lines are prohibited. The daily bag and minimum length limit for all fish species in De Soto Lake are the most restrictive limit of either Iowa or Nebraska. Anglers are limited to 2 lines, and 2 hooks per line.
  • Freshwater Drum
    • Season: Continuous
    • Daily Bag Limit: none
    • Possession Limit: unlimited
    • Length Limit: none
    • Other: May be taken by hand fishing, by snagging, by spear or by bow and arrow, day or night.
  • Largemouth Bass
    • Season: 30 min prior to sunrise until 30 min after sunset; open water, Apr 15 - Oct 14; ice, Jan 2-31 & Feb
    • Daily Bag Limit: combined black bass, 3 fish, only one fish 21" or longer; Federal Refuge regulations apply
    • Possession Limit: Federal Refuge regulations apply
    • Length Limit: 15-inch minimum; Federal Refuge regulations apply
    • Other: The daily bag and minimum length limit for all fish species in De Soto Lake are the most restrictive limit of either Iowa or Nebraska. Anglers are limited to 2 lines, and 2 hooks per line.
  • Paddlefish
    • Season: closed
    • Daily Bag Limit: none, protected species
    • Possession Limit: cannot be possessed
    • Length Limit: cannot be possessed
    • Other: none
  • Sauger
    • Season: 30 min prior to sunrise until 30 min after sunset; open water, Apr 15 - Oct 14; ice, Jan 2-31 & Feb
    • Daily Bag Limit: combined walleye/sauger/saugeye, 3 fish, only one fish 22" or longer
    • Possession Limit: Federal Refuge regulations apply
    • Length Limit: 15-inch minimum
    • Other: The daily bag and minimum length limit for all fish species in De Soto Lake are the most restrictive limit of either Iowa or Nebraska. Anglers are limited to 2 lines, and 2 hooks per line.
  • Walleye
    • Season: 30 min prior to sunrise until 30 min after sunset; open water, Apr 15 - Oct 14; ice, Jan 2-31 & Feb
    • Daily Bag Limit: combined walleye/sauger/saugeye, 3 fish, only one fish 22" or longer
    • Possession Limit: Federal Refuge regulations apply
    • Length Limit: 15-inch minimum
    • Other: The daily bag and minimum length limit for all fish species in De Soto Lake are the most restrictive limit of either Iowa or Nebraska. Anglers are limited to 2 lines, and 2 hooks per line.
  • White Bass
    • Season: 30 min prior to sunrise until 30 min after sunset; open water, Apr 15 - Oct 14; ice, Jan 2-31 & Feb
    • Daily Bag Limit: 15 fish, only one fish 16" or longer
    • Possession Limit: Federal Refuge regulations apply
    • Length Limit: none
    • Other: The daily bag and minimum length limit for all fish species in De Soto Lake are the most restrictive limit of either Iowa or Nebraska. Anglers are limited to 2 lines, and 2 hooks per line.
  • Yellow Bass
    • Season: Continuous
    • Daily Bag Limit: none
    • Possession Limit: unlimited
    • Length Limit: none
    • Other: Associated chutes and backwaters of the Mississippi River are included where intermittent or constant flow occur. In these areas, the daily bag and possession limit for the Mississippi River apply.

The Iowa DNR, Nebraska Game and Parks, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service continue a joint effort to manage the fishery in DeSoto Bend Lake. The fishery survey from 2022 shows an extremely low largemouth bass population. The channel catfish population benefited the most from the 2019 flooding. Very few crappies were sampled in 2022. Walleye stocking continues each year to restore their numbers. A second year class of blue catfish were stocked in 2017. Silver carp and shortnose gar are abundant.(2022)

Tip: Click the arrow in the lower right corner to view the Fish Survey Data tool in full-screen mode.

Contacts

Iowa-Caught Fish Are Safe to Eat, In Almost All Cases

The vast majority of Iowa’s streams, rivers and lakes offer safe and high-quality fish that pose little or no threat to human health if consumed. Some limitations may apply for young children and pregnant women. Here’s a Fish Consumption Fact Sheet from the Iowa DNR and the Iowa Dept. of Public Health for more information.