Official State of Iowa Website

LakeDetails

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

South Prairie Lake

General Information

County: Black Hawk
Location: Located off of Viking Rd., Cedar falls, Ia.
Acres: 22.00
Maximum Depth: 19.3 ft. (2012)
Motoring Restrictions: No wake

Nearby Parks

George Wyth State Park

Amenities

Amenities at South Prairie Lake include:
  • Boat Access
  • Fishing Jetty
  • Accessible Pier
  • Picnic Area
  • Trails
  • Accessible Facilities
  • Restrooms
  • Good/Excellent Shorefishing
  • Hard Surface Boat Ramp
  • Community Fishing Location

Interior rivers remain at low levels and have frozen over with the recent cold snap. As of this morning there have been a few reports of ice fishing in the Cedar Falls/Waterloo area. Ice conditions are improving daily with reports around most areas with six to eight inches of good ice, as always use extreme caution. Trout streams remain in excellent condition and provide great angling opportunities for both rainbow and brown trout.
There have been fair reports of anglers catching bluegill and crappie on South Prairie Lake, some sorting may be necessary.
Bluegill - Fair: Try locating structure and use a ice jig tipped with a waxworm off of the bottom.
Black Crappie - Fair: Try locating structure and use a ice jig tipped with a minnow or waxworm, look for suspended fish near the structure using electronics.
Interior rivers remain at low levels and have frozen over with the recent cold snap. Walleye fishing had been good prior to the cold weather. As of this morning there have been a few reports of ice fishing in the Cedar Falls/Waterloo area. Ice conditions are improving daily with reports around most areas with six to eight inches of good ice, as always use extreme caution. Trout streams remain in excellent condition and provide great angling opportunities for both rainbow and brown trout.
There have been fair reports of anglers catching bluegill and crappie on South Prairie Lake, some sorting may be necessary.
Black Crappie - Fair: Try locating structure and use a ice jig tipped with a minnow or waxworm, look for suspended fish near the structure using electronics.
Bluegill - Fair: Try locating structure and use a ice jig tipped with a waxworm off of the bottom.

Lake Maps

Download Printable Lake Map

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

  • 09/29/2021 - 610 Channel Catfish (9)
  • 09/10/2019 - 610 Channel Catfish (9)
  • 9/6/2017 - 610 Channel Catfish (8.3")
  • 09/28/2015 - 396 Channel Catfish (8")

  • Curlyleaf Pondweed
  • Eurasian Watermilfoil

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

  • Black Crappie
    • Season: Continuous
    • Daily Bag Limit: combined black and white crappie, 25 fish
    • Possession Limit: unlimited
    • Length Limit: none
    • Other: No daily limit on private waters
  • Bluegill
    • Season: Continuous
    • Daily Bag Limit: 25 fish
    • Possession Limit: unlimited
    • Length Limit: none
    • Other: No daily limit on private waters
  • Channel Catfish
    • Season: Continuous
    • Daily Bag Limit: combined: channel, blue and flathead catfish, 8 fish
    • Possession Limit: combined: channel, blue and flathead catfish, 30 fish
    • Length Limit: none
    • Other:
  • Largemouth Bass
    • Season: Continuous
    • Daily Bag Limit: combined black bass, 3 fish
    • Possession Limit: combined black bass, 6 fish
    • Length Limit: 18-inch minimum
    • Other:
  • Yellow Bullhead
    • Season: Continuous
    • Daily Bag Limit: unlimited
    • Possession Limit: unlimited
    • Length Limit: none
    • Other:

South Prairie Lake offers good fishing opportunities for black crappie, bluegill, channel catfish and largemouth bass in the Cedar Falls/Waterloo metro. A recent 2023 electrofishing survey show that most crappies are exceeding nine inches or greater. Bluegills are of quality size with some over eight inches in length. South Prairie offers excellent shoreline access, a floating fishing dock, and a hard-surfaced boat ramp.(2025)

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.