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Lake Miami

General Information

County: Monroe
Location: 5 miles southeast of Lovilia on the west side of 635th Avenue
Acres: 137.00
Maximum Depth: 18.4 ft. (2019 - 18.4')
Motoring Restrictions: No Size Limit at No Wake

Nearby Parks

Amenities

Amenities at Lake Miami include:
  • Fishing Jetty
  • Accessible Pier
  • Picnic Area
  • Trails
  • Playground
  • Restrooms
  • Camping
  • Good/Excellent Shorefishing
  • Hard Surface Boat Ramp
  • Accessible Shoreline
  • Fish Cleaning Station

Contact the Rathbun Fish Hatchery at 641-647-2406 with questions about fishing in south central Iowa.
Black Crappie - Slow: Try a jig and minnow combo around the cedar tree piles.
Bluegill - Slow: Try small jigs around the brushpiles and along the shoreline.
Largemouth Bass - Slow: Use plastics or spinnerbaits around the brush piles and along the rip-rapped shoreline areas.

Lake Maps

Download Printable Lake Map
Download Printable Fishing Structures Map

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

  • Fall 2021 - 1,349 Channel Catfish (9)
  • 09/12/2019 - 1,400 Channel Catfish (8.7)
  • 9/18/2017 - 1,017 Channel Catfish (8.2")
  • 09/18/2015 - 1,218 Channel Catfish (8")
  • 09/25/2014 - 80,000 Bluegill (2")
  • 09/24/2014 - 24,000 Black Crappie (2")
  • 07/30/2014 - 200 Channel Catfish (adult)
  • 06/18/2014 - 12,200 Largemouth Bass (2")
  • 05/30/2014 - 3,018 Channel Catfish (2")
  • 04/15/2014 - 200 Largemouth Bass (adult)
  • 04/14/2014 - 27,000 Bluegill (2")

  • Brittle Naiad

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: 15-inch minimum
    • Other:

A 2016 fishery survey at Lake Miami continued to show the fishery is developing fast. Bluegill of 8.5 inches, largemouth bass up to 20 inches (most 8- to 15-inch), and crappie up to 10 inches were captured in May 2016. (2017)

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.