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Lake Belva Deer

General Information

County: Keokuk
Location: 5 miles northeast of Sigourney
Acres: 264.00
Maximum Depth: 41.3 ft. (2014)
Motoring Restrictions: No Size Limit at No Wake

Nearby Parks

Amenities

Amenities at Lake Belva Deer include:
  • Boat Access
  • Fishing Jetty
  • Accessible Pier
  • Picnic Area
  • Beach
  • Trails
  • Accessible Facilities
  • Playground
  • Restrooms
  • Camping
  • Good/Excellent Shorefishing
  • Hard Surface Boat Ramp

For more information on the above lakes call the Lake Darling Fisheries Office at (319) 694-2430.
Water temp down into the mid to upper 40's. Weather has been keeping angling pressure low lately.
Black Crappie - Slow: They are out deep for the rest of the year. Look for them out along the old creek channel running down through the flooded timber.
Bluegill - Slow: They have left the mid depth habitat for the deeper habitat along the old creek channel.

Lake Maps

Download Printable Lake Map
Download Printable Fishing Structures Map

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

  • May 2022 - 792,000 Walleye (Fry)
  • 9/8/22 - 1,586 Channel Catfish (8.5)
  • 05/03/2021 - 400,000 Walleye (Fry)
  • 09/25/2020 - 25,737 Redear Sunfish (2)
  • 09/23/2020 - 1,703 Channel Catfish (9.4)
  • 05/07/2020 - 792,000 Walleye (Fry)
  • 09/24/2018 - 1,585 Channel Catfish (9)
  • 9/19/16 - 1,585 Channel Catfish (9.2")
  • 09/30/2014 - 1,584 Channel Catfish (8")

  • Brittle Naiad
  • Curlyleaf Pondweed

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:

Find a very high quality fishery with bluegills leading the way. Good numbers of 10- to 12-inch bluegills abound in this lake. In 2006 the lake produced at least one over 12 inch bluegill that was verified by park staff. Crappie numbers were finally building up with anglers catching nice stringers of 10- to 12-inch fish through the ice in 2007. Anglers are also catching big redear sunfish with some topping 13 inches. Catfish, largemouth bass and a few county stocked walleyes round out the cast of characters in this lake.(2007)

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.