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Lake Manawa

General Information

County: Pottawattamie
Location: Southwest edge of Council Bluffs
Acres: 784.70
Maximum Depth: 25.5 ft. (2021 - 25.5 feet)
Motoring Restrictions: None

Nearby Parks

Lake Manawa State Park

Amenities

Amenities at Lake Manawa include:
  • Boat Access
  • Fishing Jetty
  • Accessible Pier
  • Boat Rental
  • Picnic Area
  • Beach
  • Trails
  • Accessible Facilities
  • Playground
  • Restrooms
  • Concessions
  • Good/Excellent Shorefishing
  • Hard Surface Boat Ramp
  • Community Fishing Location

No recent updates

Lake Maps

Download Printable Lake Map

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

  • October 2022 - 6,019 Walleye (9)
  • June 2022 - 16,933 Wiper (Hybrid Striped Bass) (1.4)
  • 10/5 & 10/6/22 2022 - 7,676 Blue Catfish (5.8)
  • November 2021 - 4,008 Walleye (8.9)
  • June 2021 - 14,680 Wiper (Hybrid Striped Bass) (1.5)
  • Fall 2021 - 5,501 Channel Catfish (9.3)
  • 10/01/2021 - 9,495 Blue Catfish (6.6)
  • 11/12/2020 - 5,484 Walleye (9.2)
  • 10/28/2019 - 3,735 Walleye (9.1)
  • 09/03/2019 - 4,001 Channel Catfish (8.5)
  • 06/27/2019 - 9,777 Wiper (Hybrid Striped Bass) (1.5)
  • 05/02/2019 - 2,241,000 Walleye (Fry)
  • 10/22/2018 - 3,914 Walleye (7.8)
  • 06/27/2018 - 7,845 Wiper (Hybrid Striped Bass) (1.64)
  • 05/07/2018 - 2,241,000 Walleye (Fry)
  • 9/26/2017 - 2,936 Channel Catfish (9.3")
  • 6/29/2017 - 4,547 Wiper (Hybrid Striped Bass) (2")
  • 6/23/2017 - 8,960 Wiper (Hybrid Striped Bass) (1.8")
  • 4/26/2017 - 2,252,000 Walleye (fry)
  • 10/24/2017 - 3,083 Walleye (9")
  • 10/23/2017 - 1,219 Walleye (9")
  • 10/23/2017 - 3,200 Walleye (9")
  • 6/27/2016 - 6,160 Wiper (Hybrid Striped Bass) (1.5")
  • 6/16/2016 - 11,912 Wiper (Hybrid Striped Bass) (1.3")
  • 4/26/16 - 2,333,870 Walleye (Fry)
  • 10/26/16 - 7,862 Walleye (10.3")
  • 10/20/2015 - 7,526 Walleye (8")
  • 09/14/2015 - 4,470 Channel Catfish (8")
  • 06/19/2015 - 9,921 Wiper (Hybrid Striped Bass) (1.6")
  • 04/30/2015 - 2,241,000 Walleye (Fry)
  • annual 2014 - 7,502 Walleye (8")
  • annual 2014 - 11,059 Wiper (Hybrid Striped Bass) (2")
  • 05/12/2014 - 2,200,000 Walleye (Fry)

  • Zebra Mussel

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

  • Bigmouth Buffalo
    • Season: Continuous
    • Daily Bag Limit: none
    • Possession Limit: unlimited
    • Length Limit: none
    • Other:
  • Black Bullhead
    • Season: Continuous
    • Daily Bag Limit: unlimited
    • Possession Limit: unlimited
    • Length Limit: none
    • Other:
  • 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: Associated chutes and backwaters of border rivers (Missouri, Big Sioux, and Des Moines) where intermittent or constant flow occur have a catfish combined daily bag of 15 fish. Associated chutes and backwaters of the Mississippi River have no daily bag or possession limit.
  • Common Carp
    • 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.
  • Flathead 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: Associated chutes and backwaters of border rivers (Missouri, Big Sioux, and Des Moines) where intermittent or constant flow occur have a catfish combined daily bag of 15 fish. Associated chutes and backwaters of the Mississippi River have no daily bag or possession limit.
  • 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:
  • Smallmouth Buffalo
    • Season: Continuous
    • Daily Bag Limit: none
    • Possession Limit: unlimited
    • Length Limit: none
    • Other:
  • Walleye
    • Season: Continuous
    • Daily Bag Limit: combined walleye, sauger and saugeye; 5 fish
    • Possession Limit: combined walleye, sauger and saugeye; 10 fish
    • Length Limit: none
    • Other: Associated chutes and backwaters of border rivers where intermittent or constant flow occur; relevant local length and bag limits for border rivers apply
  • 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.
  • Yellow Bullhead
    • Season: Continuous
    • Daily Bag Limit: unlimited
    • Possession Limit: unlimited
    • Length Limit: none
    • Other:

Lake Manawa is a shallow 772 acre oxbow lake of the Missouri River. Sixteen different fish species have been documented in the lake. The fishing centers around black and white crappie, largemouth bass, walleye, wipers and channel catfish. Blue catfish stocked by DNR are a resent addition to the fishery. Walleye and wipers provide an additional predator in the lake as well as some exciting fishing. Crappies in the lake are cyclical and their populations vary from year to year depending on the size and number of the dominate year class. The largemouth bass population numbers have increased recently with some quality sized fish. Annual wiper stockings have produced multiple year classes in Manawa. Good numbers of 18-inch wipers provide exciting fishing. The channel catfish population is abundant with in the 15- to 28-inch fish range. Abundant yellow bass plague the fish community in Lake Manawa.(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.