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Lake Anita

General Information

County: Cass
Location: 1/2 mile south of Anita
Acres: 159.00
Maximum Depth: 33.2 ft. (2014)
Motoring Restrictions: No Size Limit at No Wake

Nearby Parks

Lake Anita State Park

Amenities

Amenities at Lake Anita include:
  • Boat Access
  • Fishing Jetty
  • Picnic Area
  • Beach
  • Trails
  • Accessible Facilities
  • Playground
  • Restrooms
  • Camping
  • Good/Excellent Shorefishing
  • Hard Surface Boat Ramp
  • Fish Cleaning Station

There are very few fishing reports due to weather. For information on lakes in the Cold Springs District call (712) 769-2587.
Water clarity is good at Anita.
Bluegill - No Report: Slow troll small jigs to catch 8 inch bluegill. Tipping with nightcrawler or Berkley helps. The north arm and around the beach is a good place to start.
Black Crappie - No Report: Black crappies are being caught slow trolling. Sorting will be necessary for larger fish.
Largemouth Bass - No Report:

Lake Maps

Download Printable Lake Map
Download Printable Fishing Structures Map

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

  • 6/7/22 - 5,403 Walleye (1.5)
  • 10/04/2021 - 2,258 Channel Catfish (9.4)
  • 06/08/2021 - 2,695 Walleye (1.7)
  • 06/08/2021 - 2,712 Walleye (1.7)
  • 06/11/2020 - 4,677 Walleye (1.7)
  • fall 2019 - 900 Walleye (6)
  • 09/18/2019 - 2,005 Channel Catfish (8.8)
  • 05/03/2019 - 200,000 Walleye (Fry)
  • 05/08/2018 - 468,000 Walleye (Fry)
  • 9/18/2017 - 461 Channel Catfish (8.2")
  • 4/26/2017 - 202,450 Walleye (fry)
  • fall 2016 - 800 Walleye (6)
  • fall 2015 - 800 Walleye (6)
  • 09/08/2015 - 2,277 Channel Catfish (8")
  • fall 2014 - 800 Walleye (6)

  • 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:
  • Green Sunfish
    • Season: Continuous
    • Daily Bag Limit: none
    • Possession Limit: unlimited
    • 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:
  • 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:

Expect to find quality 8- to 9-inch bluegills and 15- to 20-inch largemouth bass are common. Last year's fish survey had abundant numbers of black crappie; 8-9 inch which will be an improvement over 2021. Channel catfish maintenance stockings produces a good population of 15- to 17-inch fish with some trophy sized >20-inch fish in the population. Fingerling walleye stocked by the IDNR and the Friends of Lake Anita has resulted in low density population. Lake Anita is one of the better overall fishing lakes in SW Iowa.(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.