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Black Hawk Lake

General Information

County: Sac
Location: east edge of Lake View
Acres: 922.00
Maximum Depth: 13.4 ft. (2021 - 13.4 feet)
Motoring Restrictions: none

Nearby Parks

Black Hawk State Park

Amenities

Amenities at Black Hawk Lake include:
  • Boat Access
  • Accessible Pier
  • Picnic Area
  • Beach
  • Trails
  • Accessible Facilities
  • Playground
  • Restrooms
  • Camping
  • Concessions
  • Good/Excellent Shorefishing
  • Hard Surface Boat Ramp
  • Carry Down Boat Launch
  • Accessible Shoreline
  • Fish Cleaning Station

No recent updates

Lake Maps

Download Printable Lake Map

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

  • October 2022 - 5,327 Walleye (8.8)
  • 5/4/22 - 2,341,459 Walleye (Fry)
  • November 2021 - 3,798 Walleye (8.9)
  • 10/14/2021 - 162,000 Bluegill (2)
  • 10/05/2021 - 1,620 Largemouth Bass (3.8)
  • 05/04/2021 - 2,353,039 Walleye (Fry)
  • 09/23/2020 - 4,902 Channel Catfish (9.4)
  • 05/05/2020 - 1,960,000 Walleye (Fry)
  • October 2019 - 15,257 Walleye (9)
  • 05/14/2019 - 386 Muskellunge (11.9)
  • 05/08/2019 - 2,280,150 Walleye (Fry)
  • 10/12/2018 - 5,032 Walleye (6.7)
  • 09/11/2018 - 4,560 Channel Catfish (8.5)
  • 05/16/2018 - 2,374,890 Walleye (Fry)
  • 5/10/2017 - 330 Muskellunge (13.1")
  • 4/24/2017 - 2,544,022 Walleye (fry)
  • 10/31/2017 - 1,235 Walleye (9")
  • 10/27/2017 - 2,347 Walleye (8.9")
  • 10/27/2017 - 4,018 Walleye (8.9")
  • 9/26/16 - 4,561 Channel Catfish (9.5")
  • 4/28/16 - 2,400,000 Walleye (Fry)
  • 10/6/16 - 700 Yellow Perch (4")
  • 10/17/16 - 7,599 Walleye (9.3")
  • 10/26/2015 - 7,617 Walleye (8")
  • 05/15/2015 - 60 Black Crappie (Adult)
  • 05/12/2015 - 411 Muskellunge (12.3")
  • 04/27/2015 - 2,300,000 Walleye (Fry)
  • 10/07/2014 - 7,602 Walleye (8")
  • 09/10/2014 - 4,596 Channel Catfish (8")
  • 05/09/2014 - 2,300,000 Walleye (Fry)
  • 05/07/2014 - 17,304 Yellow Perch (2"-7")
  • 05/05/2014 - 100 Black Crappie (Adult)

  • Brittle Naiad
  • Zebra Mussel

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: Except for border lakes
  • 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:
  • Muskellunge
    • Season: Continuous
    • Daily Bag Limit: combined: muskellunge and tiger muskellunge, 1 fish
    • Possession Limit: combined: muskellunge and tiger muskellunge, 1 fish
    • Length Limit: 40-inch minimum
    • Other: except for West Okoboji, East Okoboji, and Spirit Lakes (Dickinson County)
  • Walleye
    • Season: Continuous
    • Daily Bag Limit: 5 fish
    • Possession Limit: 10 fish
    • Length Limit: none
    • Other: none
  • Yellow Perch
    • Season: Continuous
    • Daily Bag Limit: 25 fish
    • Possession Limit: 50 fish
    • Length Limit: none
    • Other:

Fishing at Black Hawk Lake has been good in recent years. Walleye fishing is best between mid April through mid June. Most fish harvested range from 16 to 22 inches. Fire tiger and white colored twisters, shad raps, and leeches are all lures/baits that work good for the walleye. Largemouth bass fishing is excellent. Bass can be caught throughout the open water season and there is strong population of adult bass over 15 inches. Yellow perch fishing is seasonal and can be good in the early spring and late fall. 2019 saw a record harvest of yellow perch on Black Hawk Lake. Many anglers target perch around the inlet bridge, from the fish house, the floating fishing pier, and the west stone pier. Crappie fishing is good in the spring with fish averaging 10 to 11 inches. Most anglers target the fish house the shoreline along Ice House Point. The bluegill fishing has declined in the last couple years, likely due to the gizzard shad infestation. However, quality size bluegill do exist and most are caught through the ice. The channel catfish population is strong with two large size classes of 3-4 pound fish and 5-7 pound fish. Muskie fishing can be good, especially in the spring. It is a young population, but there are 42 to 43 inch individuals out there. Muskie anglers may experience higher than average catch rates, but many will be in the 25 to 35 inch size range.(2020)

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.