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Middle Sabula Lake

General Information

County: Jackson
Location: W edge of City of Sabula
Acres: 350.00
Maximum Depth: 8.9 ft. (2017)
Motoring Restrictions: none

Nearby Parks

Amenities

Amenities at Middle Sabula Lake include:
  • Boat Access
  • Accessible Pier
  • Good/Excellent Shorefishing
  • Gravel Boat Ramp

No recent updates

Lake Maps

Download Printable Lake Map

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

  • 9/20/22 - 2,112 Channel Catfish (9.1)
  • 5/24/22 - 1,500 Northern Pike (2.7)
  • 4/14/22 - 39,273 Northern Pike (Fry)
  • 10/7/22 - 157 Largemouth Bass (6.7)
  • 10/7/22 - 150 Smallmouth Bass (6)
  • 10/7/22 - 889 Walleye (5.3)
  • 11/03/2021 - 32 Northern Pike (13)
  • 10/05/2021 - 3,507 Channel Catfish (9.4)
  • 05/12/2021 - 1,750 Northern Pike (3)
  • 04/05/2021 - 92,500 Northern Pike (Fry)
  • 10/23/2020 - 903 Largemouth Bass (6.1)
  • 09/25/2020 - 6,230 Black Crappie (1.9)
  • 09/25/2020 - 52,150 Bluegill (1.1)
  • 09/25/2020 - 23,850 Fathead Minnow (1.3)
  • 09/25/2020 - 1,866 Smallmouth Bass (4.8)
  • 09/16/2020 - 2,983 Channel Catfish (7.9)
  • 05/20/2020 - 1,300 Northern Pike (2.2)
  • 10/02/2019 - 3,544 Channel Catfish (9.3)
  • 09/27/2019 - 57,038 Bluegill (1.26)
  • 09/27/2019 - 760 Largemouth Bass (4.5)
  • 10/19/2018 - 300 Bluegill (1.6)
  • 10/19/2018 - 8,260 Largemouth Bass (5.28)
  • 10/19/2018 - 500 Yellow Perch (4)
  • 10/09/2018 - 5,300 Channel Catfish (8.3)
  • 09/27/2018 - 43,910 Black Crappie (1.8)
  • 06/12/2014 - 34,000 Largemouth Bass (1")

    No known aquatic invasive species have been found

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; Mississippi River backwaters, combined black and white crappie - 50 fish
    • Length Limit: none
    • Other: No daily limit on private waters
  • Bluegill
    • Season: Continuous
    • Daily Bag Limit: 25 fish; Mississippi River backwaters, combined bluegill and pumpkinseed - 25 fish
    • Possession Limit: unlimited; Mississippi River backwaters, combined bluegill and pumpkinseed - 50 fish
    • 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.
  • 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: Associated chutes and backwaters of border rivers are included where intermittent or constant flow occur. A 14-inch length limit applies to Mississippi River backwaters, and a 12-inch length limit applies to Missouri River backwaters.
  • Pumpkinseed
    • Season: Continuous
    • Daily Bag Limit: 25 fish; Mississippi River backwaters, combined bluegill and pumpkinseed - 25 fish
    • Possession Limit: unlimited; Mississippi River backwaters, combined bluegill and pumpkinseed - 50 fish
    • Length Limit: none
    • Other: No daily limit on private waters

Middle Sabula Lake is a lake dominated by rough fish like Carp and Buffalo. With that said it has been heavily stocked with game species to try to suppress those populations. A good population of channel catfish has been established but they have been hard to sample. In addition, a surprising nice largemouth bass population does exist in the lake with numerous fish up to 3 pounds. Bluegills are numerous but mostly small with a rare individual up to 8 inches. (2021)

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.