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South Prairie Lake

General Information

County: Black Hawk
Location: Located off of Viking Rd., Cedar falls, Ia.
Acres: 22.00
Maximum Depth: 19.3 ft. (2012)
Motoring Restrictions: No wake

Nearby Parks

George Wyth State Park

Amenities

Amenities at South Prairie Lake include:
  • Boat Access
  • Fishing Jetty
  • Accessible Pier
  • Picnic Area
  • Trails
  • Accessible Facilities
  • Restrooms
  • Good/Excellent Shorefishing
  • Hard Surface Boat Ramp
  • Community Fishing Location

Fishing is currently good to excellent in the Manchester District for a variety of species including bass, crappie, and trout. Contact the Manchester Fish Hatchery at 563-927-3276 for additional information.
South Prairie has good shoreline access as well as a hard-surfaced boat ramp
Bluegill - Fair: Bluegill are prespawn and will be found nearshore on warm days
Black Crappie - Fair: Crappie are spawning and are associated with near shore structure including rocks and brush

Lake Maps

Download Printable Lake Map

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

  • 09/29/2021 - 610 Channel Catfish (9)
  • 09/10/2019 - 610 Channel Catfish (9)
  • 9/6/2017 - 610 Channel Catfish (8.3")
  • 09/28/2015 - 396 Channel Catfish (8")

  • Curlyleaf Pondweed
  • Eurasian Watermilfoil

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: 18-inch minimum
    • Other:

South Prairie Lake offers good fishing opportunities for black crappie, bluegill, channel catfish and largemouth bass in the Cedar Falls/Waterloo metro. Bluegills are of quality size with some over eight inches in length. Recent surveys show that most crappies are 6- to 8-inches. South Prairie offers excellent shoreline access, a floating fishing dock, and a hard-surfaced boat ramp.(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. Here is a list of current fish consumption advisories for Iowa lakes and rivers.