Elk Lake
General Information
County: Clay
Location: 1 mile west, 3 miles south of Ruthven
Acres: 261.00
Maximum Depth: 6.3 ft. (2009)
Motoring Restrictions: none
Nearby Parks
Amenities
Amenities at Elk Lake include:
- Boat Access
- Hard Surface Boat Ramp
- 6/2/22 - 1,349 Northern Pike (2.1)
- 5/10/22 - 265,000 Walleye (Fry)
- 4/22/22 - 81,426 Northern Pike (Fry)
- 10/6/22 - 124,308 Bluegill (2)
- 10/3/22 - 1,330 Largemouth Bass (3.2)
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.
- Black Bullhead
- Season: Continuous
- Daily Bag Limit: unlimited
- Possession Limit: unlimited
- Length Limit: none
- Other:
- Northern Pike
- Season: Continuous, except for boundary lakes
- Daily Bag Limit: 3 fish
- Possession Limit: 6 fish
- Length Limit: none
- Other: Except for border lakes
- 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:
- Yellow Bullhead
- Season: Continuous
- Daily Bag Limit: unlimited
- Possession Limit: unlimited
- Length Limit: none
- Other:
- Yellow Perch
- Season: Continuous
- Daily Bag Limit: 25 fish
- Possession Limit: 50 fish
- Length Limit: none
- Other:
Post lake renovation in 2022, the lake was restocked with yellow perch and northern pike. During the spring of 2023 common carp were observed bypassing the lake outlet structure to make it into the main lake. An standard electrofishing survey was conducted in the spring of 2024, large numbers of 12-14 inch carp were observed along with smaller numbers of yellow perch and northern pike that were not yet catchable size. (2024)
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.