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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
No recent updates
Download Printable Lake Map

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

  • 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:
Incidental catches by commercial fisherman show good numbers of large crappie in this lake.(2015)
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.