Ingham Lake

General Information

Amenities

• Boat Access
• Beach
• Trails
• Camping
• Hard Surface Boat Ramp

Fishing Report

Fishing Forecast

Extremely low dissolved oxygen resulted in concerns by the Spirit Lake Fish Management Office of possible winterkill during the winter of 2007-2008. Site inspection by the fish management personnel revealed dead fish comprised mainly of carp along the west shoreline, leading to speculation of a significant winterkill at Ingham Lake. To assess the severity of the 2007-2008 winterkill, fyke nets were set in Ingham Lake 16th May at the traditional sampling sites consisting of one 24 hour set. Results of the survey are listed in Table 1. Table 1. Catch per unit effort (Fish/Lift), percent of catch, mean length and range of species sampled from Ingham Lake by ¾ inch fyke nets, May 2nd, 2001. Species No. CPUE % Bullhead 799 159.8 90 Buffalo 3 0.6 <1 Carp 82 16.4 9 Yellow Perch 2 0.4 <1 Black Crappie 2 0.4 <1 898 Results of the 2007/2008 Ingham Lake winterkill assessment suggest a major kill of carp and all game fish species in the lake. Bullhead, a species that are very resilient to low oxygen and carp comprised 99% of the fish species sampled. A small number of black crappie and yellow perch were detected during the winterkill assessment suggesting a remnant game fish population still exists within Ingham Lake. These fish should sustain the fishery and provide natural reproduction and replenishment of these species. The Ingham Lake commercial angler reported limited numbers of rough fish and negligible game fish numbers in the catch during the 2008 commercial fishing season, supporting the assumption of a significant winterkill on Ingham Lake. To re-establish game fish populations in the lake walleye and northern pike are scheduled to be stocked into Ingham Lake throughout 2008. (2008)

Lake Maps

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Popular Fish Species at this Lake

• Bigmouth buffalo
• Black bullhead
• Black crappie
• Bluegill
• Carp
• Channel Catfish
• Green sunfish
• Largemouth Bass
• Northern Pike
• Walleye
• White crappie
• Yellow Perch

Regulations

• Fishing Regulations

Fish Surveys

Lake Fish Survey Data Data from the most recent fisheries survey of this lake is provided on this external web site. This data may include information from various netting surveys and/or electroshocking surveys. Data includes numbers of fish sampled, and fish size ranges. Not all lakes are sampled every year.

Lake Mini-report

Lake Reports Summary report information about selected (~130) lakes regarding water quality, upstream land use, usage, economic value and more. Reports are customizable by the user to include only that information which the user desires to include.

Water Quality

• Water Quality Reports
• Iowa Water Web

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.