Lake Manawa

General Information

County: Pottawattamie
Location: Southwest edge of Council Bluffs
Acres: 747.00
Maximum Depth:
Motoring Restrictions: None

Amenities

Amenities at Lake Manawa include:

Boat Access
Fishing Jetty
Accessible Pier
Boat Rental
Picnic Area
Beach
Trails
Accessible Facilities
Playground
Restrooms
Camping
Concessions
Good/Excellent Shorefishing
Hard Surface Boat Ramp

Fishing Report

Crappie have moved to shore in many lakes in the S.W. district. Good bluegill fishing has also been reported. For more information on lakes in the S.W. district call the Cold Springs office at (712) 769-2587

Crappie fishing has started up again in the canals. Reports of walleye and catfish were also caught last week.

Channel Catfish - Fair: Fish the windy shoreline with shad sides for catfish of all sizes.

Crappie - Good: Crappies up to 12 inches can be caught with minnows in the canals.

Fishing Forecast

Lake Manawa is a shallow 772 acre oxbow lake of the Missouri River. Water from Mosquito Creek is fed into the Manawa to suppliment water levels during the year. Sixteen different fish species have been documented in the lake. The fishing centers around 8 (black and white crappie, bluegill, largemouth bass, walleye, wipers, channel catfish, and flathead catfish). The walleye, wipers, and channel catfish originate from fish stocked by the DNR. Walleye and wipers provide an additional preditor in the lake as well as some exciting fishing. Crappies in the lake are cyclical and their populations vary from year to year depending on the size and number of the dominate year class. Last falls fishery survey showed good numbers of 9-inch white crappies and a few 11-inch fish remaining in the population. Very few bluegills reach acceptable size for anglers in Manawa. The largemouth bass population is low in numbers but contains some quality sized fish. Fair numbers of walleyes above 15-inches are present with fish up to 24-inches. Annual wiper stockings have produced multiple year classes in Manawa. Last falls survey showed good numbers of 10 to 11-inch fish and fish over 20-inches in the population. The channel catfish population is abundant and fish range from 15 to 28-inches. The biggest flathead catfish we saw in our nets last summer was 26-inches.(2010)

Lake Maps

Download Printable Lake Map

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

Popular Fish Species at this Lake

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

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.

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