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Lake Odessa

General Information

County: Louisa
Location: 5 miles east of Wapello
Acres: 3000.00
Maximum Depth:
Motoring Restrictions: none

Nearby Parks

Amenities

Amenities at Lake Odessa include:
  • Boat Access
  • Picnic Area
  • Trails
  • Restrooms
  • Camping
  • Hard Surface Boat Ramp
No recent updates
Download Printable Lake Map

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

  • Fall 2022 - 15,725 Channel Catfish (8.9)
  • 4/14/22 - 274,916 Northern Pike (Fry)
  • October 2021 - 4,017 Channel Catfish (9.2)
  • 03/29/2021 - 26 Northern Pike (Adult)
  • 10/02/2019 - 4,664 Channel Catfish (9.3)
  • 10/08/2018 - 10,264 Channel Catfish (8.6)
  • fall 2016 - 9,001 Channel Catfish (9.6")
  • annual 2014 - 11,063 Channel Catfish (8")
    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:
  • Black Crappie
    • Season: Continuous
    • Daily Bag Limit: combined black and white crappie, 25 fish
    • Possession Limit: unlimited; Mississippi River backwaters, combined black and white crappie - 50 fish
    • Length Limit: none
    • Other: No daily limit on private waters
  • Bluegill
    • Season: Continuous
    • Daily Bag Limit: 25 fish; Mississippi River backwaters, combined bluegill and pumpkinseed - 25 fish
    • Possession Limit: unlimited; Mississippi River backwaters, combined bluegill and pumpkinseed - 50 fish
    • 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: Associated chutes and backwaters of border rivers (Missouri, Big Sioux, and Des Moines) where intermittent or constant flow occur have a catfish combined daily bag of 15 fish. Associated chutes and backwaters of the Mississippi River have no daily bag or possession limit.
  • Largemouth Bass
    • Season: Continuous
    • Daily Bag Limit: combined black bass, 3 fish
    • Possession Limit: combined black bass, 6 fish
    • Length Limit: 15-inch minimum
    • Other: Associated chutes and backwaters of border rivers are included where intermittent or constant flow occur. A 14-inch length limit applies to Mississippi River backwaters, and a 12-inch length limit applies to Missouri River backwaters.
Although Lake Odessa is more of a wetland complex managed mainly for waterfowl, it provide high quality fishing. Expect to catch about anything that can be caught in the Mississippi River. Crappies are one of the more sought after species with good numbers of 11+ inch black crappies. Concentrate on these fish during their spring spawn, as well as in late fall when the crappies will feed heavily during their fall migration to their overwintering spots. Channel catfish, bluegills, and largemouth bass provide quality fishing in Odessa. Odessa provides a good place to try bowfishing with good water clarity and an abundance of shallow water habitats with rough fish prey. During the summer months the water level in Odessa is lowered to promote vegetative growth to provide waterfowl with food during the fall migration. The water level is brought back up to the normal pool level in September. This summer drawdown, while making boating a little tougher, improves the fishery as it crowds the smaller fish in with the bigger ones promoting the growth of the predator fish (bass, crappies, catfish) while thinning out the prey numbers (bluegills, etc). (2007)
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.