Lake Sugema

General Information

County: Van Buren
Location: 3 miles southwest of Keosauqua
Acres: 579.00
Maximum Depth: 33.6 ft. (2010 - 33.6')
Motoring Restrictions: No Size Limit at No Wake

Nearby Parks

Lacey Keosauqua State Park

Amenities

Amenities at Lake Sugema include:
  • Fishing Jetty
  • Accessible Pier
  • Picnic Area
  • Trails
  • Accessible Facilities
  • Restrooms
  • Camping
  • Good/Excellent Shorefishing
  • Hard Surface Boat Ramp
  • Accessible Shoreline
  • Fish Cleaning Station
Contact the Rathbun Fish Hatchery at 641-647-2406 with questions about fishing in south central Iowa.
Black Crappie - Fair: Try jig and minnows in the standing timber.
Bluegill - Fair: Target shorelines and submerged brush piles with small jigs.
Largemouth Bass - Good: Try plastics or spinnerbaits along rip-rapped shorelines and around the submerged structures.
Download Printable Lake Map
Download Printable Fishing Structures Map

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

  • May 2022 - 1,737,000 Walleye (Fry)
  • Fall 2021 - 3,551 Channel Catfish (8.4)
  • 05/03/2021 - 1,000,000 Walleye (Fry)
  • fall 2019 - 6,001 Channel Catfish (8.8)
  • 09/21/2015 - 3,502 Channel Catfish (8")
  • 04/20/2015 - 2,000 Walleye (8")
  • 10/24/2014 - 6,003 Walleye (8")
  • 05/19/2014 - 600 Muskellunge (10.5")
  • Brittle Naiad
  • Curlyleaf Pondweed
The Fishing Regulations brochure is available for download. The summaries listed below are a partial listing provided for your benefit.

  • Black Crappie
    • Season: Continuous
    • Daily Bag Limit: combined black and white crappie, 25 fish
    • Possession Limit: unlimited
    • Length Limit: none
    • Other: No daily limit on private waters
  • Bluegill
    • Season: Continuous
    • Daily Bag Limit: 25 fish
    • Possession Limit: unlimited
    • 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:
  • Largemouth Bass
    • Season: Continuous
    • Daily Bag Limit: combined black bass, 3 fish
    • Possession Limit: combined black bass, 6 fish
    • Length Limit: All 12 to 18-inch fish must be immediately released
    • Other:
  • 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:
In the fall of 2019 a selective treatment of illegally introduced gizzard shad was conducted. This treatment was successful and all gizzard shad have been eliminated from the system. Gizzard shad are injurious in smaller lakes like Lake Sugema and impact growth and reproduction of game fish, as well as disrupting water quality, making the lake less clear. Prior to the treatment, the public was informed that some game fish would be lost as part of the process, but that the populations of these species would be minimally impacted. Angling in 2020 for crappies was excellent. Both black and white crappie are abundant and fish up to 12 inches are abundant. Larger crappies are available as well. Largemouth bass numbers have declined in recent years (as a result of the gizzard shad introduction) but a very large year class was produced in 2020 and these fish will grow quickly. Bluegill quality remains poor; however, these fish will increase in length and 8 plus inch fish will be available in 2021.(2020)
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.