Carter Lake

General Information

County: Pottawattamie
Location: North edge of Carter Lake.
Acres: 315.00
Maximum Depth: 25.4 ft. (2013)
Motoring Restrictions: none

Nearby Parks

Lake Manawa State Park

Amenities

Amenities at Carter Lake include:
  • Boat Access
  • Fishing Jetty
  • Accessible Pier
  • Picnic Area
  • Beach
  • Trails
  • Accessible Facilities
  • Playground
  • Restrooms
  • Good/Excellent Shorefishing
  • Hard Surface Boat Ramp
  • Accessible Shoreline
  • Community Fishing Location
No recent updates
Download Printable Lake Map

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

  • 9/11/2017 - 1,893 Channel Catfish (7.7")
  • spring 2016 - 1,692 Northern Pike (2.1")
  • Curlyleaf Pondweed
  • Eurasian Watermilfoil
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: 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.
  • Common Carp
    • Season: Continuous
    • Daily Bag Limit: none
    • Possession Limit: unlimited
    • Length Limit: none
    • Other: May be taken by hand fishing, by snagging, by spear or by bow and arrow, day or night.
  • Green Sunfish
    • Season: Continuous
    • Daily Bag Limit: none
    • Possession Limit: unlimited
    • 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: 15-inch minimum
    • Other:
A comprehensive survey was conducted on Carter Lake in 2024. Carter has some of the largest bass in the Cold Springs District as 61% of the bass sampled in 2024 were over 15 inches and 4% were over 20 inches. The Carter Lake fishery has developed into a largemouth bass and channel catfish fishery since the 2010 renovation. Bluegill do not attain any size, and crappie, though some are in the 9 inch range, the vast majority are not a harvestable size. Channel catfish are stocked by Nebraska and Iowa to maintain numbers and as a result, there is a very robust catfish population in Carter Lake. Over 800 catfish were netted among 5 nets in 2024 and they averaged about 15 inches with the largest being nearly 25 inches.(2024)
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.