Prairie Lakes is a reservoir in Iowa, near Black Hawk County.
Stocking records show that the following fish or strains were stocked here. A historical stocking does not by itself prove that a self-sustaining population remains today.
Prairie Lakes is a reservoir in Black Hawk County, Iowa. Prairie Lakes covers about 22 acres and reaches a recorded 19 feet.
Prairie Lakes has an old channel, incoming water and quiet coves, and small water-level changes can move fish from the bank to the first drop.
Fish reported from Prairie Lakes include black crappie, bluegill, channel catfish, largemouth bass, and yellow bullhead. Stocking records for Prairie Lakes also list channel catfish, though that does not mean those fish will be easy to catch on every trip.
For bass at Prairie Lakes, fish weeds, wood and shade with a spinnerbait, jig or Texas-rigged worm for largemouth.
For panfish at Prairie Lakes, use a small jig or minnow beside brush for crappie, and fish a worm, cricket or tiny jig near weeds for bluegill, redear or other sunfish.
For bottom fishing at Prairie Lakes, put cut bait, a nightcrawler or prepared bait on bottom for channel catfish, and fish a worm or small piece of cut bait in quiet water for bullheads.
On a first trip to Prairie Lakes, check incoming water, one bend in the old channel and a point near deep water with a moving lure, then slow down with a jig or worm where you get a bite.
Spring around Prairie Lakes is a good time to check warm coves and incoming water, and summer is a good time to fish shade, weeds and the first drop into deeper water. Fall around Prairie Lakes can bring fish back to windy points and banks, while winter calls for smaller baits fished slowly.
Explore nearby waters, including local Featured destinations. Check each page for access and fishing restrictions.
Distances are straight-line estimates between mapped water locations.