Fishing Report For Saylorville Lake, IA

By Rick Seaman

May 22, 2025

Popular Fish Species Reports
Saylorville Lake Fishing Video
Available Fish Species
Today's Weather & Forecast
Fishing Boat Rentals
Boat Launch Ramps
Marinas
Fishing License
Map
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Fishing Report Saylorville Lake, IA

Fishing Reports

Popular Fish Species Saylorville Lake, IA

Black Crappie - White Crappie

Uncle Buck's Panfish Creatures Curly Tail Minnow Rigged

Current Report: Good To Very Good
Outlook: Very Good

Catching a bunch of crappie that average around a pound, is what is drawing crappie enthusiasts to this fertile crappie factory. Crappie fishing with minnows or crappie jigs is catching them all over the lake, especially in areas around, and nearby, the fish habitat planted by the Central Iowa Anglers and the Army Corps of Engineers. Spring is the premiere time to be on the water as crappie move into shallow coves to spawn. Expect to find crappie in 3 to 8 feet of water. Brush, wood and rocky areas are a good place to find schools of crappie. Once the spawn is over, and the hot Summer sun warms the shallows, crappie retreat to deeper water of 10 to 15 feet or more. Light tackle, with 4 lb to 8 lb line is ideal. Fish finders and forward facing sonar help locals locate schools of crappie once they move out of shallow water.

White Bass

Current Report: Good
Outlook: Good To Very Good

Thanks to an abundant food source of gizzard shad, minnows and shiners, white bass are thriving here. From now until mid June, look for these white bass to continue with their annual spawn run, moving upstream into the river area, and running creeks. This is a prime time to fill the livewells with some fat white bass. Small swimbaits, curly-tail jigs, underspins, small crankbaits, small jerkbaits, and most any lure that looks like baitfish, are catching good numbers of fish. During Summer, Fall and Winter the white bass migrate back to the main lake areas where they follow schools baitfish.

Largemouth Bass

Current Report: Good
Outlook: Good To Very Good

With water temperatures nearing 60 degrees, bass are becoming focused on the spawn cycle. Fish in the 3 lb to 6 lb class are being caught relatively often, but the typical fish are 1 1/4 pounds to 2 pounds. The bass here relate to rocky areas and creek channels, so look for spawning shallows nearby these structures. Multiple lures are catching nice bass here, but many tournament anglers are throwing vibrating jigs as a primary bait. Spinnerbaits, and crankbaits in shad colors, are catching plenty of fish as well. Stick worms, rigged wacky style, are often catching some of the larger bass.

Fishing Video

Fish species to fish for...

Guide to fishing for largemouth bass, channel catfish, flathead catfish, black crappie, white crappie, walleye, bluegill, white bass, hybrid striped bass and northern pike at Saylorville Lake in Iowa.

Saylorville Lake is a 5,400-acre lake with 10 miles of shoreline. Nice populations of bass, catfish, crappie, walleye, sunfish, perch, hybrid stripers and northern pike. For those who enjoy fishing from the bank, there is good to excellent shoreline fishing, as well as a fishing jetty.

Primary fish species to catch

Click images for fishing tips and details about each species.

Today's Weather & Forecast

Fishing Boat Rentals

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Public Boat Launch Ramps & Landings

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Marinas

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Fishing License

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Map - Fishing & Access

Rick Seaman is a fishing enthusiast with over five decades of fishing experience, a retired tournament fisherman, author of numerous published articles on fishing, and co-author of the book "Bass Fishing - It's not WHAT you throw, It's WHERE you throw it".