Fishing Coralville Lake in Johnson County, Iowa

• Overview

  In Iowa, Coralville Lake falls inside Johnson County. Height above sea level is 679 feet. At 5.2 sq miles you are fishing a fraction of it whatever you do. At about 44 miles of edge, most people fish a single area and learn it well. By surface area it heads our Johnson County listings. 4.1 miles away sits North Liberty, the nearest town. For a city, Cedar Rapids is 14 miles off. The boundary is close enough to be worth checking before you fish.

• Where to Fish on Coralville Lake

  Open data we checked carries no depth for this water. Levels move with the draw rather than the rain on water like this. Look for where the old bank line still shows under the surface. Johnson County records list green sunfish, common carp and spotted bass among the fish reported. The county list is broader than any single water. On Coralville Lake a short move beats a long cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-run averages give July about 75°F and January about 19°F. The year splits cleanly: hard water, then open water. After late March the shallows warm and the fish move up. Open water usually runs from late March until about mid December. The strongest runs come at either end of the open season. The season on Coralville Lake rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  There is no clear statement anywhere on who can fish it. Scales Point Boat Ramp is the mapped launch, some half a mile from here. For boats, Scales Pointe Marina lies half a mile out. Mapping shows a campsite some half a mile from the water. A picnic area is mapped about 0.9 miles away. Check locally before you travel, because a wasted drive is a long one. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. The nearest alternative is Twin Lake, 2.4 miles out. Check the current arrangement for Coralville Lake.