Pyramid State Park - Canvasback Lake

Walleye x Sauger (Saugeye)

Developing

Canvasback Lake is now on the stocking request list for Saugeye fingerlings. Saugeye have been chosen to replace Muskie for stocking due to their success in nearby Mallard Lake, which has a similar size, depth profile, vegetation coverage, and forage base. Although Saugeye were stocked in 2024 and 2025, none were collected during a targeted electrofishing survey conducted in fall of 2025. Escapement into Pipestone Creek during flood events may be a potential reason why no Saugeye were observed during the 2025 survey.

Bluegill

Poor

Although Bluegill are abundant, the size structure is poor. The majority of Bluegill collected during surveys have been in the 4”-7” range. Very few Bluegill over 7 inches are collected during surveys.

Redear Sunfish

Fair

Redear Sunfish are less abundant than Bluegill, although their size structure is slightly better. Several Redear were collected which were around 8 inches in length.

Crappie spp.

Very Good

Canvasback Lake is known to harbor a quality fishery for crappie, although they have been very difficult to sample with traditional gear types due to the steep banks and limited shallow water in the lake. However, during fall of 2025 a new net type (Lead net) was used to sample the crappie population. Lead nets can be set anywhere in a lake, including offshore areas with brush piles and other structures that hold crappie. Lead nets yielded a catch rate of 12.7 crappie/net night, capturing 60 Black Crappie and 16 White Crappie. Fish in the sample ranged from 6.4 to 13.5 inches in length, the majority measuring between 10 and 11 inches. Anglers can expect to find good numbers of crappies over 10 inches, especially on brush piles placed by IDNR. The current fish attractor map can be found at the bottom of this web page.

Channel Catfish

Average

A small number of Channel Catfish have been collected during past surveys. Most individuals ranged in size from 2 to 5 lbs.

Largemouth Bass

Very Good

During the 2025 spring electrofishing survey, Largemouth Bass were caught at a rate of 130/hour, exceeding the management target of 100/hour. In addition, management targets for size structure and body condition were also met. Of the bass collected, 33% were over 15 inches and 17% were over 18 inches. The heaviest bass collected was 20.2 inches and weighed 5.8 lbs. Bass anglers should expect quality fishing opportunities in Canvasback Lake.