Big Spirit Lake is a natural body of water, approximately in area, in
Dickinson County in northwest
Iowa
Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...
in the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
. It is part of the chain of lakes known as the
Iowa Great Lakes, the northern shore of the lake straddles the border with
Minnesota
Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...
. It is the largest natural lake in Iowa. The
Dakota name for the lake was Minnewaukon. Early French traders named it Lac d'Esprit after the Native legends of an evil spirit who dwelled in the lake.
Its maximum depth is 24 feet (7.3 m), and the mean depth is 17 feet (5 m). The drainage area of the lake is approximately 22 square miles (57 km²). It has a drainage area of approximately 75 mi² (194 km²), most of which is in Minnesota.
Geology
Geologically, the lake, like its neighbors, is a
glacial pothole, a remnant of the most recent
ice age
An ice age is a long period of reduction in the temperature of Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental and polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers. Earth's climate alternates between ice ages, and g ...
approximately 13,000 years ago.
Recreation
The lake is a popular fishing destination in the region. It contains over 40 species of fish, 13 of which are typically caught. Fishing for
walleye
The walleye (''Sander vitreus'', Synonym (taxonomy), synonym ''Stizostedion vitreum''), also called the walleyed pike, yellow pike, yellow pikeperch or yellow pickerel, is a freshwater perciform fish native to most of Canada and to the Northern ...
and
yellow perch is typically done by boat or through the ice. Fishing for
bullhead is common from the shore during the spring. A state-operated fish hatchery also provides significant populations of
largemouth bass,
smallmouth bass,
northern pike
The northern pike (''Esox lucius'') is a species of carnivorous fish of the genus ''Esox'' (pikes). They are commonly found in brackish water, moderately salty and fresh waters of the Northern Hemisphere (''i.e.'' holarctic in distribution). T ...
,
muskie,
crappie, and
bluegill
The bluegill (''Lepomis macrochirus''), sometimes referred to as "bream", "brim", "sunny", or, in Texas, "copper nose", is a species of North American freshwater fish, native to and commonly found in streams, rivers, lakes, ponds and wetlands ea ...
.
The Iowa all-time big fish records for
freshwater drum and
muskellunge were set from catches in the lake.
Kiteboarding is also a popular activity on Big Spirit Lake.
See also
*
East Okoboji Lake
*
West Okoboji Lake
References
External links
Iowa Department of Natural Resources siteon Spirit Lake
on Spirit Lake chemistry
Spirit Lake Fish Hatchery Documentary produced by
Iowa Public TelevisionSpirit Lake, Where Ice Fishing is Hot Documentary produced by
Iowa Public Television
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Lakes of Iowa
Bodies of water of Dickinson County, Iowa