Crawford Creek Impoundment

Ice conditions as of Tuesday…4 to 5 inches of ice west of the fishing pier.  Anglers have reported only 1.5 to 2 inches of ice in other areas.

Bacon Creek Lake

Anglers have been ice fishing Bacon Creek.  Rainbow Trout – Excellent: Anglers are catching limits of rainbow trout. 1,500 rainbow trout were stocked in November.  The next stocking is  Jan. 18.

Storm Lake (including Little Storm Lake)

Ice conditions as of Tuesday…Two open holes of water in the east part of the lake.  Eight inches of ice in the northwest corner near Frank Starr Park.  Ten inches of ice near the east boat ramp.  Ten inches of ice off the Bel Air boat ramp.

Black Hawk Lake

Ice is five-plus inches in most areas around Black Hawk. There is a large open pocket of water in Town Bay being kept open by waterfowl.  Small pockets of open water are scattered around the lake near seams in the ice.

Browns Lake

Ice conditions as of Tuesday…Three inches of ice off the south boat ramp.  Ice conditions are variable in that area and had the appearance of ice that had recently formed over an open pocket of water that was possibly kept open by waterfowl.

Southwood Conservation Area Pond (east)

Anglers have reported five-plus inches of ice at Smithland, but fishing has been slow.

Arrowhead Lake

Five inches of ice on Arrowhead.

For more information on lakes in the Black Hawk District please contact the Black Hawk District Office at 712-657-2638.

Lower Pine Lake

Lower Pine still has open water.

Lake Smith

Six to 8 inches of ice. Bluegill fishing is fair.

Lake Catherine

There were a few anglers out last week but no reports on success. Ice depth is 6 to 8 inches.

Clear Lake

Ice is 9 to 11 inches. Anglers are bringing some permanent shacks out with ATVs. They were picking up some yellow bass with a few crappies. Others have tried just off the McIntosh and Ventura boat ramps with limited success.  Yellow Bass – Fair: Anglers have reported slow action this week but with the snow cover the last couple of days, action should pick up for the weekend.

Lake Cornelia

Ice was 8-9 inches on Dec 12. Anglers were doing well on 7-8 inch yellow bass.  Yellow Bass – Excellent: Anglers were reporting fast action on yellow bass 7-8 inches in size. A few crappies mixed in.

Little Wall Lake

No definite report on ice thickness; was unsafe last week.

Crystal Lake

Ice depth was seven inches on Dec. 8th.  Bluegill – Good: Anglers have reported catching fish in eight feet of water on tear drop ice fly tipped with insect larvae in mid to late afternoon. About half of the bluegills were right around eight inches. A few crappies also were caught.

Blue Pit

Blue Pit was stocked with 1,500 catchable size rainbow trout on Nov. 27. They were not hit very hard by anglers before it froze up so there are good numbers yet. A minimum of four inches of ice is recommended for foot travel.

Bluebill Lake

Nine inches of ice on Dec. 11th. Perch have been biting on wax worms. Occasional catfish also on minnows.

Fin and Feather Lake

Seven inches of ice on Dec. 11th. No fishing activity noticed.

Reports on ice thickness of most area lakes have been from 4-8 inches at the beginning of this week. Four inches of ice is recommended for anglers traveling by foot with minimal gear.

For lake updates and fishing information in the north central area contact the Clear Lake Fish and Wildlife office at 641-357-3517.

Big Spirit Lake

There is 8-10 inches of ice on the lake.  Bluegill – Slow: A few bluegills are being caught in Anglers Bay but action is limited to sunrise and sunset.  Crappie – Slow: Similar to bluegill the crappie are coming from Anglers Bay early and late in the day.  Yellow Perch – Slow: Only a handful of perch are being caught but the ones that are tend to be 10-11 inches, with a few smaller ones are also being caught.  Walleye – Slow: Action has been kind of hit or miss with fish of all sizes being caught.

Minnewashta Lake

There is 8-10 inches of ice. The panfish bite has been a bit on the slow side with some days better than others.

West Okoboji Lake

The bays have 4-6 inches of ice and foot travel is recommended.  Not much fishing has taken place up to this point but the traditional early ice patters should hold true. Bluegill – No Report: Look for green weeds and the bluegills should be nearby.

Scharnberg Pond

Try fishing for trout if you are looking for something new. 1,500 rainbow trout were stocked in mid November and many are still in the pond. Try jigging spoons or teardrop jigs just under the ice to a few feet down.  Just remember a trout stamp is needed to fish for trout.  The next stocking date is January 25th with another 1,500 rainbow trout.

For more information contact the Spirit Lake Hatchery at 721-336-1840.