Beeds Lake

Boat fisherman are getting bluegills, crappies, and yellow bass casting light jigs or slow trolling jigs in the upper water column. Try with a light tube jig or a small hair jig tipped with a small piece of worm.  Crappie – Good:

Lower Pine Lake

Largemouth Bass – Good: Largemouth bass from both lakes with a deep diving crankbait.  Crappie – Good: Crappies from Lower Pine with spinner and minnow combination. 

Clear Lake

The boat docks at McIntosh and Lynne Lorenzen have been taken out. The dock at the Island is still in as of Oct. 30. Crappie – Slow: No reports. Try the mouths of the canals or in deeper water in the little lake.  Yellow Perch – Good: Anglers have had action with a slip bobber and minnows around the Ventura jetties.  Walleye – Fair: Anglers are picking up an occasional walleye on the Ventura jetties.  Muskellunge – Fair: A few Muskies are being caught by panfish anglers.  Yellow Bass – Fair: Tips of the jetties by Ventura are getting some action. Boat anglers are drifting around the edges of the deeper water.

Lake Cornelia

Yellow Bass – Excellent: This past week, anglers have had fast action on the north end of the lake in the old dredge cut. Size of many of the yellows is around eight inches. Fish with worms or cut bait.

Crystal Lake

Northern Pike – No Report: Try casting the shallower water during the fall for pike. For bluegills and bass try the edges of the dredge cut.

Interstate Park Lake

Crappie – Fair: Crappies are biting; try with minnows and a bobber from shore, or try drifting with a light jig from a boat. Size is around 8-9 inches. A few nice perch mixed in.

Iowa River (Iowa Falls to Marshalltown)

Smallmouth Bass – Good: Smallmouth bass and walleyes from the Iowa River with jigs and/or jerk baits.

Winnebago River

Northern Pike – Fair: A few northerns being caught below Fertile Dam and East Park in Mason City.  Smallmouth Bass – Good: Smallmouth have been hitting good on 1/8 ounce jigs and plastics from Fertile to Mason City.

East Fork Des Moines (Algona to Humboldt)

Walleye – Fair: Anglers getting a few walleyes on the river.

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

Walleye – Fair: Cooler daytime and overnight temperatures have dropped the water temperature on Big Spirit. This shift has started to get fish more active and moving into the shallows.  Wader anglers fishing after dark will enjoy excellent catches; fish the traditional wader sites for the best action.

East Okoboji Lake

Channel Catfish – Good: Last week’s fish management survey of East Okoboji Lake reflected good numbers of large channel catfish sampled at the East Okoboji Lake beach area. Fish cut bait or any traditional catfish bait in this area will produce some excellent pole bending end of the year action.

Silver Lake (Dickinson)

Walleye – Good: With the drop in water temperatures Wader fishing action will increase with good numbers of fish harvested this fall. Excellent opportunities exist to catch that trophy walleye as reports of 10+ pound walleye is common from this lake in the fall. With the clear water, action will be best after dark.

West Okoboji Lake

Yellow Perch – Good: Reports of limits of small yellow approximately 7.0 – 8.0 inches being harvested from West Okoboji Lake.

For more information of fishing in northwest Iowa, call the Spirit Lake Hatchery at 712-336-1840.