NORTHWEST
Black Hawk Lake
Water temperatures are around 60 degrees. Bluegill – Good: Bluegill can be picked up just about anywhere along the shoreline. The fish are averaging 7.5 inches. Use a small hair or tube jig with a small piece of crawler fished under a bobber off the floating fishing pier, the west stone pier, and the inlet bridge. Black Crappie – Fair: Anglers have had luck fishing from Ice House Point, the floating dock, the stone piers, and the inlet bridge. Catch fish up to 11 inches with crawlers and leeches fished under a bobber. Walleye – Fair: Anglers are picking up walleye from shore and by boat. Town Bay, the shoreline along Ice House Point, and near the inlet bridge are producing fish.Use leeches fished under a bobber and twisters. Fish being kept are 15 to 21 inches.
Black Hawk Pits
Bluegill and crappie are spawning near shore. Use a small tube jig tipped with crawler fished under a bobber near shore.
Blue Lake
Black Crappie – Fair: Use jigs and slip bobber rigs tipped with minnows near the shoreline. Some sorting is needed. Largemouth Bass – Good: Anglers are catching largemouth bass on various artificial baits near the shoreline emergent vegetation.
Brushy Creek Lake
Fishing has been productive along the weed lines. Panfish action is picking up near shore. Walleye – Fair: Use jigs and leeches. Bluegill – Fair: Bluegill are starting to move closer to shore. Use a small jig tipped with bait in 5-15 feet of water. Muskellunge – Fair. Largemouth Bass – Good: Anglers have been doing well fishing the weed lines and near structure.
Storm Lake (including Little Storm Lake)
Water temperatures are around 60 degrees. Dredge is in operation in the northeast portion of the lake; boaters must maintain a 100 foot distance from the dredge, booster pump and dredge pipes at all times. Storm Lake has a daily limit of 3 walleye and all 17- to 22-inch walleye must be released; no more than one walleye longer than 22 inches may be taken per day. Black Crappie – Fair: Anglers are picking up crappie in the Marina and near the inlet. Walleye – Fair: Boat and shore anglers are picking up fish. Boat anglers are doing well along the east shore near the dredge cuts. Use leeches fished under a bobber, twisters, or crankbaits.
Swan Lake
Bluegill – Good: Anglers are picking up bluegills from along the dam and off the jetties. Use a small jig tipped with crawler. Black Crappie – Fair: A few crappie are being picked up while bluegill fishing.
Water temperatures in Black Hawk District lakes are around 60 degrees. Bluegill and crappie are close to shore in many lakes and ponds. For more information, contact the Black Hawk District office at 712-657-2638.
Clear Lake
The water temperature is 59 degrees.There is a 14 inch minimum length limit for walleyes on Clear Lake with a daily limit of three fish per person; only one walleye can be greater than 22 inches. Walleye – Fair Boat anglers are trolling with leeches and artificial lure. Shore anglers are using live bait with a slip bobber at docks or public jetties. White Crappie – Good: Use a small jig or live bait with a slip bobber in the cattails. Yellow Bass – Good: Try small jigs tipped with a nightcrawler or cut bait at the docks or jetties. Boat anglers should search for shallow points around the island, Billys reef, and Dodges point. White Bass – Fair: Use hooks or jigs tipped with minnows in shallow water around docks, reefs and the island. Bluegill – Fair: Use a small jig or a hook tipped with a minnow and slip bobber in the cattails. Shore anglers are catching fish at the jetties using live bait.
Crystal Lake
Black Crappie – Good: Use small earth worms or minnows with a slip bobber. Bluegill – Good: Try small jigs or hooks tipped with small minnows in vegetation.
Silver Lake (Worth)
Yellow Perch – Good: Use jigs or hooks tipped with minnows in areas of vegetation.
For information in the north central area, contact the Clear Lake Fish and Wildlife office at 641-357-3517.
East Okoboji Lake
Fish on East Okoboji are active with many people leaving the lake with full buckets. Yellow Bass – Fair: Yellow bass activity has started to slow on the north end of East Okoboji Lake. Use live baits under bobbers. Black Crappie – Good: Crappie are active on the north end of the lake. Try fishing with mini jigs and artificial baits off of the public docks. Yellow Perch – Good: Yellow perch are active on the north end of the lake. Use live bait off of the public docks. Walleye – Good: Walleye are very active; use live baits after dark.
Five Island Lake
Yellow Bass – Fair: Yellow bass are active on Five Island Lake.
Lost Island Lake
The fishing on Lost Island Lake has picked up over the past week. Walleye – Good: Nice sized walleye are coming off the lake. Channel Catfish – Fair: Channel catfish are active; cast traditional catfish baits for best action.
Silver Lake (Dickinson)
The fish on Silver Lake are very active. Walleye – Good: Both wader anglers and boat fishermen have reported catching many. Use live baits such as minnows.
Spirit Lake
Fishing on the north grade has been very popular. Black Crappie – Good: Crappie are active in Templar lagoo; use mini jigs and artificial baits. Black Bullhead – Good: Fishing for bullheads is very popular on the north end of the lake by the grade and at buffalo run. Yellow Perch – Fair: A fair number of angler acceptable perch are being caught. Walleye – Fair: Walleye have been active right after dark; use live active bait such as leaches and minnows.
West Okoboji Lake
The fish are very active on West Okoboji. Black Crappie – Good: Many keeper crappies are being caught. Use light jig heads and artificial baits in the shallows. Bluegill – Good: Many keeper bluegills are being caught. Use light jig heads and artificial baits in the shallows. Northern Pike – Good: Nice northerns are being caught on West Okoboji. Walleye – Good: Anglers are having a high success rate fishing for walleye on West lake; use live bait such as minnows and leaches.
The fishing on the Iowa Great Lakes has been very active over the past couple of weeks. For more information throughout the week, contact the Spirit Lake Fish Hatchery at 712-336-1840.
NORTHEAST
Cedar River (above Nashua)
Water clarity is improving with temperatures in the mid 50’s. Visit https://waterdata.usgs.gov/ia/
Decorah District Streams
Streams conditions are improving after last week’s rain. Streams with better watersheds will clear quicker. Call 563-927-5736 for catchable trout stocking locations. Use jigs tipped with twister tails, feathered spinnerbaits, or flashy spoons. Use a nightcrawler to catch a freshly stocked fish. Brook Trout – Good: Use mayfly or caddis fly imitations for the afternoon hatch. Brown Trout – Good: A great time to fish for brown trout is when water turns off color from rainfall events. Try caddis fly and midge larvae imitations hatching off the water. Hatches have slowed with cooler temperatures. Usr leach or whooly buggers for more aggressive fish. Rainbow Trout – Good: Fish rainbow trout in the head end of riffles. Slowly pull a black bead head fly with a light colored scud or midge dropper through the upper and lower ends of pools for trout in deeper water.
Lake Hendricks
Near shore fish activity will improve with warmer temperatures. Slow your retrieve giving fish time to strike. Boat anglers are finding fish in deeper water. Bluegill – Good: Catch gills moving into shallower water with a small jig. Let it sink and slowly reel it in. Channel Catfish – Slow: Use cut baits on windblown rocky shorelines. Black Crappie – Fair: Use a hook tipped with a minnow under a bobber. Largemouth Bass – Good: Bass should move back in as temperatures rise. Use a jig tipped with a plastic twister.
Lake Meyer
Water clarity is about 5 feet and is improving. Water temperatures are in the mid 50’s. Find the latest hot spots on the Iowa DNR’s fishing atlas. Set your GPS coordinates to WGS84 to key in to your structure preference. Bluegill – Good: Bluegill are building nests. Use a small jig in shallow water with a slow retrieve. Channel Catfish – Slow: Try a crawler fished on the bottom in a rocky windblown shoreline. Dawn and dusk are best. Largemouth Bass – Good: Use a spinnerbait; a variety of colors are working. Bass are out deeper, but should move in as water warms. Black Crappie – Fair: Use a minnow or artificial scented baits fished under a bobber in the evening in shallow water along a rocky shoreline. Northern Pike – Slow: Try a spinnerbait for a pike hanging in shallow water.
Turkey River (above Clermont)
Water levels are slowly dropping with temperatures in the mid 50’s. Smallmouth Bass – Good: Try a jig tipped with a minnow or feathered spinnerbait around a current break. Walleye – Fair: Use a jig tipped with a soft plastic twister tail. Use a slow retrieve in cooler water. White Sucker – Good: Try a hook tipped with a nightcrawler fished off the bottom.
Upper Iowa River (above Decorah)
Water levels are falling with temperatures in the mid 50’s. Visibility is fair. Visit https://waterdata.usgs.gov/ia/
Upper Iowa River (below Decorah)
Water levels are falling with temperatures in the mid 50’s. Visibility is poor. Bank anglers should toss a lure upstream and let it float through the current along a ledge or current seam. Walleye – Slow: Use spinnerbaits and jig tipped with a minnow fished at the head and tail ends of deeper pools. White Sucker – Good: Use a hook with a worm and enough weight to get the worm to the bottom. Smallmouth Bass – Good: Use jigs tipped with nightcrawlers or ring worms. Try also bright colored twister tails. Northern Pike – Slow: A few anglers are picking up pike using spinnerbaits.
Volga Lake
Water temperatures cooled over the last week. Fish deeper water for success. Fish attractors were recently added in the lake. Find fish attracting structure locations on the Iowa DNR’s fishing atlas. Bluegill – Slow: Use small jigs tipped with small piece of nightcrawler or red worm fished deep. Black Crappie – Fair: Find crappie along rocky shoreline especially near sunset. Try a hook tipped with a small minnow under a bobber. Channel Catfish – Slow: Use dead minnows or other dead fish along windblown shores to attract a cruising cat. Largemouth Bass – Fair: Bass moved off beds with cooler temperatures, but will move in as conditions improve. Try a spinnerbait with a slow retrieve in cooler water.
Expect scattered thunderstorms over the weekend with temperatures reaching the low 70’s. Area rivers and streams crested and are stabilizing. Water clarity is improving and water temperatures are slowly rising. Anglers please thank landowners for allowing public fishing on private property. Help us keep our streams beautiful. For current fishing information, please call the Decorah Fish Hatchery at 563-382-8324.
Big Woods Lake
Black Crappie – Fair: Try numerous depths floating a crappie minnow under a slip bobber as the crappie begin to stage for spawn. Bluegill – Fair: Find bluegill spawning beds along the shorelines. Try a piece of worm or small jig under a slip bobber fished above the beds.
Brinker Lake
Black Crappie – Fair: Try numerous depths floating a crappie minnow under a slip bobber as the crappie begin to stage for spawn. Bluegill – Fair: Find bluegill spawning beds along the shorelines. Try a piece of worm or small jig under a slip bobber fished above the beds.
Cedar River (Nashua to La Porte City)
The Cedar River has risen with recent rainfall events, but is beginning to recede. There are no reports for this past week.
George Wyth Lake
Black Crappie – Fair: Try numerous depths floating a crappie minnow under a slip bobber as the crappie begin to stage for spawn. Bluegill – Fair: Find bluegill spawning beds along the shorelines. Try a piece of worm or small jig under a slip bobber fished above the beds.
Manchester District Streams
Trout streams are clear and in excellent condition. Rainbow Trout – Good.
Maquoketa River (above Monticello)
Angler reports have been really good for smallmouth bass on the Maquoketa River in Delaware County. Recent surveys have found good numbers of walleye also. Smallmouth Bass – Good: Use artificial baits. Channel Catfish – Good: Try fishing a nightcrawler or stink baits.
Martens Lake
Anglers are doing well on largemouth bass on Martens Lake. Largemouth Bass – Good: Use weedless spinnerbaits or plastic worms fished along shoreline or near lily pads.
Plainfield Lake
Anglers are starting to catch some bluegill on Plainfield Lake as the spawn approaches. Bluegill – Fair: Find the spawning beds along the shorelines. Try a piece of worm or small jig under a slip bobber fished above the beds.
Shell Rock River (Greene to Shell Rock)
There are no reports for this coming week.
Wapsipinicon River (Tripoli to Troy Mills)
There are no reports for this coming week.
Interior river water levels are beginning to fall with the recent rainfall events. Lake fishing has picked up throughout the crappie spawn. Trout fishing remains good. Contact the N.E. District Office at 563-927-3276 for more information.
MISSISSIPPI RIVER
Mississippi River Pool 9
River level has risen over 3 feet to 13.6 this week at Lansing. It is expected to rise to 14.4 feet before leveling off. Army road at New Albin is closed. Water temperatures are in the upper 50’s. Walleye – Slow: Tailwater fishing has dropped off, but walleyes will be settling in to the wing dams as water returns to normal. Yellow Perch – Slow: Use minnows under a bobber in structure off side channels with little or no current. Bluegill – Good: Bluegills are becoming more active. Try a bobber tipped with crawler in the flooded trees. Freshwater Drum – Good: Freshwater drum are actively feeding. Use a crawler fished along the bottom or live crawdads in current. Flathead Catfish – Good: Flathead are actively feeding in preparation for the spawn. Largemouth Bass – Fair: Largemouth are biting on spinnerbaits fished in the trees in the backwaters. Smallmouth Bass – Fair: Cast along rock structure off the main channel and running sloughs. Black Crappie – Fair: Crappies are tough to find with the high water conditions, but some larger fish are being caught using a crappie minnow fished up in the flooded trees.
Mississippi River Pool 10
Lynxville river level raised over three feet last week to 23.6 feet and is predicted to rise to near 25 ft. Water temperature at Lock and Dam 9 is 59 degrees. Gates are up at the Lock and Dam. Sny Magill ramp is inaccessible due to high water over the road. Walleye – Slow: Tailwater fishing has dropped off, but walleyes will be settling in to the wing dams as water returns to normal. Yellow Perch – Slow: Use minnows under a bobber in structure off side channels with little or no current. Bluegill – Good: Bluegills are becoming more active. Try a bobber tipped with crawler up in the flooded trees. Freshwater Drum – Good: Freshwater drum are actively feeding. Use a crawler fished along the bottom or live crawdads in current. Flathead Catfish – Fair: Flathead are actively feeding in preparation for the spawn. Largemouth Bass – Fair: Largemouth are biting on spinnerbaits fished in the trees in the backwaters. Smallmouth Bass – Fair: Cast along rock structure off the main channel and running sloughs. Black Crappie – Fair: Crappies are tough to find with the high water conditions, but some larger fish are being caught using a crappie minnow fished up in the flooded trees.
Mississippi River Pool 11
River levels are up another 3 feet at Guttenberg at 14.6 feet. Levels will rise to 16 feet before leveling off after the weekend. Water temperature at the dam is 55 degrees. Gates remain out of the water at Lock and Dam 10. Most boat ramps are inaccessible due to water over the roads. Walleye – Fair: Tailwater fishing has dropped off, but walleyes will be settling in to the wing dams as water returns to normal. Yellow Perch – Slow: Use minnows under a bobber in structure off side channels with little or no current. Bluegill – Good: Bluegills are becoming more active. Try a bobber tipped with crawler in the flooded trees. Freshwater Drum – Good: Freshwater drum are actively feeding. Use a crawler fished along the bottom or live crawdads in current. Flathead Catfish – Good: Flathead are actively feeding in preparation for the spawn. Largemouth Bass – Good: Largemouth are biting on spinnerbaits fished in the trees in the backwaters. Smallmouth Bass – Fair: Cast along rock structure off the main channel and running sloughs. Black Crappie – Fair: Crappies are tough to find with the high water conditions, but some larger fish are being caught using a crappie minnow fished up in the flooded trees.
Recent precipitation has the river rising near flood stage this week. Boat ramps will be under water and fishing difficult due to debris and muddy water. Water temperature has fallen into the mid to upper 50’s.
Mississippi River Pool 12
River levels are 13.1 feet at the Dubuque Lock and Dam and 15.1 feet at the RR bridge. These are up two feet from last week and may rise three more feet. Many of the smaller boat may be flooded out. Channel Catfish – Good: Use worms near the flooded shoreline; catfish will be feeding on the newly flooded areas. Freshwater Drum – Good: Drum bite well in higher water levels. A simple egg sinker and worm rig works best. White Crappie – Good: Some nice white crappies have been reported in flooded timber. Walleye – Fair: Some walleyes are biting on crankbaits or pitching jigs into eddy areas. Fish near shore; walleyes will be feeding around the newly flooded areas.
Mississippi River Pool 13
River level is 13.5 feet at Bellevue. This is up from last week and water will rise all week. Several boat ramps are under water including the DNR boat ramp at Bellevue and the south ramp at Sabula. Yellow Perch – No Report: Yellow perch were being found near shore, but few reports in this high water. Northern Pike – Fair: Use flashy white lures. Some pike were reported being caught in the Green Island Wildlife Area. Channel Catfish – Good: Channel catfish are hitting on worms rigs. Flooding water puts catfish on the feed. Freshwater Drum – Good: Drum are being caught on egg sinker rigs with worms. Largemouth Bass – Good: Find bass in large backwater areas such as Spring Lake. Many anglers are slow rolling spinnerbaits. Walleye – Fair: Find walleye in eddy currents. High water makes this a challenge, but the fish are on the bite so keep pitching jigs till you find them. Common Carp – Good: The warm days have seen the carp spawning in shallow water in big backwater complexes. Bowfishing season is prime right now. Smallmouth Bass – Fair: Some smallmouth are being caught on flooded rocky areas by people pitching jigs or on worms.
Mississippi River Pool 14
River level is 12.3 feet at Fulton, 14.6 feet at Camanche and 8.5 feet at Le Claire. This is up from last week and levels will rise all week. Some boat ramps will have water and debris on them due to the high water levels. Largemouth Bass – Good: Nice catches of largemouth bass were reported this week. Find bass in the backwater complexes such as cattail and rock creek. Freshwater Drum – Good: Freshwater drum are biting on simple egg sinker rigs with worms for bait. Channel Catfish – Good: Several catfish were reported this week mostly by anglers using a sinker and worm rig. Walleye – Fair: Some walleyes were being caught in eddy areas by people pitching jigs. Use bright colors in flooded water. This fishing will get more difficult as more timber gets flooded.
Mississippi River Pool 15
River level is 12.7 feet at Rock Island. This is up from last week and levels will rise significantly this week. Flood levels have moved back into minor flooding levels. No fishing was reported to us on Pool 15.
The main channel water temperature is 60 degrees, which is down 8 degrees from last week. Water levels are high and getting higher. Many of the smaller boat ramps in the district are under water or will have debris on them. If you have any angling questions, please contact the Bellevue Fisheries Station 563-872-4976.
Mississippi River Pool 16
Tailwater stage is 13.49 feet at Lock and Dam 15 in the Quad Cities and is forecast to rise. Flood stage is 15 feet. River stage is forecast to reach flood stage over the weekend. The boat ramp at Clark’s Ferry is closed due to high water. Fishing has been slow with the high and muddy water conditions. White Bass – Fair: Some white bass are still being caught in Sunset Marina. Cast jigs and twister tails or inline spinners.
Mississippi River Pool 17
Tailwater stage is 12.71 feet at Lock and Dam 16 in Muscatine and flood stage is 15 feet. River stage is currently forecast to reach flood stage over the weekend. The gates are out of the water at the dam. River stage at Muscatine is 14.39 feet and flood stage is 16 feet. The ramp at Big Timber(The Breaks) is still closed due to water over the parking area. Kilpeck landing is also closed due to high water. Fishing has been slow with the high and muddy water conditions.
Mississippi River Pool 18
Tailwater stage is 14.31 feet at Lock and Dam 17 at New Boston. Flood stage is 15 feet. The current river forecast has it reaching flood stage over the weekend. The Toolsboro ramp is closed. The road going into Toolsboro is also closed due to high water. The Hawkeye Dolbee access has water over it as well. We have not received any fishing reports for this pool this week with the high water.
Mississippi River Pool 19
Tailwater stage is 10.18 feet at Lock and Dam 18 and is rising. Flood stage is 10 feet at Lock and Dam 18. River stage is 15.22 feet at Burlington and flood stage is 15 feet. We have not received any fishing report information for this pool this week.
River levels are rising due to recent rains. Current forecasts have the river reaching flood stage over the weekend. Pool 19 is above flood stage. Forecasts may change. Use caution when boating due to the high water conditions. Fishing has been slow with the high and muddy water conditions. Some ramps are inaccessible due to the high water conditions. If you have questions on fishing Pools 16-19, contact the Fairport Fish Hatchery at 563-263-5062.
SOUTHEAST
Big Hollow Lake
The weekend saw between 10 and 15 boats out per day. Bluegill – Good: The bluegills haven’t moved in shallow yet; Try a worm tipped jig or a slip bobber and worm out in 5 to 6 feet of water.
Iowa River (Columbus Junction to Mississippi River)
The Iowa River remains at just about bank full and looks to stay that way or just a little higher through the weekend.
Lake Belva Deer
Water temperature is around
