NORTHWEST

Bacon Creek Lake
Rainbow Trout – Fair: About 1500 rainbow trout averaging 11 inches were stocked on Nov. 1. Use small tube and twister jigs, in-line spinners, casting spoons, and live minnows or crawlers under a bobber.

Black Hawk Lake
Water temperatures are in the 30’s. Courtesy docks at Ice House boat ramp and 30-Acres boat ramp have been removed for the season. Fishing activity has slowed with the colder weather. Bluegill – Fair: Use a small jig tipped with live bait or a small piece of crawler fished below a bobber off the floating fishing pier and the west stone pier. Largemouth Bass – Fair: Use topwater lures, twisters, or live bait to catch largemouth bass just about anywhere along the shoreline. Black Crappie – Fair: Try a crawler or minnow on a jig fished below a bobber off the floating fishing pier in Town Bay. Walleye – Fair: Use live bait along the shoreline of Ice House Point and near the outlet structure on the east side of the lake.

Little Sioux River (Linn Grove to Correctionville)
Walleye – Fair: Use live bait, creek chubs, and plastics in the deeper pools; areas below riffles, on the outside of a bend, or below the dams are good areas to target walleyes. Northern Pike – Fair: A few are being picked up with red/white spoons fished below dams and riffles.

Moorland Pond
Rainbow Trout – Fair: About 1500 rainbow trout were stocked on Nov. 2. Use small tube and twister jigs, in-line spinners, casting spoons, and live minnows or crawlers under a bobber.

Storm Lake (including Little Storm Lake)
Surface water temperatures are in the 30’s. Fishing activity has slowed with the onset of colder weather. Walleye – Fair: Use twisters, live bait and plastics that mimic a shad. Most action has been from shore. White Bass – Fair: Use crankbaits, twisters and live bait fished from shore.

Water temperatures are in the mid to upper 30’s. Fishing activity on area lakes has slowed with the onset of colder temperatures. Walleye fishing in rivers has been fair. For more information, contact the Black Hawk District office at 712-657-2638.

Blue Pit
Rainbow Trout – Good: 1,500 Rainbow trout were stocked on Nov. 22nd. You need a 2017 fishing license (age 16 and older) and trout stamp to fish for trout.

Clear Lake
The water temperature is in the low 30’s.There has been no angling activity reported this week. All courtesy docks at the boat ramps have been removed for the season. Warmer weather is forecasted for this weekend; get in that last open water fishing trip.

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

Center Lake
Black Crappie – Slow: Good numbers of 10 inch and larger fish are available for the upcoming ice fishing season. Fish the basin at dusk for the best action. Bluegill – Slow: Good numbers of angler acceptable size (6.0 – 7.9 inch) fish; persistence and patience will be rewarded with larger fish.

East Okoboji Lake
Yellow Bass – Slow: Ice anglers will continue to harvest good numbers of yellow bass during the upcoming ice season; good numbers of fish approaching 10 inches with the occasional larger fish.

Five Island Lake
Walleye – Slow: Ice anglers will harvest good numbers of angler acceptable size and larger fish. Channel Catfish – Slow: Persistent anglers will find schooled up channel catfish which will provide plenty of pole bending action during the ice fishing season. Yellow Bass – Slow: Ice anglers will continue to harvest large numbers of fish during the upcoming ice season with anglers noting the increase of larger size fish size approaching 8 inches. Black Crappie – Slow: Ice anglers will note the influx of crappie approaching 9 inches; persistence and patience will be rewarded with larger fish.

Lost Island Lake
Walleye – Slow: Ice anglers will continue to enjoy the upswing in the walleye fishery experienced during the 2017 open water season. Black Crappie – Slow: Ice anglers fishing for panfish should see an upswing to the fishery. Fish the deeper rock piles on the west side of the lake.

Mill Creek (Lake)
Black Crappie – Slow: Good numbers of large black crappie are available for the upcoming ice fishing season. Fish the north shore or the flat off the island for the best action. Bluegill – Slow: Good numbers of 6 – 8.5 inch fish are available for the upcoming ice season.

Scharnberg Pond
Rainbow Trout – Slow: Rainbow trout were released here on Nov. 18th.

Silver Lake (Palo Alto)
Yellow Perch – Slow: Good numbers of fish approaching 10 inches are available for the upcoming ice fishing season. Walleye – Slow: Recent surveys show good numbers of angler acceptable size fish available for the upcoming ice fishing season.

Spirit Lake
Walleye – Slow: Ice anglers will continue to harvest good numbers of fish below the slot. Yellow Perch – Slow: Persistent ice anglers will harvest good numbers of large yellow perch during the upcoming ice season.

West Okoboji Lake
Bluegill – Slow: Ice anglers will continue to catch good numbers of fish during the upcoming ice season; fish Little Emerson and Little Millers bay when ice conditions are safe for the best early season action.

West Swan Lake S.W.M.A.
Black Crappie – Slow: Recent surveys show good numbers of crappie available for the upcoming ice season.

For more information throughout the week, contact the Spirit Lake Fish Hatchery at 712-336-1840. 

NORTHEAST

Cedar River (above Nashua)
Stable water levels and clear water reported for the Cedar River. Get out and play before the river freezes. Walleye – Fair: Fish activity has been spotty with smaller fish hitting. Use a jig tipped with a long piece of worm or minnow in deeper pools, eddies, and current breaks. Try also spinnerbaits with a slow retrieve. Northern Pike – Good: Use dead chubs fished under a bobber or spoons. Smallmouth Bass – Slow: A few smallies are picked up while angling for walleye.

Decorah District Streams
First shotgun deer season opens this weekend. Many streams run through wildlife management areas where hunting is allowed. Wear bright clothing and make noise when not stalking a trout. Walk carefully around freshly cleared areas in streams. These are trout nests or “redds”. Brook Trout – Good: Vibrant colors abound on spawning fish. A variety of small mayflies are hatching mid-afternoon. Use a dry fly for insects hatching off the water surface. Use a nymph or scud dropper for subsurface critters. Brown Trout – Excellent: With cold temperatures in the forecast and spawning fish, it’s time to change strategies. Use patterns imitating small fish, eggs, and scuds. Small gnats, mayflies, caddisflies hatch on warmer afternoons. Rainbow Trout – Good: Drift a feathered spinner or a hook tipped with worm along an undercut bank. Always leave gates and fences as you find them.

Lake Hendricks
Few anglers have been out.

Lake Meyer
Water temperatures are near freezing. Fishable ice is coming soon. Few anglers are out.

Upper Iowa River (above Decorah)
The Upper Iowa River is in excellent condition. Most angling is from shore or below dams. Walleye – Fair: Find walleye in deeper holes. Use a jig tipped with a minnow, twister tail, or baits imitating larger minnows or suckers in eddies and current seams.

Upper Iowa River (below Decorah)
Water levels are stable and clarity is excellent. Walleye – Good: Find walleye in deeper holes. Use a jig tipped with a minnow, twister tail or baits imitating larger minnows or suckers in eddies and current seams.

Volga Lake
Duck season closes Sunday for the northern zone and hunters are on the water. First season shotgun deer opens Saturday.

Mostly sunny with temperatures ranging from the low 50’s  to low 30’s through the weekend. Skim ice is forming on small ponds and river edges in the mornings. Area streams and rivers are in excellent condition and fishing well. For current fishing information, please call the Decorah Fish Hatchery at 563-382-8324.

Cedar River (Nashua to La Porte City)
Good reports of anglers catching walleye, northern pike (particularly Bremer County) on the Cedar River. Target deeper pools or holes for walleye as they migrate to overwintering areas. Walleye – Good: Use jigs tipped with plastics tipped with a minnow. Northern Pike – Good: Cast white bucktail spinner baits. Smallmouth Bass – Fair: Use jig and plastics tipped with a minnow.

Harold Getty Lake
Black Crappie – Fair: Try a live minnow about four feet below a slip bobber. Anglers are having success.

Maquoketa River (above Monticello)
Few reports of anglers catching walleye this week on the Maquoketa River. Fishing has been hot for walleye on the Cedar River, so it should hold true on the Maquoketa River.  Target the deeper holes where walleye gather to overwinter. Walleye – Fair: Try jigs tipped with plastics with or without live bait.

Shell Rock River (Greene to Shell Rock)
Concentrate on the deeper holes where walleye gather to overwinter. Walleye – Good: Use jigs tipped with plastics and a live minnow. Smallmouth Bass – Fair: Try jigs tipped with plastics with or without live bait or spinnerbaits.

Wapsipinicon River (Tripoli to Troy Mills)
There have been no reports this week for the Wapsipinicon River. Fishing has been hot for walleye on the Cedar River, so it should hold true on the Wapsi River. Target the deeper holes where walleye gather to overwinter. Walleye – Good: Use jigs and plastics tipped with a minnow.

Interior river water levels remain excellent. River reports have been best for walleye, smallmouth bass and northern pike. The weather forecast for next week looks great for making ice, get your gear ready. Northeast Iowa trout streams remain in excellent condition and provide fantastic trout angling opportunities throughout the entire winter. Call the N.E. Iowa district office at 563-927-3276 for more information.

MISSISSIPPI RIVER

Mississippi River Pool 9
River level at Lansing remains steady at 8.2 feet and is expected to remain stable this week.Water clarity is excellent. Water temperature is near 37 degrees. Backwater areas are forming skim ice, but it is not safe to walk on. Walleye – Slow: Try slow trolling crankbaits or jigging; walleye are moving into tailwater areas. Yellow Perch – Fair: Use minnows in backwater areas and shallows with some vegetation such as marina areas. Smallmouth Bass – Excellent: Smallmouth are actively feeding on abundant minnows along the main channel borders. Throw silver inline spinners or minnow imitation crankbaits. Sauger – Fair: Use jig and minnows fished off the bottom in the tailwater areas and deeper side channels.

Mississippi River Pool 10
Water level at Lynxville has fallen this week to 15.4 feet and is expected to remain stable. Water temperature at the Lock and Dam is 39 degrees. Backwater areas are forming skim ice, but it is not safe to walk on. Walleye – Slow: Try slow trolling crankbaits or jigging; walleye are moving into tailwater areas. Black Crappie – No Report: Crappies are in backwaters just off side channels with slight current. Jig a crappie minnow in the stumps and fallen tree tops. Yellow Perch – No Report: Try minnows in backwater areas and shallows with some vegetation such as marina areas. Smallmouth Bass – Good: Smallmouth are actively feeding on abundant minnows along the main channel borders. Throw silver inline spinners or minnow imitation crankbaits. Sauger – Fair: Use jig and minnows fished off the bottom in the tailwater areas and deeper side channels.

Mississippi River Pool 11
Water level has fallen to 6.8 feet at Guttenberg tail-water and is predicted to drop slightly this weekend. Water temperature is 38 degrees at the Lock and Dam. Backwater areas are forming skim ice, but it is not safe to walk on. Walleye – Slow: Try slow trolling crankbaits or jigging; walleye are moving into tailwater areas. Yellow Perch – No Report: Try minnows in backwater areas and shallows with some vegetation such as marina areas. Smallmouth Bass – Excellent: Smallmouth are actively feeding on abundant minnows along the main channel borders. Throw silver inline spinners or minnow imitation crankbaits. Sauger – Fair: Use jig and minnows fished off the bottom in the tailwater areas and deeper side channels

Upper Mississippi River water levels are stable this week. Fish have moved to their overwintering areas. Water temperatures range from upper 30’s in main channel to 40’s in shallow backwaters.

Mississippi River Pool 12
Water levels continue to drop slowly and are 6.4 feet at the Dubuque Lock and Dam and 8.9 feet at the RR bridge. Water clarity is good. Water temperature is near 40 degrees in the main channel.  Black Crappie – Fair: Crappies are lethargic in this cold water; fish very slowly.  Fish out of current and even in areas of warm sun. Walleye – Good: Most walleyes are now coming from the tailwater areas. Catch bigger fish with crankbaits. Bluegill – Fair: Not many quality reports on bluegills this fall.  Fish backwater areas out of current in logs out to about 4 feet. Fish like to be in the warm sun during the day. Sauger – Good: Lots of tailwater angling going on.  Most anglers are using some version of a weight and minnow rig to catch tailwater saugers. Some good and some poor days in the tailwater. Some large sauger have been reported this fall.

Mississippi River Pool 13
Water levels receded this week and are around 7.1 feet at Bellevue Lock and Dam. The water is expected to continue to drop slowly. Water clarity is good. Water temperature is 41 degrees in the main channel. Walleye – Good: Walleyes are being found in tailwater areas by anglers using crankbaits. Angling in the tailwaters is good at times and poor at others. Bluegill – Slow: Not a lot of good reports. All panfish are lethargic this time of year. Angle backwater areas with zero current. Find the warmest water possible and look for areas in the sun with wood structure. Fish can detect the slightest changes in water temperature. Black Crappie – Fair: Backwater wood is the place for crappies. Crappies have been a bit hard to find for even the avid crappie anglers. Look in wood structure, depths from 1 to 8 feet, in areas of zero current and warmest water possible. Sauger – Good: Anglers are using some version weight/minnow rig for best sauger catches in the tailwaters.

Mississippi River Pool 14
Water levels receded all week and will continue to drop. Gauge readings are 6.7 feet at Fulton, 10.5 feet at Camanche and 5.4 feet at LeClaire. Water clarity is good. Water temperature is 42 degrees in the main channel. Walleye – Fair: Some nice walleyes have been reported from Pool 14 all year. Most walleyes are coming out of the tailwaters on crankbaits. Some anglers are using ring worms or other jigs tipped with a minnow. Bluegill – Fair: Bluegills are in their backwater homes in places like Beaver Island, Rock Creek and Cattail Slough. Find the warmest water possible in the backwater areas with zero current. Black Crappie – No Report: Crappie populations look good and some should be biting in the backwater areas. Sauger – Fair: Sauger fishing in the tailwater has been hit or miss. Use a three way rig with a minnow.

Mississippi River Pool 15
Water levels receded all week and are 5.9 feet at Rock Island. Water clarity is good. Water temperature is near 41 degrees in the main channel. Walleye – Fair: Tailwater angling for walleye and sauger is underway; only report we have received is that it is slow.

The water continues to recede; expect water to drop a bit more this upcoming week. The water temperature has raised a bit and is in the low 40’s in most locations. If you have any angling questions, please contact the Bellevue Fisheries Station 563-872-4976. 

Mississippi River Pool 16
Tailwater stage at Lock and Dam 15 in the Quad Cities is 6.97 feet and has been slowly falling this past week. Sauger – Slow: Try vertical jigging with minnows or pulling three-way rigs with minnows or stickbaits in Sylvan Slough or below the dam. White Crappie – No Report: Use jigs and minnows or minnows under a bobber in the backwaters around brush piles in the Andalusia Island complex, Sunset Marina or Credit Island. White Bass – Slow: Cast jigs/twister tails or crankbaits along the Davenport Riverfront.

Mississippi River Pool 17
Tailwater stage at Lock and Dam 16 in Muscatine is 5.46 feet and has been slowly falling. White Crappie – No Report: Use jigs and minnows or minnows under a bobber around brush piles in the backwaters at Big Timber. Walleye – Fair: Some walleyes were caught below the dam at Muscatine. Sauger – Fair: Some saugers were caught below the dam this past week. Use jigs and minnows or pull three-way rigs with minnows or stick baits.

Mississippi River Pool 18
Tailwater stage is 6.14 feet at Lock and Dam 17 at New Boston and has been slowly falling. White Crappie – No Report: Use minnows under a bobber or jigs and minnows in the backwaters around brush piles. Sauger – Slow:Vertical jig with minnows or pull three-way rigs with minnows or stick baits.

Mississippi River Pool 19
Tailwater stage is 3.38 feet at Lock and Dam 18. We have not received any fishing report information for this pool this week. White Crappie – No Report: Use jigs and minnows or minnows under a bobber in backwaters around brush piles. Sauger – No Report: Vertical jig with minnows or pull three-way rigs with minnows or stick baits.

Tailwater stages have been slowly falling this past week. Main channel water temperature is around 40-41degrees and water clarity has been fair. There has been some tailwater fishing for walleyes and saugers. If you have questions on fishing Pools 16-19, contact the Fairport Fish Hatchery at 563-263-5062.

SOUTHEAST

Environmental Discovery Park North Pond
Pick a nice warm day and go trout fishing; still plenty of trout left from the stocking late last month. Rainbow Trout – Good: Try power bait under a bobber or a small jig or spinner worked through the shallow water.

Lake Darling
Water temperature is in the low 40’s. The water is very clear, you can see the bottom in 6 feet of water. The docks have been removed for the winter.

Lake Geode
The lake is drained. Fun to go out and hike around looking at the lake bottom. Be careful, some of the mud is still very soft and deep. Use extreme caution and don’t try to walk across the lake bottom.

Lake of the Hills
2000 trout were stocked last month, still plenty of them left in the lake. Rainbow Trout – Good: Work the shallow water from shore; trout won’t be out very deep. Fish in 3 to 4 feet of water and some of the brush piles in 6 to 7 feet of water.

Wilson Lake
Still plenty of trout left from last month. Rainbow Trout – Good: Work the shallow brush piles and culvert piles.

For more information on the above lakes and rivers, contact the Lake Darling Fisheries Office at 319-694-2430.

Coralville Reservoir
The lake level as is 686.4′, which is fall pool. Black Crappie – Fair: Use bright jigs tipped with minnows over brush or along rock bluffs. White Crappie – Fair: Try bright jigs tipped with minnows over brush or along rock bluffs.