Nelson Park Lake

Fishing for bluegill has been very good with 9 to 10-inch fish being caught from the dam.

Crawford Creek Impoundment

Crappie fishing has been very good.  Bluegills are also being caught, but not as many as crappie.  Anglers report nice sizes of panfish.  Most of the fishing activity has been taking place off the face of the dam.

Moorhead Park Pond

Moorhead Pond was renovated in 2009 and restocked.  The panfish are now at a size worth keeping.  Fishing for bluegill, crappie, and bass has been good.  Most of the bass are a sub-legal size, though.

Oldham Lake

Bluegills are nesting all along the shore.  Averaging 7.5 inches long and there are a lot of them.

Brushy Creek Lake

Fishing continues to be good for all species.  Crappie fishing has been excellent with anglers catching limits of 8 to 10-inch fish around brush piles.

Storm Lake (including Little Storm Lake)

Walleye fishing at Storm continues to be slow this week.  Crappie – Fair: Fish the marina for crappie.  Walleye – Slow: Walleye fishing has slowed down since last week.  Shore anglers are still picking up a few with minnows.  Boat anglers report marking a lot of fish around the dredge cuts, but unable to get anything to bite. Boaters should use caution on Storm Lake.  The hydraulic dredge is in operation in the east basin of the lake.  There is a pipeline running from the dredge to the shoreline and may rise to the surface at times.

Swan Lake

Anglers are still catching some bluegill and crappie.  Fish from shore along the south portion of the lake off the jetties.  Anglers have been doing well from the fish house.  Bluegill – Fair: Bluegill are around 7.5 to 8 inches.  Crappie – Good: Crappie are around 9 inches in length.

Black Hawk Lake

Fishing picked up last weekend.  Bullhead – Good: Bullheads can be caught on nightcrawlers or leeches.  Most are between 10 and 11 inches and they are abundant.  Channel Catfish – Good: Channel catfish are still being caught close to shore on leeches, minnows, or cut bait.  Some are being caught on twisters while fishing for walleye.  Bluegill – Slow: There are lots of bluegill in close to shore along Ice House Point and in the north end of the marina.  Bluegills are running about 7 inches.  Crappie – Fair: Crappie have started to slow down.  Walleye – Good: Try fishing Ice House Point or the east shore.  Use leeches under a slip bobber set off the bottom.  Walleye must be at least 15 inches to keep and anglers are allowed three per day.  Yellow Bass – Good: Anglers are still catching good numbers of yellows and many of them are over 10 inches.  Cast a small bright colored lure close to shore where the wind is blowing in.  The east shore north of the outlet is a good place to fish with a west wind.

Black Hawk District Farm Ponds

Bluegills are starting to nest at farm ponds around the area.  Bluegills are very aggressive when guarding the nest and can be caught easily.  Look for shallow areas of ponds where the bluegill are nesting.

For more information, contact Ben Wallace or Don Herrig at the Black Hawk District Office in Lake View at 712-657-2638.

Lower Pine Lake

Crappies 8-12 inches and some bluegills are being picked up using wax worms.

Upper Pine Lake

Crappies 8-12 inches and some bluegills are being picked up using wax worms.

Clear Lake

Crappie – Fair: Some crappies are being picked up on minnows.  Look for spawning crappies to show up in the rushes near shore and in the rocks along the jetties.  Fish these areas with small tube jigs and jigs tipped with bait.  Walleye – Good: Walleye are biting on minnows and crankbaits fished over rock reefs, around the island, and near steep dredging contours in the little lake.  A large number of walleye under the 14-inch minimum length limit and a fair number over 14 inches are being caught.  Yellow Bass – Good: Yellow bass continue to bite in shallow, rocky areas – such as near the island, the outlet, Farmer’s Beach, and Dodge’s Point.  Use jigs tipped with small minnows, cut bait, or a piece of crawler.  Anglers continue to have the best success using either small hair jigs or twister tail soft plastics on a jig fished in 2 to 5 feet of water near the island and Dodge’s Point from just before sunrise to around 7 a.m. The lake level is approximately 10 inches below the outlet crest.  Due to these low water conditions, boaters are reminded to use caution when backing trailers into the water to not go beyond the end of the McIntosh and Ventura boat ramps.  Signs posted on the courtesy docks mark the end of the ramps at both McIntosh and Ventura accesses.

Lake Cornelia

Crappies 7-8 inches are biting.  Some walleyes over 14 inches, and catfish, are being caught on live bait.

Little Wall Lake

Crappie and bluegill fishing is good.  Crappies have moved into shallow areas of the lake along the rocks to spawn.  Target these fish in near-shore areas with small tube jigs or jigs tipped with bait.

Crystal Lake

Bluegills are on spawning beds in the shallows and along the edges of weed beds.  Fish these areas with a small tube jig or jigs tipped with bait.  Anglers are also catching 8 to 16-inch largemouth bass using spinners and crankbaits.

Bluebill Lake

Anglers are having success catching bluegills using crawlers.

Winnebago River

Anglers have reported catching northern pike on artificial lures and channel catfish using live bait.

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

Big Spirit Lake

Bluegills and crappies are in the spawning areas try using small presentations while sight fishing. Bullhead – Good: There were lots of bullheads being caught off the north grade as well as a few at Templar Park.  Most were coming on worms but minnows and leaches also caught a few. Northern Pike – Fair: Try using spoons, and spinner baits around vegetation.  Some pike are being caught trolling crankbaits at 10 feet for walleyes.  White Bass – Fair: Locating an active school of white bass is the hard part; once found something resembling a minnow should get good results. Smallmouth Bass – Slow: Most smallmouth bass are being caught off rock piles.  Largemouth Bass – Fair: look for green weeds and bass should be nearby try using a slow presentation and long casts. Yellow Perch – Slow: Fishing has been slow but a few are being caught while fishing for walleye. Walleye – Fair:  Leaches and night crawlers seemed to be the choice by most fishermen with minnows bringing some success as well.  Trolling crankbaits in the 10-20 feet range has been another good tactic.

East Okoboji Lake

Bullhead – Fair: Try using worms on bottom.   Walleye – Fair: Try fishing near bottom with crawlers and leaches or trolling crankbaits.  Twister tails can also be productive.   Yellow Bass – Good: Many yellow bass are being caught try looking for rocks and wood and use small baits.

West Okoboji Lake

The canals seem to be where the most action is taking place with bluegills and largemouth bass gaining the most attention but many of the fish are small.  Northern Pike – Fair: Find weed beds and you have found the pike try using spoons or most anything resembling a minnow and don’t forget the steel leader.  Bluegill – Good: Action is picking up in the main lake around docks but there are still a good number of fish in the canals.  Try using small jigs coupled with light line and a small bobber.  Smallmouth Bass – Slow: A few smallies have been caught off rock piles but with the clear water most fish are spooky.  Largemouth Bass – Fair: Fish are still in the canals but there are a few being caught in the bays around the weed beds.    Walleye – Fair: A few fish were caught trolling crankbaits and live bait rigs with crawlers and leaches.

Lost Island Lake

Walleye – Fair: Fishing is picking up as the water has reached the mid 60s.  Try drifting live bait either on a jig or a live bait rig.  A few good sized yellow bass may also be picked up with these methods. Yellow Bass – Good: There are some good sized yellow bass in the lake and they can be caught using crappie sized baits.  Try using twister tails, crappie tubes, and live bait to catch a batch of these tasty fish.

A reminder to bow fishermen please dispose of your fish properly and it is unlawful to sell fish.  For more information on fishing in northwest Iowa, call the Spirit Lake fish hatchery at 712-336-1840.