Brushy Creek Lake

Water clarity is decent at Brushy Creek.  Anglers are focusing on panfish around submerged trees.  Try fishing in 10 to 20 feet of water.

Storm Lake (including Little Storm Lake)

Fishing remains the same as last week at Storm.  Channel Catfish – Good: Anglers drift fishing with night crawlers have been doing well.  White Bass – Fair: White bass can be caught pulling plugs, crankbaits, or casting white twisters.  Walleye – Slow: Pulling plugs or shad raps continue to be the best producers. The dredge machine on Storm Lake is in operation.  Stay clear of the dredge, booster pump, and the pipeline that runs from the dredge to the east shore.

Swan Lake

Fishing has been slow.  Water clarity has been reduced due to algae blooms.

Black Hawk Lake

Black Hawk Lake is approximately six inches below crest.  Water clarity has been reduced in some areas due to algae blooms.  Black Hawk Lake’s fishery was renovated last fall. Although we have been restocking the lake with sport fish, there are not a lot of harvestable size fish in the lake yet.

Browns Lake

Anglers are catching catfish using shrimp at night.  Fishing for other species has been slow.

Snyder Bend Lake

Fishing has been slow.

Little Sioux River (Linn Grove to Correctionville)

Fishing for catfish continues to be good.  Look for deep holes and anglers should find catfish and they are biting.  Use night crawlers, stink bait, cut bait, chicken liver, or shrimp.

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

Lake Smith

Channel Catfish – Good: Try cutbait, worms, or stinkbait. Fish are probably biting best the last hour of sunlight to an hour after sunset. Bluegill – Slow:   Largemouth Bass – Good: A few largemouths are being caught in the evening and early morning.

Lake Catherine

Channel Catfish – Good: Cats are biting on minnows or chicken liver. Try early morning or right at dark. They are decent size with some running 7-9 pounds. Largemouth Bass – Good:

Largemouth bass are biting on spinners.

Clear Lake

Channel Catfish – Good: Catfish are still hitting quite well. Fish can be caught just about anywhere on the lake. Use worms, cutbait or stinkbait in the evening or morning.  Crappie – Fair: Reports of anglers catching crappies by Dodge’s Point.  Walleye – Slow: Anglers are catching a few walleyes trolling or drifting along the north shore, from the state dock area to the east. Muskellunge – Good: Muskie fishing remains good. People are hooking them by docks, mostly.  Yellow Bass – Good: Anglers are still catching good numbers of yellows out from the state dock area in the middle of the main lake. On strong south wind days, shore anglers can pick up good numbers by the boat harborage and reed edges.

Crystal Lake

Bluegill – Good: Anglers are picking bluegills up in 7-8 feet of water but some deeper, too.   Largemouth Bass – Good: Anglers have reported catching lots of largemouth. Fish on the outside edges with a bobber and live bait or try a weedless spoon.  Walleye – Slow: Walleyes are around 16-20 inches. Fish deep during the day, then a little shallower in the evening.

Iowa River (Iowa Falls to Marshalltown)

Channel Catfish – Good: Fish the logjams and deeper holes and move often. Use cutbait or stinkbait.  Flathead Catfish – Good: A few reports of anglers catching flatheads on dough balls. If you can get a boat or kayak on the river and find some of the deeper holes to spend the night with some live bait, you should have good success.

Winnebago River

Anglers are catching pike, smallmouth bass, and catfish on artificial lures from Mason City to Rockford.  Northern Pike – Good: Anglers are catching their limits on artificial lures. Channel Catfish – Good: Catfish should be biting well. Try whatever you have available: worms, cutbait, stinkbait, live bait. Some of the best action can be had by throwing a slip sinker rig right in front of a snag/logjam and waiting for a bite. Smallmouth Bass – Good: Smallmouth are also hitting well on a variety of artificial baits.

East Fork Des Moines (Algona to Humboldt)

Water is low and anglers are using kayaks.  Northern Pike – Good: Pike are being caught on crankbaits.  Channel Catfish – Good: Catfish are 3-8 pounds, and can be caught on worms, cutbait, live bait or stinkbait. Some anglers have had good luck using a purple descent crankbait.  Smallmouth Bass – Good: Smallmouth (most are 10-14 inches though some may push the 20-inch mark) hitting gold and black crankbaits.

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

Smallmouth Bass – Slow: Look around rock piles and weed lines for smallmouth with a combination being even better.  Largemouth Bass – Slow: Fish have been found in a few different areas but there doesn’t seem to be a clear cut pattern.  Pitching docks, cranking weed lines, and top water early and late have all caught a few fish.  Walleye – Slow: Fishing continues to be slow but a few more fish are starting to come in.  Trolling live bait rigs as well as crankbaits early and late in the day seems to be the best.  Shore anglers are catching a few.

West Okoboji Lake

Bluegill – Fair: Look for bluegills in and around weeds, with open pockets and weed edges being the most productive.  Live bait rigged on a slip bobber rig suspended just above the weeds has been good as well as jigging pilkies and small jigs. A few perch and yellow bass are also being picked up with this presentation.  Smallmouth Bass – Slow: Smallies have been relating more to deeper weed edges and drop offs.  Largemouth Bass – Fair: Look for weed pockets or weed edges.

Little Sioux River (state line to Linn Grove)

The water is low and the fish are concentrated in the deeper holes.  Try a white twister tail for walleye and a worm on bottom should catch just about anything.

For more information contact the Spirit Lake Hatchery at 712-336-1840.