Crawford Creek Impoundment

Fishing has been slow at Crawford Creek.

Moorehead Park Pond

Fishing has been slow at Moorehead.

Brushy Creek Lake

Water clarity is decent.  Anglers are focusing on panfish around the submerged trees.  Try fishing in 10 to 20 feet of water.  There are a lot of bluegills around 9 inches.

Storm Lake (including Little Storm Lake)

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 pipeline that runs from the dredge to the east shore.  Fishing remains the same as last week.

North Twin Lake

Fishing for yellow bass and crappie is starting to pick up.  Anglers are fishing around docks.

Black Hawk Lake

Black Hawk Lake is approximately 8 inches below crest.  Black Hawk Lake’s fishery was renovated last fall. Although the lake has been restocked with sport fish, there are not a lot of fish of harvestable size in the lake.

Browns Lake

Anglers are catching catfish using sonny’s stink bait and dead shad at night.  Fishing for other species has been slow.

Snyder Bend Lake

Fishing has been slow.

Little Sioux River (Linn Grove to Correctionville)

Good sized catfish are being caught in the deeper pools.  Use a slip sinker and hook and look for current breaks along high banks preferably or the standard snags. Anglers should really focus on the current breaks.  A few walleye can be caught using night crawlers.  The river is in good condition for wading right now.

Little Sioux River (Correctionville to Missouri River)

The walleye bite is good on white twisters.  Fish around rocky habitat and in deeper water in the morning and evening.

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

Upper Pine Lake

A few bluegills are being caught.

Lake Smith

Channel Catfish – Good: Try with some cutbait, worms or stinkbait. Fish are probably biting best the last hour of sunlight to an hour after sunset.  Bluegill – Slow:   Largemouth Bass – Slow: 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. Try the edges of the reeds. Use worms, cutbait or stinkbait in the morning or evening. Bluegill – Fair: Anglers looking to catch a few bluegills can target the jetties by Ventura. Dangle a worm right on the edge of the rocks off the tips of the jetty in the evening.  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: Muskies are still hitting good. People are hooking them by docks, mostly. Yellow Bass – Good: Anglers are still catching good numbers of yellows near the state reef area or any of the rock reefs. On days with a strong south wind, shore anglers can pick up good numbers by the boat harborage and reed edges.

Crystal Lake

No Reports from anglers lately.

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 on the Winnebago 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 is 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 good size (3-8 pounds) and can be caught on a variety of bait (worms, cutbait, live bait, stinkbait). Some anglers have had good luck using a purpledescent crankbait.  Smallmouth Bass – Good: Smallmouth, most are 10-14 inches though some may push the 20 inches mark, are hitting gold and black crankbaits. Walleye – Slow: A few anglers are picking walleyes up on jigs.

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 also catching a few.

East Okoboji Lake

Yellow Bass – Fair: Try a pilkie tipped with wigglers over rock piles.

West Okoboji Lake

Bluegill – Slow: 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.

Little Sioux River (state line to Linn Grove)

The water is low and fish are concentrated in 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.