Crawford Creek Impoundment
No ice depths were reported. Bluegill – Slow: Lots of lookers but few being caught.
Oldham Lake
No recent ice depths have been reported. Crappie – Slow: Fish have been caught using minnow heads, plastics or wax worms on small ice jigs.
Badger Lake
Ice has been reported to be 15 inches. Bluegill – Fair: small ice jigs tipped with live bait or plastics. Crappie – Fair: small ice jigs tipped with live bait or plastics
Brushy Creek Lake
Ice conditions vary between 12-16 inches and anglers should check depth frequently when moving around. Bluegill – Slow: Use small ice jigs tipped with wax worms or plastics around submerged trees and brush piles. Keep moving to locate active fish. Crappie – Slow: Use small ice jigs tipped with wax worms or plastics around submerged trees and brush piles. Keep moving to locate active fish. Yellow Perch – Slow: Use small ice jigs tipped with wax worms or plastics around submerged trees and brush piles. Keep moving to locate active fish. Walleye – Fair: Use jigging lures tipped with a minnow head or deadstick rod with live minnow along creek channel edge and brush piles at sunrise or sunset in 30-35 feet of water with most fish running 16-18 inches with some bigger.
Bacon Creek Lake
Trout will be stocked January 18th.
Storm Lake (including Little Storm Lake)
Ice conditions ranging from 15-20 inches. The geese still have a small open hole between the islands. White Bass – Fair: Fish are being caught on 1/16 ounce buckshot spoons tipped with minnow heads in 5-6 feet of water. Mostly small fish. Walleye – Fair: Fish are being caught on 1/16 ounce buckshot spoons tipped with minnow heads in 5-6 feet of water. Mostly small fish with a few in the slot. All walleye between 17-22 inches must be immediately released and no more than one over 22 inches may be kept per day. The daily limit is three.
Arrowhead Lake
Reported ice thickness is 10-16 inches. Anglers should still check ice depth frequently when moving around. Bluegill – Slow: Use small ice jigs tipped with wax worms or plastics. Yellow Bass – Slow: Use small ice jigs tipped with minnow heads at sunset.
Moorland Pond
Trout were stocked on Jan. 10. Ice thickness was as 12 inches or more. Rainbow Trout – Fair: Trout are being caught with small jigs tipped with plastics or live bait suspended just under the ice.
Little Sioux River (Linn Grove to Correctionville)
Ice conditions are highly variable and extreme caution should be used if going out on the ice. Walleye – Slow: Ice conditions are highly variable and should be checked frequently. A few smaller walleye have been caught in deeper holes with jigging lures tipped with a minnow head or a deadstick rod baited with a live minnow or chub.
Little Sioux River (Correctionville to Missouri River)
Ice conditions are highly variable and extreme caution should be used if going out on the ice. Walleye – Slow: A few fish have been caught in wintering holes using minnows/chubs on deadstick rods or tipping a jigging lure with a minnow.
Check ice depth regularly if venturing out.
Lake Smith
Ice thickness is 15-18 inches. Still catching a few bluegills and crappies but the bite is slow.
Clear Lake
Ice thickness is 20-23 inches. Anglers should avoid driving through the channel that runs from the little lake to the big lake, as that area can be unsafe; take the highway around instead. Crappie – Fair: The crappie action has been a little bit slower but anglers are still catching them early in the morning or around 5 p.m. Mostly on minnows in 15-24 feet of water in the little lake. Look for them suspended quite a ways off the bottom. Most are in the range of 8-11 inches long. Yellow Perch – Slow: Some small perch being caught; 10 inchers not very common. Walleye – Slow: An occasional keeper walleye being reported near the state reef, Baptist camp, or near the aerator on the west end (14-inch minimum). Yellow Bass – Fair: Most of the yellow bass action seems to be coming from anglers on the main lake near the Baptist Camp, Farmers Beach, or state reef areas. Yellow bass are around 7.5-8 inches with a few 9-9.5 inches.
Lake Cornelia
Ice thickness is 16 inches. Yellow bass are still biting, use a minnow head or piece of cut bait on a small jig.
Little Wall Lake
Ice is 16-18 inches. No fishing activity seen.
Crystal Lake
Ice thickness is 20-23 inches. An occasional walleye was caught earlier, no reports lately. Bluegill – Good: Bluegill fishing has been good using small jigs tipped with wax worms. Anglers are reporting better success in the shallower water 8 feet near the edge of the dredged basin. Crappie – Fair: Crappie fishing has been fair using minnows at dusk in the deeper water near or on the drop-off of the basin.
Bluebill Lake
Ice thickness is 18-20 inches. Anglers are having some success catching perch, bluegill, and some largemouth bass on spikes and wax worms fished near sunken cedar tree clumps.
Reports on ice thickness of most area lakes have been from 16-22 inches this week. 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
There is 18-22 inches of ice. Bluegill – Slow: Try Anglers Bay in early morning and late afternoon. Crappie – Slow: Similar to the bluegills; a few have been caught in Anglers Bay and the best bite is early and late in the day. Yellow Perch – Slow: The perch bite has been very slow with only a few fish being caught. Try fishing in transition areas such as the edge of rock piles or look toward the basin. Walleye – Slow: Most fishermen have been fishing around rock piles early and late in the day.
Silver Lake (Dickinson)
There is 19-21 inches of ice and a few shacks on the main lake basin.
West Okoboji Lake
Northern Pike – Slow: Tip-ups fished near weed beds have provided some action. Bluegill – Slow: Bluegill fishing has been slower than previous years but a few are being caught. Moving around and drilling a lot of holes may provide the best action.
Ingham Lake
We have received no information regarding fishing on this water body this week.
Five Island Lake
Currently 17-20 inches of ice covers the lake and a few crappie and perch are biting. The opportunity of catching walleye and catfish is also present.
Elk Lake
Fishing seems to be spotty but some nice perch have been caught.
Scharnberg Pond
The next trout stocking date is January 25th with 1,500 rainbow trout.
For more information contact the Spirit Lake Hatchery at 712-336-1840.
