Crawford Creek Impoundment
Ice thickness reported at around 12 inches. Bluegill – Slow: Lots of lookers but few are being caught. Crappie – Slow: Lots of lookers but few are being caught.
Brushy Creek Lake
Ice conditions are 15-20 inches and anglers should check depth frequently when moving around. Anglers with the most success are moving constantly looking for active fish. 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 – Slow: 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 larger.
Bacon Creek Lake
Trout were stocked January 18th. Rainbow Trout – Fair: Fish are suspended and anglers are using minnows or small jigs tipped with wax worms.
Storm Lake (including Little Storm Lake)
Ice conditions range from 15-20 inches. White Bass – Fair: Small white bass are being caught by walleye anglers. Walleye – Slow: Fish are being caught on small spoons tipped with minnow heads. Most are 7-8 inches, but a few slot size fish are also being caught. Geese have a small open hole between the islands. 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.
Southwood Conservation Area Pond (east)
Ice thickness is about 20-24 inches. Bluegill – Slow: A few fish are being caught early and late in the day with wax worms or plastics.
Moorland Pond
Trout were stocked on January 10th. Ice thickness was reported as 12 inches or more. Rainbow Trout – Slow: 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. 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 on ice.
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. Bluegill – Slow: A few bluegills and crappies have been caught on the edge of the reeds on the north shore of the main lake. Crappie – Fair: The crappie action has been a little 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 on the little lake. Look for them suspended quite a ways off bottom. Most are in the range of 8-11 inches long. Yellow Perch – Slow: Some small perch being caught; 10 inchers are not very common. Walleye – Slow: An occasional keeper walleye (14-inch minimum) being reported near the state reef, Baptist Camp, or near the aerator on the west end. Yellow Bass – Fair: Most of the yellow bass action seems to be coming from near the Baptist Camp, Farmers Beach, or state reef areas. Most yellow bass being caught are 7.5-8 inches with a few 9-9.5 inchers.
Lake Cornelia
Ice thickness is 18 inches plus. Yellow bass are still biting, use a minnow head or piece of cut bait on a small jig.
Little Wall Lake
Ice is 17 inches plus. No fishing activity seen.
Crystal Lake
Ice thickness is 20-23 inches. 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. Walleye – Slow: An occasional walleye may be taken in the deeper water using minnow.
Blue Pit
Rainbow trout were stocked on January 18th. Anglers should be able to catch them with a small ice fly and a wax worm or a small spoon. You should start shallow near shore.
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. 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 22-24 inches of ice. Bluegill – Slow: Try fishing 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 currently 22-24 inches of ice and a few shacks are 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. Yellow Perch – Fair: Fish have been in 40 feet plus of water and lots of small fish have been caught. Keep in mind that fish coming out of deep water have a higher mortality rate.
Five Island Lake
Currently roughly 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.
