Crawford Creek Impoundment

Very little angler activity has been reported.

Brushy Creek Lake

Ice conditions are variable between 16-22 inches and anglers should check depth frequently when moving. Keep moving to locate active fish along the creek channel and submerged trees. Bluegill – Fair: Use small ice jigs tipped with wax worms or plastics around submerged trees and brush piles.  Keep moving to locate active fish. Best fishing has been early morning and evening.  Crappie – Slow: Use small ice jigs tipped with wax worms or plastics around submerged trees and brush piles.  Keep moving to locate active fish. The best activity has been early morning and at sunset. Yellow Perch – Slow: No reports of any perch being caught.  Walleye – Slow: Use jigging lures tipped with a minnow head or dead stick rod with a live minnow along creek channel edges and brush piles at sunrise or sunset.  Most fish are 16-18 inches with a few 26-28 inchers.

Bacon Creek Lake

Trout were stocked January 18. Rainbow Trout – Good: 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. Walleye – Slow: Fish are being caught on small spoons tipped with minnow heads. Most are around 10 inches with a few slot fish also being caught. Best areas have been near the Methodist Manor and Chautauqua Park jetty. 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.

Browns Lake

Very little angler activity has been reported.

Snyder Bend Lake

Very little angler activity has been reported

Moorland Pond

Trout were stocked January 10. Ice thickness was reported as 12 inches or more. Rainbow Trout – Good: 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.  Channel Catfish – Slow: A few have been caught in deep holes while walleye and sauger fishing.  Sauger – Slow: A few have been caught fishing deep holes with minnow heads or live minnows/chubs.  Walleye – Slow: A few smaller walleye have been caught in deeper holes with jigging lures tipped with a minnow head or a dead stick 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.  Channel Catfish – Slow: A few have been caught while walleye fishing.  Sauger – Slow: A few have been caught while walleye fishing. Walleye – Slow: A few fish have been caught in wintering holes using minnows/chubs on dead stick rods or tipping a jigging lure with a minnow.

Check ice depth regularly if venturing out on ice.

Lower Pine Lake

Activity remains steady with 7-inch average crappie and 6-inch plus average bluegills.

Lake Smith

Ice thickness is 16-20 inches. A few anglers still fishing but reporting slow action.

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 – Slow: The bite is slow. Anglers are still getting some in the deeper areas of the little lake around dark. Look for them to be suspended quite a ways off bottom in deeper water in the little lake. A few crappies also have been caught near Baptist Camp/Farmers Beach areas. Most are 8-11 inches long.  Yellow Perch – Slow: Some small perch being caught; 10 inchers not common.  Walleye – Slow: An occasional keeper is being reported near the Baptist camp or near the aerator on the west end. (14-inch minimum)  Yellow Bass – Fair: Most of the yellow bass action is on the main lake near the Baptist Camp and Farmers Beach. Yellow bass are around 7.5-8 inches with a few 9-9.5-inch.

Lake Cornelia

Ice thickness is 20-plus inches. Reports indicate the bite has slowed. Use a minnow head or piece of cut bait on a small jig. Some anglers have had luck using just the tail end on a light jig.

Little Wall Lake

Ice is 17-plus inches. No fishing activity seen.

Crystal Lake

Ice thickness is 20-23 inches. Bluegill – Fair: Fishing has slowed down some this past couple weeks. Bluegill fishing has been good using small jigs tipped with wax worms. Anglers report better success in the shallower water 8 feet near the edge of the dredged basin.  Crappie – Fair: Use minnows at dusk in 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 Jan. 18. 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.

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: Anglers Bay has put out a few bluegills all winter; the numbers are not great but they are quality fish.  Most activity is early and late in the day. Crappie – Slow: Like the bluegills crappie activity has been best early and late in the day in Anglers Bay.  Yellow Perch – Slow: Adult perch numbers are low but many five-inch perch have been observed with underwater cameras. Walleye – Slow: Walleye fishing has been very slow with only a handful being caught. Underwater cameras have shown many fish coming in with no interest in the offering.

Silver Lake (Dickinson)

There is 22-24 inches of ice and a few shacks on the main lake basin.

West Okoboji Lake

There is 18-22 inches of ice. Northern Pike – Slow: Tip-ups fished near weed beds have provided some action. Bluegill – Slow: Most have been targeting Emerson and Millers Bay and weeds have been a key factor. The fishing has been hit or miss: some days are much better than others.  Yellow Perch – Fair: Fish are in 40 plus feet 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.

Ingham Lake

There is 20-22 inches of ice and fishing pressure is low.  Dissolved oxygen levels were tested Jan. 29 and were excellent for this time of year.

Five Island Lake

There is 20-22 inches of ice.  A few crappie and catfish have been caught toward the north end.

Lost Island Lake

Oxygen levels in Lost Island Lake were tested Jan. 28 and were excellent for this time of year.  Staff continues to receive concerns regarding a walleye kill on Lost Island Lake last fall. Although many of the walleyes were older large fish, the number of dead fish was not a concern to the overall population.  Fish kills like this one are not uncommon in natural lakes especially during times of high water temperature. Walleye – No Report: There is very little fishing pressure.

Elk Lake

There is very little fishing pressure.

Silver Lake (Palo Alto)

There is 18-20 inches of ice and very little fishing pressure.  The dissolved oxygen was tested 1/28/14 and was fair (4 mg/L) for this time of year.

Scharnberg Pond

1,500 Rainbow trout were stocked on Jan. 25. Rainbow Trout – Fair: Panfish tackle is all that is needed to fish for trout the key is not to fish too deep.  The most active fish cruse just under the ice or are willing to come up to take a bait.

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