Crawford Creek Impoundment

Channel Catfish – Fair: Fair numbers of good sized catfish are being caught. Bluegill – Good: Good numbers of bluegill are being picked up along with some crappie.

Moorhead Park Pond

Channel Catfish – Fair: Some decent sized catfish have been picked up.  Bluegill – Fair: Good numbers of bluegill can be caught, but they’re smaller fish.  Good opportunity to get kids on some fish.

Brushy Creek Lake

Bluegill – Fair: Tip jig with a piece of crawler and fish in 15-20 feet of water.  Yellow Perch – Fair: Bait jig with a small minnow and fish in 15-20 feet of water.

Storm Lake (including Little Storm Lake)

The dredge machine is in operation on Storm Lake.  Boaters should use caution and stay clear of the dredge machine, booster pump barge, and pipeline.  Channel Catfish – Fair: Catfish have still been biting fairly good.  Use Sonny’s dip bait and fish overcast days to increase chances of success.  White Bass – Fair: No update for white bass this week, but last week shore anglers were picking up white bass with blue and silver 1/4 ounce Kastmasters and Mepps spinners.  Walleye – Fair: Fewer anglers have been out this week, but some walleye are still being caught on crankbaits.  Try #6 Shad Raps and troll the dredge cuts.

Black Hawk Lake

Water levels are about seven inches above crest.  The thick blue-green algae blooms have mostly subsided, but it is still present.  Bluegill – Fair: Anglers have been catching 7.5-8-inch bluegill off the deeper rock piles.  Use a 1/16 ounce chartreuse marabou hair jig tipped with a piece of bait.  Largemouth Bass – Fair: Anglers have reported decent action for largemouth.  Most fish are in the sub legal size range. Yellow Perch – Slow: Some larger yellow perch have been picked up fishing around the weed patches near Cottonwood Point.  Walleye – Slow: Some walleye are being picked up, but most are sublegal fish.

Little Sioux River (Linn Grove to Correctionville)

Discharge around Correctionville is average.  Channel Catfish – Good: Channel catfishing continues to be good with anglers reporting catches of 4-6 pound fish.

Des Moines River (Humboldt to Stratford)

Although the river is below flood stage near Fort Dodge, discharge is still above the 90th percentile.  Channel Catfish – Fair: Anglers have been catching good numbers of channel catfish below the dams in Fort Dodge.  Try night crawlers.

Water levels are at or near crest at most of the lakes in the Black Hawk District. For more information on fishing in this area contact the Black Hawk District Office in Lake View at 712-657-2638.

Lake Catherine

Catfish are biting on stink bait.  Channel Catfish – Fair: There are some nice 22-27-inch cats in the lake. Try after dark with some cutbait, worms, or stink bait.  Largemouth Bass – No Report:

Clear Lake

Water temp is around 65 degrees.  Channel Catfish – Good: The best bite will be after dark but some fish will bite throughout the day. Target the edge of reeds or rocks with Sonny’s or similar stink bait. Other spots include the Ventura jetties, state dock area on north shore, the outlet, the city seawall, or Farmers Beach.  Bluegill – Slow: Anglers fishing the canals have been having some luck.  Largemouth Bass – Fair: An occasional largemouth near the edge of reeds, rocks, or lily pads on the little lake. Walleye – Fair: Boat anglers are trolling with crankbaits and picking up some walleyes. Shore fishing is slow but wader fisherman may pull some in along the edges of reeds either off Farmers Beach or McIntosh Point. Try after dark.  Muskellunge – Fair: The cold weather has slowed the bite but there are fish in shallow water. Get out on some of those stable weather or humid days and you have a good chance of catching one.  Yellow Bass – Good: Some anglers catching yellows in about 6.5-10 feet off the north shore between the island and fisherman’s reef or state reef. Some anglers are also doing okay near the edges of the reeds in the little lake.

Lake Cornelia

Channel Catfish – Good: Reports of channel cats 1.5-2 pounds being caught during the early mornings and late evenings.

Crystal Lake

No reports this week.  Northern Pike – No Report: Pike may start cruising the shallower water during the fall, and could provide a bite.  Bluegill – Fair: Try with a slip bobber for the bluegills near the deeper dredged water (11-13 feet). Casting a lighter jig and letting it slowly sink will also catch some fish. Tip with a worm or leech.  Largemouth Bass – No Report: Try on the Dredge cut weed line or up close to the rock shorelines.  Walleye – No Report: An occasional walleye may be caught near the edge of the dredge cut along the edge of the curlyleaf.

Iowa River (Iowa Falls to Marshalltown)

No reports this week but smallmouth bass should be biting on jigs.  Smallmouth Bass – No Report:

East Fork Des Moines (Algona to Humboldt)

Channel catfish or walleye are worth a try. Look for rock riprap or snags or deeper outside bends for the late summer period. Minnows, worms, or small pieces of cut baitfish are good options for both. Channel Catfish – Good: A few reports of catfish biting on the East Fork.

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 – Fair: Smallmouth should start hitting on jerk baits and trolled crankbaits worked near rock piles. Walleye anglers are likely to come across a few of these hard fighters.  Crappie – Fair: Anglers fishing from piers and docks as well as by boat near bull rush beds have been picking up a few small crappies using small jigs with plastic twister tails. Slip bobbers with a hook tipped with a small shiner should also work for folks.  Yellow Perch – Fair: Anglers are starting to get into a bunch of six-inch perch in the past week or so. Very few are angler acceptable size yet, but folks are having fun with them until they grow up a bit more.  Walleye – Fair: Cooler daytime and overnight temperatures have started to drop the water temperature on Big Spirit. This shift has started to get fish more active. Recent anglers pulling crank baits near weed lines and across rocky points have been pulling a number of nice walleyes. The catch is still dominated by slot fish but a few keepers and lots of fun fishing is in store for folks hitting the water.

East Okoboji Lake

Channel Catfish – Good: Cut bait, chicken livers, and stink bait presented in the evenings and overnight hours is producing a number of nice aggressive catfish for anglers.  Bluegill – Fair: Small ice jigs tipped with red worms or other live bait when presented near weed lines is producing some angler acceptable fish right now. Early morning seems to be when most folks are fishing these spots.  Yellow Perch – Good: Pilkies tipped with red worms worked near rocky points have been producing a few nice perch. Be prepared to sort some small ones, but anglers can count on keeping some for the freezer. Walleye – Fair: Action has started to pick up in the last week or so with the cooler temperatures in the area. Anglers with the best success are working deeper areas with both live bait rigs and deep running crankbaits. Trolling across the deep ends of structure is producing a few nice keepers.  Yellow Bass – Good: Deep weed lines and structures are providing the best action to anglers who use small jigs tipped with live bait.

West Okoboji Lake

Bluegill – Good: Tiny jigs tipped with live bait have been producing a few keepers when worked near the edges of weed beds. The bite seems to be best at first light.  Smallmouth Bass – Fair: The cooler temperatures should have smallmouth moving around rocky points. Troll crank baits or cast jerk baits to target these fish. Yellow Perch – Fair: Fishing has slowed a bit but a few perch are still being harvested. Smaller fish need to be sorted out, but red worms tipping a pilkie have been producing some nice action for anglers. Walleye – Fair: Cooler temperatures have fish a bit more active. Live bait and crankbaits are producing a few keepers around the rocky points. First/last light seem to be doing the best for anglers.  Yellow Bass – Good: Small jigs tipped with wigglers will get you some nice action.

Ingham Lake

Bullhead – No Report: Ingham supports a healthy bullhead population of angler acceptable sized fish. Soaking a night crawler should keep anglers entertained for quite a while. When action is hot, this would be a great time to get kids outside fishing with you.

Five Island Lake

Channel Catfish – Good: Five Island has a strong population of angler acceptable catfish. Folks looking to target these fish should use cut bait, stink bait, or chicken livers in the evening and overnight hours.

Lost Island Lake

Channel Catfish – Good: Using cut or stink bait after dark is producing some nice size cats right now. Walleye – Fair: As water temperatures drop with the fall weather, look for fish to become more active. Anglers should start having success trolling crankbaits near rocky structures and outside weed lines. When using live bait, make sure not to present to fast as less aggressive fish often won’t respond.  Yellow Bass – Fair: Small jigs tipped with twister tails will get you a few small yellows with the occasional keeper.

Sandy Hollow Park Lake

Channel Catfish – Good: Recent netting data shows plenty of 19-24-inch catfish in this county park pond. Anglers should try using cut bait about 6-7 feet under a bobber or stink bait and chicken livers near the bottom.

Little Sioux River (state line to Linn Grove)

Channel Catfish – Good: Catfish should be hitting cut or stink bait presented near deeper pools and tree snags right now. Also watch for nice deep cut banks on outside bends that will hold 17-20-inch cats.  Walleye – Fair: Start looking for a few walleyes downstream of rock/sand bars. A shiner worked on a jig head should get them interested.

West Fork Des Moines (state line to Emmetsburg)

Channel Catfish – Good: Catfish should be hitting cut or stink bait presented near deeper pools and tree snags right now. Walleye – Fair: Keep an eye out downstream from rock/sand bars right now. Jig heads tipped with shiners worked slowly around these areas should start to produce a few fish.

For lake updates and fishing information for Northwest Iowa, contact the Spirit Lake Fish Hatchery at 712-336-1840.