NORTHWEST
Arrowhead Lake Bluegill – Fair: Anglers are catching 8-9 inch bluegills in about 5 feet of water. Use a jig tipped with a wax worm fished about 3 feet below a bobber. Try near structure and areas of bottom contour.
Black Hawk Lake Water level is about 8 inches over the crest of the spillway. Bluegill – Good: Bluegill fishing is good in 2-5 feet of water. Use a small jig tipped with live bait, small piece of crawler or wax worms fished below a bobber. Walleye – Slow: Try the shore off Ice House Point, the dredge cut out from Denison Beach and the rock piles near Gunshot Hill and in the east basin of the lake. Largemouth Bass – Fair: Use topwater, weedless baits or Texas rigs. Try also fishing plastic worms near cover and drop offs. There is a 15-inch minimum length limit for largemouth bass on Black Hawk Lake. Channel Catfish – Good: Fish stink bait, leeches and worms on the bottom. A recent netting survey showed that catfish are up to 23 inches and 5 pounds in Black Hawk Lake.
Blue Lake We have received no information regarding fishing on this water body this week. Largemouth Bass – No Report: With the water levels up, there is a lot of shoreline vegetation submerged. Concentrate on these areas with weedless lures. Bluegill – No Report: Fish a worm under a bobber near vegetation. Some sorting is required because there are a lot of smaller fish.
Brushy Creek Lake
Bluegill – Fair: Anglers are picking up some bluegills in 15-20 feet of water. Black Crappie – Fair: Fish in 10-20 feet of water with a small piece of crawler or minnow on a jig. Walleye – Fair: Fish in 15-20 feet of water. Largemouth Bass – fair: Anglers are picking up a few on topwater, weedless baits, spinners and plastic worms.
Moorehead Park Pond
A recent netting survey designed to target catfish showed a good population of catchable-sized channel catfish ranging from 15 to 24 inches in length.
Storm Lake (including Little Storm Lake) The dredge is in operation in the northeast portion of the lake. Boaters should use extreme caution in this area and must maintain a 100 foot distance from the dredge, booster pump and all dredge pipes at all times. Storm Lake has a daily limit of 3 walleye and all 17 to 22-inch walleye must be released; no more than one walleye longer than 22 inches may be taken per day. Walleye – Fair: Most of the walleye action has been on crankbaits fished in the dredge cuts. A few have been picked up from shore with leeches and crankbaits. Channel Catfish – Fair: Anglers are catching catfish from shore using stink bait or cut bait fished off the bottom.
Swan Lake
Bluegill – Fair: Anglers are picking up bluegills near shore along weed lines. Fish a small jig under a bobber with a small piece of crawler, wax worm or minnow. A recent electrofishing survey showed bluegills up to 9 inches.
For more information, contact the Black Hawk District Office at 712-657-2638.
Beeds Lake Bluegill – Good: Bluegills and a few yellows are being caught drift fishing/trolling small jigs. Largemouth Bass – Good: Largemouth are biting on crankbaits.
Clear Lake Channel Catfish – Good: Catfish have been caught near the state rock reef and after dark on the Ventura jetties. Yellow Bass – Good: Yellow bass action has started to pick up. Lots of 8-9 inch fish. Drift fish the main lake until you find a school; mark the area and swing back through again. Try also some of the rock reefs. Some anglers have been doing well in the Baptist camp area fishing the edges of the weeds. Walleye – Good: Walleyes are being caught early and late in the day in 3-5 feet of water. Baptist camp area has been good in the weeds. Try also near the artificial reefs (HyVee and Fisherman’s). Muskellunge – Good. Black Crappie – Good: Anglers have been doing well on crappies in the artificial weed beds (HyVee and Fisherman’s).
Lake Cornelia Channel Catfish – Good: Lake Cornelia has seen a few decent catfish being caught; particularly at dusk or night from shore. Bluegill – Good: Smaller bluegills and yellow bass are being caught along the shore on night crawlers.
Lake Smith Largemouth Bass – Good: Largemouth fishing has been good in the weeds and on deeper water structure. Use artificial bait that works well in weeds; fish pockets in the weeds or edges. Bluegill – Fair: Anglers have had fair success with bluegills and crappies out from shore.
For lake updates and fishing information in the north central area, contact the Clear Lake Fish and Wildlife office at 641-357-3517.
Center Lake Black Crappie – Good: Good numbers of crappie and bluegill are reported in the shoreline wooden habitat; use mini jigs tipped with wigglers or worm.
East Okoboji Lake Black Crappie – Good: Cast small jig lures tipped with bait on the wooden docks. Yellow Bass – Good: Good action early morning and evening hours; fish bridge sites for the best action.
Lost Island Lake Yellow Bass – Good: Boat anglers are catching good numbers; fish vertically with a jig tipped with wigglers. Dock anglers casting jigs will produce numbers; fish evening hours for the best action. Channel Catfish – Good: Number of fish are being caught by shore anglers.
West Okoboji Lake Bluegill – Good: Bluegill and crappie have moved to deeper water; fish weed lines for the best action.
For more information on the above lakes, call the Spirit Lake Fisheries Station at 712-336-1840.
NORTHEAST
Cedar River (above Nashua)
Cedar River is on its way down and is clearing. Use caution when boating as submersed logs and other debris may not be visible. Walleye – Slow. Channel Catfish – Good: Fish current breaks and eddies. Use chicken livers and stink baits. Northern Pike – Slow.
Decorah District Streams Trout streams are fishable but flows are up. Watch for wild parsnip and wear long-sleeve shirts and pants. Don’t let it touch your skin; it reacts with the sun and causes horrible blisters. Brown Trout – Good: A nice variety of insects have been hatching during the day. Use a #18 blue wing olive or #14 or #16 caddis fly imitation. Strong midge hatches have also been occurring. Brook Trout – Good: For stained water, use a streamer or minnow imitation. Terrestrial bugs are beginning to show up on streams. Ants, grasshoppers, and crickets should start to turn heads. Rainbow Trout – Good: A few of our streams are not stocked in July and August as these streams tend to get too warm for cold water fish. Refer to our calendar and map to find out which ones. Spin fishers should try spinners or worms.
Lake Hendricks The green algae bloom continues on the lake, but anglers are still catching fish. Largemouth Bass – Fair: Anglers fishing from a boat or canoe are having luck using topwater plastics over the vegetation and reeling to deeper water. Bluegill – Slow: Fishing from shore is difficult due to aquatic beds. Find fish in deeper water using a hook tipped with small piece of worm. Channel Catfish – Good: Use chicken livers or night crawlers fished off the bottom.
Lake Meyer Spotty catches of fish on Lake Meyer. Algae bloom is becoming more evident. Bluegill – Slow: Gills are in shallow dense vegetation and difficult to catch. Largemouth Bass – Slow: Try a jig tipped with a variety of soft topwater plastics. Start along the weed edges and fish deeper. Channel Catfish – Fair: Catfish are taking a big worm, night crawlers or stink bait fished off the bottom under a bobber.
Upper Iowa River (above Decorah) Water temperatures are in the mid-70’s. Water levels have stabilized and clarity is slowly improving. Smallmouth Bass – Slow: Run a spinner bait along undercut banks and overhanging rock ledges. Try also at mouths of spring fed tributaries.
Upper Iowa River (below Decorah) Water levels have stabilized and clarity is improving. Use care when paddling; logs, rocks, and other debris may not be visible until it’s too late to maneuver. Smallmouth Bass – Slow: Try small crankbaits or spinnerbaits in the eddies and tributary mouths. Walleye – Slow.
Volga Lake Volga Lake has a green algae bloom. Anglers drifting over rock or brush piles will find fish. Largemouth Bass – Fair. Black Crappie – Fair. Bluegill – Slow. Channel Catfish – Good: Use stink baits, chicken liver and crawlers. Volga Lake has a very nice population of catfish awaiting the patient angler.
Awesome weather is in store for Northeast Iowa this weekend with temperatures in the upper 70’s to low 80’s with minimal chance of showers. River levels have stabilized and clarity is improving; most should be fishable by weekend. For more information, please call the Decorah Fish Hatchery at 563-382-8324.
Cedar River (Nashua to La Porte City) The Cedar River is rising; there are no reports at this time. Channel catfish and/or flathead catfish may be the best opportunity. Channel Catfish – Excellent: Use stink baits, cut baits or chicken livers. Flathead Catfish – Good: Try fishing with a bluegill or bullhead on the bottom near structure or in deeper holes.
Manchester District Streams Recent fish sampling surveys on the Upper Maquoketa River (Trout Portion) show good numbers of brown trout with many of quality size. Brown Trout – Fair: Use spinners or dry flies near overhead cover and other habitat.
Maquoketa River (above Monticello) The Maquoketa River is in excellent angling condition for the upcoming weekend. Walleye – Fair: A jig tipped with a crawler is a deadly combination this time of year. Look for current breaks and woody structure. Smallmouth Bass – Fair: Try a jig & crawler, crankbaits or spinner baits fished near rocky habitat. Channel Catfish – Fair: Use chicken livers or stink baits near the upstream end of logjams.
Shell Rock River (Greene to Shell Rock) The Shell Rock River is rising; there are no reports at this time. Channel catfish may be the best opportunity. Channel Catfish – Good: Use stink baits, cut baits or chicken livers.
Wapsipinicon River (Tripoli to Troy Mills)
The Wapsipinicon River is rising; there are no reports at this time. Channel catfish may be the best opportunity. Channel Catfish – Good: Use stink baits, cut baits or chicken livers.
Most interior rivers are falling; fishing reports have declined. Channel catfish reports have been excellent and may be the best angling opportunity on the rivers for the upcoming weekend. Panfish reports have been slow as we are in the mid-summer lulls. Trout streams are in excellent condition and recent fish sampling shows quality brown trout populations. For further information, contact the N.E. District Office at 563-927-3276.
MISSISSIPPI RIVER
Mississippi River Pool 9 Water level is 12.8 feet at Lansing; a gradual fall is predicted over the next week. New Albin army road remains closed. Water temperature is 78 degrees. Freshwater Drum – Excellent: Drum are feeding well on worms bounced on the bottom. Reports of larger drum being caught on minnows. Largemouth Bass – Good: Try alongside channel and main channel structure. Channel Catfish – Excellent: Channel catfish spawning has mostly ended; use stink bait. Look for catfish in shallow stump beds or snags in side channels. Bluegill – Good: Bluegills will be scattered with the higher water levels. Try a bit of crawler under bobbers in slack water still holding vegetation. Walleye – Good: Walleye bite is good on the wing dams and deep closing dams trolling a crankbait or a crawler rig above the wing dams. Smallmouth Bass – Excellent: Try along rocky shorelines and wing dams at dawn and early evening. Yellow Perch – Fair: A lot of yellow perch are hanging along weed lines in the back waters and slow moving side channels.
Mississippi River Pool 10
Water level is 21 feet at Lynxville and is expected to gradually recede this week. Water temperature is 78 degrees. Lock and dam gates remain open. Freshwater Drum – Excellent: Drum are feeding well on worms bounced on the bottom. Reports of larger drum being caught on minnows. Largemouth Bass – Good: Try alongside channel and main channel structure. Channel Catfish – Excellent: Channel catfish spawning has mostly ended; use stink baits. Look for catfish in shallow stump beds or snags in side channels. Bluegill – Good: Bluegills will be scattered with the higher water levels. Try a bit of crawler under bobbers in slack water still holding vegetation. Walleye – Good: Walleye bite is good on the wing dams and deep closing dams trolling a crankbait or a crawler rig above the wing dams. Smallmouth Bass – Excellent: Try along rocky shorelines and wing dams at dawn and early evening. Yellow Perch – Fair: A lot of yellow perch are hanging along weed lines in the back waters and slow moving side channels.
Mississippi River Pool 11 Water level has reached 12 feet at Lock and Dam 10 at Guttenberg. Levels are expected to level and off and recede next week. Water temperature is 75 degrees at Lock and Dam 10. Freshwater Drum – Excellent: Drum are feeding well on worms bounced on the bottom. Reports of larger drum being caught on minnows. Largemouth Bass – Good: Try alongside channel and main channel structure. Channel Catfish – Excellent: Channel catfish spawning has mostly ended; use stink bait. Look for catfish in shallow stump beds or snags in side channels. Bluegill – Good: Bluegills will be scattered with the higher water levels. Try a bit of crawler under bobbers in slack water still holding vegetation. Walleye – Good: Walleye bite is good on the wing dams and deep closing dams trolling a crankbait or a crawler rig above the wing dams. Smallmouth Bass – Excellent: Try along rocky shorelines and wing dams at dawn and early evening. Yellow Perch – Fair: A lot of yellow perch are hanging along weed lines in the back waters and slow moving side channels.
Water levels are up several feet over the past week on the Upper Mississippi. Lock and Dam gates are open at Lynxville and Guttenberg. The rapid rise in water levels will create excessive current and vegetation movement. Anglers may have to search for fish in side channel and backwater refuges. Water temperatures remain in the upper 70’s.
Mississippi River Pool 12 Water level is near 12.2 feet at Dubuque tailwater and near 14.2 feet at the RR bridge. These levels are up three feet from last week; water levels are expected to crest soon. Tributaries such as Catfish Creek are very turbid after nearly every rain. Water temperature in the main channel is 80 degrees. Walleye – Fair: Some smaller walleyes have been caught in sloughs and side channels feeding on the abundant caddis hatches last week. Largemouth Bass – Fair: Try fishing the vegetation lines or in pockets of large coontail and milfoil weed beds. Frog imitation lures can work great this time of year. Find clear water. Freshwater Drum – Excellent: Lots of freshwater drum can be caught. Cut out all the red meat when cleaning them and they are a fine eating fish. If you plan on eating drum, throw them immediately on ice after catching them and try to avoid freezing them. Channel Catfish – Good: Catfish feed heavily in flooding water. Try fishing fairly close to shore along the vegetation lines. Move often if they do not bite. Bluegill – Fair: Some bluegills are showing up near areas of low flow. They are running small this year. Smallmouth Bass – No Report: Smallmouth bass are doing very well in the Mississippi River with numerous year classes present. The combination of rock and current are a must to find smallmouth bass, which often hold very tight to the rocks. The high water has made angling for them a challenge. Black Crappie – Good: Some early in the year reports of anglers catching some nice crappies out of brush piles.
Mississippi River Pool 13 Water level is near 13 feet at Bellevue which is up a four feet from last week. The water temperature is around 80 degrees. Expect water to crest and begin to recede this week. Avoid Mill Creek and the Maquoketa Rivers after rains if possible. The boat ramp at the DNR station has minor flooding on it and some debris. Walleye – No Report: It will remain to be seen if the river will recede enough for walleyes to return back on the wing dams this summer and fall. Largemouth Bass – Good: Go way back in large backwater complexes to find cleaner water; this is where the bass will be. Try along the eel grass. Use frog imitation lures or plastics. Freshwater Drum – Excellent: Loads of freshwater drum are being caught, many from bank anglers. Use large crayfish to catch really large drum. Channel Catfish – Excellent: Use stink bait in flowing sloughs, especially above log jams or along rock piles. Catfish bite usually improves with rising water levels. Smallmouth Bass – No Report: Smallmouth bass are doing very well in the Mississippi River with numerous year classes present. The combination of rock and current are a must to find smallmouth bass, which often hold very tight to the rocks. Stay away from the turbid tributary streams as smallmouths are sight feeders. Black Crappie – Good: Lots of 11 inch crappies were seen in side channel sloughs; crappies can be found at times in brush piles in higher water situations.
Mississippi River Pool 14 Water level is near 12.5 feet at Fulton, 14.5 feet at Camanche and 8.8 feet at LeClaire. Water is expected to crest this week then begin to recede. The water clarity is turbid, especially around the Wapsipinicon River mouth. Freshwater Drum – Excellent: The drum bite is on. Use a simple sliding sinker and worms fished in current. Channel Catfish – Excellent: The catfish bite is very good. Most anglers are using crawlers when drum fishing, but some are using stink bait. Try the Rock Creek area. Rising water levels usually triggers a catfish bite. Walleye – Fair: Walleyes were biting during the lower current levels. Smallmouth Bass – No Report: Smallmouth bass are doing very well in the Mississippi River with numerous year classes present. The combination of rock and current are a must to find smallmouth bass, which often hold very tight to the rocks.
Mississippi River Pool 15 Water level is at 12.4 feet at Rock Island, which is up substantially from last week. Expect water levels to rise a bit and then begin to recede. Water temperature is around 81 degrees in the main channel. Pigeon Creek and Crow Creek are turbid after nearly every rain this year. Freshwater Drum – Excellent: Freshwater drum are abundant in Pool 15 and can easily be caught from shore. Try fishing the eagles landing area a with worm and egg sinkers. Channel Catfish – Good: Rising water levels usually trigger what has already been a good catfish bite. Lots of varieties of stink bait are being used. Move often if the fish do not bite in 15 minutes.
Water temperatures are in the low 80’s throughout the district. Water levels are predicted to crest this week and begin to fall. River turbidity has been an issue near tributary streams. Try to find clearer water for successful fishing. Stay away from the tributary streams; fish immediately above Lock and Dams in pads of aquatic vegetation.
