NORTHWEST

Blue Pit
Channel Catfish – Good: An occasional catfish has been caught on cut bait on the jetty. Blue Sucker – Good.

Clear Lake
Yellow Bass – Excellent: Farmer’s beach (just outside the weed edge), MacIntosh swim beach and the Ventura jetties have been producing well. Hy-Vee and other rock reefs continue to produce. Try also the channel between the little lake and big lake has. Action has picked up this week with anglers reporting fish on every cast, at times. Walleye – Good: Walleye action is starting to pick up in certain areas. Use jigs and a minnow or cut bait in many of the same areas that yellow bass are biting. Channel Catfish – Good: Catfish are biting near the grade on cut bait and minnows. Try the last couple hours of the day or early morning. Black Crappie – Fair: Try near the Hy-Vee reef or in tight to docks in early morning. Muskellunge – Good: Musky fishing has been decent; September is usually a good month for musky fishing. Yellow Perch – Good: Yellow perch are hitting by the grade on 1/16 ounce black leadheads with a piece of cut bait.

Lake Smith
Largemouth Bass – Good: Largemouth are starting to go on the feed with cooler water.

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

Little fishing activity has been observed on the lake. Yellow Perch – Good: Try along the weed lines; best action is early morning and evening, but perch have been caught throughout the day. Walleye – Good: Reports of fish being caught at the north grade; early morning and evening hours produce the best results. Black Crappie – Good: Reports of bluegill and crappie being caught at the north grade; morning and evening hours produce the best action.

Center Lake
Black Crappie – Good: Numbers of fish are being caught around the submerged woody structure; look for schooling fish in the lakes basin with electronics. Bluegill – Good: Numbers of fish are being caught from the fishing pier; sorting is necessary.

East Okoboji Lake
Yellow Bass – Good: Fish bridge sites early morning and evening hours. Try also the south end of the lake; look for rock piles in 15 – 20 feet of water. Bluegill – Good: Fish are being caught on the south end of the lake in 15 feet of water. Rock piles close to aquatic plants will produce the best action. Channel Catfish – Good: Fish early morning and evening for the best action.

Lost Island Lake
Yellow Bass – Good: Good numbers of yellow bass are being caught from shore. Sorting is necessary; persistence will be rewarded with good numbers of fish harvested.

Silver Lake (Dickinson)
Walleye – Good: Use crank baits for the best action. Look for wader fishing to heat up as the water cools; this is the time when trophy size fish are caught from Silver Lake.

West Okoboji Lake
Bluegill – Good: Bluegills 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 water levels are on the rise. Clarity is poor. Boating is not recommended. Please call the local city or county conservation board offices for information on access and campgrounds. Visit http://waterdata.usgs.gov/ia/nwis/rt for information on water levels.

Decorah District Streams
Trout streams are not fishable as of 9/22/2016. Streams with better water quality will clear faster. Access to many streams may be limited due to increased flows, poor road conditions and bridge outages. Stocking has been temporarily suspended until conditions improve. The ground in many areas is saturated limiting truck access. Call the trout stocking number at 563-927-5736 for current trout stocking information. Brown Trout – Slow: Hoppers and other terrestrial flies will catch fish. Try also small mosquito and gnat patterns. Brook Trout – Slow. Rainbow Trout – Slow.

Lake Hendricks
Water levels in the lake are rising. Few anglers have been out this week. Largemouth Bass – No Report: Use jigs tipped with a variety of soft plastics. Bluegill – No Report: Find bluegills near shore and in vegetation edges.

Lake Meyer
Water levels are high and clarity is poor with this last round of rain. Bluegill – Slow: Try a hook tipped with a small piece of worm under a bobber. Largemouth Bass – No Report: Bass can be found cruising the weed edges. Use a jig tipped with a long plastic tail.

Rudd Lake
Anglers have excellent shore and boat access. Channel Catfish – Good: Try a nightcrawler fished on the bottom just out past shoreline vegetation.

Upper Iowa River (above Decorah)
Water levels are high and clarity is extremely poor. Use of watercraft of any sort is not recommended at this time. Many access points and campgrounds are flooded. Please call local city or county conservation board offices for more information.

Upper Iowa River (below Decorah)
Flooding is occurring over much of the area and clarity is extremely poor. Use of watercraft of any sort is not recommended at this time. Many access points and campgrounds are closed. Please call local city or county conservation board offices for more information.

Volga Lake
Anglers drifting over rock or brush piles will find fish. Shoreline access is excellent with many submerged cedar trees within casting distance. Black Crappie – Good: Use small jigs with flat tailed plastic body. Bluegill – Good: Fish will be in shallow with cooling water temperatures. Channel Catfish – Slow: Try chicken liver or crawlers. Volga Lake has a nice population of catfish awaiting the patient angler.

Heavy rain in much of our area has caused moderate flooding in already soggy areas. Additional rain is forecast into Friday and again on Sunday. For current fishing information, call the Decorah Fish Hatchery at 563-382-8324.

Cedar River (Nashua to La Porte City)
There are no reports on the Cedar River this past week due to high river levels. Walleye – Slow: Cast crankbaits or fishing a jig tipped with a nightcrawler. Smallmouth Bass – Slow: Cast crankbaits or fish a jig tipped with a nightcrawler.

Maquoketa River (above Monticello)
Maquoketa River is currently falling and remains a bit turbid; there have been few angler reports this week. Walleye – Slow: Cast crankbaits or fish a jig tipped with a nightcrawler. Smallmouth Bass – Slow: Cast crankbaits or fish a jig tipped with a nightcrawler.

Shell Rock River (Greene to Shell Rock)
There currently are no reports for the Shell Rock River at this time; the river is high and turbid. Walleye – Slow. Smallmouth Bass – Slow.

Wapsipinicon River (Tripoli to Troy Mills)
There are no reports on the Wapsipinicon River this past week due to high river levels. Walleye – Slow: Cast crankbaits or fish a jig tipped with a nightcrawler. Smallmouth Bass – Slow: Cast crankbaits or fish a jig tipped with a nightcrawler. Channel Catfish – Slow: Use stink baits, cut baits and chicken livers in areas of snags and fallen trees.

Interior rivers continue to hold steadily or are falling and remain at higher levels than expected for this time of year. Angler reports are few due to the higher water levels. Trout streams remain excellent in the Manchester District. For further information, call the N.E. District Office at 563-927-3276.

MISSISSIPPI RIVER

Mississippi River Pool 9
Water level is 11.9 feet at Lansing and is predicted to rise to 15.3 feet next week. New Albin army road remains closed. Water temperature is in the mid 60’s. Freshwater Drum – No Report: Drum are feeding well on worms bounced on the bottom. Reports of larger drum being caught on minnows. Largemouth Bass – No Report: Largemouth fishing is good alongside channel and main channel structure. Channel Catfish – No Report: Try crawlers or cut bait in shallow stump beds or snags in side channels. Bluegill – No Report: Look for bluegills in side channel snags and main channel structure. Walleye – No Report: Walleye fishing on wing dams is tough with changing water levels but should pick up more normal levels return. Smallmouth Bass – No Report: Smallmouth fishing remains good along rocky shorelines and wing dams at dawn and early evening. Yellow Perch – No Report: 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 19.9 feet at Lynxville. An approximately, 6 feet rise is predicted through next week reaching 26.4 feet. Water temperature is 64 degrees at the lock and dam. The Lynxville and Sny Magill ramp are closed due to water over the road. Freshwater Drum – No Report: Drum are feeding well on worms bounced on the bottom. Reports of larger drum being caught on minnows. Largemouth Bass – No Report: Largemouth fishing is good alongside channel and main channel structure. Channel Catfish – No Report: Use crawlers or cut bait in shallow stump beds or snags in side channels. Bluegill – No Report: Look for bluegills in side channel snags and main channel structure. Walleye – No Report: Walleye fishing on wing dams is tough with high water levels; some anglers are trolling side channels to find fish. Smallmouth Bass – No Report: Smallmouth fishing remains good along rocky shorelines and wing dams at dawn and early evening. Yellow Perch – No Report: 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 is 11.1 feet at Lock and Dam 10 at Guttenberg and is predicted to reach over 17 feet. The Lock and Dam gates are out of the water. Water temperature is 66 degrees at the lock and dam. Most boat ramps have water over them and will be inaccessible. Freshwater Drum – No Report:  Drum are feeding well on worms bounced on the bottom. Reports of larger drum being caught on minnows. Largemouth Bass – No Report: Largemouth fishing is good alongside channel and main channel structure. Channel Catfish – No Report: Try crawlers or cut bait in shallow stump beds or snags in side channels. Bluegill – No Report: Look for bluegills in side channel snags and main channel structure. Walleye – No Report: Walleye fishing on wing dams is tough with high water levels; some anglers are trolling side channels to find fish. Smallmouth Bass – No Report: Smallmouth fishing remains good along rocky shorelines and wing dams at dawn and early evening. Yellow Perch – No Report: A lot of yellow perch are hanging along weed lines in the back waters and slow moving side channels.

Another significant rise is predicted on the Upper Mississippi River this week after Wednesday’s heavy rains in northeast Iowa. Most boat ramps will be inaccessible this week and flood waters are carrying a lot of debris. Water temperatures are in the mid 60’s.

Mississippi River Pool 12
Water level is near 11.0 feet at Dubuque tailwater and near 13.1 feet at the RR bridge. These levels are up from last week and water is again expected to rise. Tributaries such as Catfish Creek are very turbid after nearly every rain. Water temperature in the main channel is still hovering near 75 degrees. Largemouth Bass – Fair: Find clear water. The Frog pattern was working well in the weed beds, but anglers may need to switch tactics as water once again falls. Freshwater Drum – Fair: Cut out all the red meat and they are a fine eating fish. If you plan on eating drum throw them immediately on ice after catching them; try to avoid freezing them. Channel Catfish – Good: Channel cats bite well in rising water. Move often if they do not bite. Bluegill – No Report: Good bluegill angling should return when the river returns to normal seasonal 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 catch smallmouth bass, which often hold very tight to the rocks. The high water has made angling for them a challenge. Black Crappie – No Report: Expecting good fishing for crappies to return this fall.

Mississippi River Pool 13
Water level is near 12.4 feet at Bellevue which is similar to last week, but expect water to once again recede. The water temperature is around 71 degrees. Lots of debris was floating around this week. The Bellevue DNR ramp may have water and logs on it from the high water.  Walleye – No Report: We have had three good year classes of walleyes in this reach of the Mississippi River and populations are very good.  It has been a difficult year to find them with the river going up and down all the time. 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 – Good: Loads of freshwater drum are available and good fishing should return. Use large crayfish to catch really large drum. Channel Catfish – Good: Try stink bait in flowing sloughs, especially above log jams or along rock piles. Fish are usually close to the shoreline. 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. Smallies often hold very tight to the rocks. Stay away from the turbid tributary streams as smallmouth are sight feeders. Black Crappie – No Report: Before the latest water level rise, lots of 11 inch crappie were being seen in side channel sloughs. Flathead Catfish – Good: Ditty poles with live bait can be a good way to catch nice flathead catfish from the Mississippi River.