NORTHWEST
Black Hawk Lake
Water temperatures are in the mid 60’s. Walleye and panfish action has been good. For Black Hawk Lake, there is no length limit for walleye and a daily bag limit of 5 fish. Bluegill – Good: Bluegill can be picked up just about anywhere along the shoreline. The fish are averaging 7.5 inches. Use a small hair or tube jig with a small piece of crawler fished under a bobber. Most action has been from the floating fishing pier, but the west stone pier and inlet bridge are also producing fish. Black Crappie – Fair: Anglers have had luck fishing from Ice House Point, the floating dock, the stone piers, and the inlet bridge. Catch fish up to 11 inches using minnows, crawlers, and leeches fished under a bobber. Walleye – Good: Anglers are picking up walleye from shore and by boat. Town Bay, the shoreline along Ice House Point, and near the inlet bridge are producing fish.Use leeches fished under a bobber. Some are being caught on twisters. Fish being kept are 15 to 21 inches.
Blue Lake
Black Crappie – Fair: Use jigs and slip bobber rigs tipped with minnows near the shoreline.
Brushy Creek Lake
Walleye – Good: Use jigs and leeches. Bluegill – Fair: Bluegill are starting to move closer to shore. Use a small jig tipped with bait in 5-15 feet of water. Muskellunge – Fair.
Des Moines River (Humboldt to Stratford)
Channel Catfish – Fair: Anglers are picking up channel catfish with cut bait.
Storm Lake (including Little Storm Lake)
Water temperatures are in the mid 60’s. Dredge operation in the northeast portion of the lake; boaters must maintain a 100 foot distance from the dredge, booster pump and 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. Black Crappie – Fair: Anglers are picking up crappie in the Marina and near the inlet. Walleye – Good: Shore fishing has been good along the east shore, the north shore west of Chautauqua point, and near Frank Starr Park. Boat anglers are doing well along the east shore near the dredge cuts. Use leeches fished under a bobber, twisters, or crankbaits.
Swan Lake
Bluegill – Good: Anglers are picking up good numbers of bluegill from along the dam and off the jetties. Use a small jig tipped with crawler. Black Crappie – Fair: A few crappie are being picked up while bluegill fishing.
Water temperatures in Black Hawk District lakes are in the low to mid 60’s. For more information, contact the Black Hawk District office at 712-657-2638.
Clear Lake
Water temperature is 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Yellow Bass – Good: Try jigs or hooks tipped with minnows around the island, jetties, and vegetation. Black Crappie – Good: Use a slip bobber with a hook or jig tipped with a minnow off the docks and in areas with aquatic vegetation. White Bass – Fair: Use live bait near docks, vegetation, or at the jetties. Walleye – Good: Use jigs and hooks tipped with minnows around rocky substrate. Use hooks or jigs tipped with leeches or minnows with a slip bobber. Boat and wader anglers are catching fish around the island and areas with rocky substrate.
Lake Cornelia
Black Crappie – Good: Use jigs or hooks tipped with live bait around the harbor and docks.
Lower Pine Lake
Black Crappie – Good: Use a slip bobber with a jig or hook tipped with live bait.
Lake Smith
Anglers are catching largemouth bass using minnows and artificial bait.
Rice Lake
Walleye and perch fishing are good. Use hooks and jigs tipped with minnows or leeches.
Silver Lake (Worth)
Yellow Perch – Fair: Use small jigs and a minnow off the jetty.
Upper Pine Lake
Largemouth Bass – Good: Boat anglers are targeting downed trees using jigs and spinner baits.
For information in the north central area, contact the Clear Lake Fish and Wildlife office at 641-357-3517.
East Okoboji Lake
Fish on East Okoboji are active with many people leaving the lake with full buckets. Yellow Bass – Fair: Yellow bass activity has started to slow up on the north end of East Okoboji Lake. Use live baits under bobbers. Black Crappie – Good: Crappie are active on the north end of the lake. Try fishing with mini jigs and artificial baits off of the public docks. Yellow Perch – Good: Yellow perch are active on the north end of the lake. Use live bait off of the public docks. Walleye – Good: Walleye are very active; use live baits after dark.
Five Island Lake
Yellow Bass – Fair: Yellow bass are active on Five Island Lake.
Silver Lake (Dickinson)
The fish on Silver Lake are very active. Walleye – Good: Both wader anglers and boat fishermen have reported catching many. Use live baits such as minnows.
Spirit Lake
The fishing on Big Spirit is very active with a lot of panfish being caught. Black Crappie – Good: Crappie are active on sunny days in shallow water; use mini jigs and artificial baits. Black Bullhead – Good: Fishing for bullheads is very popular on the north end of the lake by the grade. Largemouth Bass – Good: Largemouth fishing has been fairly good on sunny days. Fish obstructions such as downed trees near the shore.Yellow Perch – Fair: Lots of angler acceptable perch are being caught. Walleye – Fair: Walleye have been active right after dark; use live active bait such as leaches and minnows.
West Okoboji Lake
The fish are very active on West Okoboji. Black Crappie – Good: Many keeper crappies are being caught. Use light jig heads and artificial baits in the shallows. Bluegill – Good: Many keeper bluegills are being caught. Use light jig heads and artificial baits in the shallows. Northern Pike – Good: Nice northerns are being caught on West Okoboji. Walleye – Good: Anglers are having a high success rate fishing for walleye on West lake; use live bait such as minnows and leaches.
Fish are very active on the Iowa Great Lakes. For more information throughout the week, contact the Spirit Lake Fish Hatchery at 712-336-1840.
NORTHEAST
Cedar River (above Nashua)
The river is fishable and water levels are falling. Water temperatures are in the low to mid 60’s.Visit https://waterdata.usgs.gov/ia/
Decorah District Streams
The road to the Decorah Fish Hatchery will be under construction through June. Streams are in good condition. Call 563-927-5736 for catchable trout stocking locations. Use jigs tipped with twister tails, feathered spinnerbaits, or flashy spoons. Use a nightcrawler to catch a freshly stocked fish. Brook Trout – Good: Use scuds or stonefly imitations for fish not rising to the surface. Brown Trout – Good: A great time to fish for brown trout is when water turns off color from rainfall events. Try caddis fly and midge larvae imitations hatching off the water. Nice hatches of blue wing olives and dark hendricksons are occurring on warmer sunny afternoons. Rainbow Trout – Good: Fish rainbow trout in the head end of riffles. Slowly pull a black bead head fly with a light colored scud or midge dropper through the upper and lower ends of pools for trout in deeper water.
Lake Hendricks
Water temperatures are warming and fish are biting. Slow your retrieve giving fish time to strike. Boat anglers are finding fish in deeper water. Bluegill – Fair: Catch gills moving into shallower water with a small jig. Let it sink and slowly reel it in. Channel Catfish – Slow: Use cut baits on windblown rocky shorelines. Black Crappie – Good: Warmer shore temperatures are drawing crappies in. Use a hook tipped with a minnow under a bobber. Largemouth Bass – Good: Try a jerk bait fished slowly over rock piles.
Lake Meyer
Visibility is improving. Water temperatures are in the low 60’s and warming. Find the latest hot spots on the Iowa DNR’s fishing atlas. Set your GPS coordinates to WGS84 to key in to your structure preference. Bluegill – Fair: Use a small jig with a slow retrieve. Channel Catfish – Slow: Try a dead chub or crawler in a rocky windblown shoreline. Largemouth Bass – Good: Use a spinnerbait. Big bass are on spawning beds. Use a slow retrieve in cooler water. Black Crappie – Good: Use a minnow fished under a bobber in the evening in shallow water along a rocky shoreline. Crappies are in full spawning color. Northern Pike – Slow: Try a spinnerbait for a pike hanging in shallow water.
Turkey River (above Clermont)
Water levels are falling and temperatures are in the low to mid 60’s. Smallmouth Bass – Excellent: Try a jig tipped with a minnow or feathered spinnerbait around a current break. Walleye – Fair: Use a jig tipped with a soft plastic twister tail. Use a slow retrieve in cooler water. White Sucker – Excellent: The sucker bite is on. Try a hook tipped with a nightcrawler fished off the bottom. Black Crappie – Good: Find a slack water area. Let a small jig sink and slowly reel it in.
Upper Iowa River (above Decorah)
Water levels are stable with temperatures in the low 60’s. Visibility is improving. Visit https://waterdata.usgs.gov/ia/
Upper Iowa River (below Decorah)
Water levels are falling and temperatures are in the low 50’s. Visibility is improving. The sucker bite is on. Walleye – Slow: Try spinnerbaits and jerk baits along rocky shorelines. Smallmouth Bass – Slow: Use jigs tipped with nightcrawlers or ringworms. Try also bright colored twister tails. White Sucker – Good: Use a hook with a worm and enough weight to get the worm to the bottom. Smallmouth Bass – Excellent: Catch smallies in the off channel areas. A variety of lures are working now.
Volga Lake
Water temperature is 60 degrees. Fish attractors were recently added in the lake. Find fish attracting structure locations on the Iowa DNR’s fishing atlas. Bluegill – Fair: Use small jigs tipped with small piece of nightcrawler or red worm fished deep. Black Crappie – Good: Panfish anglers should start to see fish in shallow water. Try a hook tipped with a small minnow under a bobber. Channel Catfish – Fair: Use dead minnows or other dead fish along windblown shores to attract a cruising cat. Largemouth Bass – Good: Big bass are on beds. Release them right away. Try a spinnerbait with a slow retrieve in cooler water. Smaller fish are hitting.
Daytime temperatures will be in the mid 70’s with 50’s overnight. It will be a great weekend to take Mom outside. Area rivers and streams are improving. Anglers must get a landowner’s permission to fish private property, even if it can be accessed through public property. For current fishing information, please call the Decorah Fish Hatchery at 563-382-8324.
Big Woods Lake
Black Crappie – Fair: Try numerous depths floating a crappie minnow under a slip bobber as the crappie begin to stage for spawn.
Brinker Lake
Black Crappie – Fair: Try numerous depths floating a crappie minnow under a slip bobber as the crappie begin to stage for spawn.
Casey Lake (aka Hickory Hills Lake)
Black Crappie – Fair: Try numerous depths floating a crappie minnow under a slip bobber as crappie begin to stage for spawn. Bluegill – Fair: Find structure within the lake. Use a piece of worm or waxworm under a slip bobber. Largemouth Bass – Fair: Try spinnerbaits or plastic worms fished along shoreline or near the dam or jetties.
Cedar River (Nashua to La Porte City)
Smallmouth Bass – Good: Cast spinner baits or use live crawler tipped on a jig. Look for wood or rocky shoreline habitat. Northern Pike – Good: Float a live chub or shiner under a bobber or cast larger bucktail spinnerbaits. Channel Catfish – Fair: Anglers have had some success using dead cut baits. Walleye – Fair: Cast jig and twister combo tipped with half a crawler or cast and retrieve crankbaits.
George Wyth Lake
Black Crappie – Fair: Try numerous depths floating a crappie minnow under a slip bobber as the crappie begin to stage for spawn.
Manchester District Streams
Trout streams are clear and in excellent condition. Rainbow Trout – Good.
Maquoketa River (above Monticello)
Angler reports have been really good for smallmouth bass on the Maquoketa River in Delaware County. Recent surveys have found good numbers of walleye also. Smallmouth Bass – Good: Use artificial baits.
Martens Lake
Anglers are doing well on largemouth bass on Martens Lake. Largemouth Bass – Good: Use weedless spinnerbaits or plastic worms fished along shoreline or near lily pads.
Plainfield Lake
Anglers are starting to catch some bluegill on Plainfield Lake. Bluegill – Fair: Find structure within the lake. Try a piece of worm or waxworm under a slip bobber.
Shell Rock River (Greene to Shell Rock)
There have been reports of anglers catching walleye below low head dams on the Shell Rock River. Walleye – Fair: Use jig and plastic tipped with a nightcrawler.
Wapsipinicon River (Tripoli to Troy Mills)
The river is maintaining higher flows, but clarity is good. Channel Catfish – Fair: Use dead cut baits. Smallmouth Bass – Fair: Cast spinnerbaits or use live crawler tipped on a jig. Look for wood or rocky shoreline habitat. Walleye – Fair: Cast jig and twister combo tipped with half a crawler or cast and retrieve crankbaits.
Angling reports have been poor and few this past week as cold weather and rain impeded most of the state. Dropping water temperatures and pressure moved fish deeper on most lakes. Interior river water levels have peaked and are beginning to drop. Trout fishing remains good. Angling should improve with the nice extended forecast. Contact the N.E. District Office at 563-927-3276 for more information.
MISSISSIPPI RIVER
Mississippi River Pool 9
River level is 11.4 feet at Lansing and is expected to fall all week. Army road at New Albin is under water but may open next week. Water temperatures are near 60. Walleye – Fair: Tailwater fishing has dropped off, but walleyes will be settling in to the wing dams as water returns to normal. Yellow Perch – Slow: Use minnows under a bobber in structure off side channels with little or no current. Bluegill – Good: Bluegills are becoming more active. Try a bobber tipped with crawler in the flooded trees. Freshwater Drum – Excellent: Freshwater drum are actively feeding. Try bouncing a nightcrawler on jigs in side channels and backwater areas with slight current. Flathead Catfish – Good: Flathead are actively feeding in preparation for the spawn. Largemouth Bass – Good: Largemouth are biting on spinnerbaits fished in the trees in the backwaters. Smallmouth Bass – Fair: Cast along rock structure off the main channel and running sloughs.
Mississippi River Pool 10
Lynxville river level is 21.6 feet and is expected to continue to recede. Water temperatures are near 60. Walleye – Fair: Tailwater fishing has dropped off, but walleyes will be settling in to the wing dams as water returns to normal. Yellow Perch – Slow: Use minnows under a bobber in structure off side channels with little or no current. Bluegill – Good: Bluegills are becoming more active. Try a bobber tipped with crawler up in the flooded trees. Freshwater Drum – Excellent: Freshwater drum are actively feeding. Try bouncing a nightcrawler on jigs in side channels and backwater areas with slight current. Flathead Catfish – Good: Flathead are actively feeding in preparation for the spawn. Largemouth Bass – Good: Largemouth are biting on spinnerbaits fished in the trees in the backwaters. Smallmouth Bass – Fair: Cast along rock structure off the main channel and running sloughs.
Mississippi River Pool 11
River level has risen to 13.1 feet at Guttenberg but is expected to recede over the next week. Water temperatures are near 60. Gates are out of the water at Lock and Dam 10. Walleye – Fair: Tailwater fishing has dropped off, but walleyes will be settling in to the wing dams as water returns to normal. Yellow Perch – Slow: Use minnows under a bobber in structure off side channels with little or no current. Bluegill – Good: Bluegills are becoming more active. Try a bobber tipped with crawler in the flooded trees. Freshwater Drum – Excellent: Freshwater drum are actively feeding. Try bouncing a night crawler on jigs in side channels and backwater areas with slight current. Flathead Catfish – Good: Flathead are actively feeding in preparation for the spawn. Largemouth Bass – Good: Largemouth are biting on spinnerbaits fished in the trees in the backwaters. Smallmouth Bass – Fair: Cast along rock structure off the main channel and running sloughs.
Fishing has picked up for all species this week. Although the river is high, anglers are having some successful fishing trips. Water levels are expected to drop over a foot over the next week. Warmer weather has water temperatures climbing to near 60.
Mississippi River Pool 12
River levels are 13.5 feet at the Dubuque Lock and Dam and 15.4 feet at the RR bridge. These are up from last week; expect levels to recede. Many boat ramps are under water as flood heights are at or approach action stage. Yellow Perch – Good: Find yellow perch in near shore in mouths of major backwater or marina areas. Worm rigs or minnow heads work best. Northern Pike – Fair: Use flashy spoons along the channel edges and backwater openings. Channel Catfish – Good: Some small channel catfish have been reported biting on worms. Freshwater Drum – Good: Drum bite well in higher water levels. A simple egg sinker and worm rig works best. White Crappie – Fair: Some nice white crappies have been reported, but they can be a challenge to find with high water. Walleye – Good: The walleye bite has picked up with anglers using crankbaits or pitching jigs into eddy areas. White Bass – Good: White bass are being reported hitting near OLearys Lake on spinners.
Mississippi River Pool 13
River level is 14.1 feet at Bellevue. This is up from last week and water will remain steady and then begin to recede. Several boat ramps are now under water including the DNR boat ramp at Bellevue. This is prime season for bowfishing for carp and buffalo. Yellow Perch – Fair: Find yellow perch in tailwaters near shore, but out of the main current. Northern Pike – Slow: Use flashy white lures. Channel Catfish – Good: Channel catfish are hitting on worms rigs. Freshwater Drum – Good: Drum are being caught on egg sinker rigs with worms. Largemouth Bass – Good: Bass in large backwater areas such as Spring Lake are on the bite. Slow rolling spinnerbaits work well. Many large fish are being reported. Walleye – Good: Find walleye in eddy currents. High water makes this a challenge, but the fish are on the bite so keep pitching jigs till you find them.
Mississippi River Pool 14
River level is 13.8 feet at Fulton, 15.7 feet at Camanche and 9.4 feet at Le Claire. This is up from last week and levels should begin to hold steady and then recede. Some boat ramps will have water and debris on them from the high water levels. Largemouth Bass – Fair: Some reports of largemouth bass being caught in the near shore areas and in backwater lakes. Freshwater Drum – Good: Freshwater drum are biting on simple egg sinker rigs with worms for bait. Flathead Catfish – Good: Several catfish were reported this week mostly by anglers using a sinker and worm rig. Walleye – Good: Walleye bite has improved greatly even with the high water. Pitch in the eddy areas for best results.
Mississippi River Pool 15
River level is 14.4 feet at Rock Island. This is up from last week and levels should begin to hold stable this week. Flooding is at minor flooding heights so many boat ramps may be under water or have debris on them. No angling was reported to us this week, but angling is gearing up on Pool 15.
The main channel water temperature is 60 degrees, which is up 8 degrees from last week. Water levels are high but starting to recede. Many of the smaller boat ramps in the district are under water. If you have any angling questions, please contact the Bellevue Fisheries Station 563-872-4976.
Mississippi River Pool 16
Tailwater stage is 14.39 feet at Lock and Dam 15 in the Quad Cities and is forecasted to rise. Flood stage is 15 feet. The docks are not in at the Marquette St. landing. The boat ramp at Clark’s Ferry is closed due to high water. The dock has been pulled at the Fairport Recreation Area. Fishing has been slow with the high and muddy water conditions. White Bass – Fair: Some white bass are being caught in Sunset Marina with the high water conditions. Cast jigs with twister tails or inline spinners.
Mississippi River Pool 17
Tailwater stage is 13.94 feet at Lock and Dam 16 in Muscatine and flood stage is 15 feet. The gates are out of the water at the dam. River stage at Muscatine is 15.53 feet and flood stage is 16 feet. The ramp at Big Timber (The Breaks) is still closed due to water over the parking area. Kilpeck landing is also closed due to high water. Fishing has been slow with the high and muddy water conditions.
Mississippi River Pool 18
Tailwater stage is 15.25 feet at Lock and Dam 17 at New Boston. Flood stage is 15 feet. River stage at Keithsburg is 14.48 feet. Flood stage is 14 feet at Keithsburg. River stage is forecasted to rise. The gates at the dam are being reported as out of the water. The Toolsboro ramp is closed. The road going into Toolsboro is also closed due to high water. The Hawkeye Dolbee access has water over it as well. We have not received any fishing reports for this pool this week with the high and muddy water.
Mississippi River Pool 19
Tailwater stage is 11.24 feet at Lock and Dam 18. Flood stage is 10 feet at Lock and Dam 18. River stage is 16.15 feet at Burlington and flood stage is 15 feet. We have not received any fishing report information for this pool this week.
River levels are near or above flood stage throughout the pools. River levels are currently forecasted to rise with the recent heavy rains. Main channel water temperature is around 60 degrees. Fishing has been slow with the high and muddy water conditions. Some ramps are inaccessible due to the high water conditions. If you have questions on fishing Pools 16-19, contact the Fairport Fish Hatchery at 563-263-5062.
SOUTHEAST
Big Hollow Lake
Look for extra boat traffic on the lake this Saturday, May 13th, with the Youth Jamboree going on from 9 am to 2 pm. Black Crappie – Fair: With the return of warm weather the crappies should be coming back in shallow. Look for them to be in close in the flooded trees.
Iowa River (Columbus Junction to Mississippi River)
The Iowa is below bank full level, just barely. It’s forecasted to drop very slowly over the next week.
Lake Belva Deer
Fishing at Belva Deer hasn’t picked up much since the warm up. This should change this weekend when the temperatures are suppose to be in the upper 70’s. Black Crappie – Slow: Expect it to pick up when the weather warms up. The spawn is not too far off. Bluegill – Slow: They started to come back in shallow the couple days when the sun was out.
Lake Darling
The water temperature is up to 63 degrees and water clarity, despite the rain water clarity has improved to 60 inches. Black Crappie – Good: Crappies have moved back in shallow and are hitting. Look for them to start spawning in the next few days. Bluegill – Slow: Slowed down about the same time as the crappies; there are some in shallow around the fallen trees. Channel Catfish – Fair: After the rains, look for the catfish to be in the upper end of the lake where the creeks enter the lake.
Lake Geode
The lake was up about 1 1/2 feet earlier this week and the water was pretty cloudy. This was the result of the weekend rains of two inches. Black Crappie – Good: Some nice 10- to 12-inch crappies are being caught in the shallows around the tree falls and brush piles. Bluegill – Good: Look for them to be up feeding in the shallow bays with the sun shining.
Lake Odessa
Odessa’s water level remains high. The Toolesboro road remains closed. While the parking lots at Schafer’s and Sand Run remain out of the water, both boat ramps are completely submersed.
