NORTHWEST
Black Hawk Lake
Water temperatures are around 70 degrees. 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 off the floating fishing pier, the west stone pier, and the inlet bridge. 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 and twisters. Fish being kept are 15 to 21 inches.
Black Hawk Pits
Bluegill and crappie are spawning near shore. Use a small tube jig tipped with crawler fished under a bobber near shore.
Blue Lake
Black Crappie – Fair: Use jigs and slip bobber rigs tipped with minnows near the shoreline.
Brushy Creek Lake
Fishing has been productive along the weed lines. Panfish action is picking up near shore. 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. Largemouth Bass – Good: Anglers have been doing well fishing the weed lines and near structure.
Storm Lake (including Little Storm Lake)
Water temperatures are around 70 degrees. Dredge is in 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: Boat and shore anglers are picking up fish. Try shore fishing 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 bluegills 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 around 70 degrees. For more information, contact the Black Hawk District office at 712-657-2638.
Clear Lake
Walleye – Good: Boat anglers are trolling with jigs or hooks tipped with leeches. Shore anglers are using cut bait or minnows at the docks or jetties Yellow Bass – Excellent: Try live bait or a small jig at the docks or jetties. Boat anglers are catching fish at HyVee and Billys Reef. Black Crappie – Fair: Use a slip bobber with live bait off the docks or jetties. White Bass – Fair: Use hooks or jigs tipped with minnows near docks, jetties or in areas with vegetation.
Crystal Lake
Black Crappie – Good: Use minnows and a slip bobber to detect fishing depth. Bluegill – Good: Try small jigs or hooks tipped with small minnows in vegetation.
Silver Lake (Worth)
Yellow Perch – Good: Use live bait where there is aquatic vegetation.
For information in the north central area, contact the Clear Lake Fish and Wildlife office at 641-357-3517.
Diamond Lake
Northern Pike – Good: Northern pike are biting very well on twister baits.
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.
Lost Island Lake
The fishing on Lost Island Lake has picked up over the past week. Walleye – Fair: Nice sized walleye are coming off the lake. Channel Catfish – Fair: Channel catfish are active; cast traditional catfish baits for best action.
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 on sunny days. 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 and at buffalo run. 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.
The fishing on the Iowa Great Lakes has been very active over the past couple of weeks. 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. Water temperatures are in the mid to upper 60’s.Visit https://waterdata.usgs.gov/ia/
Decorah District Streams
The road to the Decorah Fish Hatchery will be under construction through June. Many streams are off color. Streams with better watersheds will clear quicker.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 – Fair: 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, dark hendricksons, and caddis 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 – Good: 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 – No Report: Use a hook tipped with a minnow under a bobber. Largemouth Bass – Good: Bass are on nests.
Use a jig tipped with a plastic twister.
Lake Meyer
Water clarity is poor after this week’s severe weather. Water temperatures are in the upper 60’s. 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 – Good: Bluegill are building nests. Use a small jig in shallow water with a slow retrieve. Channel Catfish – Slow: Try a dead chub or crawler in a rocky windblown shoreline. Largemouth Bass – Good: Use a spinnerbait. Bass are on spawning beds. Black Crappie – Slow: Use a minnow fished under a bobber in the evening in shallow water along a rocky shoreline. Northern Pike – Slow: Try a spinnerbait for a pike hanging in shallow water.
Turkey River (above Clermont)
Water levels are on the rise with temperatures in the mid to upper 60’s. Smallmouth Bass – Good: 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 – Good: Try a hook tipped with a nightcrawler fished off the bottom.
Upper Iowa River (above Decorah)
Water levels are rising with temperatures in the upper 60’s. Visibility is fair. Visit https://waterdata.usgs.gov/ia/
Upper Iowa River (below Decorah)
Water levels are rising with temperatures in the upper 60’s. Visibility is poor. Bank anglers should toss lure upstream and let it float through the current along a ledge or current seam. Walleye – Fair: Use spinnerbaits and jig tipped with a minnow fished at the head and tail ends of deeper pools. White Sucker – Good: Use a hook with a worm and enough weight to get the worm to the bottom. Smallmouth Bass – Excellent: Use jigs tipped with nightcrawlers or ring worms. Try also Bright colored twister tails. Northern Pike – Slow: A few anglers are picking up pike using spinnerbaits.
Volga Lake
Water temperature is nearing 70 degrees. Fish attractors were recently added in the lake. Find fish attracting structure locations on the Iowa DNR’s fishing atlas. Bluegill – Slow: Use small jigs tipped with small piece of nightcrawler or red worm fished deep. Black Crappie – Good: Find crappie along rocky shoreline especially near sunset. Try a hook tipped with a small minnow under a bobber. Channel Catfish – Slow: 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.
Expect a cold, rainy weekend. Area rivers and streams are rising and off color but fishable. 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)
The Cedar River has risen with recent rainfall events; channel catfish angling should be good. Smallmouth Bass – Fair: Cast spinnerbaits or use live crawler tipped on a jig. Look for wood or rocky shoreline habitat. Northern Pike – Fair: Float a live chub or shiner under a bobber or cast larger bucktail spinnerbaits. Channel Catfish – Good: 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)
The Shell Rock River has risen with recent rainfall events; channel catfish angling should be good. Walleye – Fair: Use jig and plastic tipped with a nightcrawler. Channel Catfish – Good: Use dead cut baits.
Wapsipinicon River (Tripoli to Troy Mills)
The Wapsipinicon River has risen with recent rainfall events; channel catfish angling should be good. Channel Catfish – Good: Use dead cut baits.
Interior river water levels have risen again with the recent rainfall events. Channel catfish angling should be good with these conditions. Lake fishing has picked up throughout the crappie spawn. Trout fishing remains good. Contact the N.E. District Office at 563-927-3276 for more information.
MISSISSIPPI RIVER
Mississippi River Pool 9
River level is 10.3 feet at Lansing and is expected to to rise to 12.7 feet this week. Army road at New Albin is closed. Water temperatures are in the upper 60’s. 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. Black Crappie – Fair: Crappies are tough to find with the high water conditions, but some larger fish are being caught using a crappie minnow fished up in the flooded trees.
Mississippi River Pool 10
Lynxville river level is 20.12 feet and is expected to rise to near 23 feet. Water temperature at Lock and Dam 9 is 67 degrees. Gates are up at the Lock and Dam. 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. Black Crappie – Fair: Crappies are tough to find with the high water conditions, but some larger fish are being caught using a crappie minnow fished up in the flooded trees.
Mississippi River Pool 11
River levels are expected to rise from 11.3 feet to near 15 feet over the next week. Water temperatures are near 60 degrees. Gates remain 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. Black Crappie – Fair: Crappies are tough to find with the high water conditions, but some larger fish are being caught using a crappie minnow fished up in the flooded trees.
Recent precipitation will have the river on the rise once again this week. Fish will be scattered, but fish are actively feeding. Warmer weather has water temperatures climbing into the mid to upper 60’s.
Mississippi River Pool 12
River levels are 11.4 feet at the Dubuque Lock and Dam and 13.6 feet at the RR bridge. These are down two feet from last week and should drop more. Boat ramps may have debris left on them from the high water. Yellow Perch – No Report: Yellow perch fishing this spring was very good, but not many reports lately. 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: The crappie bite continues to be sporadic. Some nice white crappies have been reported, but they can be a challenge to find with high water. Walleye – Fair: Some walleyes are biting on crankbaits or pitching jigs into eddy areas. White Bass – Good: White bass are being reported hitting on spinners near OLearys Lake and mouths of marina areas .
Mississippi River Pool 13
River level is 12.6 feet at Bellevue. This is down from last week and water will recede slightly over the week. Several boat ramps are still under water including the DNR boat ramp at Bellevue. The ramp at south Sabula is nearly useable again. 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 – Fair: 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. Common Carp – Good: The warm days have seen the carp spawning in shallow water in big backwater complexes. Bowfishing season is prime right now.
Mississippi River Pool 14
River level is 12.2 feet at Fulton, 14.4 feet at Camanche and 8.3 feet at Le Claire. This is down from last week and levels should recede slightly. Some boat ramps will have water and debris on them due to the high water levels. Largemouth Bass – Good: Nice catches of largemouth bass were reported this week. Find bass in the backwater complexes such as cattail and rock creek. 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 – Fair: The walleye are biting hard, but finding them in the higher water has been difficult. Expect walleyes to move on the wing dams if water continues to recede.
Mississippi River Pool 15
River level is 12.8 feet at Rock Island. This is down from last week and levels should continue to slowly recede. Flood levels have moved down to action stages and hopefully will continue to drop. No fishing was reported to us on Pool 15.
The main channel water temperature is 68 degrees, which is up 8 degrees from last week. Water levels are high but receding. Many of the smaller boat ramps in the district are under water or will have debris on them. 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.
Mississippi River Pool 17
Tailwater stage is 12.41 feet at Lock and Dam 16 in Muscatine and flood stage is 15 feet. . River stage has been falling the past few days. The gates are out of the water at the dam. River stage at Muscatine is 14.13 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 13.91 feet at Lock and Dam 17 at New Boston. Flood stage is 15 feet. 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 10.33 feet at Lock and Dam 18. Flood stage is 10 feet at Lock and Dam 18. River stage is 15.35 feet at Burlington and flood stage is 15 feet. We have not received any fishing report information for this pool this week.
River levels still high throughout the pools. River levels have been falling the past few days. Main channel water temperature is around 69 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
Over a thousand people were at the Youth Jamboree on Saturday. Water temperature went up fast with the hot weather. Bass should be spawning soon, followed by the bluegills. Black Crappie – Slow: Crappies spawned very fast over the weekend and have moved out to deeper water.
Iowa River (Columbus Junction to Mississippi River)
The river level has dropped a whole foot since Saturday, but remains high and there is rain in the forecast.
Lake Belva Deer
The fishing was just picking up last Thursday and Friday before we hit the upper 80’s on Saturday and it slowed back down. Black Crappie – Slow: Got too warm too fast. They are back out in deeper water again after spawning for a couple of days. Bluegill – Slow: TWater temperature jumped 10 plus degrees this weekend. Bluegills moved out deeper to get used to the change.
