NORTHWEST
Black Hawk Lake
Surface water temperature is 64 degrees. Water levels are near the crest of the spillway. Bluegill – Good: Pick up bluegill just about anywhere along the shoreline in 2- to 5-feet of water. Use a small jig tipped with live bait or a small piece of crawler fished below a bobber off the floating fishing pier, the west stone pier, and the inlet bridge. Black Crappie – Fair: Use a jig with a minnow in 2- to 6-feet of water along Ice House Point, the floating dock and the stone piers in Town Bay. Walleye – Fair: Use live bait fished along the Ice House Point shoreline and the rock piles near Cottonwood Point and in the east basin. Expect walleye fishing to pick up near shore as water temperatures continue to cool. Channel Catfish – Fair: Use nightcrawlers and cut bait fished on the bottom near the floating dock, Ice House Point, and the rock piles near Cottonwood Point and the east basin. Largemouth Bass – Good: Use topwater lures, twisters, or live bait to catch largemouth bass just about anywhere along the shoreline.
Brushy Creek Lake
Bluegill – Fair: Use a small jig tipped with a piece of crawler in 5- to 15-feet of water. Drift near deep structure, drop-offs and weed lines. Black Crappie – Fair: Try a small piece of crawler or minnow on a jig in 10- to 15-feet of water. Largemouth Bass – Good: Throw topwater lures, weedless baits, spinners and plastic worms along weed lines, near cover and wood structure. Fish deeper for larger fish. Pick up small fish in the shallows. Muskellunge – Fair.
Storm Lake (including Little Storm Lake)
Surface water temperatures are in the low to mid 60’s. 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: Walleye activity will increase as water temperatures continue to drop. Use a minnow or leach fished below a bobber in shallower areas near shore. Some action may still be in deeper water – troll shad raps or drift crawlers on the edges of the dredge cuts around the lake. White Bass – Fair: Use crankbaits or live bait fished from shore and in the dredge cuts.
Swan Lake
Bluegill – Fair: Try areas with rocky structure and along weed lines in 2- to 6-feet of water near the jetties, the fish house and the dam. Use a small jig tipped with a piece of crawler or minnow under a bobber. Expect 6- to 9-inch fish.
Yellow Smoke Park Lake
Bluegill – Fair: Bluegills can reach 9 inches or more. Look for bluegills in 5- to 10-feet of water near the arm north of the swim beach, the flooded timber near the southwest shoreline, and the coves on the south shore. Channel Catfish – Fair: Try cut bait or crawlers on the bottom in 5- to 10-feet of water.
Surface water temperatures in area lakes are in the mid 60’s. With cooler temperatures comes increased feeding activity; expect good shore fishing action as water temperatures continue to drop. For more information, contact the Black Hawk District office at 712-657-2638.
Clear Lake
The water temperature is 60 degrees. Yellow Bass – Good: Drift a small jig tipped with a piece of crawler or cut bait in 8- to 10-feet of water until you find fish. Try also near the rock reefs. Walleye – Fair: Use a jig and minnow near the rock reefs. Black Crappie – Fair: Try a small jig or minnow near the vegetation in 3- to 5-feet of water. Channel Catfish – Good: Use cut bait or a live chub on the windward side of the lake.
Crystal Lake
Bluegill – Fair: Use a small piece of crawler under a slip bobber near the dredge cut.
Rice Lake
Walleye – Good: Walleyes are biting on a variety of baits. With the clear water, the best bite is during low light periods.
Silver Lake (Worth)
Largemouth Bass – Good: Largemouth bass are biting on a variety of baits. Yellow Perch – Fair.
For information in the north central area, contact the Clear Lake Fish and Wildlife office at 641-357-3517.
NORTHEAST
Cedar River (above Nashua)
Water levels are low. Use caution when backing boats down boat ramps. Trailers going off the ends of the ramps have been reported. Walleye – Good: Trol
Decorah District Streams
All stream stockings are unannounced in October. All streams continue to be stocked. Many streams run through wildlife management areas where hunting is allowed. Wear bright clothing when not stalking a trout. Trout streams are in good condition. Call 563-927-5736 for current catchable trout stocking locations. Brook Trout – Good: A variety of small mayflies are hatching mid-afternoon. Use a dry fly for insects hatching off the water surface. Use a nymph or scud dropper for subsurface critters. Brown Trout – Good: Fall rains will put the browns in a feeding frenzy. Use a hopper pattern in pastured or open areas. In wooded areas in the morning, use #22-24 trico patterns. In the evening, use #18-20 blue wing olive patterns. Rainbow Trout – Good: Freshly stocked trout are hitting a variety of lures and baits. Drift a feathered spinner along an undercut bank.
Lake Hendricks
Lake Hendricks is an electric motor only lake. The bite should improve with the return of cooler weather. Water will be shut off sometime this week. Black Crappie – Fair: Troll over rock mounds with a jig tipped with minnow or spinnerbait. Largemouth Bass – Good: Try topwater lures along the edge of a vegetation. Slowly troll over rock reefs for fish seeking structure. Channel Catfish – Slow: Use a hook tipped with a worm or chicken liver. Bluegill – Good: Find bluegills in deeper water. Use a small hook tipped with small piece of worm.
Lake Meyer
Lake Meyer is an electric motor only lake. The bite should pick up with cooler weather. Bluegill – Fair: Use a small hook tipped with a piece of worm under a bobber near jetties in the evening. Black Crappie – Fair: Find crappie suspended near submersed structure. Use a spinner or jig with bright colored twister tail. Largemouth Bass – Good: Try a jig tipped with plastic twister or worm or a spinner near structure.
Upper Iowa River (above Decorah)
The Upper Iowa is stable but low. Be prepared to walk through riffles. Fly fishers, watch for evening hatches of white and grey mayflies. Flying ants are hatching mid-day. Fall is a good time to use streamers or minnow patterns for bass, trout, and walleye. Walleye – Good: Drift a jig tipped with a twister tail or worm through a deeper hole or along a current break. Smallmouth Bass – Good: Try jigs tipped with worms or crankbaits imitating crawdads in deeper holes and along rocky shorelines. Rock Bass – Fair: Use jigs tipped with worms along rocky shorelines.
Upper Iowa River (below Decorah)
Another shot of rain should bring on the bite and bump water levels a little. Northern Pike – Good: Use a steel leader tipped with 1/4 oz. jig tipped with natural colored plastic to a 3 inch jerk bait fished around tributaries or brush piles. Smallmouth Bass – Good: Use jigs tipped with plastic tails or crawfish imitations in the current breaks or near rock ledges. Walleye – Good: Drift a jig tipped with a twister tail or worm through a deeper hole or along a current break. Channel Catfish – Slow: Catch a catfish from shore with a hook tipped with a crawler. Evening is best.
Volga Lake
Panfishing has been hit or miss. Black Crappie – Fair: Troll the deeper areas for suspended crappie; use small jig tipped with a minnow. Largemouth Bass – Good: Bass are hitting jigs tipped with a nightcrawler or twister tail. Try a topwater lure in the evening as fish come in shallow to feed. Bluegill – Fair: Use a small hook tipped with a piece of worm under a bobber along rocky shorelines. Channel Catfish – Fair: Use chicken liver and cheese baits fished on the bottom. Catfish are more active in the evening.
Chance of rain likely Friday and Saturday. Fall weather is in the air with temperature highs in the low 70’s and 50’s for lows in the forecast.Area streams and rivers are low. For current fishing information, please call the Decorah Fish Hatchery at 563-382-8324.
Brinker Lake
Anglers are catching a good number of largemouth bass and crappie; morning bite is best. Under the Hwy 218 bridge has been most successful for crappie. Largemouth Bass – Good: Use imitation shad lures. Black Crappie – Fair: Try a crappie minnow under a bobber at various depths.
Cedar River (Nashua to La Porte City)
Topwater baits have been good for smallmouth during the early morning and late evening hours. Anglers have been catching some flathead catfish near the downtown Waterloo area also. Walleye – Good: Use a jig and plastic tail tipped with half a nightcrawler on the downstream sandbar drop-offs or woody structure as the river is low. Smallmouth Bass – Good: Cast spinnerbaits, crankbaits and topwater lures along rip-rap shorelines and woody structure. Northern Pike – Fair: Use artificial baits.
Maquoketa River (above Monticello)
Smallmouth Bass – Fair: Cast spinnerbaits or crankbaits along rip-rap shorelines and woody structure. Walleye – Fair: Try a jig and plastic tail tipped with half a nightcrawler on the downstream sandbar drop-offs or woody structure as the river is low.
Plainfield
Largemouth Bass – Good: Artificial baits, particularly spinnerbaits, have been the best. Yellow Bass – Fair: Cast jigs for some good yellow bass action.
Shell Rock River (Greene to Shell Rock)
Walleye – Fair: Use a jig and plastic tail tipped with half a nightcrawler on the downstream sandbar drop-offs or woody structure as the river is low. Smallmouth Bass – Good: Cast spinnerbaits or crankbaits along rip-rap shorelines and woody structure.
Three Rivers Pond
Largemouth Bass – Good: Artificial baits, particularly spinnerbaits, have been the best. Early morning and late evening hours are best.
Wapsipinicon River (Tripoli to Troy Mills)
Northern Pike – Excellent: Cast and retrieve large bucktail spinner baits near structure or float a live chub or shiner under a bobber in the deeper pools in Buchanan County and upstream into Bremer County. Walleye – Fair: Try a jig and plastic tail tipped with half a nightcrawler on the downstream sandbar drop-offs or woody structure as the river is low. Smallmouth Bass – Fair: Cast spinnerbaits or crankbaits along rip-rap shorelines and woody structure.
Anglers are catching walleye, smallmouth bass and northern pike on the interior rivers. There have been good reports on largemouth bass and some crappies being caught on the area Black Hawk County Lakes. Best reports have been northern pike on the Wapsipinicon River.Trout streams remain in excellent condition. Call the N.E. Iowa district office at 563-927-3276 for more information.
MISSISSIPPI RIVER
Mississippi River Pool 9
River level at Lansing has risen to 8.9 feet and is predicted to rise about a foot near 10.2 feet. Water temperature is 66 degrees. Bluegill – Excellent:
Mississippi River Pool 10
Lynxville water level has risen another foot to 16.2 feet and is predicted to rise around 2 feet. Water temperature is 60 degrees at the lock and dam. Bluegill – Good: Some larger bluegills are being picked up near structure on the side channels. Use a small hook tipped with worm fished under a slip bobber. Channel Catfish – Good: Try nightcrawlers or stink bait fished on the bottom in areas of moderate current where side channels form an eddy. Freshwater Drum – Fair: Drum are still being caught in the swifter current areas along main channel borders. Smallmouth Bass – Excellent: Use live bait or artificials along rocky shorelines with good current. Best bite is towards evening. Largemouth Bass – Good: Largemouth fishing is good on side channel and main channel shoreline structure. Walleye – Fair: Try a little slower presentation as the water temperature is falling. One eye jigs or bait-rig off the bottom has been effective. Yellow Perch – Good: The fall perch bite is picking up. Use small jigs tipped with worm in backwaters with slight flow. Northern Pike – Good: Try soft plastics in areas with slight current in shallow backwaters. Flathead Catfish – Fair: Use live shiners or small bluegill in woody debris to attract flatheads in slack areas off the side channels. Black Crappie – Good: Use light colored jigs or hook tipped with crappie minnows in backwater side channels.
Mississippi River Pool 11
Mississippi River at Guttenberg has risen a foot to 7.5 feet and is predicted to rise 2 feet by end of next week. Water temperature is 60 degrees at the Lock and Dam. Bluegill – Excellent:
Upper Mississippi water levels are forecast to rise about 2 feet this week. Boaters should still use caution to avoid dropping off the ends of ramps during low water conditions. Water clarity will diminish with localized rain this week. Cooler temperatures will have fish moving toward their winter holes. Water temperature has fallen into the low to mid 60 degrees this week.
Mississippi River Pool 12
Levels will rise slightly in the next few days. Current water levels are 6.4 feet at the Dubuque Lock and Dam and 8.9 feet at the RR bridge. Water clarity is good. Water temperature is near 69 degrees. Channel Catfish – Good: Use worms and stink bait; move often if you do not find biting fish. Freshwater Drum – Excellent: A simple egg sinker and worm rig works best. White Crappie – Fair: Fall is the best time to catch crappies on the Mississippi River. Look for them along log jams in backwater sloughs. Walleye – Good: The wing dam fishing is well underway on the Mississippi River. Some anglers are using worm rigs while others are throwing crankbaits on the dams. Floating weeds are being a real hindrance at times. Bluegill – Slow: Find bluegills along the channel borders and in tree piles in large sloughs. Flathead Catfish – Excellent: Pull worm rigs near rocky habitats. Lots of flatheads have been caught this year. Smallmouth Bass – Excellent:Throw spinners or small crankbaits around rocky areas with strong current in the evenings. Largemouth Bass – Good: Largemouths have pulled out of the shallow backwater areas and are on trees and sandy shoals often chasing minnows. Lots of anglers are slow rolling spinner baits through the weed pads Yellow Perch – Fair: Yellow perch are being caught in backwater areas on minnows by anglers fishing for bluegills or crappies.
Mississippi River Pool 13
Water level is 6.8 feet at the Bellevue Lock and Dam. Look for levels to rise slightly this week.
Water clarity is good. Water temperature is 70 degrees in the main channel. Try to remove any vegetation off your trailers. Northern Pike – Good: Use flashy white lures. Channel Catfish – Good: Try worm rigs and stink bait above log jams and rock piles; let the smell of the bait flow into the log piles. Move often if you don’t find fish. Freshwater Drum – Excellent: Use egg sinker and worm rigs. Drum bite in all types of river conditions. Walleye – Good: Most anglers are fishing on the wing dams using worm rigs. Smallmouth Bass – Excellent: Throw crank baits or spinners near rock piles with strong current. Bluegill – Slow: Use worm rigs in log piles in larger backwater and sloughs. Flathead Catfish – Excellent: Small flathead catfish are hitting on worms; mostly by people fishing for channel cats. Try large live bait fished in the evening hours for bigger flatheads. Largemouth Bass – Good: Some fish are on weed edges while others are in logs in deeper sloughs. Use scum frogs and other frog imitations. Black Crappie – Slow: Fall is a great time to fish for crappies. Use small minnows in the woody snags in backwater sloughs. The bite slowed down during the warm spell, but crappies are expected to turn on soon.
Mississippi River Pool 14
Water levels up a bit and presently are 6.2 feet at Fulton, 10.2 feet at Camanche and 5.2 feet at LeClaire. Water clarity is good. Water temperature is 70 degrees in the main channel. Largemouth Bass – Good: Bass had moved out of the large shallow areas into deeper slough habitats. Use spinnerbaits along the channel weed lines. Freshwater Drum – Excellent: Freshwater drum are biting on worm rigs. Catch drum in nearly all moderate current areas. Channel Catfish – Good: Use worm rigs and prepared stink baits fished close to shoreline snags or along rock lines. Walleye – Good: Most anglers are chasing walleyes on the wing dams this time of year. Flathead Catfish – Excellent: Some anglers are trot lining flathead catfish using large bullheads as bait. Flathead are most active during the night and evening hours. Smallmouth Bass – Good: Try along rock piles with current. Bluegill – Fair: Use worms and bobbers along vegetation lines.
Mississippi River Pool 15
Levels are up a bit around 6.4 feet at Rock Island. Expect water to rise slightly this week. Water clarity is decent. Water temperature is near 70 degrees in the main channel. Channel Catfish – Good: Try stink bait along the rock piles near Campbells and Arsenal Island. Move often if fish are not hitting. Freshwater Drum – Good: Freshwater drum bite well this time of year. Put them on ice immediately if you are going to clean them. Flathead Catfish – Good: Use large live bait fished near shore during the night and evening hours. Smallmouth Bass – Good: Find smallmouths along rock lines with strong current. White Bass – Fair: A few white bass are being caught in the tailwater reaches on white twister tails.
The channel temperature has been near 70 degrees. Fishing conditions are good throughout the district. Aquatic vegetation is floating in the River, so do your best to clean your boats and trailers and not transport vegetation to other bodies of water. If you have any angling questions, please contact the Bellevue Fisheries Station 563-872-4976.
Mississippi River Pool 16
Tailwater stage at Lock and Dam 15 in the Quad Cities is 6.37 feet. Tailwater stage has risen slightly over the past few days. Channel Catfish – Fair: Try dip baits, crawlers or shad around the mouth of Sunset Marina, mouth of the Rock River, and around brush piles along the side channels and main channel. Bluegill – Good: Use waxworms under a bobber along brush piles in Sunset Marina and the Andalusia Island complex. Walleye – No Report: Look for walleyes on the wing dams. Try fishing with three-way rigs with crawlers or casting crankbaits.
Mississippi River Pool 17
Tailwater stage at Lock and Dam 16 in Muscatine is 5.21 feet and has risen slightly the past few days. Channel Catfish – No Report: Try worms, cut shad, or dip baits in brush piles and snags along the main channel and side channels or wing dams. White Crappie – Fair: Try jigs and minnows or minnows under a bobber around brush piles in the backwaters and side channels. Walleye – No Report: Look for walleyes on the wing dams. Cast crankbaits or pull three-way rigs with crawlers. Bluegill – No Report: Look for bluegills in the backwaters. Use worms or waxworms under a bobber along brush piles in Big Timber(The Breaks) or Cleveland Slough.
Mississippi River Pool 18
Tailwater stage is 5.66 feet at Lock and Dam 17 above New Boston and has risen slightly the past few days. Channel Catfish – Use dip baits, shad or nightcrawlers around brush piles and snags along the main channel and side channels. White Crappie – No Report: Use jigs and minnows or minnows under a bobber in the backwaters and flowing side channels around brush piles. Walleye – No Report: Look for walleyes on the wing dams. Cast crankbaits to the wing dams or pull three-way rigs with crawlers. Largemouth Bass – Fair: Cast crankbaits or pitch plastics around riprap shorelines with some current.
Mississippi River Pool 19
Tailwater stage is 2.78 feet at Lock and Dam 18 above Burlington and has risen slightly over the past few days. We have not received any fishing reports for this pool this week. Channel Catfish – No Report: Try dip baits, nightcrawlers, or cut shad in brush piles and snags along the main channel and side channels. White Crappie – No Report: Use jigs and minnows or minnows under a bobber in the side channels and backwaters around brush piles.
River stages have risen slightly the past few days. Main channel water temperature is 68-70 degrees and water clarity is fair. River stages are forecasted to rise slightly over the next few days. If you have questions on fishing Pools 16-19, contact the Fairport Fish Hatchery at 563-263-5062.
SOUTHEAST
Lake Belva Deer
Water temperature is still holding at 70 degrees. Water clarity is at 36 inches. Bluegill – Slow: They are still out deep; waiting for cooler weather. Black Crappie – Slow:Crappies are waiting for cooler water temperatures before moving into shallow water.
Lake Darling
Water temperature has fallen to 70 degrees. The water clarity is 25 inches. Largemouth Bass – Fair: A few smaller fish are being caught in shallow. The bigger bass are out around the deeper habitat. Black Crappie – Fair: Last weekend anglers were starting to catch some crappies in shallow water; need some cooler weather to really bring them in. Bluegill – Fair: Bluegills are starting to bite a little better now with a few more coming in shallow.
