NORTHWEST
Black Hawk Lake
Water temperature is in the mid-40s. Expect shore fishing action to pick up throughout the week as temperatures continue to warm. Black Crappie – Fair: Try in and around the fish house in Town Bay and along Ice House Point shoreline. Bluegill – Slow. Walleye – Fair: The last week has been slow. Expect shore fishing action to pick up as water temperatures warm throughout the week. Use twisters or live bait from shore. Yellow Perch – Fair: Some perch are being picked up in Town Bay on minnows and crawlers.
Brushy Creek Lake
Courtesy docks are in on the north, east, and south ramps. One of the two docks is in at the west ramp. Black Crappie – Fair. Largemouth Bass – Fair. Walleye – Slow. Yellow Perch – Fair.
North Twin Lake
Water levels are 2-3 feet low. No courtesy docks are installed at the south boat ramps due to low water levels. A courtesy dock is in at the west boat ramp at Featherstone County Park.
Storm Lake (incl Little Storm Lake)
Water clarity is about 2 feet. Water temperatures are in the low 40s, but will slowly climb throughout the week. Look for walleye to move in closer to shore as spawning activity ramps up. The DNR’s walleye broodstock collection efforts will be going on this weekend and next week. Black Crappie – Slow. Walleye – Fair: Look for shore fishing action to pick up as water temperatures start to warm. White Bass – Fair. Yellow Bass – Fair. Yellow Perch – Slow: Anglers have picked up some perch in the marina.
Water temperatures slowly warmed to the mid-40s in many area lakes throughout last week. Look for shore fishing to improve as water temperatures continue to climb. For more information, contact the Black Hawk District office at 712-657-2638.
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Clear Lake
Water temperatures are in the low 40s. Water level is 11.6 inches below crest. The courtesy dock is in at the Ritz ramp. A temporary courtesy dock is in at McIntosh until new docks are installed. DNR staff will start netting walleyes soon. Anglers fishing after sunset should avoid nets set on the East shore, around the Island and Dodges point. Walleye – Slow: Anglers are having some success wader fishing and fishing off the jetties. Best bite is after sunset. Yellow Perch – Fair: Try a small jig in the rushes.
Crystal Lake
Walleye – Slow.
Lake Cornelia
The courtesy dock is in at the boat ramp.
Rice Lake
Walleye – Slow. Yellow Perch – Slow.
Silver Lake (Worth)
Yellow Perch – Slow.
Winnebago River
Water level is 5.69 feet. Northern Pike – Slow. Walleye – Fair: Try a jig head tipped with a minnow along current breaks.
For information on the lakes and rivers in north central Iowa, contact the Clear Lake Fish and Wildlife office at 641-357-3517.
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East Okoboji Lake
The lake level is at crest. The walleye season is closed until May 4. Bluegill – Fair. Yellow Perch – Fair: Sorting will most likely be needed.
Ingham Lake
Walleye – Fair: Anglers have been successful morning and afternoon.
Silver Lake (Dickinson)
Walleye – Fair.
Spirit Lake
Lake access through the Templar Lagoon ramp has been restored. The lake is 9 inches below crest. The walleye season is closed until May 4th. Black Crappie – Fair: Anglers are finding quality-size fish. Bluegill – Fair. Yellow Perch – Fair: Sorting may be needed.
West Okoboji Lake
The lake level is at crest. The walleye season is closed until May 4th. Black Crappie – Fair: Bluegill – Good. Pumpkinseed – Good. Yellow Perch – Fair: Sorting may be needed.
Area water temperatures continue to be low with cold weather conditions. Most area lakes are at or above crest. Most courtesy docks are not in place. The walleye season is closed on the Iowa Great Lakes until May 4th. For current conditions, call the Spirit Lake District Office at 712-336-1840.
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NORTHEAST
Cedar River (above Nashua)
Anglers were doing well on a variety of fish before the recent cold snap. Warmer weather should spark new activity. Water levels remain low. Smallmouth Bass – Slow: Use jigs tipped with a plastic tail. Walleye – Slow: Try jigs tipped with minnow or plastics. Find eddies or drop-offs for best luck.
Decorah District Streams
The first week of Catchable trout stockings is nearly complete. The current weather pattern is limiting some stocking locations. Streams maintain nice holdover numbers for the casual angler. Check the on-line trout stream stocking calendar to find out which streams will be stocked each week. Brook Trout – Fair: Brook trout are taking a variety of flies imitating gnats, midges, caddis or an occasional mayfly. Use care not to alarm the trout when you approach the stream in gin clear water. Brown Trout – Good: Best time to fish spooky browns is when water is off-color. Use lures that mimic small minnows or midges. Rainbow Trout – Good: Find rainbows in head ends of pools. Try fishing the afternoon hatches for fun action.
Lake Hendricks
Fish activity slowed this week with cooler temperatures. Few anglers are braving the weather. Black Crappie – Slow: Try angling higher in the water column late afternoon and fishing along the rocky shoreline where water warms quicker. Bluegill – Slow. Largemouth Bass – Slow: Try fishing along drop-offs or around structure. Crankbaits work well.
Lake Meyer
Fish activity slowed with the drop in water temperatures. Few anglers are out. Black Crappie – Slow: Try fishing habitat or structure higher in the water column. Bluegill – Slow. Largemouth Bass – Slow: Find bass along drop-offs or near woody structure near shoreline.
Upper Iowa River (above Decorah)
Water levels are up slightly, but remain low. Brown Trout – Fair: Use a spinner or crankbait for brownies around current breaks or deeper holes. Walleye – Fair: Try a jig tipped with minnow.
Volga Lake
Fish activity slow with cooler water temperatures. Few anglers are out this week. Black Crappie – Slow: Find crappie around structure. Use a flashy lure to attract attention. Bluegill – Slow: Bluegills are around structure near shore. Use small jigs tipped with waxworms. Largemouth Bass – Slow: Use crankbaits or spinnerbaits in the drop-offs, downed trees or rocky areas.
Chance of rain Saturday evening through Monday. Variable temperatures with highs in the upper 50s to lows in the 20s and breezy. For additional information, please contact the Chuck Gipp Decorah Fish Hatchery at 563-382-8324.
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Cedar River (Nashua to La Porte City)
Anglers are catching a few walleye and northern pike, but it has been extremely slow. Northern Pike – Slow: Most catches are from anglers targeting walleye. Cast and retrieve lead head jigs tipped with plastics and a minnow. Smallmouth Bass – Fair: Cast and retrieve lead head jigs tipped with plastics and a minnow. Walleye – Good: Cast and retrieve lead head jigs tipped with plastics and a minnow.
Maquoketa River (above Monticello)
We have received no information regarding fishing on this water body this week. Walleye – No Report: Cast and retrieve lead head jigs tipped with plastics and a minnow.
Shell Rock River (Greene to Shell Rock)
We have received no information regarding fishing on this water body this week. Walleye – No Report: Cast and retrieve lead head jigs tipped with plastics and a minnow.
Wapsi River (Tripoli to Troy Mills)
Reports of anglers catching smallmouth bass. Walleyes should be on the bite before the spring spawn. Smallmouth Bass – Fair: Cast and retrieve lead head jigs tipped with plastics and a minnow. Walleye – No Report: Cast and retrieve lead head jigs tipped with plastics and a minnow..
Angling has been fair on interior rivers with up and down weather patterns. No reports on the surrounding area lakes. Trout streams remain in excellent condition. Catchable trout stockings are fully underway. For further information contact your local bait shops for most recent information. Contact the Manchester Hatchery at 563-927-3276 for more information.
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MISSISSIPPI RIVER
Mississippi River Pool 9
Water level is 8.6 feet at Lansing and is expected to reach 9.1 feet. Water temperature is 39 degrees. Docks are in at New Albin Landing. Use caution to avoid backing into the scour hole off the end of the ramp. Black Crappie – Fair: Try light tackle and small plastic baits in the flooded timber as the river rises. Channel Catfish – Fair: Catfish anglers are catching a few channel cats on crawlers. Northern Pike – Fair: Northern pike fishing will pick up as they finish the spawn. Try fishing the shallows along weed beds in backwater lakes. Sauger – Good: Use hair jigs tipped with a minnow in the tailwaters or off tips of deeper wing-dams. Walleye – Good: The walleye spawn is on. Try hair jigs tipped with a minnow in the tailwaters or off tips of deeper wing-dams. Yellow Perch – Good: Use plastics or live minnows and worms in Shore Slough, Lansing marina or the Village Creek area.
Mississippi River Pool 10
Water level is 616 feet at Lynxville and is expected to reach near 617 feet. Water temperature is 43 degrees at the Lock & Dam in Lynxville. Black Crappie – No Report: Use light tackle and small plastic baits in the flooded timber as the river rises. Channel Catfish – Fair: Catfish anglers are catching a few channel cats on crawlers. Northern Pike – Fair: Northern pike fishing will pick up as they finish the spawn. Try fishing the shallows along weed beds in backwaters. Sauger – Good: Nice-sized sauger are being caught on jig and minnow below the dam. Walleye – Good: The walleye spawn is on. Try hair jigs tipped with a minnow in the tailwaters or off tips of deeper wing-dams. Yellow Perch – Fair: Perch are well into the spawn; use plastics or live minnows and worms.
Mississippi River Pool 11
Water level is 7.3 feet at Guttenberg and is expected to rise rise to 8.5 feet. The water is muddy. Water temperature is 42 degrees. Mixed results with tailwater fishing at the Lock & Dam with colder temperatures. The dock is in at the Guttenberg ramp. Black Crappie – No Report: Use light tackle and small plastic baits in the flooded timber as the river rises. Channel Catfish – Fair: Catfish anglers are catching a few channel cats on crawlers. Northern Pike – Fair: Northern pike fishing will pick up as they finish the spawn. Try fishing along weed beds in the backwaters. Sauger – Good: Try a jig and minnow; a lot of sorting is happening. Walleye – Good: The walleye spawn is on. Try hair jigs tipped with a minnow in the tailwaters or off tips of deeper wing-dams. Yellow Perch – Fair: Try plastics or live minnows and worms from shore at the Guttenberg boat ramp.
Upper Mississippi River levels are still rising and predicted to level off next week. Water temperature is in the low 40s. The water is muddy after recent rains. Live bait and a slower presentation are key to entice the early bite.
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Mississippi River Pool 12
The river is rising at Dubuque to near 7.2 feet at Lock and Dam 11 and 9.6 feet at the railroad bridge. Water temperature has dropped to 43 degrees. Water clarity is poor. Black Crappie – Slow: Anglers are catching a few black crappie on wood in deeper backwater lakes. Bite should return when the water clears. Northern Pike – Slow: Typically, norther pike spawn in shallow reeds as the river rises. This year the river stayed low during the spawn. Reports of anglers catching some pike; cloudy water will make it difficult. Sauger – Slow: It is an off and on Spring for walleyes and sauger. Usually not a lot of big fish being caught, but many small fish bodes well into the future. Yellow Perch – Slow: It should be a good year for yellow perch; this spawning season might be difficult for them. They like to spawn in flooded vegetated areas.
Mississippi River Pool 13
The water level is rising to near 8.4 feet at Bellevue. Water clarity is poor. Water temperature has fallen to around 43 degrees. Black Crappie – Fair: Find wood structure in deeper backwater areas. Channel Catfish – Good: Channel catfish can be caught, especially in rising and dirty water. Any prepared smelly bait should attract abundant catfish. Move often if you do not get bites. Northern Pike – Fair: Most pike have spawned; some may still be in spawning mode with the goofy weather. Paddlefish – Slow: Paddlefish may become more difficult to find with the rising water. Check page 11 of the Iowa Fishing Regulations for snagging regulations. The open season on the Mississippi River is March 1st through April 15th. Rainbow Trout – Excellent: The kids trout pond north of the DNR fisheries station is stocked with trout and can provide fun action for kids. If you plan to keep trout, limit yourself to 2 trout per child. Walleye – Slow: Cloudy water will make the bite for walleye difficult. They will start to think about spawning in the next coming weeks. Yellow Perch – Slow: Reports of yellow perch being caught on worm rigs in the backwater lakes.
Mississippi River Pool 14
The water level is stabilizing to near 8.5 feet at Fulton, 11.6 feet at Camanche and 6.5 feet at LeClair. Temperature is around 44 degrees. Channel Catfish – Good: Anglers are catching some catfish. Seems early, but anglers who target them can have good catches. Try cheese baits or cut shad. Paddlefish – Slow: Paddlefish may become more difficult to find with the rising water. Check page 11 of the Iowa Fishing Regulations for snagging regulations. The open season on the Mississippi River is March 1st through April 15th. Smallmouth Bass – Slow: Cloudy water is making it more difficult to find feeding smallmouth. Walleye – Slow: Anglers were catching small saugers with an occasional keeper mixed in this spring. Rising dirty water will make fishing walleye and sauger a challenge. These species should start to spawn in the next couple weeks.
Mississippi River Pool 15
The water level is stabilizing to near 9.8 feet at Rock Island. Water clarity is poor. Water temperature is 44 degrees.
Fishing conditions on the Mississippi River have deteriorated with rain/snow and cooler temperatures. If you have angling questions, please call Bellevue Fisheries Management at 563-880-8781.
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Mississippi River Pool 16
Tailwater stage is 8.88 feet at Lock and Dam 15 in the Quad Cities and is forecast to reach 10.9 feet by Friday. Flood stage is 15 feet. Tailwater fishing for walleye and saugers is reported as slow with the higher and muddy water conditions. Sauger – Slow: Try vertical jigging with minnows or trolling three-way rigs with minnows. Walleye – Slow: Walleye fishing below the Lock and Dam is being reported as slow.
Mississippi River Pool 17
Tailwater stage is 8.46 feet at Lock and Dam 16 in Muscatine and is forecast to reach 10.8 feet by Saturday. Sauger – Slow: Try vertical jigging with minnows or trolling three-way rigs with minnows. Mostly smaller fish with keeper-sized fish mixed in. Walleye – Slow. White Crappie – No Report: Look for crappies around brush piles in Big Timber. Try minnows under a bobber or jigs and minnows.
Mississippi River Pool 18
Tailwater stage is 9.68 feet at Lock and Dam 17 at New Boston and is forecast to reach 12.4 feet by Saturday. Flood stage is 15 feet. The gates are out of the water at the Lock and Dam. Tailwater fishing for walleye and saugers is being reported as hit-or-miss. Sauger – Slow: Try vertical jigging with minnows or trolling three-way rigs with minnows. Walleye – No Report: Try vertical jigging with minnows or trolling three-way rigs with minnows.
Mississippi River Pool 19
Tailwater stage is 6.43 feet at Lock and Dam 18 above Burlington and is forecast to reach 8.2 feet by Saturday. Flood stage is 10 feet at Lock and Dam 18. River stage is 11.74 feet at Burlington and is forecast to reach 13.3 feet by Saturday. Flood stage is 15 feet at Burlington. River stage is 526.31 feet at Fort Madison; flood stage is 528.00 feet. We have not received any fishing reports for this pool this week. Sauger – No Report: Fishing will be difficult with the high and muddy water conditions. Look for saugers below the Lock and Dam. Try vertical jigging with minnows or trolling three-way rigs with minnows. Walleye – No Report: Fishing will be difficult with the high and muddy water conditions. Look for walleyes below the Lock and Dam. Try vertical jigging with minnows or trolling three-way rigs with minnows.
Mississippi River levels are on the rise due to recent heavy rains and snow. Tailwater stages have risen around 1.5 to 2.5 feet in the past 24 hours, depending on location. Tailwater stages are forecast to keep rising. Main channel water temperature is around 44-46 degrees. Water clarity is poor. Tailwater fishing for walleye and sauger is being reported as slow. If you have questions on fishing Pools 16-19 contact the Fairport Fish Hatchery at 563-263-5062.
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SOUTHEAST
Big Hollow Lake
Water temperature is around 45 degrees. Black Crappie – Fair: If the weather calms down, you should be able to pick up crappies out from the edge of the tree line along the south side of the lake.
East Lake Park Pond
Rainbow trout were stocked recently. Rainbow Trout – Good: Not much fishing pressure this week with the weather. Plenty of trout left to catch. You need a valid fishing license and pay the trout fee to fish for or possess trout.
Lake Belva Deer
Water temperature is 46 degrees. Water clarity is at 40 inches. No anglers have been out the last few days. Black Crappie – Slow: Slowly drift a slip bobber and minnow along the edge of the trees out from the beach down to the north boat ramp.
Lake Darling
Water temperature is 45 degrees. Lake is high and muddy after nearly 3 inches of rain. Channel Catfish – Fair: Try fishing in Honey Creek and the flooded low areas. Largemouth Bass – No Report: It will take a while for the fish to adjust to all the extra muddy water.
Lake Geode
Water temperatures is 46 degrees. Water is fairly turbid after the rain; you can see down about 2 feet. Largemouth Bass – Slow: No anglers have been out the last couple of days. If the weather settles down, bass should come back in and feed.
Lake of the Hills
1800 rainbow trout were stocked recently. Rainbow Trout – Good: Look for trout around the shallow water habitat. use small jigs or worm and bobber. You need a valid fishing license and pay the trout fee to fish for or possess trout.
Lost Grove Lake
Water temperature is 43-45 degrees. It’s been windy and rainy this week. Largemouth Bass – Fair: Anglers are picking up some bass along the edges of the deeper water in 12-16 foot of water slow trolling deep diving crankbaits.
Skunk River (Rose Hill to Coppock)
Water level is about 2/3-3/4 bank full.
Wilson Lake
900 rainbow trout were stocked recently. Rainbow Trout – Good: Trout have settled down to their new home. Look for them around the cedar trees and culvert piles just out from shore. You need a valid fishing license and pay the trout fee to fish for or possess trout.
For more information on the above lakes and rivers call the Lake Darling Fisheries Office at 319-694-2430.
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Cedar River (La Porte City to Cedar Rapids)
Black Crappie – Fair: Anglers are catching crappie in the backwater lakes. Ellis Harbor is producing fish. Bluegill – Fair: Anglers are catching bluegill in the backwater lakes. Ellis Harbor is producing fish. Walleye – Fair: Try jigs below the dams.
Coralville Reservoir
Lake level jumped up to 684.4 feet after the rains; it is forecast to drop back to 683.6 feet. The dock is in at Macbride State Park; the Corps docks on the lake are not in yet. Black Crappie – Fair: Try bright jigs or minnows over deeper brush piles or rock bluffs. Channel Catfish – Fair: Trolling cut bait works well on warmer days. White Crappie – Fair: Try bright jigs or minnows over deeper brush piles or rock bluffs.
