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The
catfish bite is hot in many lakes and the large reservoirs across Iowa. Try
this fun early spring fishing tradition – invite someone to come along.
Grab your gear and venture to one of these hotspots suggested by our fisheries
biologists. Early spring catfish are the best tasting catfish you can find.
Northwest
-
Clear
Lake, Cerro Gordo County – cast for large catfish
20- to 30-inches long around McIntosh Woods State Park and Ventura Access in
the lake's west end. Cut chubs work well early in the season.
- Chautauqua
Point at Storm Lake, Buena Vista
County – loaded with 1.5- to 5-pound channel catfish. The Chautauqua jetty often
collects drifting food items. Use shad guts or cut pieces of shad.
- Drilling's
Point at Black Hawk
Lake,
Sac County – find large channel catfish with the biggest
fish weighing more than 5 pounds and many 2- to 4-pound fish. Try along the
lakeside shoreline of the state marina (Drilling's Point); catfish gather here
when a southerly wind creates a current that rips across the point.
-
Lake Cornelia, Wright
County – lots of smaller-sized catfish 12- to 20-inches long. Try along the
north shore in the county park.
-
Little Wall
Lake,
Hamilton County – catch catfish of all sizes. Try the north end of the lake on
warm days with southerly wind.
Northeast
- Independence Impoundment
of the Wapsipinicon River (Buchanan County), Waverly Impoundment of the
Cedar River (Bremer County), and Lake Delhi of the Maquoketa River (Delaware County) – target shallow
bays near deeper water with exposure to southern breezes and sunshine (typically
on the north shores); water warms earlier in these areas and the wind carries
in food.
-
Volga Lake in Volga River
State Recreation Area, Fayette County – catfish here range in size from 9-
to 31-inches. Many 11- to 14-inch fish can be caught along with trophy fish
from 24-, 27-, and up to 31-inches. A 700-foot paved walkway accessible from
the boat ramp, two jetties, and a universally accessible fishing dock provides
easy access.
Southeast
-
Iowa River (Louisa
County) and Skunk River (Washington
and Des Moines counties) – target the mouths of feeder creeks; catfish gather
in these areas to look for carcasses of fish or other organisms that didn’t
survive the winter.
-
Lake Odessa, Louisa County – target wind-blown
shores where catfish eat the carcasses of gizzard shad that didn’t survive the
cold winter temperatures.
-
Rathbun
Reservoir,
Appanoose County – one of Iowa's premier ice-out catfish destinations. Cut bait
is a favorite of local anglers for the first few weeks following ice-out. Anglers
often fill their 15-fish limit (large reservoirs have the same limit as rivers).
Catfish sizes are always excellent.
Southwest
-
Greenfield City Reservoir, Adair County – a paved walking trail around the lake provides easy shoreline access. A west or northwest wind will move catfish into the shallow east end of the lake; perfect for early spring catfishing.
-
Lake Icaria, Adams County – lots of channel catfish of all sizes. Fish in shallow (2-4 feet of water) mud flats or bays along the north shoreline in the east arm of the lake. Use cut shad hooked through once on a 1/0 or 2/0 circle or baitholder hook. Cast a small egg sinker with a small split shot placed 6-12 inches above the hook or no weight at all into shallow mud flats or bays. Try also drift fishing along the shallow mud flats.
-
Lake Manawa and Carter Lake, Pottawattamie County – these oxbow lakes with large areas of shallow water are well stocked with channel catfish. Use cut shad on the bottom close to the bank where the wind is blowing.
-
Lake Orient, Adair County – lots of 15-to 18-inch channel catfish are eager to bite in this shallow lake. A south wind moves the fish to the campground shoreline.
-
Prairie Rose Lake, Shelby County – recently renovated, this lake has lots of 17- to 20-inch channel catfish. A west or northwest wind moves the fish to the south and east portions of the lake where shoreline access is good.
Sign up for the weekly fishing report to find out where the catfish bite is the hottest. Get more tips for catching catfish on our website.
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