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Top Iowa Fishing Spots for the Week of April 26.
This weekly fishing report is compiled from information gathered from local bait shops, angler creel surveys and county and state parks staff. For current information, contact the district fisheries office at the phone number listed at the end of each district report.
Black
Hawk Lake
Water temperatures are in the mid 50's. Expect fishing to pick back up as water continues
to warm. Bluegill - Fair: Use waxworms and crawlers in the marina. Action has slowed a bit, but a few have been picked up in Town Bay,
along Ice House Point and from the inlet bridge. Black
Crappie - Slow: Use crawlers and minnows fished from shore and the floating dock. Walleye - Slow: Expect
walleye shore fishing action to pick up as water temperatures gradually warm. Fish
a minnow or leech under a bobber or throw a twister along the Ice House Point
shoreline, North Shore, and East Shore near the outlet.
Storm
Lake (including Little Storm Lake)
Water temperature is in the mid 50's. Walleye - Fair: Throw twisters or fish minnows under a bobber from the state marina. Decent walleye action along the north shore near
Chautauqua Park. White
Bass - Fair: Anglers are having luck fishing from shore on the east side and
from the marina. Black Crappie -
Fair: Catch crappie from the marina using minnows and a twister.
Action should pick up as water temperatures continue to warm up. For more information, contact the Black Hawk District office at 712-657-2638.
Beeds
Lake
Beeds Lake is ice free.
Clear
Lake
Clear Lake is about 95 percent ice free. Water temperature is 46 degrees. The docks are in at the city beach ramp
and the Island boat ramp. Black Crappie
- Good: Crappies are biting in the cannels and fishing off the jetties. Walleye - Fair: Walleyes are starting
to bite near the outlet. Best time to fish is after sunset. Be aware - DNR staff
have nets set in this area.
Crystal
Lake
Crystal Lake is about 95 percent ice free.
Lake
Cornelia
Lake Cornelia is ice free. The docks at the boat ramp are in.
Lower
Pine Lake
The docks at the boat ramp are in.
Upper
Pine Lake
The docks at the boat ramp are in.
For information on the lakes and rivers in the north central area, contact the Clear Lake Fish and Wildlife office at 641-357-3517.
East
Okoboji Lake
Channel
Catfish - Good: Ice out brings excellent channel catfish fishing as catfish go
on a feeding frenzy. The north end of the lake and bridges has extensive open water. Fish these areas for some early "pole bending”
action.
Silver
Lake (Palo Alto)
Silver Lake is open. Report of boat traffic last weekend. Walleye - Fair: Numbers of
fish are reported caught.
Ice is receding from the Iowa Great Lakes. Open water exists at the bridges and the north
end of East Okoboji, Minnewashta, Upper and Lower Gar Lakes. For more information throughout the week, contact the Spirit Lake Fish Hatchery at 712-336-1840.
Cedar River (above Nashua)
Water clarity is improving slowly. Water levels up but stable. Visit the USGS
Current Water Data website for current water level information. Walleye - No Report: Walleye
bite slowed down a lot with rise and low visibility. Channel Catfish - Good: Catch catfish in the impoundments with dead
chubs fished on bottom.
Decorah District Streams
Area trout streams are in good condition. Catchable trout are stocked weekly as weather and water conditions
permit. Listen
to the trout stocking hotline (563-927-5736) for daily plans. Plan a trip to your favorite trout stream. Check out this year’s trout stream
stocking calendar. Brook Trout - Good: Use a streamer to mimic
minnows or subsurface flies like scuds or pheasant tail nymphs. Brown Trout - Good: Insect hatches are on the rise, especially in the afternoons. Use small midge, caddis, or flashy streamer patterns. Rainbow Trout - Good: Float a feathered spinner or crankbait past a freshly stocked
fish. A piece of worm under a bobber also works in the deeper holes.
Lake Hendricks
Ice went off earlier this week. Water levels are up and the water is
off color. Black Crappie - No
Report: The bite should improve as water temperature warms.
Lake Meyer
Anglers are out, but the bite is slow. The boat dock is out.
Upper
Iowa River (above Decorah)
Water clarity is poor, but improving. Water is bank full, but is currently stable. Water temperatures are rising. White
Sucker - Slow: Bite should improve with warmer temperatures. Use worms fished
on the bottom.
Upper
Iowa River (below Decorah)
Water levels are relatively stable, but clarity is poor. Visit the USGS Current Water Data website
for more information.
Volga Lake
Anglers are enjoying the sun and dunking worms. Docks are in. Black Crappie - Slow: Shallow, warmer
areas are more productive. Largemouth
Bass - Slow: Use a shallow jerk bait with slow retrieve.
Spring is finally here - just in time for the weekend. Temperatures are reaching
low 60s for highs, staying above freezing at night. Turbid and high water
levels on area rivers and streams. For current fishing information, please call the Decorah Fish Hatchery at 563-382-8324.
Cedar
River (Nashua to La Porte City)
River levels remain high and muddy. Anglers are very well catching channel catfish. Channel Catfish - Excellent: Use cut bait.
Heritage
Pond
Heritage Pond was stocked April 14th with both rainbow
and brook trout. Trout fishing should be good; the weather forecast looks to be
more of average seasonal temperatures next week. Brook Trout - Fair: Cast and retrieve flashy spinner baits like a panther martin jig or
similar jigs and spinners. Rainbow Trout
- Fair: Cast and retrieve flashy spinner baits like a panther martin jig or
similar jigs and spinners.
Maquoketa
River (above Monticello)
Reports of anglers catching walleye, smallmouth bass, channel
catfish and even an occasional trout on the Maquoketa River in Delaware County.
The river remains up a bit, but clarity is not bad. Walleye - Good: Cast and retrieve a jig with plastics tipped with a
minnow. Smallmouth Bass - Fair: Cast
and retrieve a jig with plastics tipped with a minnow. Channel Catfish - Fair: Try cut bait fished on the bottom.
North
Prairie Lake
Reports of anglers catching trout. Trout fishing should be good; the weather forecast
looks to be more of average seasonal temperatures next week. Brook Trout - Fair: Cast and retrieve flashy spinner baits like a panther martin jig or
similar jigs and spinners. Rainbow Trout
- Fair: Cast and retrieve flashy spinner baits like a panther martin jig or
similar jigs and spinners. Largemouth
Bass
- Fair: Cast artificial crankbaits.
Shell
Rock River (Greene to Shell Rock)
The Shell Rock River has been high and muddy, but is starting to
drop in water levels. No fishing reports for this week.
Wapsipinicon
River (Tripoli to Troy Mills)
No reports on the Wapsipinicon River as the river continues to
rise and remains muddy. It may the perfect time to try for some catfish on the
backwater areas of the river. Channel
Catfish - Fair: Use cut bait fished on the bottom.
Few fishing report this past week as interior rivers are high and muddy from recent precipitation. Trout stream stockings continue and streams remain in good condition. There have been few reports of crappie being caught on area lakes. Call the N.E. Iowa district
office at 563-927-3276 for more information.
Mississippi River Pool 9
River level at Lansing is still rising at 10.4 feet and is expected to reach 13.4 feet this
week. Water temperature is near 50 degrees. Look for backwaters and areas of lesser current away from the main
channel that concentrate fish. Walleye - Fair: Walleye bite should pick up after spawning. Look for alternate areas to
fish as the tailwaters have a lot of current. Yellow Perch - Slow: Perch are still in spawning areas along the rocky shorelines and near
the tailwaters of the dam. Expect the bite to pick up again once temperatures
rise. Sauger - Slow: Sauger are in spawning mode, but the recent cool down in water
temperatures will prolong the spawn. Northern
Pike - Slow: Pike spawn is ending; anglers report catching some nice pike with live
bait.
Mississippi River Pool 10
River level at Lynxville has come up several feet to 20.1 feet with a steady rise to 23.6 feet expected. Water temperature is 51 degrees. Look for backwaters and areas of lesser current away from the main
channel that concentrate fish. Walleye- Fair: Walleye bite should pick up after spawning. Look for alternate areas to
fish as the tailwaters have a lot of current. Yellow Perch - Good: Perch are still in spawning areas along the rocky shorelines and
near the tailwaters of the dam. Expect the bite to pick up again once temperatures
rise. Sauger - Fair: Sauger are in spawning mode, but the recent cool down in water
temperatures will prolong the spawn. Northern Pike - Fair: Pike spawn is ending; anglers report catching some nice pike with live bait.
Mississippi River Pool 11
River level at Guttenberg has risen to 11.1 feet with a steady rise to 14.6 feet predicted. The gates are all up at the Lock and Dam. Water temperature is 51 degrees. Look for backwaters and areas of lesser current away from the main
channel that concentrate fish. Walleye - Fair: Walleye bite should pick up after spawning. Look for alternate areas to
fish as the tailwaters have a lot of current. Yellow Perch - Fair: Perch are still in spawning areas along the rocky shorelines and
near the tailwaters of the dam. Expect the bite to pick up again once temperatures
rise. Sauger - Fair: Sauger are in spawning mode, but the recent cool down in water
temperatures will prolong the spawn. Northern Pike - Fair: Pike spawn is ending; anglers report catching some nice pike with live bait.
The Upper Mississippi River is on the rise with snow-melt from up
north. Water clarity is diminishing as levels rise. The bite has improved this
week with water temperatures jumping into the 50's. Expect a fast warm-up and
increase in fish activity as temperatures rise.
Mississippi River Pool 12
Water levels are rising and presently at 9.7 feet at the Dubuque Lock
and 11.5 feet at the RR Bridge. Levels are up from last week, and will continue
to rise all week. The channel water temperature is around 46 degrees. Yellow Perch - No Report: Some scattered reports of ring perch catches earlier, but not many people out
fishing for them. Northern
Pike - No Report: The pike spawn is late this year due to the weather; they might be still
spawning some. Once done, pike can go on a good bite. Try flashy spinners. Walleye - Fair: Fishing picked up a bit this week. Most anglers are using crankbaits.
Some walleyes may still be spawning.
Mississippi River Pool 13
Water levels at Bellevue are 10.8 feet and are rising. Both
Bellevue City ramp and the DNR ramp are open, but no courtesy dock is available yet at the DNR ramp. Paddlefish season is over for the year. The channel water temperature is around 48 degrees. Paddlefish - No Report: Paddlefish season is closed for the year. Sauger - Slow: Hit or miss. Some reports of sauger being caught. Most are being taken on minnow rigs. Walleye – Fair: Nice slot fish are occasionally reported, but fishing is slow. Pulling crank baits is the most consistent method. Largemouth
Bass - No Report: Expect the bite for bass and panfish to really start to
pick up this week.
Mississippi River Pool 14
Water levels are rising and are 9.7 feet at Fulton, 12.6 feet at
Camanche and 7.3 feet at LeClaire. The water temperature is around 50 degrees. Paddlefish season is now
closed. Paddlefish - No Report: Paddlefish season is closed for the year. Walleye -
Slow: Walleye had an extended spawn on the Mississippi River this year. Some
are being taken on crankbaits mostly in the tailwater area. Largemouth
Bass
- No Report: Expect the largemouth bass fishing to really pick up this week. Fish
the newly flooded areas in the backwaters as the water rises this week.
Mississippi River Pool 15
Water levels are 9.8 feet at Rock Island. Water levels are up from last week and will be on a steady rise this
upcoming week. Conditions are still favorable for angling.
Expect a significant water rise this week throughout the district. Water
temperatures have reached 50 degrees in some places. Paddlefish season is closed for the year. If you have any angling questions, please contact the Bellevue Fisheries
Station 563-872-4976.
Mississippi River Pool 16
Tailwater stage is 10.71 feet at Lock and Dam 15 in the Quad Cities and has been rising the past few days. There has been some walleye and sauger fishing in Sylvan Slough. Walleye - Fair: Some
walleyes are being caught in Sylvan Slough with jigs and plastics. Try fishing
around the outflows by the power dam and Arsenal Dam. White Crappie - Fair: Use waxworms or minnows under a bobber in
Sunset Marina. Bluegill - Fair: Use waxworms
under a bobber in Sunset Marina.
Mississippi River Pool 17
Tailwater stage is 9.46 feet at Lock and Dam 16 in Muscatine and has been rising the past few days. River stage is forecasted to reach 12.3 feet by the middle of next week.
Flood stage is 15 feet. Walleye -
Slow: Look for walleyes in the tailwaters or down by GPC. Try vertical jigging
with minnows or trolling three-way rigs with stick baits. White
Crappie - No Report: Look for crappies in the backwaters. Use jigs and
plastics or minnows under a bobber in Big Timber or Cleveland Slough.
Mississippi River Pool 18
Tailwater stage is 11.27 feet at Lock and Dam 17 at New Boston and is rising. The gates are out of the water at the dam. River stage is
forecasted to reach 13.6 feet by the middle of next week. Flood stage is 15 feet. We have not received any
fishing reports for this pool this week. White
Crappie - No Report: Look for crappies in the backwaters. Try jigs and
minnows or minnows under a bobber around brush piles.
Mississippi River Pool 19
Tailwater stage is 7.47 feet at Lock and Dam 18 above Burlington and is rising. River stage is forecasted to reach 9 feet by the middle of next week.
Flood stage at Lock and Dam 18 is 10 feet. We have not received any fishing
reports for this pool this week.
River stages have been on the rise the past few days. Main channel water
temperature has risen to 52-53 degrees. We have not
received much for fishing reports this week. If you have questions on fishing Pools 16-19, contact the Fairport Fish Hatchery at 563-263-5062.
Big Hollow Lake
Water temperature is up to 50 degrees the last couple of days. Just need some
warm days to get it going up to normal. Very little angler activity because of
the weather.
Environmental
Discovery Park North Pond
Rainbow
Trout
- Fair: Still plenty of trout left from this Spring’s stocking. Pick a nice
warm days and go catch a limit.
Lake Belva Deer
Water warming up a little, but the fishing remains slow. Largemouth Bass - Slow: A few
are getting picked up in the deeper water. Try on the upper end of the lake
around the mounds.
Lake Darling
Water temperature is up to 54 degrees after several days of 70 degree weather. Water clarity is good 6+ feet. Black Crappie - Fair: Crappies are starting to move to shallow water to feed. The spawn is
still several weeks out. Largemouth
Bass
- Fair: Anglers are starting to catch bass in shallower water. Still have to
work them pretty slow. Channel Catfish
- Good: Anglers are catching some nice stringers of catfish, mostly using nightcrawlers.
Lost Grove Lake
A few anglers have been out. Cold, windy weather doesn't make for
the best fishing weather. Largemouth
Bass - Slow: With the warmer weather, the bass are starting to move in shallower to
feed. Work the rip rap and jetties on the North side of the lake. Black
Crappie - Fair: Crappies are starting to move shallow to feed; concentrate
efforts on the North side bays and along the rip rap where the water is
warmest.
For more information on the above lakes, contact the Lake Darling Fisheries Office at 319-694-2430.
Central Park Lake
The lake is currently drained as a renovation project is finishing up this spring.
Coralville Reservoir
The lake is at normal spring pool of 679.4 feet. Boating above Lake Macbride Park is not recommended at this water level. Channel Catfish - Slow: Try cut bait in the channel; above Mehaffey bridge is best. White
Crappie – Slow.
Diamond Lake
No minnows are allowed here. The fish cleaning station is open. Black
Crappie - Fair: Try small jigs fished around the rock jetties or brush piles.
Most fish are 8-9 inches.
Kent Park Lake
The lake is currently drained for a lake renovation project currently underway. It is scheduled to be completed next spring.
Lake Macbride
Water temperatures are in the low to mid 50's. All boat docks are in. All motor
sizes may be used at no-wake speed (5 mph). Black
Crappie - Fair: Some fish have moved to shallow structure while others remain over
deeper trees. There are lots of 10-12 inch crappies in the system. Walleye
- Slow: Smaller males are still in the shallows for the spawn, while most
females are deeper, waiting to spawn or recovering from spawning. Fishing
should improve once the spawn is done.
Otter
Creek Lake
Not much fishing activity here yet. The fish cleaning station
should be open for the weekend.
Pleasant Creek Lake
The lake is still 7-8 inches low from the restoration project. The
main ramp is usable, but it is shallow; use caution. There is a boat dock in on
the east lane. Be cautious when boating as new structures have started to be
submerged. Water tempertures this week were in the low 50's. Walleye –
Slow. Muskellunge – Slow.
Prairie Park Fishery
Iowa residents and nonresidents who are required to have a fishing license must pay the Trout Fee to fish for or possess trout. Exception: Anglers under 16 years old may possess or fish for trout without having paid the Trout Fee if they fish with a properly licensed adult who has paid the Trout Fee and together their combined limit is 5. Rainbow
Trout - Fair: Try small jigs, spinners, live bait or artificial scented
baits. Brook Trout – Fair.
Sand
Lake
Iowa
residents and nonresidents who are required to have a fishing license must pay
the Trout Fee to fish for or possess trout. Exception: Anglers under 16 years
old may possess or fish for trout without having paid the Trout Fee if they
fish with a properly licensed adult who has paid the Trout Fee and together
their combined limit is 5. Rainbow Trout
- Good: Worms work best. Brook Trout - Good. Black Crappie - Fair.
Terry Trueblood Lake
You must have a fishing license and trout stamp to fish for and/or
possess trout. Brook Trout – Fair. Rainbow Trout – Fair.
Union
Grove Lake
The lake was refilled in the spring of 2016 and restocked at that
time. Most fish are smaller, but some adult fish were also added. All docks are
in. A few people have been fishing here, but no catches reported.
For more information, contact the Lake Macbride Fisheries Station at 319-624-3615.
Lake Sugema
The water temperature is in the mid to upper 40's. Walleye - Slow: Use jig and minnow
combinations in areas with rip-rapped shorelines. Largemouth Bass - Fair: Try spinnerbaits or crankbaits along the
fishing jetties and rip-rapped shorelines.
Lake Wapello
Channel
Catfish - Fair: Use cut bait along the windblown shorelines. Largemouth Bass - Slow: Try
spinnerbaits around the cedar tree piles.
Ottumwa
Park Pond South
Trout were stocked on March 30th. Try small tube and twister jigs, in-line spinners or casting
spoons.
Rathbun Reservoir
The current lake level is 903.66 msl. Normal operating elevation is 904.0 msl. Lake Rathbun has zebra mussels, so make sure to properly drain, clean, and dry equipment before transporting to another water body. The water temperature is in the upper 40's. Channel Catfish
- Fair: Use shad sides or cut bait on the windblown shorelines.
Red Haw Lake
Channel
Catfish - Slow: Use cut bait along the windblown shorelines. Largemouth Bass - Slow: Use
spinnerbaits or rubber worms in the shorelines, they will warm first in the
spring.
The district includes Mahaska, Lucas, Wayne, Monroe, Appanoose, Wapello, Davis and Van Buren counties. Contact the Rathbun Fish Hatchery at 641-647-2406 with questions about fishing in south central Iowa.
Big
Creek Lake
Walleye - Fair: Walleyes are being caught off points and rip rap shorelines in the mid
and lower lake. Use jig and twister tails,
jig and minnow, or slow trolling minnow rigs.
Don
Williams Lake
Black
Crappie - Fair: Slowly troll or drift small twister tails mid-lake or
just out from the east shoreline. Expect to fish through some 5-7 inch fish for
the 9-10 inchers.
Lake
Ahquabi
Black
Crappie - Fair: Cast twister tails or minnows under a bobber around the
rock jetties, fish house and trail bridge.
For more information on Central Iowa lakes and rivers, contact Andy Otting or Ben Dodd at 515-432-2823.
Cold
Springs District Farm Ponds
Farm ponds can offer good spring fishing. Always get permission to
fish privately owned ponds. Bluegill
- Fair: Bluegills are still in a winter pattern and can be caught around deep
structure. Black Crappie - Fair:
Crappies are getting active before the spawning period. Look for them just off
shore and around shallow structure. Largemouth
Bass - Good: As the water temperature warms, bass become very active and
can be caught with a variety of lures and plugs. Channel Catfish - Good: Channel catfish feed heavily in the spring
on dead fish. Use cut bait or shad sides in the windy shorelines.
Farm
Creek Lake
Farm Creek Lake will offer good early spring crappie fishing in
the upper end as water temperatures warm.
Lake
Anita
Crappie fishing should get good this week in the pontoon arm of the
lake. Black
Crappie - Fair: Cast a jig two feet under a bobber in the pontoon area of the lake.
Limits of crappie are being taken on warm sunny days. Bluegill - Slow: A few
quality size bluegills are being caught.
Lake
Manawa
Warm sunny days offer good crappie fishing in the canals. Lake
Manawa is also a good destination for early spring catfishing. White Crappie - Fair: A few crappies
are being caught in the canals. Warm sunny days are best. Channel Catfish - Fair: Fish the windy shoreline with shad
sides or cut bait. Channel catfish in Manawa are all sizes.
Meadow
Lake
Meadow has a good population of 10 inch black crappie.
Prairie
Rose Lake
Prairie Rose will offer good panfishing this spring. The lake has
quality sized bluegills and crappies are
acceptable size. Target the brush piles. Black
Crappie - Fair: Crappies are starting to be caught around the jetties and in
tree piles. Fish will average 9 inches. Largemouth
Bass - Good: There is a large population of 12 inch bass in the lake that
offers fun catch and release fishing.
Viking
Lake
Find early spring crappies in the campground arm and behind the
pontoon area. A few bass are being caught in the deeper brush piles. Black
Crappie - Fair: Crappies are starting to be caught behind the pontoon boats fishing
a minnow under a bobber. White Crappie
- Slow: An angler reports catching a few large white crappies in deep brush
piles and around underwater reefs. Largemouth
Bass
- Fair: Jig plastics in deeper brush piles.
Fishing should pick up with temperatures forecasted to warm over the
weekend and next week. For more information, contact the Cold
Springs office at 712-769-2587.
Little
River Watershed Lake
Walleye - Fair: Catch walleyes up to 22 inches with jigs tipped
with a minnow or trolling along the dam. Largemouth
Bass - Fair: Catch largemouth bass up to 18 inches using jigs fished near
cedar tree brush piles.
Twelve
Mile Creek Lake
Largemouth
Bass
- Slow: Largemouth bass of all sizes have been caught with jigs fished along
cedar tree brush piles.
Lakes in the Mount Ayr district are 100% ice free. Water
temperature in most district lakes is is in the upper 40's to low 50's. For more information, please call the Mount Ayr
Fisheries office at 641-464-3108.
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