Iowa Big Bass Fisher

NORTHWEST

Badger Lake

North of Ft. Dodge.  Fishing has slowed as mid summer weather conditions have arrived.  Bluegill and catfish have moved into deeper water.  Channel Catfish – Good: Catfishing is picking up; try cut bait and chicken liver.  Bluegill – Fair: Anglers have been catching some hand-sized bluegill off shore.  Crappie – Fair: Some 9 – 10 inch fish have been caught on small jigs and minnows.

Brushy Creek Lake

Nice bluegill, crappie and a few walleye are being caught.  Try the weed line for pan fish.  Water clarity is still good.  Please clean your fish at the floating fish cleaning platform at the west ramp.  Channel Catfish – Good: Catfish are hitting on liver, stink bait and night crawlers along the shore line.  Bluegill – Good: Bluegills have moved out from shore; try fishing just off the bottom in 8 to 12 feet of water.  Anglers have been having good luck using wax worms.  Crappie – Fair: Crappies are in the trees; try a small jig or minnow rig and fish in 10 to 14 feet of water.  Walleye – Fair: Walleye have been biting on minnows.

Storm Lake (including Little Storm Lake )

Fishing has slowed.  Remember that Storm Lake has a 17-22 inch slot length limit.  All walleye in that range must be immediately released.  Channel Catfish – Excellent: Still catching cats with various baits; try drifting a night crawler, under a bobber, along the rocks.  White Bass – Fair: White bass are still being caught with mini-jigs tipped with night crawlers or minnows; try casting along the rocks.  Walleye – Fair: Walleye catch has slowed considerably.

Briggs Woods Lake

Crappie and bluegill fishing is good. Channel catfish are biting on liver.

Clear Lake

Yellow bass fishing is slow, try the Little Lake area or drift fishing the reefs with live bait until you find the fish.  Channel Catfish – Fair: A few catfish are being caught with night crawlers or cut bait fished on the bottom at the Ventura grade and McIntosh State Park shoreline.  Walleye – Slow:

Boone River

Channel catfish are biting on stink bait.

Big Spirit Lake

Smallmouth Bass – Good: Use live bait, jerk baits, or jigs at rock bars and connected weed lines.  Largemouth Bass – Fair: Use soft plastics around weed beds and boat docks.  Yellow Perch – Good: Drift fish while using bottom bouncers or anchor and vertical jig with small jigging spoons tipped with worms in 20-22 foot of water.   Walleye – Fair: Drift fish with Lindy rigs or slip bobber fish around weed beds.  Fish are also being caught trolling with deep running crankbaits on the main lake basin.

East Okoboji Lake

Channel Catfish – Fair: Use stink bait or chubs around the bridges or off the docks.  Yellow Bass – Good: Vertical jig around Stoney Point and deeper water areas or near boat docks with jigging lures tipped with worms.  Fish are also being caught at wooden docks using a slip bobber and minnow.

West Okoboji Lake

Bluegill – Excellent: Fish with small hair jigs or a split shot and hook with live bait around boat docks or along weed bed edges in 15-18 foot of water.  Smallmouth Bass – Good: Fish the rock bars at Fort Dodge and Gull Points with jerk baits or live bait below a slip bobber.  Largemouth Bass – Good: Use a slip bobber and leech or spinner baits near boat docks and weed lines.  Walleye – Fair: Use slip bobber and leech around rock bars and connected weed beds.

Big Sioux River

Channel Catfish – Excellent: Use cut bait, chubs, or stink bait in deep holes and brush piles.  Flathead Catfish – Good: Use large live bait along brush piles, cut banks, and rock shorelines.

Little Sioux River (state line to Linn Grove)

Channel Catfish – Good: Use large minnow or stink bait in holes and above brush piles.  Walleye – Fair: Use twister tails around holes and riffles.

NORTHEAST

Cedar River ( Nashua to La Porte City )

The Cedar River is currently on a steady decline from recent rainfall events and anglers are reporting good catches of channel catfish in Bremer County .  Channel Catfish – Good: Cut baits and stink baits are working well for channel catfish on the Cedar. Try drifting a night crawler or leech under a bobber in shallow riffle areas as well.  Smallmouth Bass – Fair: Try casting crankbaits, spinnerbaits or jigs with a twister tail along rocky shoreline areas.  Walleye – Fair: Anglers are reporting occasional catches of walleye casting crankbaits near and along current breaks or drop-offs.

MISSISSIPPI RIVER

Mississippi River Pool 9

Channel Catfish – Excellent: Fish are being caught on stink bait.  Bluegill – Good: using night crawler on the bottom in side sloughs  Largemouth Bass – Excellent: Crankbaits on rocky shorelines  Walleye – Good: Trolling crankbaits in the side sloughs

Mississippi River Pool 10

Northern Pike – Good: most fish are being caught incidentally while fishing for bass. Use crankbaits along rocky areas.  Bluegill – Fair: Using wax worms under a bobber.  Crappie – Good: Using minnows on a slip bobber in the side sloughs.  Walleye – Good: using crankbaits in the lower ends of side sloughs. Fish are also being caught below the dam in the tailwaters.

Mississippi River Pool 11

Channel Catfish – Good: Channel catfish are being caught along the channel using night crawlers or stink bait.  Flathead Catfish – Excellent: Flathead are being caught in the tailwater using night crawlers.  White Bass – Fair: White bass can be caught in the tailwaters or along some of the wing dams using small inline spinners.  Smallmouth Bass – Good: Smallmouth are starting to being caught on the wing dams using small spinners or crankbaits.  Walleye – Good: Walleye are being caught on the wing dams either trolling crankbaits or three-way jigs tipped with night crawlers.  Freshwater Drum – Good: drum are being caught using night crawlers fished on the bottom.

River gauges: Lansing 7.89 feet; Lynxville 12.84 feet; Guttenberg 4.22 feet. Water temperature at Guttenberg has fallen to 72 degrees. The water levels in pools 9-11 steady to falling. Call Guttenberg fisheries station for current conditions at (563) 252-1156.

Mississippi River Pool 12

River stage at Dubuque is 7.19 feet and is forecast to remain stable.  Water clarity is good.  Water temperature is in the mid 70s.  Channel Catfish – Fair: Catfish are being caught on stink bait fished in 10-12 feet of water in side channels and around wing dams.  Bluegill – Fair: Bluegills have been coming on crawlers fished around rocks on wing dams with slow current in 6-9 feet of water.  Largemouth Bass – Fair: Shallow crankbaits along the floodwall up by the dam.  Also cranks on rocks along the channel.  A few fish also being caught in the harbors.  Walleye – Fair: Fish are being caught on the wind dams on three-way rigs tipped with leeches or crankbaits.  Reports of a lot of fish over 20 inches.  Freshwater Drum – Good: Fish crawlers on the bottom in areas with moderate current.

Mississippi River Pool 13

River stage at Bellevue is 4.49 feet and is forecast to slowly fall.  Water clarity is good.  Water temperature is in the mid 70s.  Northern Pike – Fair: Pike are biting on spinners and crankbaits at the mouth of Mill Creek and in the Illinois pocket below the dam in Bellevue .  Channel Catfish – Good: Catfish are biting well on stink bait fished around wing dams.  Bluegill – Fair: Reports of bluegills coming off of wing dams with slow current.  Largemouth Bass – Fair: Throw crankbaits along rocky shorelines with current or below the dam in Bellevue .  Walleye – Fair: Walleyes are on the wing dams.  Throw crankbaits or fish three-way rigs with spinners or floaters tipped with crawlers or leeches.  Freshwater Drum – Good: Fish a night crawler on the bottom in areas of moderate current.  There is good shoreline access at Pleasant Creek Recreation Area south of Bellevue .

Mississippi River Pool 14

River stage at Camanche is 9.40 feet and is forecast to remain stable to slowly fall.  Water clarity is fair.  Main channel water temps are in the mid 70s.  Channel Catfish – Good: Good numbers being caught on stink baits around wing dams.  Largemouth Bass – Fair: Bass are coming off rocks and woody structure around current.  Crankbaits have been working well.  Walleye – Good: Walleyes are on the wind dams and biting on crankbaits, three way rigs, or jigs.  Freshwater Drum – Good: Fish a piece of crawler on the bottom in areas with moderate current.

For information about fishing Pools 12 – 15 of the Mississippi River , call the Bellevue Fish Management and Research Station at 563-872-4976.

Mississippi River Pool 16

River stage at Lock and Dam 15 is 5.48 feet. Tailwater stage has risen slightly over the past few days.   Channel Catfish – Good: Channel catfish are being caught on night crawlers, leeches, and dip baits around wing dams. Some channel catfish are also being caught floating leeches under a bobber along rocky shorelines. Some channel catfish are being picked up along the Davenport Riverfront. Fishing has also been good for catfish in Andalusia Slough and Velie Chute fishing brush piles.   White Bass – Slow: White bass fishing in Sylvan Slough has been slow.  Bluegill – Good: Bluegills are being caught in the backwaters floating pieces of worm or small minnows under a bobber. Areas to try are Sunset Marina and the Andalusia Island Complex.   Crappie – Slow: Fishing for crappies in Sunset Marina and the Andalusia Island complex has been slow.   Sauger – Fair: Some saugers are being picked up on the wing dams trolling crankbaits or on three-way rigs with half a night crawler or leech.  Walleye – Fair: Walleyes are being caught trolling crankbaits on wing dams. Some fish are being picked up on three-way rigs with half a night crawler or leech fished on the front side of wing dams.

Mississippi River Pool 17

River stage at Lock and Dam 16 is 4.59 feet. Tailwater stage has risen slightly over the past few days.   Channel Catfish – Good: Channel catfish are being caught on crawlers, leeches, dip baits, and chicken liver fished around wing dams or log jams. Some channel catfish are being caught along the Muscatine Riverfront on night crawlers. Some channel catfish are being caught fishing leeches under a bobber along riprap shorelines.   White Bass – Slow: White bass fishing has been hit or miss. Some fish are being caught up by the dam and on the wing dams on crankbaits and jigs/twister combinations.   Bluegill – Fair: Some bluegills are being caught in Big Timber floating pieces of worm or small minnows under a bobber.  Crappie – No Report:  Walleye – Fair: Some walleyes are being caught trolling crankbaits along the fronts of wing dams. Anchoring above wing dams and casting crankbaits has been producing some fish as well.

Mississippi River Pool 18

River stage at Lock and Dam 17 is 6.06 feet. River stage has risen slightly over the past few days.    Channel Catfish – Good: Channel cats are being caught on night crawlers, leeches, dip baits, and chicken liver. Some channel catfish are starting to be picked up floating leeches under a bobber along rocky shorelines.   White Bass – Slow: A few white bass are being picked up by the dam fishing jig and twisters and small crankbaits.   Bluegill – Fair: Bluegills are being caught in the backwaters on pieces of night crawler or a small minnow floating under a bobber.   Crappie – No Report:   Sauger – Fair: A few saugers are being picked up while fishing for walleyes on the wing dams.   Walleye – Fair: A few walleyes are being caught trolling crankbaits on the wing dams. Some are also being caught on three-way rigs with half a night crawler fished in front of the wing dams.

Mississippi River Pool 19

River stage at Lock and Dam 18 is 3.33 feet.   Channel Catfish – Good: Channel catfish are being caught on night crawlers, leeches, dip baits, and chicken liver fished around wing dams and log jams.  Some channel catfish are starting to be picked up floating leeches and night crawlers under a bobber along the riprap shoreline at Ft. Madison .   White Bass – Slow:   Bluegill – Slow:   Crappie – Slow:   Sauger – Slow:   Walleye – Fair: A few walleyes are being picked up on the wing dams around Burlington trolling crankbaits and on three-way rigs tipped with half a night crawler.

Mississippi River Pools 16-20: River levels have risen slightly over the past few days throughout Pools 16-20 of the Mississippi River . Main channel water temperature is around 75 degrees. For more information on fishing Pools 16-20 of the Mississippi River contact the Fairport Fish Hatchery at 563-263-5062.

SOUTHEAST

Skunk River (Coppock to Mississippi River )

The river level looks to have stabilized.  There is still plenty of water to run a boat up the river.  Channel Catfish – Good: Catfishing has been good.  Its the time of the year to look for them to be under Mulberry trees feeding on the berries dropping into the water.  Flathead Catfish – Good: Anglers are still catching some nice flatheads on the river.

Iowa River ( Columbus Junction to Mississippi River )

Channel Catfish – Good: Look for the channel cats along the edges of the sand bars and in the mouths of any feeder creeks.  Flathead Catfish – Fair: A few fish are still being caught on bank lines.  The spawning has started so the fish aren’t moving around as much now.

Coralville Reservoir

As of July 9, the lake level is 690 feet and has been dropping 4-6 inches each day.  Normal pool is 683 feet. Channel Catfish – Fair: Some channel catfish are being caught drifting shad or bluegills, while some are being caught off the rock banks of live bait and even crankbaits.  Flathead Catfish – Fair: Anglers casting crankbaits have been picking up some flatheads along sloping rock banks.

Iowa River ( Coralville Lake to River Junction)

Recent flows coming out of the Coralville dam have been hovering just under 6,000 cubic feet per second, which is the summer maximum allowed output.  Channel Catfish – Good: Cut bait had been producing well while the river levels were up.  Flathead Catfish – Good: Fish around creek mouths and pool eddies with live bait.

Most area water temps are in the upper 70s.

Rathbun Reservoir

Lake Rathbun water temperature is in the upper 70s.  The lake level is currently at 910.27 feet which is just over six feet above normal pool.  Channel catfish – Good: Use night crawlers or cut bait to catch channel catfish around the rip rapped areas around the South Fork and Bridgeview bridges.  Some channel catfish are also being caught by walleye anglers trolling crankbaits.  White Bass – Good: Use flashy blade baits or chrome colored baits to mimic shad.  Try areas with some underwater structure or a change in depth.  The area around Island View has been productive.  Crappie – Slow: Crappies are being caught around flooded vegetation along the shoreline.  A lot of crappies are being caught but most of them are less than 8 inches, with an occasional fish over 10 inches.  Tube jigs with minnows have been working the best.  Walleye – Slow: Try drifting night crawlers or trolling crankbaits around underwater islands and ridges.  Large numbers of smaller walleye are being caught with an occasional keeper.  The South Fork flats and the area around Island View have been producing some catches of keepers.

SOUTHWEST

Don Williams Lake

Crappie – Fair: Drift fishing mid lake on the upper half with small tube jigs or minnows has produced is producing some fish.

Big Creek Lake

Channel Catfish – Fair: Large catfish are being caught in deeper water using leeches.  Bluegill – Excellent: Bluegill bite is good using small pieces of crawler under a bobber or small tube jigs fished near sunken brush piles or drifting near the mouths of the bays.  Crappie – Good: Crappies can be caught drifting deeper water out from the West boat ramp and near the handicap dock using small jigs.  Good catches of crappie are also being caught fishing over the submerged brush piles.  Pink, white, and green twisters work well.

Hickory Grove Lake

Bluegill – Fair: Bluegills can be caught drifting over submerged pallet piles with just a split shot and small piece of crawler.  Crappie – Slow: Crappies are being caught by drifting or anchoring over submerged pallet piles in 15 foot of water or less using small tube jigs or minnows.

Hooper Area Pond

Fishing was slow for Bass when I was there on Sunday.

Lake Ahquabi

Channel Catfish – Good: Catfish are being caught on liver and stink baits.  Bluegill – Good: Good sized bluegills are being caught using crawlers fished near the bottom at the edge of the weed beds.  Largemouth Bass – Excellent: Bass are hitting well on any type of weed-less rig fished through the open pockets in the weed beds and along tree falls.

Red Rock Reservoir

White Bass – Excellent: The white bass bite is excellent trolling crankbaits or Kastmaster type lures with black/silver or silver/green color combinations to imitate shad.  The better fish are 15 to 17 inches.

Saylorville Reservoir

Channel Catfish – Good: Catfishing is good in the mornings and late evenings fishing with cut bait, shrimp, or leeches.  White Bass – Good: White bass are hitting near Sandpiper, Cherry Glen, and the Mile Long Bridge .  They are being caught by trolling Kastmaster style lures through 15 foot of water or less.  Silver, green/silver, or gold colors are working best.

Des Moines River ( Stratford to Saylorville Lake )

Channel Catfish – Good: Channel catfish are being caught using cut bait, liver, or night crawlers fished near any wood cover.

Des Moines River (Saylorville to Red Rock)

Channel Catfish – Good: Good sized channel catfish are being caught below the Saylorville spillway using leeches.

Greenfield Lake

Greenfield Lake has a concrete boat ramp and is trolling motor only.   Channel Catfish – Fair: Fish are being caught close to shore around rock.   Bluegill – Fair: Bluegills up to 9 inches are being caught drifting small black jigs tipped with night crawler.  Largemouth Bass – Fair: Greenfield Lake has a good population of 12 to 15 inch fish. Cast spinnerbaits or plastic baits along weed edges and in cedar tree piles.

Binder Lake

Water quality is good and the rooted vegetation is starting to recede.

Lake Icaria

The lake level is near normal and the water quality near the dam is good.  Water temps are near 75.  Bullhead – Good: A lot of fish 6 to 10 inches can be caught on crawlers.  Largemouth Bass – Fair: Several fish up to 20 inches can be caught from the fish mounds and the structure.  Walleye – Fair: A few walleye are being caught from the mounds.

West Lake (Osceola)

Water quality is good and the lake level is near normal.

Three Mile Lake

Water quality is good and water levels are normal.  Water temps are above 70.  Largemouth Bass – Fair: Several fish are biting from structure on spinners and crankbaits.  Walleye – Fair: Some walleye are biting from steep shoreline areas and dirt mounds on small crankbaits.

Twelve Mile Creek Lake

Water quality is good and the lake level is near normal.  Bullhead – Good: A lot of nice bullheads can be caught using crawlers.  Bluegill – Fair: The bluegill fishing has slowed a bit.  A few nice fish from 6 to 8 inches can be picked up using crawlers from the near shore rocky areas.  The areas near the jetties and west shore have been the most successful.  Largemouth Bass – Fair: A few mid-sized fish can be caught from the structure and rock covered areas.  Walleye – Fair: A few walleye are biting from the open points, steep drop-off areas on crankbaits.

A few bluegills are still biting fairly well at a lot of lakes near shore.  A few largemouth bass are biting at several lakes.  Water temps are usually in the mid 70s and water quality at most lakes is fair or good.