Fishing in Central Iowa
Rainbow trout are making their way back to Council Bluffs. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources, in conjunction with Western Historic Trails Center, plans to stock 1,500 trout Friday afternoon..
This fall and winter the center’s Sauganash Pond will be the only area stocked. The park renovation project and the lowering of the water level at West Big Lake in Big Lake Park will prevent any stocking there until next spring.
A broken sewer main sent an unknown amount of untreated human wastes into one of Iowa’s most heavily used recreation spots, Big Spirit Lake.
The sewage district discovered the spill Wednesday. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is investigating. Swimmers are warned to stay out of the water in the southwest corner of the lake, but didn’t say for how long. That general area includes Orleans Beach, though DNR’s statement didn’t specifically mention that swimming area. Sewage had run into a ditch, then through a tile line into the lake, which is one of the state’s largest and part of the Iowa Great Lakes resort area.
The wastewater was entering the water at the southwest corner of Big Spirit Lake. The sewage district has applied lime to the ground to kill bacteria. The Spirit Lake water supply was notified, though its processes would kill any bacteria.
Fish from the lake are safe to eat if properly cooked. I would not go swimming there anytime soon. I would also avoid the northern beaches on East Okoboji. The spill was reportedly only gray water and not solid waste.
A boating safety enforcement project on the Missouri and Big Sioux rivers near Sioux City over the weekend resulted in six arrests including five for boating while intoxicated and one for operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated.
The joint project between the Iowa Department of Natural Resources and the South Dakota Game Fish and Parks conducted the project for several hours Saturday night. Field sobriety tests were conducted on 11 boat operators which resulted in the five BWI arrests.
Iowa DNR Conservation Officer Steve Griebel said there were also two boat operators who had blood alcohol readings above .08 but less than .10. The blood alcohol level in Iowa is .10. In Nebraska and South Dakota, the blood alcohol level is .08.
“I think the project was successful,” said Griebel. “The majority of the families on the river are being safe, but too many boaters are disregarding boating safety laws and putting themselves and others at risk. We want people to have fun boating, but safety needs to be their priority on any body of water.”
The Missouri and Big Sioux rivers hazards include a fast current, both are narrow and have a lot of debris.
In addition to the six arrests, the project handed out 13 citations for safety and equipment violations primarily for not having the proper number of lifejackets and for speed and distance violations. Officers also handed out four written warnings and gave three verbal warnings.
A 30-year-old man died after he was sucked off his Jet Ski and into the roller dam near the 2500 block of Old River Road in Cedar Rapids Wednesday night. Witnesses said the man and a 36-year-old woman were riding separate Jet Skis on the Cedar River. The man got close to the dam several times and eventually was sucked under the current at about 7:45 p.m. “You could see the man come up and go back down a couple times, and then he just never came back up,” said Brett Rettenmeier, 20, who was fishing on the river. The female rider attempted to go toward the roller dam and jump into the water to help the man, but bystanders yelled for her to get out, said Cedar Rapids Fire Department spokesman Greg Buelow. She returned to her craft and went to shore. Firefighters who responded to the scene quickly realized they would be performing a river recovery instead of a river rescue because of how long the victim had been under the water, Buelow said. Firefighters launched boats from the Cole Street and Old River Road boat ramps for the recovery. They also positioned a 100-feet ladder and used equipment to retrieve the victim. The victim was wearing a life vest, but it could not help him because of the strength of the undercurrents, Buelow said. The man was pronounced dead at the scene and was transported to St. Luke’s Hospital. The Linn County medical examiner will perform an autopsy. Names of those involved were not released pending notification of family.
Roller dams have a recirculating current and anything drawn into the current is pulled under and barreled into a wall.
Those concerned about the possible plans for a future improvement project to South Twin Lake in rural Calhoun County were brought up to speed Tuesday night on the Iowa Department of Natural Resources’ vision for the lake.
The Rockwell City Community Center was filled to standing room only during the public meeting. More than 100 people came to voice their concerns and hear what the DNR has in store. At the meeting, DNR officials informed residents of the Rockwell City and Twin Lakes area of the process involved in lake restoration, while clarifying rumors of South Twin’s future.
“We have no definite plans at this time,” said Jim Wahl, regional fishery supervisor with the DNR. “The idea now is just to share information. The DNR feels that South Twin Lake is not living up to its full potential.”
Mike McGhee, Iowa lakes program manager for the DNR, said there are currently 131 lakes within the state that are considered prioritized lakes. These lakes are observed for their water quality, public benefit and feasibility of restoration.
“With this project, we would like to see water clarity of 4 to 5 feet during the months of April through September, keep beaches to recreational standards and create and maintain a healthy aquatic environment,” said McGhee when explaining what the potential outcomes of the shallow lake improvement project would be.
Doug Janke, DNR shallow lakes project manager, said South Twin Lake would benefit from the improvement project because recent tests indicate that its water clarity is only about 6 inches.
“The goal is to improve water quality in the lakes,” he said. “But first you must improve the clarity.”
Janke also informed those in attendance that another project goal is to improve the plant population within the lake. More plant growth would likely require the lake to be drained and dried to rid the lake of unfavorable fish, such as carp. This would allow sediment to settle to the bottom and create a mud flat in which new plants can grow.
Currently, there are only five known species of plant life in South Twin Lake. An improvement project to Diamond Lake in northwest Iowa, similar to that proposed for South Twin, resulted in an increase from three known plant species to 24.
“Vegetation is an important part of this project,” said Lannie Miller, a DNR fishery biologist.
One rumor Janke and Mike Mahn, a DNR wildlife biologist clarified is that the project doesn’t mean the lake would not be permanently lowered.
“This is an issue that has been met with a lot of controversy,” said Mahn. “We will need to drain the lake, but it’s still too early to discuss any specifics on how it would be done.”
While DNR officials feel Twin Lakes would benefit from the project, some Twin Lakes residents, such as Dave and Mary Gidel, feel the lake should simply be dredged and be given more access points. They believe the lake is good as it is for sailing, wakeboarding and fishing, but its boat ramp, which lacks a dock, keeps it underutilized.
The future of South Twin Lake will be up for discussion this evening in Rockwell City.
However, a decision on what alterations will be made to the rural Calhoun County lake is more than a year away, according to Doug Janke, a wildlife biologist with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.
A public meeting will be held tonight in Rockwell City. The gathering will allow people to voice their opinions and hear what the DNR has to say about the 600-acre body of water, Janke said.
According to Janke, the ultimate goal of any project will be to restore water quality and aquatic health to South Twin Lake – a shallower, more rustic counterpart to the adjacent North Twin Lake, a popular site for boating and fishing.
The first step of the improvement program is to collect data on the lake’s water quality and quantity of fish, wildlife. aquatic plant and invertebrates in the lake. Monitoring of South Twin Lake began in 2006, with results indicating the renovation project would significantly improve the quality of its water.
Currently, funding is available for a feasibility study to help determine what is possible for the lake, Janke said.
That study is scheduled to begin in 2010 and to take between six to eight months, he said.
In the future, South Twin could fall under the auspices of the DNR’s Shallow Lakes program, which would involve draining the lake to establish new mud flats and reduce the presence of unfavorable species like carp, which stir up sediment that prevents sunlight from permeating the lake and promoting plant growth.
Other Iowa lakes included in the Shallow Lakes program are Diamond Lake near Lake Okoboji and Big Wall Lake in Wright County. However, if such a course of action is pursued, it would not be for several years. As of now there have been no decisions made to go ahead with anything in particular.
Some owners of property adjacent to the lake oppose the shallow option. Mary Gidel, who, along with her husband Dave Gidel, resides year-round at South Twin Lake, said she would sooner see the lake dredged to make it more appropriate for boating and fishing.
Gidel said that South Twin is used for sailboating, wakeboarding and fishing, but inadequate facilities leave the lake underutilized. There is only a primitive boat ramp without a dock. South Twin Lake was historically deeper than its current depth of approximately seven feet. They dredged the north lake in 1939 and put the sludge into the south lake.
The Twin Lakes are not controlled by the Army Corp of Engineers and there are homes on the lake. Recently the lake has added a recreation trail and has a 9 hole golf course on the lake.
MAP (PDF)
Clarks Taxidermy & Bait Shop
712 State St Boone, IA 50036
1st Annual Rod and Reel Tournament
Aug 15th 2009 7am to 4pm
Rules and Regulations:
1.Entry Fee of $25 per person and an optional $10 big fish contest, $5 of the entry fee will go towards the fish feed following at The Adobe Lounge
2.Boats will take off in the order that they signed up.
3.All State and Federal laws apply.
4. Tournament hour’s 7am to 4pm boats must be in the water at 6:30am
5. Teams must fish from boats. Teams will consist of 1 or 2 persons. A 3rd person will be allowed, but you may only use 4 poles. One member of each team must be age 18 or older. If fishing out of the boat you must be within 100 feet of the boat
6. Bounderies are anywhere reachable by boat from the New 30 boat ramp
7. Boats must stay at least 50yds from all boats
8. A maximum of 30 fish per team will be weighed in. Blue, Channel and Flathead Catfish must be a minimum length of 12 inches. No culling at ramp or at weigh in. No dead fish will be allowed to be weighed in. All fish will be released.
9. There be a weigh in at 12pm to 1 pm. and at 4pm. All fish weighed in at noon weigh in will be counted towards total weight
10. .Fish can only be caught by rod and reel method. No foul hooked fish will be accepted.
11. Any legal bait may be used.
12.. No jug, trot or set lines and no fishing baited holes. No chumming and no snagging
13. Fish must be carried to weigh station in tubs or coolers with water proportionate to the size of fish. No stringers at weigh station.
14. Big fish breaks heavy stringer tie, heavy stringer breaks big fish tie.
15. Tournament director or any participant can protest any team before 5:00pm on the day of the tournament. If unable to resolve protest tournament director will appoint a 3 person committee to hear both sides and make a decision. Decision of the committee is final.
16.. Tournament director, sponsors, are not responsible for deaths, injuries, damages, liability, theft or any loss of any kind to participants. By signing the entry form you release all promoters of all liability.
If you have any questions please contact Mike Clark 515-432-7875
NORTHWEST
Badger Lake
North of Ft. Dodge. Fishing has slowed as mid summer weather conditions have arrived. Channel Catfish – Good: Catfishing is picking up; try cut bait and chicken liver. Bluegill – Fair: Anglers have been catching some hand-size 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 has muddied up a bit, especially in the north end. 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 6 to 10 feet of water. Anglers have been having good luck using a piece of crawler or a wax worm on a small hook. Walleye – Fair: Try fishing for walleye with minnows at dusk.
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources has confirmed the presence of mercury above consumption advisory levels in tissue samples from largemouth bass collected from Red Haw Lake in Lucas County, Upper Centerville Reservoir in Appanoose County, and Grade Lake in Clarke County.
Individuals should consume no more than one meal per week of largemouth bass caught from these three lakes.
Every year Iowa DNR biologists collect samples of fish for laboratory analysis to determine the wholesomeness of fish for human consumption. Edible portions of these fish are analyzed by a certified lab and results are compared to consumption advisory levels as identified by the DNR and Iowa Department of Public Health in the state’s consumption advisory protocol. The risk-based protocol went into effect in 2006 and is based on US EPA and FDA guidance. This protocol is the basis for issuing consumption advisories for Iowa waters.
This brings the total number of advisories in Iowa to 14. All of Iowa’s consumption advisories recommend that individuals should consume no more than one meal per week of the fish species of concern.
Previous advisories issued for Iowa lakes include Cedar Lake in Cedar Rapids for common carp and channel catfish, and Cedar Bend Lake for common carp in Linn County for PCBs. Advisories due to mercury have previously been issued for largemouth bass at Lake Geode in Henry County, Morman Trail Lake in Adair County, Nine Eagles Lake in Decatur County, and North Banner and South Banner lakes near Indianola,.
Other advisories in Iowa rivers have previously been issued for mercury include the Cedar River from Floyd County north to the Minnesota border for smallmouth bass, walleye and northern pike; the Upper Iowa River from the lower dam in eastern Winneshiek County upstream 24 miles for any species of fish; and the Volga River, including the Little Volga and the North Branch Volga River from the town of Volga upstream in Clayton County for smallmouth bass.
Mississippi River Pool 12, which is the area between Lock and Dam 11 in Dubuque and Lock and Dam 12 at Bellevue in Jackson County, has a consumption advisory for walleye, sauger, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, white bass and northern pike.
The DNR has information on these contaminants and consumption advisories on its Fish and Fishing webpage at www.iowadnr.gov/fish/index.html then click on Fish Consumption Advisories in the navigation bar on the left.
Fish are still part of a healthy diet. To achieve the most health benefits – which also include proper growth and brain development in children – the Iowa Department of Public Health recommends that Iowans of all ages should eat fish at least twice per week. This includes fish you buy or catch yourself. For information on the benefits of eating fish or what types of fish are safe to eat, visit the Iowa Department of Public Health’s webpage at http://www.idph.state.ia.us/eh/common/pdf/env/fish_health_issues.pdf.
Its official. I’m too freggin’ old to sleep on the floor of a boat. Its Monday and I only had to sleep on the floor one night, but it was too much. But I can still feel that one night as I type right now.
Friday
It was unbelievably cold all weekend, the 60’s, in July? Its unheard of! We got down to the Queen dock at the Marina around 6:30pm. The cabin cruiser we stayed on, ‘the TimTation’ is owned by my friend’s uncle, who was spending the weekend working on his new dry docked houseboat. Its over 60 feet long and has been completely gutted and is in the process of being entirely redone. After checking out the boat and drinking a few beers we went ahead and went back to the dock to night fish. We fished until we ran out of worms. I caught several bluegill and 6 catfish. None of my catfish were more than 1.5 lbs. My friend hooked into the biggest carp I have seen in a while. It must’ve been 20-30 lbs. Its head was as big as mine! He tried to reel it in a little too quickly and it snapped his line after it broke the surface. He did pull in a4-5 lber. He held the pole and I got belly down on the dock and grabbed it by its lip to put it out. We drank about 3 bottles of wine between both of us and our new friend Norm, before passing out in the Cruiser.
Saturday
Saturday morning my friend and I woke up around 8 AM, went to grab some breakfast and then headed back to the lake. Apparently his uncle needed some help removing a generator from the new houseboat. They had the bright idea to have my friend and I stand on top of a cube truck with ropes to ’stabilize’ it, while they lifted it over the side of the boat. Realizing this was a recipe for disaster they opted to instead just cut away part of the railing and use some rollers to get the generator to the truck.
After avoiding that disaster I went back to the docks to fish some more. I caught another catfish and a few bluegills before getting called back up to the dock because they were about to launch the boat. I had tried to use some cranks and spinners but the water was fairly murky and I didn’t have any luck.
The boat launch gave me a chance to start drinking. I had a few beers while they slipped it into the water. It only had bubbles coming up from one place, but we think that place was actually the tires. There was a leak however, from where my friend’s Uncle drilled screws through the bottom of the boat! Eventually they pulled it back out, grinded off the screws and patched it with some boat epoxy and told us it was about time to go boating.
While we were watching them put the boat in the water I saw 2 guys cleaning fish at the courtesy station. That had caught a lot of catfish. They had 2-3 in the 5lb range and a bunch of 2lbers. They said they were fishing up near honey creek.
While we waited for them to show up back at the docks to go boating we had a little contest to see who could catch more bluegill. We probably caught around 60-70 in about an hour while waiting. We could catch them at will on that dock. We went out boating and drinking for several hours on the cruiser. Everyone got extremely drunk, once I hit land again I tried fishing again but the wine would let me have none of it. I almost passed out with my hand on the line, laying on my back on the dock, but my friend grabbed me and put me on the floor of the boat.
Some of the Catfish from the first night
Sunday
We woke up around 9am and just lazed around. I found an extremely comfy lawn chair and sat in there with my line in the water for about an hour before catching the biggest catfish of the weekend. It was still less than 2 lbs so don’t get excited, but it was fun to catch.
Around noon we packed up our stuff and headed back to Des Moines after saying thanks and goodbye to our hosts.