I woke up a little late Sunday and headed down to the Red Rock Spillway. For a while it seemed like everyone was catching fish but me.  I saw a Hybrid Bass get pulled out that must’ve been at least 6 lbs, probably more. Eventually I got frustrated and the old lady wanted to be in the sun, so we moved to the other side.

The moment I walked up, this guy next to me pulled out another big one. This one took 5+ minutes to land because he was using an ultralight pole and a fairly light test. He kept pulling out smaller ones for the rest of the day. For a while, it was pretty slow, lots of snags. Then I finally got a bite and pulled out that Walleye. Definitely made the trip worth it.

Around 4 o’clock some younger kids, probably 14-16 years old come up and with this huge net and I’m thinking to myself, “What do they need that for?”  Then all of the sudden I hear one of the kids screaming. They had a 50-60+ lb bighead carp on the line. They landed this thing and I wish I would’ve gotten a picture. Some 8 year old girls were walking down the path that we are standing on and then they saw this beast and turned around and ran the other way. It was absolutely hilarious.

After the fishing was done, we went and wonder around the woods looking for mushrooms. We didn’t find anything until we got to the car and I had a tick on me! All and all a good day though. Now I have some fresh fertilizer for my garden from the sucker fish I pulled out.

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.

Registration Form

When: Saturday, July 25, 2009
Where: Register Upper Pine Lake Boat ramp
Time: 6 am. – Noon

Cash Prizes Awarded: $250 first place; $100 second place; $50 third place.
Register Early: $12.00 per person. Registrations must be received by July 23. Day of event, $15.00.

Large Bass wins. All fish must be weighed by noon. Only live fish will be weighed and ALL DNR RULES AND REGULATIONS WILL APPLY. Fishing limited to Upper and Lower Pine Lakes. Tournament Held rain or shine.

Call 641-939-3491 for more information
Fishing Tournament Sponsored by: Eldora Nursing & Rehab Center

Entry Form is a the bottom of this page. If you have any questions or would like a paper copy of complete rules, email Todd at:  treedbass@yahoo.com or by phone 641-751-5570

Brushy Creek looks like an awesome bass Lake, I had a night tournament(and first time night fishing on my new boat), my first tournament ever, for Catfish earlier this year and I got skunked. It was brutal. We could barely see around that lake because there is so much structure everywhere you look. I was sure I was going to sink my boat.

The Info:

This is a unique format for a fun weekend with friends.
Grab three of your friends, and two boats to enter the tournament.

The basic information:

Sunday August 2nd, 6am-1pm
South boat ramp behind the island
All teams must check in by 5:45am
Each boat can bring in 5 bass, for a team total of 10 keepers
A team is considered two people per boat, and two boats per team 4-man tournament
Keeper bass must be at least 15 inches long, with the mouth closed
All boats must have proper aerated live wells.
Boat order will on a first paid basis, see entry form below
1 pound deduction for a dead fish
1 pound deduction for a short fish, plus that fish will not be weighed
Any boat that is late will be deducted 1 pound per minute
Teams may share info on the water, but CANNOT share bass
Phones/CB’s/Walkie talkies are allowed for communication
Entry Fee $200 per team (or $50 per fisherman), this includes big bass
ALL ENTRIES MUST BE POSTMARKED JULY 25th or earlier, any recieved after that will be $240 per team ($60 per fisherman).  All entries at the ramp the day of the event MUST be cash.

2008 RESULTS- 24 teams—-48 boats—–96 anglers
Over $4000 paid out and over $600 for big bass!!!

Moline High School currently has a Bass Fishing Club. Bettendorf would be the first high school in Iowa to sponsor a Bass Fishing Club.

Adults interested in potentially volunteering and students interested in participating in the club are encouraged to contact BHS Athletic Director Mark Brooks 563/332-4516, or Jeannine Crockett 563/355-8167.

If this catches on or is at some point sponsored by the IHSAA it could be a great day for the future of fishing in Iowa!

The Illini Division of the $8 million Walmart Bass Fishing League will visit the Mississippi River in Fort Madison, Iowa, July 11 for the third of five regular-season events. As many as 200 boaters and 200 co-anglers are expected to compete in the tournament, which will award as much as $45,000 in cash, including a top award of $6,000 in the Boater Division.

If the winner is a participant in the Ranger Cup incentive program, he or she will receive a $2,000 bonus from Ranger Boats. If the winner is not a Ranger Cup participant, Ranger will award $1,000 to the highest-finishing Ranger Cup participant. That’s a potential top award of $8,000 for anglers who meet contingency guidelines.

Bombardier will award $1,000 to the winning boater if the winner’s boat is equipped with a qualifying Evinrude E-TEC or Direct Injection outboard.

The winning co-angler will earn as much as $3,000 cash.

Big Bass awards of up to $1,000 and $500, respectively, will also be awarded in the Boater and Co-angler Divisions.

Anglers may register for the tournament online at FLWOutdoors.com or by calling (270) 252-1000. Onsite registration will be held July 10 from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Riverview Park located at 6th Street & H Ave., in Fort Madison. Entry fees are $200 for boaters and $100 for co-anglers.

Captain Kirk’s Marina in Fort Madison will host the takeoff and weigh-in at 6 a.m. and 1 p.m., respectively.

Quasquicentennial/Bully Bullhead Celebration July 10-12 in Ruthven, IA

If you need a reason to get out of town this weekend, head on up to Ruthven for their Quasquicentennial Celebration.

Saturday morning there will be a full days worth of fun with over 30 events on the schedule. The day will start out at 7 a.m. with the annual BBW(Bully Bullhead Weekend) Fishing Contest on Lost Island Lake. Four tagged bullheads are released into the lake, with a $500 bounty on them for those who register at Murphy’s Bait Shop north of Ruthven. There are also other prizes to go fishing for in this event.

River Phest 13 July 11 – Meet behind the Casey’s in Van Meter at 12:30

River Phest is an annual river float party on the Raccoon River in Van Meter, IA. The party began by a group of 28 high school friends in 1997 and has continued ever since on the first Saturday after the Fourth of July. It was to begin as a float trip starting at the Puckerbrush River Access one mile north of Van Meter on the North Raccoon River. The end would be a sandbar known to the locals as “Two Rivers,” located a half a mile upstream from Van Meter where the North Raccoon and South Raccoon Rivers merge to become the Raccoon River before flowing east to Polk County and the Des Moines River. The sandbar would be the site of a post-party and camp-out.

Im trying to figure out how to work the camera - First cast on soft plastics of the season too!

This was my first trip to Lake Ahqabi and let me start off by saying the lake is gorgeous! The entire park is absolutely immaculately maintained. There is definitely a lot more to do out here than fish. You can rent a paddle boat for $7.50 an hour (32/day) and canoes for $8.50 an hour (37.50/day).  You can also make reservations to camp here.

Its about a 30 minute drive from the west side of Des Moines. Having never been here I had no idea what to expect. I didn’t get there until about 1. I started on on a crank bait at first before switching to plastics. I also had a worm on the bottom. Once I switched to plastics on my first cast with plastics of the SEASON I caught the bass pictured above. Not more than 15 minutes into the trip. Then a couple minutes later my pole that was sitting in my bucket started going off and I pulled another smaller bass out off a worm on bottom. I was in spot A(see map) at the time.

Then disaster struck. My reel broke. I actually had ‘reel’  problems all day after that.  I hiked back up to my car and replaced the reel (what you don’t carry a spare?) and went down to spot B (see map).  There is actually a point at the bottom of that hill with a picnic table, but it was taken so I just fished somewhat near them, walking down the shore a little ways. I didn’t catch anything here either. So I went to spot C. This spot looked great. There were 4 pieces of land that just kind of shot out into the water before retreating. Apparently nothing I used seemed to work on the fish because I didn’t catch anything. The replacement reel wasn’t exactly in pristine condition and the button on my spincaster stuck all day long. It cost me a crankbait too along with a little bit of pride because a family watched me walk into spot C and ‘cast’ and watched my lure fly about 3/4s of the way accross the lake. After about an hour or so I hopped in my car and went about a half mile south to Hooper Lake. I wasn’t sure I was going the right direction because I went on a gravel road to get there.

Hooper Lake is a much quieter laker. Ahquabi was packed. There were probably 15-20 people on the entire lake. Its not that tiny of a lake either. It has some great looking structure that is just out of reach of the shore fisherman. I parked at the boat ramp and hiked onto the prairie. There were about 4 other shore fishermen there and they didn’t appear to have too much luck while I was there, but as I walked up one guy had a fish in his hand. I didn’t have any luck here after about an hour so I went back to Ahquabi.

I had about 90 minutes left of fishing in me and I spent the 90 minutes at spot D. I had absoulely 0 bites here, well, I think. I might have had snapping turtle take my lure because I had it just sitting in the water near shore and then I looked away at something and turned around and it was snagged, I think, but when I got it free it didn’t look like it had been just snagged. Either way they didn’t like my worms, my plastics or my cranks. Or maybe they just didn’t like me being there. The guy who was fishing on the outshoot just north of me didn’t have any luck either.

After this trip I was just glad there was an A&W on the way home so I could eat some Ice Cream and to make me feel a little bit better about the catch. I’ll defintely go back though. The park area is amazing. One of these weekends I’ll probably try to camp out there.

I dug up some more information about the lake:

The campground is located by the lakeshore. There are 141 campsites (85 with electrical hookups), modern rest rooms and showers and two trailer dump stations. Each campsite has a picnic table and fireplace. A stone lodge overlooking the lake may be reserved for a fee. Constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps, it is very popular for family reunions, weddings and other large gatherings. The lodge may be reserved online through the park reservation system.

A modern boat ramp is located at the northern end of the park. Another ramp is located in the campground. Lake Ahquabi is popular with anglers. A number of fishing jetties and a handicapped accessible fishing pier provide great places for a day of shoreline fishing.

Boats, canoes, kayaks, and paddleboats are available for rent through the concessionaire. Bait is also available through the concessionaire. The 115-acre man-made lake has a large sandy beach & offers unsupervised swimming.

Hikers, snowmobilers and cross-country skiers can travel all the way around the lake on a beautiful gravel trail. Other scenic foot trails wind through the woods.

“Ahquabi” is a Sauk and Fox word meaning “resting place,” and it is a fitting name for this scenic 770-acre park. The park site was recommended by “Ding” Darling, nationally known Iowa political cartoonist and conservationist, and was dedicated in 1936. Many of its structures were constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in the 1930’s and remain available for the enjoyment of park visitors.

For information you may call the concession building during our hours of operation at 515-962-0013.

Hours Of Operation
Sunday through Friday 11 am to 9 pm
Saturday and Holiday’s 8 am to 9 pm

Regular hours begin after Memorial Day and end at the start of the school year (usually the week before Labor Day). They will often be open on weekends in May and into September. Call to verify the hours outside of the regular season.

Lake Ahquabi Map

This sign was located in every single parking lot. I took all the photos in spot D or Hooper Lake (except the bass, thats spot A)

Spot D @ Lake Ahqaubi- Most of the lake didn't have as many weeds on the shore.

Hooper Lake

The facilities need updated.

]]> http://www.bigbassfisher.com/2009/07/06/fishing-trip-07-lake-ahquabi-state-park/feed/ 1 http://www.bigbassfisher.com/2009/07/05/world-record-bass-caughts-july-2nd-2009/ http://www.bigbassfisher.com/2009/07/05/world-record-bass-caughts-july-2nd-2009/#comments Sun, 05 Jul 2009 23:09:05 +0000 admin http://www.bigbassfisher.com/?p=134

If there could be a poll of bass fishermen asked to guess where the next world record largemouth bass will be caught, responses would include California, Texas, Mexico, Cuba and Florida. What about Japan?

Reports indicate that a 22-pound, 5-ounce bass was caught by Manabu Kurita, a professional angler, in Lake Biwa, Japan’s largest lake. It covers more than 259 square miles and is 300 feet deep in spots. It is one of the world’s oldest lakes.

The fish was caught either Wednesday or Thursday about noon on live bait. The fish’s girth and other information were not given, but images of the bass were posted on various Web sites.

If reports are true, the fish will tie Georgia’s 22-pound, 4-ounce world record bass caught by George W. Perry on June 2, 1932, in Montgomery Lake in Telfair County. The record has stood by itself for 77 years. The International Game Fish Association requires new world records of fish 25 pounds or less to weigh two ounces more than the previous one.

The previous Japanese bass record weighed 19.15 pounds and was caught in 2003.

Most fishermen thought the next world record bass would come from a California reservoir that gets stocked with rainbow trout. Dixon Lake in Escondido, north of San Diego, served up a 25-pound, 1-ounce bass in March 2006, but angler Mack Weakley foul-hooked the bass, making it an illegal catch. The bass was found dead two years later.

The "World's Largest Bullhead" statue was constructed in 1958 by Carl Frick

After years of planning and community involvement, Crystal Lake is at the end of its long road back to becoming the North Iowa treasure it once was. “It used to be one of the great little fishing spots in North Iowa, and soon it will be back to that level,” said Tom Haan, head of the Hancock County Board of Conservation.

The lake has gone through an extensive dredging and renovation process that has been in the works since around 1991, when fundraising efforts began throughout the community. The process has taken nearly 20 years to complete, but is finally reaching its end.

Lake classification reports in 1980 and 1991 identified Crystal Lake as a high priority candidate for lake restoration, and it was placed on the impaired waters list in 1998. Crystal Lake is one of Iowa’s 34 natural glacial lakes and the 269-acre lake has been suffering from organic enrichment due to sediment build up. The lake had been crippled by high phosphorus and nitrogen levels for years before the dredging process began.

A sediment pond was also constructed near the lake and it is estimated to help reduce sediment and runoff delivery to by upwards of 20%.

Before the project began the lake measured just six feet at its deepest point, and through the utilization of a tier effect plan during dredging, the lake now measures 22 feet at its optimal depth. The tier system has greatly amplified the overall volume of the lake, providing waters that measure 22, 18, 12, and 8 feet respectively depending on location.

The estimated $3 million dollar dredging project got underway in the fall of 2006 and was aimed at removing over 1.1 million cubic yards of sediment. A major goal of the project was to restore the lake to more natural depths in support of recreation and to provide a better environment for aquatic life. The dredging was completed in 2007, which effectively removed Crystal Lake from the impaired waters list, however other problems still remained.

During the flood of 1993, an invasion of carp began which led to water clarity issues among other problems. The lake had seen a similar carp overtaking during the early 1980’s, and the fish population was renovated to promote a healthier environment for aquatic life and more appealing sport fishing. Following the dredging, plans were made to once again renovate the fish population.

During the dredging process, the lake was dropped 18 – 24 inches, providing a seal from the West Fork of the Iowa River which headwaters in Crystal Lake.

This seal helped bar a chemical agent from entering the river that was released into the lake during the fall of 2008 in order to kill off the entire fish population.

Over the two decades since the last fish renovation high levels of nutrients and resultant algae had led to periodic low levels of oxygen at the bottom of the lake. This led to the aquatic community of the lake being dominated by species tolerant of low oxygen conditions, like bullhead and carp.

Other more desirable game fish, like bass and catfish, suffer from impaired spawning and reproduction in low oxygen conditions and populations started to decline in the lake.

Also of concern for county and DNR officials were the effects the carp were having on water quality.  The DNR started a stocking regiment earlier this year and has introduced several species of fish back into the waters.

Throughout the spring officials have released northern fry, catfish, bluegill and bass. All the fish were released at a rate of 100 fish per acre, or 269,000 fish per species.

Plans are being considered to stock the lake with crappie as well.

Now all that is left for Crystal Lake is to wait for the fall when the fish will reach a reasonable size to catch, with ideal fishing conditions being established by next summer as fish reach their optimal size.

Later this year the DNR will conduct fishing surveys to check the progress of the aquatic population through utilizing electric shock techniques to stun the fish, capture, and then weigh them.

“We hope people enjoy the lake and take the necessary precautions to help keep it clean,” said Kurt Meek, a fisheries technician for the DNR. “Users should take special attention to cleaning boats and propellers, along with abstaining from introducing other varieties of fish, those kind of efforts would help substantially.”

The lake is prepared to stay at a reasonable level of cleanliness, and a small outlet structure has been renovated to prevent undesirable fish, like carp, from re-entering the lake population ever again.

The local community has the potential to benefit from the lake once again returning to its place among North Iowa’s great fishing locations, and projections estimate that over $400,000 in fishing related revenues could be added to the local economy.

The lake rests beside a 130-acre DNR owned campground, beach, park, and disk golf course that is maintained by the Hancock County Conservation Board and hosts approximately 14,000 visitors annually.

Big Bass Fishing in Urbandale

Well, I’d read rumors of there being some big fish in this relatively small, very weedy pond. People have reported dragging catfish out of here as large as 15 lbs.  I hadn’t fished it myself in about 8 years. I got there around 6pm and fished the north side somewhat near the road for about an hour and a half. Caught about 7-8 blue gills. Then I got a little bored and was about to leave but forced myself to do one lap around the pond. I walked around just looking for a drop off because most of that lake seemed very shallow. The water itself was actually very clear and the visibility was wonderful. Anyway once I found what appeared to be a drop off I cast out a soft plastic worm a couple of times and on the 4th cast I actually thought I was snagged for a second before realizing I had this bad boy on the line. I was pretty excited. I hadn’t caught anything of substance that day and I didn’t catch anything else after that. I tossed it back very much alive so its still in there for you to go out and catch for yourselves.

Lakeview Park in Urbandale at night