Northeast Iowa Fishing Reports

[Rick]

Volga Lake

Panfish activity is slowing for the season but catfish activity is on the rise. Volga Lake is one of the best catfish lakes around.  Bluegill - Slow: Anglers using a small piece of worm will find fish near brush piles along the dam and other rocky shoreline. Largemouth Bass - Slow: Fish over brush piles or rock reefs. Crappie - Slow: Drift along open water using a small tube jig. Channel Catfish - Good: Use stink bait or worms fished off the bottom near submersed logs or along a rocky shore.

 

Lake Hendricks

Lake Hendricks has a lot of great shoreline access. Fishing for catfish is great on a hot summer day. Bait your hook with a piece of worm or stink bait and wait for the pole to bend. Stay hydrated while you wait. Bluegill - Slow: Bluegills can be found spread out along the weed beds. Use a hook tipped with a small piece of night crawler fished under a bobber. Channel Catfish - Good: Fish have been active about mid-day around the jetties and rock reefs. Stink baits and night crawlers are working for finicky catfish. Largemouth Bass - Slow: Bass can be found along the weed edges and around the rock reefs. A jig tipped with a twister or worm will get some attention.

 

Lake Meyer

As of 7/23, water levels continue to be about 9 feet below normal. The boat ramp is unusable and will remain so until water levels are allowed to return to normal. Mud flats and past habitat locations are becoming exposed. Water levels will remain low throughout the construction period. Construction should be completed by November 1, 2015 when water levels will be allowed to return to normal. Bluegill - Slow: Anglers willing to brave the rocks to get to water can find bluegills. Successful anglers are using a hook tipped with a small piece of night crawler under a bobber. Largemouth Bass - No Report. Channel Catfish - Fair: Very little angling is being attempted due to low water levels but fish can still be caught.

 

New Hampton Pond (Garnant)

Garnant Pond has an abundance of small sunfish and carp. It is scheduled for renovation the middle of August. The pond will be drained and a fish toxicant will be applied to all wet areas to make sure no fish are left. The pond will then be restocked with bluegills, largemouth bass, and channel catfish. This combination assures an excellent fishery for all to enjoy.

 

Split Rock Lake

Split Rock Lake experienced a complete fish kill in 2014. It was stocked with 7000 one inch bluegill in the fall of 2014 and 700 two inch channel catfish and 490 two inch largemouth bass this spring. Bluegill - No Report.

 

Ringneck Haven

Ringneck Haven had a partial winterkill in 2014 and is now overpopulated with green sunfish. The Iowa DNR is currently in the process of rebuilding the fishery. This spring it was stocked with 200 fingerling northern pike, 400 two inch channel catfish, 280 two inch largemouth bass, 5,000 one inch yellow perch, and 100 eight to ten inch largemouth. Anglers are asked to release any bass, pike, perch, and catfish if caught until the sunfish population is under control. Green sunfish – Fair.

 

Upper Iowa River (above Decorah)

Water levels have stabilized and visibility has greatly improved. Flows are up after recent rainfall so be mindful of new strainers, such as log jams, tree falls, and other obstructions. Smallmouth Bass - Good: Smallmouth bass are hitting jigs tipped with twister tails. Crankbaits imitating crawdads should turn a smallie head.

 

Upper Iowa River (below Decorah)

Be mindful of new snags, log jams, and other strainers when paddling in water with increased flows. Visibility is excellent. Smallmouth Bass - Good: Successful anglers are using a jig tipped with a dark twister tail with a flash of color or crankbait. Cast around log jams and other woody structure. Channel Catfish - Good: A jig tipped with a crawler or stink bait has been successful. Walleye - Fair: Successful anglers are using a jig with dark twister tails or leaches. Try running your jig just out from an undercut bank.

 

Turkey River (below Clermont)

New snags, log jams, submersed logs, and other debris may be observed. Use care when paddling around obstructions. Water temperatures are in the upper 70's. Water clarity is excellent. Smallmouth Bass - Good: A jig tipped with a twister tail fished along seams and eddies will bring success.

 

Cedar River (above Nashua)

Water levels have stabilized with improved clarity. Don't let hot summer days keep you from fishing. Find a spot to dip your toes in the water and wet your line.  Channel Catfish - Fair: Anglers using chubs, cut bait, and chicken liver fished on the bottom are finding success even in turbid water. Smallmouth Bass - Good: A jig tipped with a twister tail or night crawler fished in eddies below the dams and off current areas will produce fish.

 

Decorah District Streams

Trout streams are in excellent condition. Anglers should avoid touching the wild parsnip (yellow lacey flower) found along many of our streams. It reacts with sunlight and can cause the skin to blister. Spin fishers using common garden hackle fished under a bobber will catch trout. Look for more frequent Tricorythodes and Ephoron (mayfly species) hatches through July. Ants, beetles and grasshoppers will become more prevalent as summer progresses. Brown Trout - Good: Off color or slightly turbid water is a great time to catch brown trout. Use a flashy spinner to antagonize finicky browns. Rainbow Trout - Good: A good quality trout stream typically has trout, sculpins, and white suckers along with outstanding insect diversity. Brook Trout - Good: Seven coldwater streams in northeast Iowa have consistent brook trout natural reproduction.

 

Thunderstorms are possible over the weekend as temperatures reach the upper 80's. River water levels in our area continue to stabilize. For more information, call the Decorah Fish Hatchery at 563-382-8324.

 

Casey Lake (aka Hickory Hills Lake)

Anglers are catching largemouth bass, bluegill and channel catfish in Casey Lake located within Hickory Hills County Park. Largemouth Bass - Good: Crankbaits, spinner baits and plastics have been good for largemouth bass. Bluegill - Good: Fish brush piles near the jetties and just off shore of the dam in 3-4 feet of water. Use a small piece of worm under a slip bobber or a light 1/64 oz. jig. Channel Catfish - Good: Stink baits, cut baits and chicken livers have been good fished on the bottom during all periods of the day.

 

George Wyth Lake

Anglers are reporting catches of bluegill and crappie with some selectivity required as some are small. Bluegill - Fair: Fish structure or near weed beds using a small piece of worm under a slip bobber or a light 1/64 oz. jig. Crappie - Fair: Drift a crappie minnow under a slip bobber near the edges of the weed beds.

 

Cedar River (Nashua to La Porte City)

The Cedar River continues to fall and water clarity improves daily. There have been good reports of anglers taking walleye, smallmouth bass, northern pike and channel catfish from the river in both Bremer and Black Hawk counties. Channel Catfish - Fair: Stink baits, dead chubs and chicken livers fished on the bottom are producing the best results. Walleye - Good: Jig and crawler is a deadly combo this time of year for walleye. Concentrate on lower ends of riffle areas and drop offs near the lower ends of sandbars. Smallmouth Bass - Good: Spinner and crank baits are excellent mid-summer choices for smallmouth bass. Jig and plastic twister tipped with a crawler is also an excellent choice. Northern Pike - Fair: Large bucktail spinner baits or live chubs under a bobber has been productive for pike.

 

Shell Rock River (Greene to Shell Rock)

We have received no information regarding fishing on this water body this week.

 

Wapsi River (Tripoli to Troy Mills)

Anglers are catching smallmouth bass, northern pike and channel catfish on the Wapsipinicon River. Smallmouth Bass - Fair: Spinner and crankbaits are excellent mid-summer choices for smallmouth bass. Jig and plastic twister tipped with a crawler is also an excellent choice. Northern Pike - Fair: Large bucktail spinner baits or live chubs under a bobber has been productive for pike. Channel Catfish - Fair: Stink baits, dead chubs and chicken livers fished on the bottom are producing the best results.

 

Maquoketa River (above Monticello)

Fishing has been good on the Maquoketa River for walleye, smallmouth bass and channel catfish. Walleye - Good: Cast and retrieve upstream a jig tipped with a half a night crawler slowly bouncing it off of the bottom of the river. Crankbaits work well this time of year. Smallmouth Bass - Good: Jig and crawler or crankbaits casted near rocky shorelines or tail ends of riffles can be deadly for smallmouth bass. Channel Catfish - Good: Stink baits, dead chubs and chicken livers fished on the bottom are producing the best results.

 

All interior river levels continue to fall with improved water clarity and angling. With stable water levels, it’s a good time to try fishing for catfish, walleye, and smallmouth. Black Hawk County lakes have slowed on panfish angling as we approach the mid-summer heat. Trout streams in N.E. Iowa remain in excellent condition and trout fishing has been good. For further information, contact the N.E. Iowa District Office at 563-927-3276.

 

MISSISSIPPI RIVER

Mississippi River Pool 9

River level is 9.1 feet at Lansing and expected to fall to 8.5 over the next week. Water temperature is in the upper 70's. Walleye - Fair: Fish with a crawler on a three-way rig or crankbait trolled on the wigwams. Bluegill - Fair: Larger bluegills have been reported on side channel areas near tree or rock structure. Largemouth Bass - Good: Look for bass near woody structure in side channels and along the main channel. Smallmouth Bass - Fair: Smallmouths are feeding along rocky areas with good current breaks. Channel Catfish - Good: Channel catfish are starting to bite on stink baits fished in deeper side channel holes. Freshwater Drum - Good: Drum are biting well fishing a worm on the bottom along the main channel border. Northern Pike - Fair: Look for northern pike in cooler water sources such as springs and mouths of streams. Fish spoons using a leader. Crappie - Fair: Fish a minnow under a bobber or a small tube jig in fallen trees or snags on side channels. Flathead Catfish - No Report.

 

Mississippi River Pool 10

River level is 16.1 feet at Lynxville and expected to fall to 15 over the next week. Water temperature is in the upper 70's. Walleye - Fair: With stable water levels look for walleyes to start feeding on the top sides of wing dams. Bluegill - Fair: Larger bluegills have been reported on side channel areas near tree or rock structure. Largemouth Bass - Good: Look for bass near woody structure in side channels and along the main channel. Smallmouth Bass - Fair: Smallmouths are feeding along rocky areas with good current breaks. Channel Catfish - Good: Channel catfish are starting to bite on stink baits fished in deeper side channel holes. Freshwater Drum - Good: Drum are biting well fishing a worm on the bottom along the main channel border. Northern Pike - Fair: Look for northern pike in cooler water sources such as springs and mouths of streams. Fish spoons using a leader. Crappie - Fair: Fish a minnow under a bobber or a small tube jig in fallen trees or snags on side channels. Flathead Catfish - No Report.

 

Mississippi River Pool 11

River level is 7.4 feet at Guttenberg and expected to fall to 6 feet over the next week. Water temperature is in the upper 70's. Walleye - Fair: Fish with a crawler on a three-way rig or crankbait trolled on the wing dams. Bluegill - Fair: Larger bluegills have been reported on side channel areas near tree or rock structure. Largemouth Bass - Good: Look for bass near woody structure in side channels and along the main channel. Smallmouth Bass - Fair: Smallmouths are feeding along rocky areas with good current breaks. Channel Catfish - Good: Channel cats are starting to bite on stink baits fished in deeper side channel holes. Freshwater Drum - Good: Drum are biting well fishing a worm on the bottom along the main channel border. White Bass - Fair: Look for schools of jumping minnows and try pitching small silver spinners. Northern Pike - Fair: Look for northern pike in cooler water sources such as springs and mouths of streams. Fish spoons using a leader. Crappie - Fair: Fish a minnow under a bobber or a small tube jig in fallen trees or snags on side channels.

 

Upper Mississippi River levels continue to fall slowly and are approaching normal summer levels. Look for fish seeking deeper holes as water temperatures rise. Water temperature is in the upper 70's.

 

Mississippi River Pool 12

The water level is near 7.0 feet at Dubuque Lock and Dam and 9.5 feet at the Dubuque RR bridge. The river will be stable to falling all week.  The water temperature in the main channel is 81 degrees. Largemouth Bass - Good: Largemouth fishing is generally good; Frog imitations in the weeds have been somewhat effective. Walleye - Good: A little hit and miss but anglers that target this pool often are successful off the wing dams and rock lines. Bluegill - Fair: Some fish can be found in the back ends of marinas and backwaters snags but water level is slightly high for good angling along the main sloughs. Channel Catfish - Excellent: The spawn of catfish is over so you might want to try fish stink bait above the wing dams or on big fallen trees in the major side channels. Flathead Catfish - Fair: Channel and flathead catfish are being caught by trot lines and pole anglers using worms. Smallmouth Bass - Good: Lots of sub-legal smallmouth bass are being caught along the rock lines using spinners or floating worms. Northern Pike - Good: Lots of reports of pike, especially by anglers fishing for bass.  The last few seasons the pike spawns have been fantastic and the fishery for pike is responding. Freshwater Drum - Excellent: A simple egg sinker rig fished in 6 to 10 feet of moving water is all that is needed to catch drum. Bait with crayfish or worms.

 

Mississippi River Pool 13

The water level is around 7.9 feet at Bellevue and will slowly recede this week. The main channel temperature is at 81 degrees. The tributary streams like the Maquoketa River have cleared considerably.  Largemouth Bass - Good: Look for clearer water especially in weed beds to catch bass.  The largemouths reported to us have been quite sizable. High water has made places like Spring Lake, Savanna Bay and Browns Lake boat accessible. Some nice fish are also being caught in the tailwaters. Smallmouth Bass - Fair: Smallies are biting along the rock shorelines by anglers using small spinners or crankbaits. Walleye - Good: Wing dams are accessible for walleye anglers using three ways but probably a bit too high for most people’s tastes.  Levels are inching toward perfect conditions. Bluegill - Good: Some bluegills are making their way out to the channel border hiding in sloughs with brush piles or rock shorelines. Channel Catfish - Excellent: The spawn of catfish is over so you might want to fish stink bait above the wing dams or on big fallen trees in the major side channels. Flathead Catfish - Fair: Some eating sized flatheads are being caught in the tailwaters using worm rigs.  Some larger specimens are being taken on trot lines. Freshwater Drum - Excellent: A simple egg sinker rig fished in 6 to 10 feet of moving water is all that is needed to catch drum. Bait with crayfish or worms. Northern Pike - Good: Strong northern pike populations are evident throughout Pool 13 as many pike were caught this week.  Most came off of flashy spinners and crankbaits but some were caught off worms by bluegill anglers.

 

Mississippi River Pool 14

The water level is 7.2 feet at Fulton, 10.8 feet at Camanche, and 5.6 feet above the dam at LeClaire. All are nearly the same as last week. The water temperature in the main channel is unseasonably cool at 81 degrees. Largemouth Bass - Good: Good populations of bass exist in Pool 14. Some bass may have moved into the bigger backwater areas and clearer waters.  Successful anglers are using frog imitations in the weed lines. Channel Catfish - Excellent: The spawn of catfish is nearly over so you might want to fish stink bait above the wing dams or on big fallen trees in the major side channels.  Move often if not catching channel catfish. Bluegill - Fair: Bluegills are being caught in the backwater areas on worm rigs.  Muddy water has taken its toll on the bluegill bite but is clearing nicely.  Expect good fishing for bluegills to resume. Smallmouth Bass - Fair: Use spinners or jigs and fish close to any exposed rocky areas. Flathead Catfish - Good: Some nice flathead catfish are being caught by people mostly fishing other species such as bass. Flatheads are live fish eating catfish and will readily hit on flashy lures. Northern Pike - Good: Pike were caught this week in good numbers in Pool 14.  Most people who catch pike are bass fishing throwing white spinners or crankbaits. Freshwater Drum - Excellent: Drum can be caught easily in areas of modest current and depths of 6 to 10 feet of water.  Often boat ramp areas have good access to freshwater drum fishing. Simple egg sinker and worm rigs work best.

 

Mississippi River Pool 15

Water level is 7.8 feet at Rock Island. The water temperature is around 82 degrees.  Eagles Landing and Leach park are two nice areas to put in and enjoy fishing on Pool 15.  Channel Catfish - Excellent: Launch at Eagles Landing in Bettendorf and fish near smaller tributary mouths above and below the park. Use worms or stink bait but move often if you are not successful.  Catfish will bite within the first 15 minutes or so.  If you do not catch any in that amount of time, move on. Flathead Catfish - Fair: Some flatheads were caught mixed in with the channel catfish using worms or live bait. Freshwater Drum - Excellent: Drum are a consistent biter this time of year.  A simple rig with worms and an egg sinker will prove best.

 

The River is stable to falling throughout the district.  Fishing for many species is generally good.