Southwest Iowa Fishing Reports

[Rick]

SOUTHWEST IOWA FISHING REPORTS

Big Creek Lake
Walleye - Slow: Troll live bait rigs or crankbaits at depths of 15 feet or less in the upper half of the lake. Wiper (Hybrid Striped Bass) - Slow: Cast or troll shad imitating spoons, crankbaits or plastics. Look for schools of young shad breaking the surface of the water to find feeding wipers.

Des Moines River (Saylorville to Red Rock)
Channel Catfish - Fair: Channel catfish and flathead catfish are being caught. Try live bait, stinkbait and crawlers.

Don Williams Lake
Black Crappie - Fair: Drift or troll panfish jigs in the middle half of the lake. Start just out from the docks in the boat ramp area. Crappies are 8.5 to 10 inches. 

Red Rock Reservoir
White Bass - Fair: Troll or cast shad imitating spoons and shallow diving crankbaits. Look for schools of small shad busting on the surface to find feeding fish.

Roberts Creek Lake
Black Crappie - Fair: Drift or troll jigs with twister or paddle tails in the lower half of the lake.

Rock Creek Lake
Black Crappie - Fair: The crappie bite has been slow to fair. Drift or troll jigs tipped with minnows. Crappies larger than 9 inches are uncommon. Channel Catfish - Fair: Catch catfish from shore with stinkbaits and cut bait.

Saylorville Reservoir
Channel Catfish - Good: Drift or slowly troll cut bait in the upper end of the reservoir. White Bass - Fair: Troll or cast shad imitating spoons and crankbaits. Start from the Sandpiper boat ramp to the marina cove and along the Oak Grove Beach area.

For more information on Central Iowa lakes and rivers, call Ben Dodd at 641-891-3795 or Andy Otting at 515-204-5885.

Lake Anita
Bluegill - Fair: Drift or troll small jigs tipped with berkly or nightcrawlers in 6 to 8 feet of water. Black Crappie - Fair: Best bite is early morning around tree piles and along the two road beds in the lake. Largemouth Bass - Fair: Anita has a good bass population. Find fish along vegetation edges and around tree piles. Channel Catfish - Slow: Catfish are being caught on top of the two roadbeds in the lake.

Lake Manawa
Zebra mussels were found in Lake Manawa; clean, drain and dry your boat when leaving the lake. Channel Catfish - Fair: Channel catfish are close to shore. Fish are all sizes in the lake. White Crappie - Fair: A few large white crappies are being caught on the west shore. Walleye - Fair: A few anglers are having good success trolling crankbaits using planner boards. Don't overlook running a crawler through the dredge cuts. Wiper (Hybrid Striped Bass) - Fair: Catch wipers where water is entering the lake.

Littlefield Lake
Littlefield Lake has a good ring of aquatic vegetation. Bluegill - Fair: Bluegills have moved around the cedar tree piles in the lake. Largemouth Bass - Good: There is a large number of 12 to 14-inch fish in the lake. Channel Catfish - Good: Cast cut or stinkbait along the dam to catch 2-4 pound channel catfish.

Meadow Lake
Water clarity is fair. Bluegill - Fair: Anglers report catching bluegills slow trolling and drifting. Fish average 8 inches. Largemouth Bass - No Report: There is a good population of largemouth bass up to 18 inches in the lake.

Prairie Rose Lake
Water temperature is 80 degrees. Bluegill - Fair: Anglers report good bluegill fishing in the mornings trolling or drifting small jigs. Black Crappie - Slow: There is a small population of large black crappies in the lake. Channel Catfish - Fair: Channel catfish are being caught around the jetties and underwater reefs. Fish average 2 to 4 pounds. Largemouth Bass - Good: A large population of 12 to 14-inch bass offer fun catch and release fishing. 

Viking Lake
Viking Lake is eight feet low. Black Crappie - Fair: Slowly troll jigs over humps and drop-offs in the lake. Fish average 9 inches. Largemouth Bass - Fair: Anglers are catching bass in tree piles using plastics. Channel Catfish - Fair: Cast stinkbait around tree piles to catch fish up to 6 pounds. 

For more information on lakes in the Southwest District call the Cold Springs office at 712-769-2587.

Green Valley Lake
Largemouth Bass - Slow: Use jigs fished near cedar tree brush piles to catch largemouth bass up to 20 inches. 

Lake Icaria
Channel Catfish - Good: Use nightcrawlers or chicken liver fished along rocky shoreline areas to catch channel catfish of all sizes.

Little River Watershed Lake
Bluegill - Slow: Use jigs tipped with a nightcrawler fished near cedar tree brush piles to catch bluegill up to 8.5 inches. Largemouth Bass - Slow: Catch largemouth bass up to 20 inches with jigs fished near cedar tree brush piles. 

Three Mile Lake
Walleye - Slow: Use jigs tipped with live bait fished along the creek channels or main lake points to catch walleyes up to 22 inches. Bluegill - Slow: Use jigs tipped with a nightcrawler fished weed lines to catch bluegill of all sizes.

Twelve Mile Creek Lake
Largemouth Bass - Slow: Catch largemouth bass up to 20 inches with jigs fished near cedar tree brush piles. Bluegill - Fair: Drift with small jigs to catch bluegill of all sizes.

Water temperature in most Mount Ayr district lakes is in the upper 70's to low 80's. For more information, contact the Mount Ayr Fisheries office at 641-464-3108.