U of Iowa fishing

[st.crioxfishin]

I am a senior this year and the University of Iowa is one of my schools on my list I am choosing from. I love to fish, mainly for bass. And I need and area where theres good fishing in the surrounding area. My question is this, does the area around Iowa City provide good opportunities for fishing? Espeacially bass fishing? I have done some research and found some lakes and resevoirs around the area and am curious to how the fishing is. Any respone would be great, it will help me in my decision. Thanks.

[JIvers]

I have lived in Iowa City for five years (I'm a grad student and graduate instructor at the University), so here is my answer to your question.

In Iowa City itself, there is a lot of shore-fishing (I am going on the assumption that you don't have a boat) on the Iowa River. In the spring and fall there are a lot of white bass caught below the lowhead dams in town (most of the locals call white bass "stripers"), and some walleye as well. In the summer the Iowa River is best for channel cat, flathead, and rough fish, although you never know what you will find on the end of your line.

There are also several public ponds in town, which hold largemouth, bluegill, and crappie. There are a lot of farm ponds out in the country, if you can get access to them. Ten miles or so north of town is Coralville reservoir, a large impoundment on the Iowa River, and Lake Macbride, a 900 acre reservoir. Both waters have a lot of crappie and largemouth, stunted bluegills, catfish, and some walleye. There is plenty of shore-fishing available on Macbride, and Coralville res. has some as well. There is also Kent Park lake a few miles outside of Iowa City, a 40 acre lake with crappie, bluegill, channel cat, and largemouth--that is also a lake with a lot of shore-fishing available. And, if you do have a boat, the Mississippi is about forty miles from here, as is Pleasant Creek lake, a very good largemouth fishery.

I would say the fishing for crappie, largemouth, and catfish is very good around here. Smallmouth do pop up from time to time, although there are not a lot of them, while the white bass run in the spring and fall provides fast action. Lake Macbride also holds a population of spotted bass, which is the only place in Iowa they are found. The bluegill run small for the most part, but if you get access to the right pond you will find some nice ones. The walleye fishing isn't what I am used to in Minnesota, but they are here too if you work at it.

[st.crioxfishin]

Thanks for the info!

[winona walleye]

hey my brother goes to the iowa and my family lives just outside there, campus is tons of fun its like spring break everyweekend, as far as the fishing part goes ive been to a few places out there but there is a fishing club that is affiliated with the university, so im sure they know where to go... i recommend that school big time, good luck

tim (ww)