Bass Fishing on the Mississippi River near Dubuque, IA

[RickyBobby]

I've got a nephew who's currently attending Loras College in Dubuque. I'll be visiting him later this year and would like to take him bass fishing out on the river. Any general information on a location on the river within an hour of Dubuque, where I could launch my bass boat and be relatively close to some good largemouth areas would be greatly appreciated. I'm assuming that the best LMB fishing in that part of the river is primarily in backwater areas, but if some one could confirm, that would be greatly appeciated too.

Thanks in advance

[lookincalifornia]

hey kat,

the whites should be running soon if you can find water with those hard fighters. like said before, a 4 or 5 pounder is a really big fish. so you want to use lighter gear than striper fishing. they will agressively chase bait and slam it. the action can be fast and furious. keep your eyes open to find out when and where they are running and give em a shot. i always had my best luck with a small power grub in chartruse and a 1/16 oz. whistler jig head. i've seen guys get em with an original rap also.

[musky hunter]

I had a son who played junior hockey in Dubuque for a year, so I made it down a few times. While I never had the opportunity to fish there, I absolutely saw lots of boats on the river and know there are several marinas and launches in the area. I'd definatly go for it, I think you'll have a lot of fun. I'd start out just below the locks, and I don't think wingdams will be too hard to find.