Northwest Iowa Fishing Reports

[Esox_Magnum]

Not sure water clarity now on Spirit but West is about as clear as I have seen it in a couple years. Could see bottom in 18' today looking over the side of the boat. Not the weeds though we had hoped for, they are going away fast. Weeds that were there last week even are gone. LIl Millers weeds to about 1' from the surface and solid but deeper they thin fast. Lil Emerson has some but not like normal. Haven't been to Smiths in awhile so not sure there. Didn't check a couple of our out of the way spots yet maybe my partner can check on them yet this weekend as I'm done till ice up. Ready to hit my multi species hole, caught everything but a smallie and muskies ( during ice anyway)out of that spot. Still say the 12th I'll have ice to drill.

[iafish4fun]

I can't figure out why everyone seems to want to fish through a 8" hole in the ice , rather than move around on the schools of fish with a boat? Please explain your reasoning. I like to ice fish ... but I would rather be in my boat & mobile. Seems people are wishing for ice, I'm wishing for 1 more weekend of 50 degees, they will bite either way just wondering , your comments.

Thanks in advance

Mosquitoes.

Also there is nothing more annoying than having to mess with the trolling motor while you are trying to fish. And when you get to the point that you can drive out, then it turns into a camping trip. Fish, then grill some brats, fish some more.

[Mudcutter]

Walkable ice around the 12-13th. Weather pays my bills.

[Agronomist_at_IA]

Caught a small perch, and a Bass. Ice was about 3in thick. Only fished for about 1.5 hours. Nice to get out though

[NWBuck]

Nice...but you're braver than I am. I'd like 4-5 before I venture out. Congrats.

[Agronomist_at_IA]

Nice...but you're braver than I am. I'd like 4-5 before I venture out. Congrats.

I stayed within about 20 feet of shore since it wasn't overly thick & it was very early ice. This weekend it should be plenty thick & I'll go about anywhere on the pit then.

[Esox_Magnum]

Check as you go what was good last weekend may be no good after the snow. This fluffy stuff we got is about the best insulation there is.

[Walleye #1]

Agronomist

I am originally from Sanborn. Do you fish Douma Pit much? If so let me know I am interested to hear your thoughts on it. Send me an email if you wish. [email protected]

Walleye #1

[FishnBear]

I was wondering how much snow is on the ice at Spirit Lake or did it blow off with the high winds. Thanks

[Esox_Magnum]

I'll try to get up to look tomarrow, hopefully it broke open, not sure what is the worse of the 2 evils

[FishnBear]

Thanks ESOX, That would be great.

[Agronomist_at_IA]

Agronomist

I am originally from Sanborn. Do you fish Douma Pit much? If so let me know I am interested to hear your thoughts on it. Send me an email if you wish. [email protected]

Walleye #1

Yea I've fished it quite a bit. It's close so if I want to take my nephew out or just go for a an hour or two it's not bad. It's gotten better since they dumped half of the fish from Paullina lake in it when they draind Paullina a few years ago. Around labor day this year we hammered crappies anywhere from 8in to 10in and the largest was 12in. There seems to be some decent size bluegill & crappie in the pit. I've talked to some who've caught catfish out of there but I never had any luck myself for cats. There are a few Bass & perch but nothing that I've really seen much size to.

After fishing it a few times here is what i've learned, The Northwest part of the pit sucks, and is really shallow on the west side. 11-12 foot is about the deepest i've marked with my sonar. It's a very clear water and cameras work very well in it. I didn't think that there would be much structure to the bottom. figured it just slanted from the north side to the south side with the south side being deeper. I did find a spot wher I believe there to be a fairly sharp drop though, so I'm going to check it out when the ice is thicker. To sum up the gravel pit, it has a few decent blue gill and crappie in it that you could keep for eaters, and that's about it. A year or so ago, I was fishing with my brother and cousin. Fishing was slow, so we were dirlling and droping the camera in to see if we could find the fish well when doing this we did see what i belived to be about a 2lb bluegill. The thing was huge, and it swam off before we could get our poles down. About the best luck we've had on catch bigger gills was to go in the middle of the east pit drill couple holes and find a lone standing weed, and then fish around it. The lone weed kind of seems like it's a bus stop for the bluegill while they move around the lake. Seemed like about every 15min a grounp would come through.

[Walleye #1]

There are some big bass in there. I personally have caught a few and one day when I was in college we were out there just fishing from shore and the DNR was doing some sample work. We asked them a few questions, and they had shocked parts of the pit a couple months prior, and the told us that they wouldn't be surprised if a state record bass was swimming in the pit, but now you are talking a state record gill.

Never had much luck finding the bigger gills, but we did at times get into the crappies. In the spring we would find them just out from where the bridge used to be on both sides, but for the most part the east pit has the best fishing, if you fish the west fish the breaks to the right and left once you just get through the narrow channel. Another place to try crappies would be the southwest corner. It is hard to get to in the summer unless you have a canoe, but we have managed to catch some crappies there consistently.

Haven't iced fished it much, I usually only get home to Sanborn once in the winter and then head up to the Lakes. You make some interesting points though.

Walleye #1

[scoutWBL]

Any word on Big Spirit? Working retail I look forward to my next weekend off, thinking I should head to the cabin if there is fishable ice!

[tadster]

was out on the main lake yesterday(west side Spirit Lake) and the ice was about 8 inches where I was at. should be good to go for this weekend. the wind was strong enough that most of the snow got blown off the ice.

[Esox_Magnum]

WB we need to hook up on Spirit Lake, theres a place in front of your cabin I have been wanting to fish for a couple years just never been able to get there, hoping to have a sled in a couple weeks then look out perch. I dont know if this idea of mine will pan out but we should try it.

Tad how far out?? Out to the reef?

[SapperACE]

I'm planning on pulling my house out on Big Spirit for the weekend. I have the whole weekend off! I have heard most of the lake had 7-8+ inches. It will be my first time out for the year, and my new houses maiden voyage. Will probobly fish between buffalo run and the grade somewhere. I'll be after perch during the day and some 'eyes in the evening. I'll try to post a report next week.

[iafish4fun]

I'm planning on pulling my house out on Big Spirit for the weekend. I have the whole weekend off! I have heard most of the lake had 7-8+ inches. It will be my first time out for the year, and my new houses maiden voyage. Will probobly fish between buffalo run and the grade somewhere. I'll be after perch during the day and some 'eyes in the evening. I'll try to post a report next week.

You going to have that new house down here for the Boji Bonanza outing? I can't wait to see it, it looked pretty nice.

[scoutWBL]

Esox- We are on McClelland's can definitely walk on from the cabin, I typically fish anglers/stony/or out from the old footbridge on Spirit Lake in the winter but would love to venture out a bit. I'll keep in touch as I plan on heading that way.

[tadster]

esox,

sorry for taking so long to get back to you....hadnt check the HSOforum since my post. I was actually out on that little hump south of the inlet on Spirit Lake at buffalo run, not out on the reef that goes into the main lake, although I saw someone out there yesterday.

[Agronomist_at_IA]

Anybody go to Storm Lake ice fishing yet. Came into work this morning and going to take off to hit Storm. Any info would be helpful. Ice thickness, lure colors, bait that's working, etc...

[tadster]

from what I have heard deadsticking a minnow has been the best bait. I have had pretty good luck in past years down there with jigging a spoon of some sort with a minnow head and have a live minnow on a deadstick nearby. seems like most of the fish hit the live minnow, but jigging catches some and brings them in. sounds like shallow has been good in quite a few areas around the lake...inlet area has been good from what I am told. hopefully that helps. dont know much about the ice, but be careful around the inlet area if you go there.

[SapperACE]

Well, I fished Big Spirit Fri. and Sat. nights. Caught a couple of really nice slot fish, one 21.5 and one 19.5. Managed to catch enough keeper 'eyes for my wife and I to have a fish fry on Sunday night. Didn't fish much during the days, so no perch were caught. Caught almost everything in the early morning hours, a early evening hours. We were woken a couple times by bells overnight. We fished strait off of buffalo run in about 18 fow.

All in all it was a good weekend. The new house worked awesome. I'm not sure if i'll make it to the boji bonanza or not. I'd also like to get in down for the winter games this year. We'll just have to wait and see.

[Agronomist_at_IA]

Well went and didn't get anything since I had to leave by 4:00. My friends stayed till about 6:30 and caught two 14 in walleyes.

[tadster]

what area of the lake did you fish? read somewhere that college island area had been producing...but the best bite was from 5-5:30 according to the report...and shallow...I would assume that means 5' or less....