Iowa Fishing Report
Iowa Department of Natural Resources
Fishing Report - February 17, 2002

Northeast

Mississippi River Pools 9 to 15: Anglers are catching some bluegills in Lansing area in Big Lake and in Botsford Lake in Pool 9. Bussey Lake in Pool 10 had some fish still being caught but many small bluegills. Sorting is required for larger fish. Anglers are catching some bluegills in the Bertom/McCartney area of Pool 11 (Wisconsin side). In Pool 12, Fish Trap and Kehough are fair for bluegills and crappie. At Browns Lake and Green Island, in Pool 13, fishing is good for bluegills and crappie. Pool 14, some bluegills and crappies are being caught in Cattail Slough. Fishing is fair for bluegills and crappies at Schrickers and good at Rock Creek. Fishing is good for bluegills and crappies at Mallard Bay. Anglers fishing Pools 12 – 14 have been mainly using wax worms and artificial lures.

Volga Lake (Fayette): Bluegills are fair mornings and evenings near deep brush piles.

For current information on trout fishing during the winter, call the Manchester Trout Hatchery at 563-927-5736, the Big Spring Hatchery at 563-245-1699 and the Decorah Hatchery at 563-382-3315.

For information on fishing in northeast Iowa, call the regional office in Manchester at 563-927-3276.

Northwest

Reminder: The walleye, muskellunge and northern pike seasons close on Feb. 15 on Spirit Lake, East and West Okoboji, in Dickinson County.

Spirit Lake (Dickinson): Yellow perch are fair using minnows, wax worms or wigglers on jigs ranging from pilkees to teardrops. Fishing has been good on the south side of the lake and Buffalo Run. A few walleyes have been caught on the north side by Mini-Wakan, but the action is slow.

West Okoboji (Dickinson): Walleye fishing is slow, but some fish are being caught in Miller’s Bay. Minnows seem to be the bait of choice. Crappies are slow, but some are being caught in Miller’s and Smith’s bays. Bluegills are excellent in Smith’s Bay, the north end of the lake, and recently in Miller’s Bay. Use teardrops with a wiggler or wax worm. Northern pike fishing is great. Use chubs in Miller’s and Smith’s bays and in the north end of the lake. Yellow perch are slow. Some perch are being caught Smith’s Bay on teardrops tipped with a wiggler or wax worm. Anglers are also catching some perch in Miller’s Bay.

Center Lake (Dickinson): Anglers are urged to use extreme caution when fishing Center Lake. Extensive open water and thin ice conditions exist on the lake. Bluegill and crappie fishing is good in the southwest corner of the lake. Some walleyes are being caught on the east side.

Silver Lake (Palo Alto): The sporadic yellow perch bite continues. The best bait is a minnow under a slip bobber.

Badger Lake (Webster): Crappies are good on live minnows especially in the morning. The crappies are generally 8 to 9-inches. Bluegills are good on teardrops tipped with a wax worm. The bluegills are 7-1/2 to 8-1/2 inches.

Brushy Creek (Webster): Walleye fishing is good in about 40 feet of water. Use a jigging spoon tipped with a minnow. The best action is late in the afternoon.

North Twin (Calhoun): Crappie fishing is fair to good using minnows.

Arrowhead Lake (Sac): Fishing is good for 7 to 8-1/2 inch bluegills on teardrops and wax worms.

Black Hawk Lake (Sac): Bluegill and catfish fishing is fair to good, fishing off the rock piles and Ice House Point using teardrops tipped with wax worms. A few walleye are being caught in the evening hours. Anglers need to use caution, there is open water on the north side of the lake and in the Dennison Beach area.

Oldham Lake (Monona): Fishing is good for 7 to 8-inch bluegills.

Badger Lake (Webster): Fishing is good for 8 to 9-inch crappies using minnows. Bluegills are good on teardrops tipped with wax worms. The bluegills are 7-1/2 to 8-1/2 inches.

Clear Lake (Cerro Gordo): Walleye fishing is fair. The best activity is from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Anglers using minnows under tip ups and jigging spoons are catching fish. Yellow bass are being caught around the island on jigging spoons tipped with cut bait or minnows. The bite has been spotty and inconsistent. Most of the yellow bass are being caught just before sunset.

Indian Lake, Eldred Sherwood Park (Hancock): Bluegill fishing is good. Some sorting is required, but 7 to 8-inch fish are available. Use a small ice jig tipped with a wax worm.

For more information on fishing in northwest Iowa, call the regional office in Spirit Lake at 712-336-1840.

Southwest

Lake Ahquabi (Warren): Bluegill fishing is slow to fair using wax worms and minnows. There was open water two weeks ago in the middle of the lake that has recently frozen so ice conditions vary greatly across the lake.

Big Creek Lake (Polk): Bluegill fishing has been spotty in the main lake, with some fish being caught in the “Lost Lake” area, using small tear-drops, kastmasters baited with wax worms. Crappies are fair using minnows on bare hooks with split shot. Reports indicate fish are deep and most fish taken around daybreak and after dark. Walleyes are good using kastmasters and small jigging spoons. Most walleye are below the legal length limit, with some reported up to 4 pounds.

Don Williams (Boone): Crappie fishing is fair with most anglers using wax worms and minnows. Some largemouth bass have also been reported, although most are below the minimum length.

Hooper Lake (Warren): Some bluegills have been caught, although generally fishing activity has been slow due to ice and weather conditions.

Rock Creek (Jasper): Crappie fishing has been slow using wax worms and minnows. Ice conditions have been spotty over the past few weeks, particularly near the dam area.

Easter Lake (Polk): Crappies are fair on wax worms. A few largemouth bass have been taken along the face of the dam.

Hickory Grove Lake (Story): Crappies and bluegills are fair using wax worms and jigs.

Orient (Adair): Fishing is good for crappies, up to 12 inches, using minnows in front of the dam.

Greenfield (Adair): Fishing is excellent for bluegill on jigs tipped with wax worms around structure in 10 to 20 feet of water. Ice thickness varies from 8 to 12 inches.

Viking (Montgomery): Bluegill and crappies are good on teardrops tipped with wax worms and minnows. Fishing is best in early morning hours and before sunset.

Manawa (Pottawattamie): Anglers are catching bluegill near tin can dike using a teardrop tipped with wax worms.

Willow (Harrison): Bluegills are good on wax worms.

Three Mile (Union): Ice thickness varies from 6 to 10 inches, with some open water areas that the waterfowl are keeping open, so be careful. Fishing is good for bluegill on wax worms, early morning and evening hours, in flooded timber near roadbeds. Crappie and walleyes, with a few larger ones, are being caught on minnows at brush piles at lower end of lake.

Twelve Mile (Union): Ice thickness varies from 6 to 10 inches with some open water areas, so be careful. Fishing is good for walleyes, bluegill, crappie, and small yellow bass on minnows and wax worms in early morning and evening hours in flooded timber or areas northeast of the west dock.

Fogle (Ringgold): Fishing is excellent for numerous 6 to 8-inch bluegills, and for channel catfish and crappies on wax worms in flooded timber and brush piles.

Icaria (Adams): Channel catfish and largemouth bass are good on wax worms and minnows.

Green Valley (Union): Fishing is fair for crappie and bluegill in east arm of the lake and good for catfish.

Badger Creek (Madison): Fishing is generally slow. The best action for bluegills and crappies is in the morning and evening.

West Lake Osceola (Clarke): Bluegill and crappie are fair. The best action is in the morning and evening hours.

Little River (Decatur): Bluegill, crappie and walleye are good in flooded timber areas near creek channel.

Slip Bluff (Decatur): Fishing is good for bluegills and crappies beside flooded trees.

Farm Ponds: Ice fishing is good for bluegill on wax worms. Ice thickness varies from 5 to 10 inches.

For more information on fishing in southwest Iowa, call the regional office in Lewis at 712-769-2587.

Southeast

Mississippi River – Pools 16 – 19: Backwater areas of the Mississippi on Pools 16 to 19 continue to have solid ice conditions. Anglers should use caution in deepwater areas of Big Timber in Pool 17 or any place water current may exist. Fishing for bluegills is slow to good on Big Timber and Hidden Acres on Pool 17. Fishing for crappie and bluegills is slow to fair in Bell’s Pocket in Pool 18.

Lake Odessa (Louisa): Bluegills and crappies are still being caught along the trees in Sand Run. Fish just off the treetops for the best luck. The late ice up means there is still good oxygen at the bottom so the deeper water still holds most of the fish.

Lake Geode (Henry): Lots of good ice but not much angling pressure. The fish were being caught off the steep ledges along the east shoreline. Clear water should make sight fishing along the habitat fairly easy.

Lake Rathbun (Appanoose): Crappies have been biting on small tube jigs and jigs tipped with minnows. Areas in South Fork and Honey Creek Bay have been the most productive. Most fish are being caught around or in submerged structure.

Lake Wapello (Davis): Bluegills and crappies have been hitting on small jigs tipped with a wax worm. The most productive areas have been in places with submerged structure.

Lake Keomah (Mahaska): Bluegills and crappies have been hitting on small jigs tipped with wax worms. Use caution because there is still some open water in areas the geese have been using.

Lake Sugema (Van Buren): Crappies and bluegills have been biting on small jigs tipped with wax worms. Evenings have been the best time to fish.

Lake Macbride (Johnson): Crappie fishing continues to be fair near the power lines and throughout the lake on jigs tipped with wax worms and minnows. Some sorting is required for sizeable fish. An occasional walleye is also being caught.

Diamond Lake (Poweshiek): Fishing continues to be fair in the evenings from 4:30 p.m. until dark for crappie and bluegills on jigs tipped with wax worms. Anglers are reminded that minnow usage is prohibited in this lake.

Pleasant Creek (Linn): Anglers have been catching a few crappie and bluegills on the west end of the lake and near the dam.

Coralville Reservoir (Johnson): Crappie fishing continues to be fair throughout the reservoir near brush and deeper holes on jigs tipped with wax worms and minnows.

For more information on fishing in southeast Iowa, call the regional office in Brighton at 319-694-2430.