Northeast

Mississippi River (Pools 12-15): Ice conditions have been variable from unsafe conditions due to snow to 5 inches, so extreme caution is advised. Crappie and bluegill fishing has been fair at Middle and Lower Sabula Lakes, fair to poor at Kehough Slough, Grass Lake, and Stone Lake in Pool 12 and poor at Brown's Lake in Pool 13. Overall it has been pretty slow out there for most people.

Volga Lake (Fayette): Bluegill are being caught in the early morning and evening on jigs tipped with waxworms. Use best judgement in the bays.

Lake Meyer (Winneshiek): Fishing has been slow for bluegills and crappies, but both are being caught with a red or yellow teardrop jig and waxworm. Larger fish are being caught in deeper water. Lake Meyer has about 4 inches of ice in most areas under about 4 inches of snow. Be careful around the springs.

Hendricks Lake (Howard County): Fishing has been slow for bluegills and crappies, but both are being caught with a red or yellow teardrop jig tipped with a waxworm. Fishing is best the hour before and half hour after sundown.

Trout streams: Trout streams are offering excellent opportunities right now for the ice shy angler.

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

 

Northwest

Storm Lake (Buena Vista): A few walleyes are being caught, although fishing is slow. Don't forget the slot length limit in effect; all walleyes between 17 and 22 inches must be released immediately.

Brushy Creek Lake (Webster): Bays have about 4 inches of ice, but the main lake is not safe. Anglers are catching a few bluegills and crappies on the north end

Badger Lake (Webster): Fishing is good for bluegills on tear drop jigs and wax worms.

Clear Lake (Cerro Gordo): Ice depths are running around 8 inches over most of the lake. Anglers are catching a few yellow bass around the Island and in the mud flats between the north shore and the Island. Walleye fishing has been slow to fair. Anglers fishing the sunrise and sunset periods report the best walleye action. Fish seem to be scattered across the mud flats and not relating to any particular structure. Fishing in water depths of 10 feet or greater is the best for walleye.

Indian Lake - Eldred Sherwood (Hancock ): Bluegills are hitting small teardrop jigs tipped with waxworms. Bluegill size has been running from 6 to 8 inches.

Spirit Lake (Dickinson): Walleye fishing has been slow, but a few fish are being caught off Cottonwood point and Templar Park. Anglers should fish in 12 to 20 feet of water using jigging minnows or spoons tipped with minnow heads. Perch fishing is fair. Perch are being caught mostly on the North End, Templar and in Anglers Bay. Most fish are being caught in 14- to 18 feet of water. Fish are on the small side, but some up to 12 inches are available. Bluegill fishing is fair in Anglers Bay.

West Okoboji (Dickinson): Bluegill fishing is good in Little Emerson Bay and Little Millers Bay. Small teardrop jigs tipped with waxworms work well. A few perch are being caught in these areas as well. Northerns are being caught on tip ups in Little Emerson.

Silver Lake (Dickinson): Walleye fishing has slowed in the last week. Anglers are still picking up fish on the south end of the lake.

Five Island (Palo Alto): Catfish are being caught in Town Bay around the island.

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

 

Southwest

Most of the ponds and lakes in southwest Iowa have 4 to 7 inches of good ice.

Don Williams (Boone): Small crappies and bluegills are being caught on wax worms in the evenings.

Rock Creek (Jasper): A mixture of bluegills and crappies are being caught. The crappies are running 9 to 11 inches. Wax worms have been the preferred bait.

Hickory Grove (Story): Medium-sized bluegills and crappies are being caught.

Lake Ahquabi and Hooper (Warren): Bluegills in the 7- to 8-inch range are being caught using wax worms a foot off of the bottom.

Banner Lakes at Summerset Park (Warren): The north lake is in the process of being renovated, so there aren’t any fish in this lake. However, more than 1,700 rainbow trout were stocked in the south lake on Friday. These trout seem to bite on anything from wax worms to small jigging spoons. Don’t forget your trout fee!

Big Creek (Polk): Small crappie and some decent bluegills are being caught at Lost Lake. Some folks are beginning to catch walleyes in deeper water on the main lake as well.

DMACC Pond (Polk): Bluegill fishing has been good, with some 10-inch fish being caught on wax worms.

Easter Lake (Polk): A variety of sizes of bluegills and crappies are being caught.

Contact: Ben Dodd (515) 432-2823, Ext.108, for information on the above area lakes.

Three Mile (Union): Reports of 6 to 12 inches of ice are common. Waterfowl frequent the lake and there may be thin ice areas. Some crappie can be caught over the brush piles and around the deep trees using wax worms or minnows. Lesser numbers of bluegills, walleyes and yellow perch are being caught in similar areas.

Fogle Lake (Ringgold): Many bluegills are being caught on wax worms near the deep brush piles or trees. Ice is generally at least 6 inches thick but it is possible that thin spots may exist. The crappies are suspended around the brush piles but usually prefer minnows.

Little River (Decatur): There is 5 to 8 inches of ice over most of the lake. Water fowl may have kept other areas open longer and thin ice could be possible. The crappies can be caught south of the big point that is west of the main ramp or from the deeper flooded trees. An occasional walleye is caught from the same areas.

Farm Ponds: Ice is usually good but some ponds did freeze late and might not have safe ice. The fish are biting usually in the deepest areas of the pond.

Contact: Gary Sobotka (641)464-3108 for information on the above area lakes.

Orient (Adair): Fishing is good for 8-inch bluegill and 8 to 10-inch crappie. Ice is 7 inches thick.

Greenfield (Adair): Fishing is good for 8-inch bluegill. Teardrop jigs tipped with a wax worm have been effective. A few crappies are being caught in evenings using minnows. Ice is 7 inches thick.

Nodaway (Adair): Good numbers of 7- to 8-inch bluegill and 8- to 10-inch crappie have been caught. Ice is 7 inches thick.

Meadow (Adair): A few crappies are being caught in brush piles using minnows. Bluegill fishing is slow using wax worms. Ice is 7 inches thick.

Littlefield (Audubon): No reports of fishing. Ice is 4 to 7 inches thick.

Anita (Cass): No report of fishing. Anita has a good population of 7-inch bluegill. Ice conditions are 6 to 8 inches.

Manawa (Pottawattamie): The fishing derby last weekend was cancelled due to poor ice conditions. Ice conditions should improve with the cold weather forecasted. Be safe and check ice thickness as you walk out from shore.

DeSoto Bend (Harrison): Crappie fishing is good using jigs tipped with minnows around sunken brush piles on east side of lake. Ice is 8 inches thick.

Prairie Rose (Shelby): No reports of fishing at this time. Ice conditions are 4 to 6 inches.

Willow (Harrison): A few bluegills are being caught on tear drop jigs tipped with wax worms. Ice is 5 to 7 inches thick.

Farm Ponds: Bluegill fishing has been good using wax worms. Crappie fishing is fair using minnows in evenings. Ice conditions are good averaging 6 inches.

Contact: Bryan Hayes (712)769-2587 for information on the above area lakes.

For more information on general fishing in southwest Iowa, call the SW Regional Office in Lewis at 712-769-2587.

 

Southeast

Mississippi River (Pools 16 - 19): The Mississippi River and majority of the backwaters remain unsafe for ice fishing. At the gauging station on Pool 16 (Lock and Dam 16 in Muscatine) the water temperature is 32° F and the river pool state is 11.59 ft. and is expected to remain stable over the next several days. Anglers are reminded to use caution and check ice conditions before venturing out too far. River ice can often be variable even in backwaters and is not as safe as ice on farm ponds and lakes.

Credit Island on Pool 16 has 4 to 6 inches of ice. Anglers are catching bluegills, crappies and yellow bass (some sorting for sizeable fish). Sunset Marina on Pool 16 has 4 to 6 inches of ice and is also producing some bluegills and crappies (some sorting for sizable fish).

Several boat ramps are beginning to freeze up and some still remain open throughout the Mississippi River on Pools 16 - 19. Many boat ramps will likely freeze up over the next several days with the current cold weather conditions. Boat anglers that have access to the Mississippi River report walleye and sauger fishing is fair to slow. Most anglers are using jigs with twister tails or hair jigs tipped with a minnow. With the colder water temperatures anglers should slow down their presentation of baits and when using jigs use the smallest jig possible while still being able to feel the bottom of the River.

Lake Darling (Washington): Six inches of ice over most of the lake. Anglers are picking up a few crappies around the cedar trees in the middle of the lake and the two bays in the northwest corner of the lake down by the dam.

Lake Belva Deer (Keokuk): Five inches of ice on the lake, except for some thin ice down by the dam. Anglers are catching some nice bluegills during the first two hours of daylight, and most anglers are leaving before 10 a.m.

Lake Geode (Henry): Three to four inches of ice over most of the lake; a few geese are keeping a couple of spots open at the lower end of the lake. Anglers are catching a few bluegills in front of the old concession stand.

Lake Rathbun (Appanoose): Anglers have been having the best luck in the Honey Creek and Buck Creek areas of the lake. Crappies have been hitting small jigs tipped with a minnow or a waxworm. Most anglers are fishing over and around submerged cedar trees or other underwater habitat.

Lake Wapello (Davis): Anglers have been using tear drop jigs tipped with a waxworm to catch crappies and bluegills around underwater structures. Ice conditions have been variable and all the snow has melted off the ice.

Lake Keomah (Mahaska): Bluegills and crappies have been biting on tear drop jigs tipped with a waxworm. Areas with underwater structure and areas around the rock jetties have been the most productive.

Lake Miami (Monroe): Crappies have been biting on small jigs tipped with a minnow or a waxworm. Anglers have had the best luck around the stumps in the northern parts of the lake near the dam. Ice is reported to be around 5 inches thick.

Lake Macbride (Johnson): Ice conditions are 4 to 7 inches depending on location. Plenty of small bluegills are being caught on rock and wood structure. Small crappies are also being caught over fish habitat, with a few larger ones being caught by experienced anglers.

Pleasant Creek (Linn): There is plenty of ice here. Bluegills are being caught off the dam. Most are small but some anglers are finding keeper sizes. Look for crappies in the brush.

Otter Creek (Tama): Crappies and bluegills are being caught. Try the brush/pallets for best results.

Hannen Lake (Benton): Bluegills and crappies are being taken from the shallow brush.

Rodgers Lake (Benton): Bluegills are being taken from shallow brush.

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