Northeast

Mississippi River Pools 9 to 15: The water temperature at Guttenberg is 40 degrees and the river has crested and is slowly dropping. River levels on Monday were 11.4 feet in Guttenberg, 14.6 feet in Dubuque and Bellevue is at 13.25 feet. Although the water levels are still high, clarity is generally good. High river levels have caused some minor flooding and launching problems at some locations; you may want to check ahead before traveling a great distance. Fishing continues to be spotty with the high water and colder weather, but some anglers are having success fishing mostly in the tailwater areas.

Walleye and sauger fishing in Pools 9 to 15 has been slow to fair with the high water. Use three-way rigs or jigs tipped with either a twister tail or a minnow in the slack water areas near the dams for the best results.

Anglers are also catching perch and bluegills in the slack water areas near the dams using a piece of night crawler or small minnows suspended under a bobber in Pools 9 to 12.

Crappie fishing has been fair in the backwater areas and side channels in Pools 12 to 15 on minnows suspended below a bobber or small tube jigs. With water temperature this low, presentations for any fish should be slow.

Cedar River (Bremer and Black Hawk): Water levels are going down and fishing success is improving. Anglers are having success catching channel catfish in the Waverly impoundment using dead minnows fished on the bottom. Walleye fishing is picking up using jig and twister combinations tipped with a minnow. In high, fast water, fish for walleyes below the dams and areas just off current breaks.

Cedar River (Mitchell and Floyd): Water levels are up, but the river is still fishable. Anglers are catching a few nice size walleye and northerns using ring worms, artificial plastics and minnows. Anglers are also catching good numbers of channel catfish ranging from 2 to 12 pounds on dead chubs.

Maquoketa River (Delaware): Walleye fishing is improving using jig and twister tail combinations tipped with a minnow. Fish below the dams or in current break areas as water levels are above normal.

Shell Rock River (Butler and Bremer): Water levels remain high and fishing is slow.

Turkey River (Clayton): Water levels are up. Sucker fishing is picking up south of Elkader.

Upper Iowa River (Winneshiek and Allamakee): Water levels are fluctuating and turbid with recent spring storms. White suckers are being caught below the lower dam.

Wapsipinicon River (Buchanan): Water levels are up and channel catfish are biting on night crawlers and dead minnows. Walleye fishing is good below dams and current break areas using jigs and twister tails tipped with a minnow.

Heritage Lake (Dubuque): Heritage, located on the north edge of Dubuque, will receive its final trout stocking on April 14.

Lake Delhi (Delaware): Channel catfish are good to excellent using dead minnows fished on the bottom.

Lake Hendricks (Howard): Water clarity is turbid. Fishing pressure has been low.

Lake Meyer (Winneshiek): Hungry catfish are looking for dead fish along the windswept side of the lake. Nice-sized largemouth bass are being caught on spinners and crankbaits. Crappie and bluegill fishing is slow.

North Prairie Lake (Black Hawk): North Prairie in Cedar Falls received the final early spring stocking of trout on March 31.

Volga Lake (Fayette): Small bluegills and a few perch are being caught on the lake.

Trout stream stockings have begun. Most trout stream stocking are announced and the dates of proposed stockings can be found on the Iowa DNR website at www.iowadnr.gov or by calling the trout stocking hotline at 563-927-5736. Many streams run high and stained after a spring rain, but quickly become fishable within a day or so. Anglers are using a variety of baits and lures from white crappie jigs to black jigs tipped with a plastic worm.

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

 

Northwest

Many smaller lakes across northwest Iowa have re-frozen. Warmer weather forecasted later in the week should open those lakes again.

Spirit Lake (Dickinson): Anglers are catching smallmouth bass using hair jigs and fishing the rock piles on the east side of the lake in 12 to 18 feet of water.

West Okoboji Lake (Dickinson): A few bluegills and crappies are being caught in Triboji and in the canals using wax worms and small jigs.

Center Lake (Dickinson): Anglers are catching a few walleyes from shore, fishing in the evening.

Minnewashta (Dickinson): Anglers are catching a few walleyes from shore in the evening, throwing jigs.

Lower Gar (Dickinson): Anglers are catching catfish using cut bait.

Clear Lake (Cerro Gordo): Water temperatures are in the low 40s. Walleye fishing is slow. Wading or boat fishing Dodge's Point, the Island and the East shoreline areas are the best bet for walleye. A slow presentation with a jig and minnow is the best technique. Angling should improve with warming water temperatures.

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

 

Southwest

Icaria (Adams): Anglers are catching limits of 1.5 to 5 pound size catfish on cut bait at east end of the lake. Walleyes are being caught on jigs on the south side around marina and dam. The lake is about 9 inches away from being full.

Little River (Decatur): Anglers report catching walleyes off the points.

Wilson (Taylor): Crappie fishing has started. Use small jigs.

Windmill (Taylor): Anglers are catching crappies using small jigs.

Green Valley (Union): Channel catfish are being caught off silt dikes in the shallow ends.

Three Mile (Union): Anglers are catching walleyes on jigs.

Twelve Mile (Union): Walleyes up to 17 inches are being caught, but most are around 12 inches. Anglers are picking up largemouth bass up to 17 inches. The main boat ramp is useable.

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

The cold weather and the high winds have seemed to shut most of the fishing down in central Iowa. However, when the water temperature begins to rise have your gear ready.

Banner Lakes @ Summerset Park (Warren): Trout were stocked two weeks ago and should still be willing to bite.

Big Creek (Polk): Some walleyes and crappie were being caught before the cold front.

Below Saylorville dam (Polk): Some walleyes are being caught on white jigs tipped with minnows at Cottonwood Park.

Des Moines River (Polk): When the water temperature warms, try fishing below the low-head dams and riffles walleyes. Gravel bars can also produce this time of year.

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

Manawa (Pottawattamie): Anglers are catching walleyes and small crappies in canal and along south shore.

DeSoto Bend (Harrison): The lake will open for fishing on April 15.

Farm Ponds: Farm ponds are beginning to warm and anglers should be able to pick up fish in area ponds. Be sure to ask permission from the landowner first, however.

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

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

 

Southeast

Mississippi River Pools 16 to 19: Water temp at Muscatine is 42 degrees. All pools are at or near flood stage making access difficult. All areas are reporting slow fishing because of the high water and the drop in temperature. Pool 16 crested just below flood stage and is predicted to slowly drop without additional precipitation. There are still a few white bass being taken in Sylvan Slough. Pool 17 crested just below flood stage and is predicted to slowly drop without additional precipitation. Pool 18 is just over flood stage and is predicted to rise slightly over the next couple of days. Pool 19 is just under flood stage and predicted to slowly drop over the next few days.

Lake Odessa (Louisa): Anglers were catching lots of nice catfish before it got cold last week. Look for the catfish to be biting again as it warms up. Shad and shad guts are the preferred baits.

Lake Darling (Washington): Anglers are picking up a few catfish along the rocky shorelines. Look for bass to be working the shallow bays on a warm sunny afternoon.

Lake Geode (Henry): Anglers were catching bluegills and bass on bobbers and worms before the cold front.

Lake Belva Deer (Keokuk): Anglers were catching nice crappies in shallow where the "old" pond drains into the lake on the north side. They were also catching some nice bass in the shallows as well as where the marsh empties into the lake. Of course, this was all before the recent cold front.

Lake Rathbun (Appanoose): Crappies have been biting in 10-to 15-feet of water in areas with submerged habitat. Channel catfish have been biting on shad sides and cut bait.

Lake Miami (Monroe): Channel catfish have been hitting on cut bait.

Skunk River (Washington and Henry): The river is high and muddy. Anglers are snagging carp and buffalo at Oakland Mills below the dam. They are also catching a few flatheads below the dam as the flatheads are feeding on the shad that are going over the dam with the high water.

Cedar River (Louisa): Some flooding is forecasted until later this week when the river should get down below flood stage.

Iowa River (Washington and Louisa): The river is at bank full with some flooding in low-lying areas. NOAA forecasts it to stay at or above flood stage the rest of the week. People are spearing carp and buffalo in the flooded ditches.

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