Northeast

Mississippi River Pools 9 to 15: Recent rains, warm weather and a bump in river levels has melted ice near shorelines so anglers should use caution in these areas as well as any area that may contain flowing water. Otherwise ice conditions remain solid with 8 to 12 inches of ice in most areas. Cold weather forecast for this week should strengthen ice. With the warmer weather and rains anglers reported better fishing over the past week. Many of the popular fishing areas have had the same reports; good catches of bluegill with sorting of many smaller fish but nice ‘keepers’ and a few crappie or yellow perch. Although fishing has been good recently typical midwinter fishing on the Mississippi often means anglers must be patient or move around to find fish and best bets are fishing late afternoon towards evening. In lower Pool 11 Sunfish Lake, Zollicoffers Slough and the harbor at Mud Lake have been popular fishing areas. In upper Pool 11 Swift Slough has been consistent for those who can boat across to it. In Pool 10 Bussey Lake is slow to good at times and the Sny Magill area has been popular with some nice crappie being caught along the lower end of backwaters next to Wyalusing Slough. Near Harpers Ferry, anglers have reported nice crappie near the spillway and Joyce Lake. Near Lansing in Pool 9, Shore Slough and Fish Lake have been popular areas.

Lake Meyer (Winneshiek): Fishing has slowed but bluegill and crappie are being caught along the north shore by the dam and the east bay. Anglers have been using a chartreuse and red teardrop jig tipped with a wax worm or a white grub with a split pink tail. Lake Meyer has about 8 to 10 inches of ice in most areas with little or no snow cover. The best time to fish is around late afternoon.

Hendricks Lake (Howard): Anglers have to work but are still catching fish. Bluegills are biting better than crappie and a few perch are also being bagged. Fish are being caught using a jig tipped with a wax worm. Hendricks Lake has about 12 inches of ice but be careful around the aerator. Anglers are asked to use the north entrance for lake access which is located ¼ mile north of the main entrance and the first gravel road to the right.

Brinker Lake and Big Woods Lake (Black Hawk): Bluegill and crappie fishing is good fishing early in morning and before sundown.

Avenue of the Saints Lake (Bremer): Fishing is good for crappies and bluegills. The fish are abundant, but are on the small side.

Casey Lake (Tama): Crappie and bluegill fishing is good. There are nice sized bluegills in the lake.

Lake Delhi (Delaware): Bluegills and crappies are good. Delhi has a consistent bite when other lakes are slow.

Cedar and Shell Rock rivers (Black Hawk and Butler): Walleye fishing has picked up recently. Fish the deeper holes with vertical jigging spoons or jigs tipped with wax worms or minnows.

Trout streams continue to offer 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

Spirit Lake (Dickinson): A few nice yellow perch are being caught in 21 feet of water off Buffalo Run and Cottonwood. Fishing is good in for bluegills in Trickles Slough and on the Grade using wax worms. Crappie fishing is fair in Trickles Slough and the Grade. Walleye fishing is fair in front of the Foot Bridge using jigging minnow style baits.

West Okoboji (Dickinson): Bluegill fishing is good in Little Millers, Little Emerson and the south end of Big Emerson look for standing weeds. Yellow perch are being caught off of Eagle and Pocahontas point in 10 to 15 feet of water. Walleye fishing is good in Haywards Bay and a few fish are also being caught in Millers, Emerson and Smith's Bay. Some really nice fish have been caught in the past week.

Virgin (Palo Alto): A few yellow perch are being caught, but sorting is required.

Pickeral (Buena Vista): A few walleyes are being caught

Five Island (Palo Alto): A few walleyes are being caught but the bite has slowed down.

Arrowhead Lake (Sac): few bluegill biting late evening and early morning on wax worms and tear drops

Crawford Creek (Ida): good fishing for bluegill and a few perch.

Storm Lake (Buena Vista): fair to good for walleye using a live minnow under a bobber. Don't forget that there is a 17-22 inch slot limit on walleye in Storm Lake. All fish in that slot must be returned to the water immediately.

Bacon Creek Lake (Woodbury): The DNR stocked 2,000, 10 to 14-inch rainbow trout on January 10. A trout fee is needed to fish for trout.

Brushy Creek Lake (Webster): good for crappie and bluegill on the north end of the lake. An occasional walleye is also being caught.

Clear Lake (Cerro Gordo): Anglers are still catching fish, although success is somewhat spotty. Some anglers are having great success while others seem to struggle. Anglers are doing well on the mudflat areas, around the aerators and the Island.

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

 

Southwest

Big Creek (Polk): Crappies up to 10-1/2 inches are being caught fishing small jigs tipped with a minnow or wax worm. The best bites have been early morning or at dusk. Bluegills up to 9 inches are being caught fishing over the cedar tree piles on small jigs tipped with a wax worm or maggot.

Fort Des Moines Pond (Polk): Crappies and bluegills are being caught.

Saylorville (Polk): Crappies up to 13-1/2 inches are biting small jigs tipped with a minnow fished near brush piles.

Hickory Grove (Story): Bluegills up to 8 inches are being caught fishing near structure using small jigs tipped with a wax worm.

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

Fogle Lake (Ringgold): Ice conditions are good. Bluegills and a few crappies are being caught in deeper water near structure with wax worms and minnows.

Walnut Creek Marsh (Ringgold): Ice conditions are good. The marsh has some open water from the winter aeration system. A few nice bluegills are being caught with wax worms on the edge of the dike trench.

Wilson Lake (Taylor): Ice conditions are good. Nice bluegills are being caught near the dam on wax worms.

Windmill Lake (Taylor): Ice conditions are good. A few bluegills and crappies are being caught near the dam and at a brush pile straight out from the boat ramp. No large numbers of fish were reported, but the size of the fish being caught is making up for the numbers.

East Lake Lenox (Taylor): Ice conditions are good. Bluegills and a few small crappies are being caught in deep water next to the bottom with wax worms.

West Lake Lenox (Taylor): Ice conditions are good. Good numbers of bluegills are being caught in deep water with wax worms.

Lake of Three Fires (Taylor): Ice conditions are good. A few nice bluegills and crappies are being caught with wax worms and minnows. Best locations are near deep water structure or next to the drop in the channel.

Icaria (Adams): Ice conditions are good. A few nice bluegills and crappies are being caught with wax worms and minnows. Best locations are near deep water structure, next to the drop in the channel, and in the deep flats of the east end.

Green Valley Lake (Union): Ice conditions are good. Few reports were given on Green Valley, but reports state that a few bluegills and crappies are being caught using wax worms and minnows in deeper water.

Three Mile Lake (Union): Ice conditions are good. Good numbers of bluegills are being caught next to deep structure on wax worms. Crappies seem to be harder to find, but a few crappies are also being caught next to deep structure.

Twelve Mile Lake (Union): Ice conditions are good. Nice bluegills are being caught with wax worms on 15 to 18 foot flats.

Little River Lake (Decatur): Ice conditions are good. A few crappies and bluegills are being caught with wax worms and minnows.

Slip Bluff Lake (Decatur): Ice conditions are good. Bluegills and a few crappies are being caught near brushy structure in deep water.

Farm ponds have had variable reports.

There have been good reports on ice conditions. However, be sure to personally check the ice thickness while going out.

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

Ice conditions have been reported as good with area lakes having 8 to 11 inches. Always check ice conditions frequently and be aware of potential weak ice.

Nodaway Lake (Adair): No report.

Mormon Trail (Adair): Bluegills and crappie are slow with a few being caught around sunken cedar trees.

Greenfield Lake (Adair): Bluegill and crappie have been slow. Try small jigs tipped with wax worm or minnows around deep structure.

Meadow Lake (Adair): Bluegills are fair around deep structure. Crappies are slow.

Anita (Cass): No report.

Manawa (Pottawattamie): Crappie fishing is still good with 9 to 12-inch fish being caught on jigs and minnows. A few walleyes are being caught on larger minnows on the south side of the lake. Manawa has 6 to 8 inches of ice.

Willow Lake (Harrison): No report.

Desoto Bend (Harrison): Crappies are slow around cedar tree piles using jigs and minnows.

Anderson Area (Montgomery): Fishing is good for 8-inch bluegills on teardrops tipped with a wax worm.

Southwest Iowa Farm Ponds: The best fishing reports have been from privately owned small ponds for bluegill and in the larger ponds, crappie, using teardrops tipped with wax worm. Ice thickness is 8 to 10 inches.

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

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

 

Southeast

Mississippi River Pools 16 to 20: Currently, ice conditions on the river are poor. It is not recommended that anyone venture out until conditions improve. Ice conditions should be improving as the week progresses and a cold front moves into the area.

The following open water areas are producing good fishing in the tailwaters and should continue to do so until boat ramps are iced in.

In Pool 17, walleye and sauger are being caught below lock and dam at Muscatine on twister tails and paddle tail jigs either plain or tipped with a minnow. In Pool 18, walleye and sauger are being caught below lock and dam at Toolesboro on twister tails, paddle tail and hair jigs either plain or tipped with a minnow.

Lake Darling (Washington): Ice conditions were too poor for ice fishing last week. The ice had melted away from the shore and the creek channels out into the lake were open water. This week's cold weather should form good ice to allow anglers a chance to get out.

Lake Belva Deer (Keokuk): Anglers are still getting out with only limited melting around the edges, the inlet and the outlet. Anglers have been catching crappies on jigs tipped with wax worms fishing in the trees along the creek channel out from the south boat ramp. The ice around the south boat ramp is about 8 to 9 inches.

Lake Rathbun (Appanoose): There has been some ice fishing in the Buck Creek and Honey Creek arms. Use wax worms tipped on a small ice fishing jig.

Lake Sugema (Van Buren): Ice conditions are extremely variable. Use caution.

Lake Wapello (Davis): Ice conditions are extremely variable. Use caution.

Lake Keomah (Mahaska): Bluegills have been biting on small jigs tipped with a wax worms.

Lake Macbride (Johnson): Bluegills are always plentiful here, however, they lack in size. They are around almost any type of structure and can be caught on small jigs/wax worms. Crappies have been fairly willing to bite as well. Fish over deeper brush or rock with small jigs or spoons tipped with wax worms. Be prepared to sort through 8 to 9 inchers looking for the larger fish.

Diamond Lake (Poweshiek): Bluegills are biting here on jigs/wax worms fished over brush or pallet structures. The deeper structures may produce some crappies as well, especially towards dark. Remember, no minnows allowed here.

Kent Park Lake (Johnson): Bluegills are being caught in and around the deep brush. Early and late in the day tends to be the best time for catching fish here.

Union Grove Lake (Tama): Anglers are catching good numbers of average sized bluegills on jigs/wax worms fishing around the deeper brush. A few crappies are also being taken, especially at dawn/dusk. There is an aerator in use at the dam end of the lake so use caution when in that area.

County Ponds (Washington and Keokuk): Good ice conditions should be returning this week with the colder temperatures. Last week saw considerable amounts of melt water on the ice as well as open water around the inlets and outlets.

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