Spirit Lake Hatchery filling with northern pike 4/9/2024 12:41:00 PM View Count 823 SPIRIT LAKE - Crews with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources placed fyke nets in the outlets of the sloughs that flow into Big Spirit Lake on April 1, to start collecting northern pike. Northern pike spawn in sloughs and shallow vegetated areas around the Iowa Great Lakes prior to ice leaving the lakes.
Walleye season closes Feb. 15 on Iowa Great Lakes 2/6/2024 11:59:00 AM View Count 3118 SPIRIT LAKE – The walleye fishing season on Spirit, East and West Okoboji lakes is open through Feb. 14. It will close after that date and reopens on May 4. These are the only Iowa lakes that have a closed season for walleye.
Walleye season opens May 6 on Iowa’s Great Lakes 4/18/2023 4:20:00 PM View Count 3362 The 147th walleye fishing season officially opens May 6 at Spirit Lake, East and West Okoboji lakes.
Spirit Lake Hatchery filling with northern pike 4/11/2023 2:26:00 PM View Count 3344 SPIRIT LAKE - Crews with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources placed fyke nets in the outlets of the sloughs that flow into Big Spirit Lake on April 9 to start collecting northern pike.
Walleye season closes Feb. 15 on Iowa Great Lakes 2/7/2023 8:22:00 PM View Count 6093 SPIRIT LAKE – The walleye fishing season on Spirit, East and West Okoboji lakes is open through Feb. 14.
Walleye season opens May 7 on Iowa’s Great Lakes 4/19/2022 11:48:00 AM View Count 1654 The 146th walleye fishing season officially opens May 7 at Spirit Lake, East and West Okoboji lakes.
Spirit Lake Hatchery filling with northern pike 4/12/2022 3:28:00 PM View Count 2343 SPIRIT LAKE – Crews with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources placed fyke nets in the outlets of the sloughs that flow into Big Spirit Lake on April 3 to start collecting northern pike. Northern pike spawn in sloughs and shallow vegetated areas around the Iowa Great Lakes prior to ice leaving the lakes.
Walleye season closes Feb. 15 on Iowa Great Lakes 2/8/2022 1:23:00 PM View Count 1645 SPIRIT LAKE – The walleye fishing season on Spirit, East and West Okoboji lakes is open through Feb. 14. It will close after that date and reopens on May 7. These are the only Iowa lakes that have a closed season for walleye.
Hales Slough ramp temporarily closed for tree removal 10/22/2021 2:07:00 PM View Count 1391 Access to the Hales Slough boat ramp area on Big Spirit Lake will be closed to all uses beginning Oct. 25 as part of the ongoing Anglers Bay shoreline and associated oak savanna restoration effort to benefit the highly diverse aquatic terrestrial plant beds present near shore.
Boaters urged to use caution to avoid scour holes when loading and unloading 8/19/2021 1:28:00 PM View Count 2028 SPIRIT LAKE, Iowa - Iowa’s drought is impacting boaters on some of Iowa’s premier natural lakes.
Iowa’s cool water fish hatcheries filled to capacity 4/27/2021 11:40:00 AM View Count 2792 The Iowa Department of Natural Resources’ spring fish spawning season is over and Iowa’s cool water fish hatcheries at Fairport, Rathbun, and Spirit Lake are filled to capacity.
Walleye season opens May 1 on Iowa’s Great Lakes 4/20/2021 3:24:00 PM View Count 2552 The 145th walleye fishing season officially opens May 1 at Spirit Lake, East and West Okoboji lakes.
Spirit Lake Hatchery filling with northern pike 4/6/2021 12:33:00 PM View Count 4009 SPIRIT LAKE - Crews with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources placed fyke nets in the outlets of the sloughs that flow into Big Spirit Lake on March 23 to start collecting northern pike. Northern pike spawn in sloughs and shallow vegetated areas around the Iowa Great Lakes prior to ice leaving the lakes.
Iowa DNR to begin annual spring burning 3/6/2021 1:35:00 PM View Count 1733 Spirit Lake - The Iowa Department of Natural Resources plans to conduct prescribed burns within the selected wildlife complexes in Dickinson, Cherokee, and O’Brien counties between April 1 and May 20 to improve wildlife habitat, control invasive plant species, and maintain native plant communities.
Walleye season closes Feb. 14 on Iowa Great Lakes 2/10/2021 6:52:00 AM View Count 1785 SPIRIT LAKE – The walleye fishing season on Spirit, East and West Okoboji lakes is open through Feb. 14. It will close after that date and reopens on May 1. These are the only Iowa lakes that have a closed season for walleye.
DNR makes arrest in boating hit and run on West Lake Okoboji 8/7/2020 2:04:00 PM View Count 2958 WEST LAKE OKOBOJI, Iowa – On Thursday August 6, 2020, DNR Conservation Officers located a damaged boat consistent with damage to the hit and run incident, which seriously injured Vaughn Wickham of Spirit Lake, Iowa on August 4, 2020.
Marble Beach State Recreation Area to open July 1 after two-year renovation project 6/27/2020 10:28:00 AM View Count 5478 SPIRIT LAKE – With $3.2 million in improvements to campground facilities and roadways, Marble Beach State Recreation Area will open its doors to campers on July 1.
Iowa DNR starts first phase to manage the invasive curlyleaf pondweed at Iowa Great Lakes 4/30/2019 11:45:00 AM View Count 2861 Spirit Lake, Iowa - The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR), working with the East Okoboji Lakes Improvement Corporation (EOLIC), started the first phase of the curlyleaf pondweed management strategy for the Iowa Great Lakes on April 26.
Walleye season opens May 4 on Iowa’s Great Lakes 4/23/2019 3:09:00 PM View Count 6407 The 143rd walleye fishing season officially opens May 4 at Spirit Lake, East and West Okoboji lakes.
Iowa Great Lakes curlyleaf pondweed management plans for 2019 3/5/2019 12:48:00 PM View Count 2954 Spirit Lake - Invasive curlyleaf pondweed has become a common site in the spring on portions of the Iowa Great Lakes in recent years. The 2019 plan for managing this plant will be similar to 2018, but treat more acres.
Harsh winter conditions being felt on some Iowa lakes 2/26/2019 11:43:00 AM View Count 4719 Spirit Lake - As more snow and bitter temperatures dominate the forecast across Iowa, the mild start of winter is a distant memory. More than two feet of snow sits on many lakes and ponds across northern Iowa with 20-24 inches of ice below all that snow. Heavy snow on top of ice blocks sunlight from reaching aquatic plants and stops them from producing oxygen. This combination can create low oxygen conditions that may lead to fish kills.
7 lakes you’ve got to fish this fall 10/23/2018 3:27:00 PM View Count 10917 Get out and enjoy Iowa’s fantastic fishing opportunities. The air is cool, the views are picturesque, lakes are less crowded and the fish are easy to catch.
Kettleson Hogsback is like nowhere else in Iowa 6/19/2018 1:35:00 PM View Count 9399 SPIRIT LAKE - Dickinson County is home to a unique Iowa glacial area that has been attracting thousands of visitors a year, some from as far away as California, just to enjoy the scenery.
Late ice delays curlyleaf pondweed growth in Iowa Great Lakes 5/22/2018 11:43:00 AM View Count 3422 SPIRIT LAKE - The record breaking late ice on the Iowa Great Lakes delayed curlyleaf pondweed growth in the Iowa Great Lakes, but it will top out in portions of East Okoboji Lake and other lakes this week.
Walleye season opens May 5 on Iowa’s Great Lakes 4/24/2018 12:20:00 PM View Count 9520 The 142th walleye fishing season officially opens May 5 at Spirit Lake, East and West Okoboji lakes.
Walleye season closes Feb. 14 on Iowa Great Lakes 1/30/2018 1:57:00 PM View Count 3961 SPIRIT LAKE – The walleye fishing season on Spirit, East and West Okoboji lakes is open through Feb. 14, 2018. It will be closed after that date and reopens again on May 5, 2018. These are the only Iowa lakes that have a closed season for walleye.
Zebra mussels found in Big Spirit Lake 10/3/2017 1:35:00 PM View Count 5277 The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is watching Big Spirit Lake after a resident found a single juvenile zebra mussel attached to a rock in the southwest side of the lake on Sept. 23.
Walleye season opens May 6 on Iowa’s Great Lakes 4/25/2017 12:29:00 PM View Count 9895 The 141st walleye fishing season officially opens May 6 at Spirit Lake, East and West Okoboji lakes.
Fish hatcheries busy netting walleye 4/11/2017 12:27:00 PM View Count 4039 Spirit Lake – The late night, annual walleye collection is underway at Rathbun Lake, Storm Lake, Clear Lake and the Iowa Great Lakes. Crews with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources Fisheries Bureau have been setting gillnets at night looking for walleyes ready to spawn.
Lake restoration project underway at Center Lake 10/11/2016 3:29:00 PM View Count 5471 SPIRIT LAKE – The Iowa Department of Natural Resources will begin another phase of work on Center Lake this fall to improve habitat and water quality on the 257-acre lake southwest of Spirit Lake.
Sewer Line Blockage Causes Wastewater Overflow to Big Spirit Lake 7/11/2016 11:05:00 AM View Count 3594 SPIRIT LAKE – A blockage in a sewer main caused an estimated 4,000 gallons of wastewater to overflow into Big Spirit Lake late Sunday morning.
Limited Wastewater Discharge To West Lake Okoboji 5/4/2016 4:22:00 PM View Count 3698 SPIRIT LAKE – The Great Lakes Sanitary Sewer District discovered a wastewater discharge at 10:30 a.m. following an electrical failure at a N. Lagoon Street pumping station located in the city of Spirit Lake.
Fish Hatcheries Busy Netting Walleye 4/12/2016 7:28:00 AM View Count 4516 Spirit Lake – The late night, week-long annual walleye collection is underway at Rathbun Lake, Storm Lake, Clear Lake and the Iowa Great Lakes. Crews with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources’ Fisheries Bureau have been setting gillnets at night looking for walleyes ready to spawn.