Fishing Reports

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Iowa's Fishing Report

Sign up today for free weekly fishing information from Iowa’s fisheries experts. Learn the best hot spots and latest news about Iowa’s fishing opportunities from region to region. This weekly fishing forecast will be emailed directly to your inbox every Thursday!

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How to read our weekly fishing report

Our weekly fishing report is broken down by counties or regions – Northwest, Northeast, Mississippi River, Southeast and Southwest.

You can check the activity of your favorite lake or stretch of river within each region, including which species are being caught, a rating of the bite (slow, fair, good or excellent), as well as a hot bait or lure pattern.

Fishing reports may include information on stream or river flows (and if it is rising or dropping), ice conditions, depths that fish are biting (watch for trends if this changes), or safety issues like if the water suddenly becomes shallow in spots.




Iowa Fishing Report
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Waterbody District Comments Date
Cedar River (above Nashua) Northeast Area rivers stabilized and clarity improving. Precipitation forecast for weekend may cause conditions to change. Air temperatures relatively stable with highs in the 50's and lows above freezing. For information, please call the Chuck Gipp Decorah Fish Hatchery at 563-382-8324. 03/26 12:02
Cedar River (above Nashua) Northeast Channel Catfish - Good: With ice out, find windward shoreline to fish. Use chunks of dead chubs or other dead fish. 03/26 12:02
Cedar River (above Nashua) Northeast The Cedar River has stabilized and cleared. Conditions may change depending on precipitation amounts north over the next few days. 03/26 12:02
Cedar River (above Nashua) Northeast Walleye - Good: Anglers using crawlers and minnows are doing well below dams. Anglers are catching a good number of small walleye mixed with keeper size. 03/26 12:02
Decorah District Streams Northeast Area rivers stabilized and clarity improving. Precipitation forecast for weekend may cause conditions to change. Air temperatures relatively stable with highs in the 50's and lows above freezing. For information, please call the Chuck Gipp Decorah Fish Hatchery at 563-382-8324. 03/26 12:02
Decorah District Streams Northeast Brook Trout - Good: Midges and small mayflies hatching on warmer, sunny days. Use flies imitating insects hatching. 03/26 12:02
Decorah District Streams Northeast Brown Trout - Excellent: Off color water will turn brown trout on. Strong midge hatches occurring. Feathered spinner baits work well when fished through pools. Try using a fly imitating a midge emerging from it's exoskeleton. 03/26 12:02
Decorah District Streams Northeast Gravel roads are soft as the frost goes out. Stream clarity improving. Stream stocking season begins the week of April 1. Until further notice, all stream stockings will be unannounced due to the COVID-19 virus. Use this time to get some fresh air and explore a new stream. Hatchery grounds are open to the public but feeders and other conveniences are temporarily closed for prevention precautions. 03/26 12:02
Decorah District Streams Northeast Rainbow Trout - Good: With muddy water try using a worm or cheese floated through a pool under a bobber. Use an ultra light pole and reel for some fun action. 03/26 12:02
Lake Hendricks Northeast Area rivers stabilized and clarity improving. Precipitation forecast for weekend may cause conditions to change. Air temperatures relatively stable with highs in the 50's and lows above freezing. For information, please call the Chuck Gipp Decorah Fish Hatchery at 563-382-8324. 03/26 12:02
Lake Hendricks Northeast About half of lake is covered in ice. With warmer temperatures and rain, remaining ice will melt quickly. 03/26 12:02
Lake Hendricks Northeast Black Crappie - No Report: 03/26 12:02
Lake Hendricks Northeast Bluegill - No Report: 03/26 12:02
Lake Meyer Northeast Area rivers stabilized and clarity improving. Precipitation forecast for weekend may cause conditions to change. Air temperatures relatively stable with highs in the 50's and lows above freezing. For information, please call the Chuck Gipp Decorah Fish Hatchery at 563-382-8324. 03/26 12:02
Lake Meyer Northeast Black Crappie - No Report: 03/26 12:02
Lake Meyer Northeast Bluegill - No Report: 03/26 12:02
Lake Meyer Northeast Lake Meyer is ice free. A few people have been out fishing but reports are spotty. 03/26 12:02
Lake Meyer Northeast Largemouth Bass - No Report: 03/26 12:02
Mississippi River Pool 10 Northeast Upper Mississippi River levels are stabilizing but remain high. Ice has gone out quickly with rising flood waters. Locks are wide open. Anglers are open water fishing at the dams, however, expect high water, debris and swift current. Water temperature is near 40°F 03/23 03:51
Mississippi River Pool 10 Northeast River level at Lyxnville has risen to 22 ft this week with another bump expected early next week. Ramps are under water. Sny Magill road is closed. 03/23 03:51
Mississippi River Pool 10 Northeast Sauger - Fair: Sauger are biting on a jig tipped with a minnow in the tailwaters of the lock & dam. 03/23 03:51
Mississippi River Pool 10 Northeast Walleye - Fair: Walleye are moving up to the dams and are biting on jigs tipped with minnow. 03/23 03:51
Mississippi River Pool 10 Northeast Northern Pike - Fair: Northern pike are going on the feed in preparation for spawning. Fish the warmer shallows in backwaters. 03/23 03:51
Mississippi River Pool 10 Northeast Yellow Perch - Excellent: Fish a small piece of crawler just off the bottom. 03/23 03:51
Mississippi River Pool 11 Northeast Upper Mississippi River levels are stabilizing but remain high. Ice has gone out quickly with rising flood waters. Locks are wide open. Anglers are open water fishing at the dams, however, expect high water, debris and swift current. Water temperature is near 40°F 03/23 03:51
Mississippi River Pool 11 Northeast River level at Guttenberg has risen another foot to 13.7 ft and expected to bump up again early week. Ramps are under water due to flooding. 03/23 03:51
Mississippi River Pool 11 Northeast Northern Pike - Fair: Northern pike are going on the feed in preparation for spawning. Fish the warmer shallows in backwaters. 03/23 03:51
Mississippi River Pool 11 Northeast Sauger - Fair: Sauger are biting on a jig tipped with a minnow in the tailwaters of the lock & dam. 03/23 03:51
Mississippi River Pool 11 Northeast Walleye - Fair: Walleye are moving up to the dams and are biting on jigs tipped with minnow. 03/23 03:51
Mississippi River Pool 11 Northeast Yellow Perch - Excellent: Fish a small piece of crawler just off the bottom. 03/23 03:51
Mississippi River Pool 12 Northeast Flooding has returned but water levels appears to be stabilizing for now. Part of the district will experience minor flooding. If you have angling questions please call the Bellevue Fisheries Station at 563-880-8781. 03/26 11:28
Mississippi River Pool 12 Northeast Northern Pike - Good: Some northern pike are being taken using large spinner and cut bait in backwater areas. Pike are about to spawn in the Mississippi River but may need a shot of warm weather. 03/26 11:28
Mississippi River Pool 12 Northeast Sauger - Good: It was a good spring bite for the most part with anglers reporting all sizes of sauger being taken. In high water anglers are concentrating near shorelines away from the strongest currents. 03/26 11:28
Mississippi River Pool 12 Northeast The water level at the Dubuque Lock and Dam is at 14.3 feet and the level at the RR Bridge is 16.2. River levels at Dubuque are expected to hold steady near action flood stages. The water temperature is 43 degrees. Water clarity is fair. 03/26 11:28
Mississippi River Pool 12 Northeast Walleye - Good: Lots of nice slot walleyes are still being caught and the fishery looks to be healthy. Floating debris is now getting to be an issue at times with anglers pulling crank baits. 03/26 11:28
Mississippi River Pool 13 Northeast Flooding has returned but water levels appears to be stabilizing for now. Part of the district will experience minor flooding. If you have angling questions please call the Bellevue Fisheries Station at 563-880-8781. 03/26 11:28
Mississippi River Pool 13 Northeast Paddlefish - Slow: High water levels are impacting paddlefish snagging in the strong currents. Please review all paddlefish rules as they are somewhat complicated. 03/26 11:28
Mississippi River Pool 13 Northeast Sauger - Good: Anglers are still reporting all sizes of sauger. Successful fishermen are hugging near the banks out of the strongest current mostly using a jig and minnow. 03/26 11:28
Mississippi River Pool 13 Northeast The water level at the Bellevue Lock and Dam is at 14.7 feet and is steady. The water temperature is 43 degrees and water clarity is fair. The DNR boat ramp at Bellevue is mostly flooded. 03/26 11:28
Mississippi River Pool 13 Northeast Walleye - Good: Lots of nice slot walleyes were reported to us this spring and the fishery looks to be healthy. Floating debris is now getting to be an issue at times with anglers pulling crank baits. 03/26 11:28
Mississippi River Pool 13 Northeast Yellow Perch - Good: Some yellow perch are being reported in the tailwaters and in flooded backwater near Sabula. Most anglers using a night crawler for bait. 03/26 11:40
Mississippi River Pool 14 Northeast Flooding has returned but water levels appears to be stabilizing for now. Part of the district will experience minor flooding. If you have angling questions please call the Bellevue Fisheries Station at 563-880-8781. 03/26 11:28
Mississippi River Pool 14 Northeast Paddlefish - Slow: Strong current flow is hindering snagging of paddlefish. The rules for paddlefish snagging are somewhat complicated so please review them before an outing. 03/26 11:28
Mississippi River Pool 14 Northeast Sauger - Fair: Good numbers of sauger were reported this spring with some especially impressive sized fish caught. With high water anglers are concentrating along the shorelines away from the strongest currents. 03/26 11:28
Mississippi River Pool 14 Northeast The water level at the Fulton Lock and Dam is 14.7 feet, Camanche is at 16.5 feet and Le Claire is at 10.5 feet. Water temperature is around 44 degrees and river levels are stabilizing at action flood stages. 03/26 11:28
Mississippi River Pool 14 Northeast Walleye - Good: Nice slot walleyes are still being caught and the fishery appears to be healthy. Floating debris is impacting anglers pulling crank baits. 03/26 11:28
Mississippi River Pool 14 Northeast Yellow Perch - Fair: Some 8 to 9 inch Yellow perch are being taken by Walleye anglers in the tailwaters or folks fishing along flooded backwater edges. 03/26 11:45
Mississippi River Pool 15 Northeast Flooding has returned but water levels appears to be stabilizing for now. Part of the district will experience minor flooding. If you have angling questions please call the Bellevue Fisheries Station at 563-880-8781. 03/26 11:28
Mississippi River Pool 15 Northeast The water level at Rock Island is around 15.3 feet and rising. The water temperature is around 44 degrees and water is stained. 03/26 11:28
Mississippi River Pool 9 Northeast Upper Mississippi River levels are stabilizing but remain high. Ice has gone out quickly with rising flood waters. Locks are wide open. Anglers are open water fishing at the dams, however, expect high water, debris and swift current. Water temperature is near 40°F 03/23 03:51
Mississippi River Pool 9 Northeast River level at Lansing has risen to 11.9 and another bump expected early next week Ramps are under water. New Albin Army Road is closed due to high water. 03/23 03:51
Mississippi River Pool 9 Northeast Sauger - Fair: Sauger are biting on a jig tipped with a minnow in the tailwaters of the lock & dam. 03/23 03:51
Mississippi River Pool 9 Northeast Walleye - Fair: Walleye are moving up to the dams and are biting on jigs tipped with minnow. 03/23 03:51
Mississippi River Pool 9 Northeast Northern Pike - Fair: Northern pike are going on the feed in preparation for spawning. Fish the warmer shallows in backwaters. 03/23 03:51
Mississippi River Pool 9 Northeast Yellow Perch - Excellent: Fish a small piece of crawler just off the bottom. 03/23 03:51
Turkey River (above Clermont) Northeast Area rivers stabilized and clarity improving. Precipitation forecast for weekend may cause conditions to change. Air temperatures relatively stable with highs in the 50's and lows above freezing. For information, please call the Chuck Gipp Decorah Fish Hatchery at 563-382-8324. 03/26 12:02
Turkey River (above Clermont) Northeast Water levels stabilizing and clarity improving. Water temperatures in the mid 40's. 03/26 12:02
Turkey River (above Clermont) Northeast Walleye - Good: Find walleye below dams or other impoundments. Use worms or minnows for best luck. 03/26 12:02
Turkey River (above Clermont) Northeast White Sucker - Fair: With rising temperatures, suckers are beginning to bite. Use a crawler fished on the bottom. 03/26 12:12
Upper Iowa River (above Decorah) Northeast Area rivers stabilized and clarity improving. Precipitation forecast for weekend may cause conditions to change. Air temperatures relatively stable with highs in the 50's and lows above freezing. For information, please call the Chuck Gipp Decorah Fish Hatchery at 563-382-8324. 03/26 12:02
Upper Iowa River (above Decorah) Northeast Walleye - Good: Find fish below dams as water warms. Use worms and minnows good luck. Also try flashy spoons and spinners to catch a walleyes eye. 03/26 12:02
Upper Iowa River (above Decorah) Northeast Water levels stabilized and clarity improving. 03/26 12:02
Upper Iowa River (above Decorah) Northeast White Sucker - Fair: Sucker bite beginning with water temperatures reaching the mid 40's. Use a worm fished on the bottom with just enough weight to keep it down. 03/26 12:14
Volga Lake Northeast Area rivers stabilized and clarity improving. Precipitation forecast for weekend may cause conditions to change. Air temperatures relatively stable with highs in the 50's and lows above freezing. For information, please call the Chuck Gipp Decorah Fish Hatchery at 563-382-8324. 03/26 12:02
Volga Lake Northeast Black Crappie - No Report: 03/26 12:02
Volga Lake Northeast Bluegill - No Report: 03/26 12:02
Volga Lake Northeast Most of ice is gone from the lake. Few anglers have been out. 03/26 12:02
Arrowhead Lake Northwest For more information, contact the Black Hawk District office at 712-657-2638. 03/26 11:18
Arrowhead Lake Northwest Courtesy dock is in. 03/26 11:19
Black Hawk Lake Northwest For more information, contact the Black Hawk District office at 712-657-2638. 03/26 11:18
Black Hawk Lake Northwest Courtesy docks are in at all the boat ramps. Anglers are catching panfish in Town Bay using crawlers and minnows. 03/26 11:18
Black Hawk Lake Northwest Black Crappie - Fair: 03/26 11:18
Black Hawk Lake Northwest Bluegill - Fair: Anglers are catching bluegill in Town Bay. 03/26 11:18
Black Hawk Lake Northwest Yellow Perch - Fair: Anglers are catching perch in Town Bay. Some sorting needed. 03/26 11:18
Black Hawk Lake Northwest Largemouth Bass - Fair: 03/26 11:34
Center Lake Northwest The Walleye season is currently closed for the Iowa Great Lakes. Ice conditions have deteriorated significantly creating open water fishing opportunities at many smaller area lakes. Spirit, East and West Okoboji are still mostly covered with ice, but there are a few boat ramps that are clear allowing access to the water. 03/26 08:36
Center Lake Northwest Much of the lake ice has melted allowing for boat navigation. 03/26 08:36
Clear Lake Northwest Channel Catfish - Fair: Fish a dead chub or cut bait on the bottom in areas where water is following into the lake. 03/26 08:30
Clear Lake Northwest For information on the lakes and rivers in north central Iowa contact the Clear Lake Fish and Wildlife office at 641-357-3517. 03/26 08:30
Clear Lake Northwest The main lake ice free. 03/26 08:30
Clear Lake Northwest Walleye - Fair: Wader fishing is picking up. Fish the east shore after sundown with a jig and minnow. 03/26 08:30
Clear Lake Northwest Yellow Bass - Fair: Yellow bass are being caught from the jetties. 03/26 08:30
Clear Lake Northwest Yellow Perch - Fair: Yellow perch are being caught from the jetties. 03/26 08:43
Crystal Lake Northwest For information on the lakes and rivers in north central Iowa contact the Clear Lake Fish and Wildlife office at 641-357-3517. 03/26 08:30
Crystal Lake Northwest Crystal Lake is about 50 percent ice free. No fishing activity reported. 03/26 08:58
Crystal Lake Northwest Black Crappie - No Report: 03/26 08:58
East Okoboji Lake Northwest The Walleye season is currently closed for the Iowa Great Lakes. Ice conditions have deteriorated significantly creating open water fishing opportunities at many smaller area lakes. Spirit, East and West Okoboji are still mostly covered with ice, but there are a few boat ramps that are clear allowing access to the water. 03/26 08:36
East Okoboji Lake Northwest Black Crappie - Good: 03/26 08:36
East Okoboji Lake Northwest Bluegill - Fair: 03/26 08:36
East Okoboji Lake Northwest The Walleye Season is currently closed. Much of the lake ice has melted, but there is still enough intact that makes boat navigation difficult with only a couple available boat ramps. 03/26 08:36
East Okoboji Lake Northwest Yellow Bass - Fair: 03/26 08:36
Ingham Lake Northwest The Walleye season is currently closed for the Iowa Great Lakes. Ice conditions have deteriorated significantly creating open water fishing opportunities at many smaller area lakes. Spirit, East and West Okoboji are still mostly covered with ice, but there are a few boat ramps that are clear allowing access to the water. 03/26 08:36
Ingham Lake Northwest Much of the lake ice has melted allowing for boat navigation. 03/26 08:36
Lost Island Lake Northwest The Walleye season is currently closed for the Iowa Great Lakes. Ice conditions have deteriorated significantly creating open water fishing opportunities at many smaller area lakes. Spirit, East and West Okoboji are still mostly covered with ice, but there are a few boat ramps that are clear allowing access to the water. 03/26 08:36
Lost Island Lake Northwest Much of the lake ice has melted allowing for boat navigation. 03/26 08:36
Lost Island Lake Northwest Walleye - Fair: 03/26 08:36
Lost Island Lake Northwest Yellow Perch - Fair: 03/26 08:36
Lower Pine Lake Northwest For information on the lakes and rivers in north central Iowa contact the Clear Lake Fish and Wildlife office at 641-357-3517. 03/26 08:30
Lower Pine Lake Northwest Lower Pine Lake is ice-free. The courtesy dock is in at the boat ramp. No fishing activity to report. 03/26 08:30
Lower Pine Lake Northwest Black Crappie - No Report: 03/26 08:30
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