Nov. 26th state fishing report NORTHWEST Storm Lake (including Little Storm Lake) There are scattered pockets of open water on Storm Lake. Travel on the ice is not advised. Channel Catfish - No Report: North Twin Lake As of last Friday, North Twin Lake was frozen over. However, warmer temperatures earlier in the week likely compromised the ice and travel on the ice is not advised. Channel Catfish - No Report: Black Hawk Lake The aeration system is in operation in the Town Bay area of Black Hawk Lake. There is open water in Town Bay and open pockets of water scattered about the lake. Ice conditions are not good for travel on the ice. Channel Catfish - No Report: Arrowhead Lake About half of Arrowhead Lake is still open and there is weak ice over the rest of the lake. Channel Catfish - No Report: Black Hawk Pits About half of Black Hawk Pits is still open. There is weak ice over the rest of the lake. Channel Catfish - No Report: Ice conditions are variable across the Black Hawk District. Travel on ice is not advised. Lower Pine Lake Pine Lakes still have open water on them. Crappie - No Report: Lake Catherine Lake Catherine lost some ice this past weekend; it previously had 4-5 inches. Bluegill - No Report: Clear Lake Ice is 3-4 inches on the little lake out from the McIntosh Ramp and around two inches on the north shore of the main lake. Warmer weather, this past weekend, may have weakened the ice. Use caution. The DNR recommends a minimum of four inches of ice for fishing and a minimum of five inches of ice for ATVs or snowmobiles. Crappie - Fair: A handful of crappies have also been caught in deeper water on Maki plastics. Yellow Bass - Fair: Moderate numbers of yellows have been caught using Maki plastics. Lake Cornelia Cornelia has somewhere between 2-2.5 inches of ice. Yellow Bass - Good: Yellows biting on the north shore in 6-8 feet of water. Use caution. Ice is thin. Little Wall Lake Little Wall Lake had 3-4 inches of ice on Nov. 21. The aerator is in operation, so beware of thin ice around the aerator (southeast end of the Lake). Crappie - No Report: Crystal Lake Ice on Crystal Lake was 6 inches on Nov. 21. Bluegill - Slow: One report of anglers fishing close to the dredge drop-off in 8-12 feet of water. Catching a few bluegills. Blue Pit An urban trout stocking took place at Blue Pit in Mason City (S Pierce Avenue) at noon on Nov. 26. Anglers are reminded to have a 2014 fishing license (age 16 and older) and trout stamp. Rainbow Trout - No Report: 1,500 rainbows were stocked. Bluebill Lake Bluebill Lake depths observed were 3-4.5 inches on Nov. 20 before the warm weekend. Definitely some variation in ice thickness depending on where holes were drilled. Bluegill - No Report: Lakes in north cental Iowa have variable ice conditions. Some of the lakes in the north have 3-5 inches, while some in the south (Hardin County) have little or no ice. For lake updates and fishing information in the north central area contact the Clear Lake Fish and Wildlife office at 641-357-3517. Big Spirit Lake Poor ice conditions. Open areas reported last week are expanding in size on the main basin due to the mild weekend weather and high winds experienced this week. Crappie - No Report: Center Lake Aeration system is active on the northwest corner, caution is advised as thin ice and open areas exist in this area. Channel Catfish - No Report: East Okoboji Lake No fishing activity. Due to high winds the very large open area on the south end of the lake is expanding this week. Channel Catfish - No Report: Silver Lake (Dickinson) Aeration system is active on the east side of the lake. Caution is in order as thin ice and open water exists in this area. Crappie - No Report: West Okoboji Lake As of Nov. 24 West Okoboji remains ice free. Crappie - No Report: Ingham Lake Aeration system located on the south west corner is active with open water and thin ice exists in this area. Crappie - No Report: Five Island Lake Aeration system is active in Town Bay. Caution is advised as open water and thin ice exists in this area. Bluegill - No Report: No fishing activity reported in the Spirit Lake District. Most lakes are ice covered; however, ice conditions are poor with 4 inches or less measured on area lakes. NORTHEAST Lake Hendricks Lake Hendricks has about five inches of ice with little snow on top. Please use caution when going on the ice and be aware of changing weather. Folks are sticking to the deeper water near shoreline. No ATVs or motorized vehicles are allowed on the lake. Watch for thin ice around the aerator. Bluegill - Good: Anglers are catching quite a few fish but sorting is necessary. Gills can be found off the bottom in about 10 feet of water. Try using a small hook tipped with a wax worm fished under a bobber. Crappie - Slow: Crappies are suspended in about 7-8 feet of water. Use little jigs tipped with imitation minnows for the big ones. Decorah District Streams Trout will be looking for high energy critters such as small minnows at this time of year. Try using #10, 12, or 14 streamers particularly white wholly buggers, light spruce, or feather wings. Sporadic hatches of midges and blue wing olives may occur on a warm sunny day. Try#18, 20, 22 gnarly midge for nymphing. Small spinnerbaits and hair jigs are also effective on trout. Rainbow Trout - Good: Bigalk, Coldwater and Trout River are the only streams in Northeast Iowa that have inconsistent natural reproduction of rainbow trout. Brown Trout - Good: By grabbing a handful of the aquatic vegetation and shaking it in your hand, you will find a plethora of aquatic sow bugs and scuds. Use flies to mimic these critters. Brook Trout - Good: Anglers catching a 15-inch or bigger brookie are eligible for an Iowa Master Angler Certificate. For more information, please visit iowadnr.gov/masterangler. After holiday festivities are over, get that blood pumping and go outside. If youre thinking of hitting the ice, use extreme caution as ice conditions are highly variable depending on the water body. Urban catchable trout stockings schedule is available at iowadnr.gov/trout. For local information, call the Decorah Fish Hatchery at 563-382-8324. Fisher Lake There have been a few reports of anglers ice fishing on Fisher Lake located within George Wyth State Park. Bluegill - Fair: Try fishing a wax worm just off of the bottom with a small ice fishing jig. That time of year to locate the ice fishing gear as lakes are beginning to freeze over. Ice conditions are not safe at this time and not recommended for travel. The North Prairie Lake trout stocking has been postponed to December 18th. For further information contact the Manchester District Office at 563-927-3276. MISSISSIPPI RIVER Mississippi River Pool 9 River level at Lansing is 8.3 feet and expected to rise slightly this week. Sauger - Fair: Walleye - Fair: Mississippi River Pool 10 River Level at Lynxville is currently 14.6 feet and remaining stable this week. Ice floating through dam can hinder tail water fishing this week. Sauger - Fair: Walleye - Fair: Mississippi River Pool 11 River level at Guttenberg is 5.8 feet and is expected to rise slightly over the next week. Tail water fishing has been difficult this week due to ice-flows passing through the locks. Sauger - Fair: Walleye - Fair: Ice has formed on the backwaters on the upper Mississippi and many areas have around three inches of ice. Temperatures into the 40s and rain could deteriorate ice conditions quickly. Most areas still have open water around the shorelines and ice fishing is not recommended at this time on Pools 9-11. Tail water fishing is difficult with ice flows passing through the dam. Lyxnville and Guttenberg have had fair to good fishing for walleye and sauger. Mississippi River Pool 12 The water level at Dubuque Lock and Dam is 5.5 feet and the water level at the Dubuque railroad bridge is 8.1 feet, both up significantly from last week. Water is expected to rise all week. Water temperature in main channel is around 35 degrees. Many backwaters have iced up but ice conditions for ice fishing have been inconsistent. Crappie - No Report: Lots of fish up to 13 inches. Try a jig or a minnow in brush piles for best results. Crappies and most other panfish will move into their overwintering backwaters by now, these are areas deep enough to not freeze out but have very little current. Sauger - Good: Limited sauger fishing was reported but fish have been biting on jigs and minnow rigs. From surveys we have seen nice size classes of sauger with some fish up to 19 inches. Mississippi River Pool 13 The water level at Bellevue is at 5.6 feet which is up nearly a foot from last week. Levels are expected to rise all week. The water clarity is good and water temperature is at 35 degrees. Many backwaters have iced in and floating ice is present in the main channel. Safe ice for ice fishing has been inconsistent during the previous week. Bluegill - No Report: Bluegills have moved into their backwater homes for the winter. These are areas that are deep enough to not freeze to the bottom yet have no current. Sauger - Good: Limited sauger fishing was reported but fish have been biting on jig and minnow rigs. From surveys we have seen nice size classes of sauger with some fish up to 19 inches. Mississippi River Pool 14 The water level at Fulton is 5.1 feet and water level at Camanche it is near 9.5 feet, both up from last week. Water levels are going to rise all week and water temperature is presently near 35 degrees. Safe ice fishing conditions have been inconsistent. Bluegill - No Report: Bluegills are moving into their overwintering homes. Rock Creek backwater, Swedes backwater and the Cattail backwater areas are some of the major backwater areas on Pool 14. Sauger - No Report: Limited sauger fishing was reported in other pools and fishing is expected to still be good in Pool 14. Fish have been biting on jigs and minnow rigs. Mississippi River Pool 15 The water level at LeClaire is 4.8 feet and water level at Rock Island is 5.2 feet, both up significantly from last week. Water temperature is 35 degrees and water clarity is good. Bluegill - No Report: Most panfish have moved into their overwintering homes for the winter. On Pool 15 this can be in boat marinas or in the LeClaire Channel. The Mississippi river backwaters are generally frozen but ice depth is too inconsistent to determine presence of good fishing. Water temperature in the main river channel is 35 degrees Poor weather conditions hampered fishing in all areas of the district. SOUTHEAST Lake Geode Warm weather over the weekend has melted most of what little ice there was. Bluegill - No Report: Lake Belva Deer Wind, rain, and warm temps over the weekend removed most of the ice. Bluegill - No Report: Lake Darling Temperatures over 50 degrees and rain all day Sunday opened up the lake. Very little ice left, just a little in a couple of the bays. Bluegill - No Report: For more information on the ice conditions on the above lakes call the Lake Darling Fisheries Station at 319-694-2430. Prairie Park Fishery Ice coverage is unknown and any existing ice is unsafe. Rainbow Trout - Good: 2,000 trout were stocked here on November 14. Remember, you must have a trout stamp and fishing license to fish for and/or possess trout. For more information, contact the Lake Macbride Fisheries Station at 319-624-3615. Ice is just starting to form on most areas, but ice conditions are not safe. Red Haw Lake The lake has started to ice up along the edges and in protected coves. The majority of the lake remains open. Bluegill - Slow: Try a chunk of nightcrawler on a small hook. Look for areas along the shorelines with some type of habitat. Lake Sugema The lake is starting to freeze over but only in coves and bays. The majority of the lake remains open. Bluegill - Slow: Try small jigs fished along the shoreline and around the rock jetties. East Greater Ottumwa Central Park Pond 2,000 trout were stocked on October 31. Remember a trout stamp is required to possess or fish for trout. The pond has frozen over but the ice is not thick enough to support anglers. Rainbow Trout - Slow: After the ice thickens, use small jigging spoons fished about 6-12 inches off the pond bottom. Rathbun Reservoir The current lake level is 910.77 feet. The lake is about 10 percent ice covered in the protected bays and coves, but that ice is not thick enough to support anglers. The entrance to Southfork marina is closed for the season. Crappie - Slow: Try fishing around the flooded vegetation along the shoreline using a minnow and jig combination or a minnow and a bobber. Sorting will be required for larger fish. Dont forget Lake Rathbun contains zebra mussels so make sure to clean, drain, and dry equipment before transporting to another water body. Please remember to take your trash with you so your favorite fishing spot is clean and unlittered. Contact the Rathbun Fish Hatchery at 641-647-2406 with questions regarding angling in south central Iowa. SOUTHWEST Ada Hayden Heritage Park Lake Rainbow Trout - Good: Trout were stocked November 20th into the north portion. The lake remains ice-free and anglers were doing very well casting small in-line spinners, tube jigs, or wax worms under a bobber. Anglers are waiting for good ice conditions in Central Iowa. Lakes are still open and farm ponds have ice too thin for fishing. More reports will resume when suitable ice forms. For information on central Iowa lakes and rivers contact Andy Otting or Ben Dodd at 515-432-2823. Big Lake (Including Gilberts Pond) The lake has open water at this time. Rainbow Trout - No Report: Try small crappie jigs or spinners. Worms under a bobber also catch trout. Area lakes have skim ice and are not recommended to fish at this time. For more information on ice conditions call the Cold Springs District Office at 712-769-2587. Missouri River (Sioux City to Little Sioux) Sauger - Fair: Anglers that have been out on the Missouri River are catching sauger and walleye on jigs and live bait rigs tipped with minnows. Missouri River (Little Sioux to Council Bluffs) Sauger - Fair: Anglers that have been out on the Missouri River are catching sauger and walleye on jigs and live bait rigs tipped with minnows. Missouri River (Council Bluffs to Missouri State Line) Sauger - Fair: Anglers that have been out on the Missouri River are catching sauger and walleye on jigs and live bait rigs tipped with minnows. The Missouri River at Decatur, Neb., is 22.27 feet, flowing at 38,400 CFS and is 34 degrees. The Missouri River is up .22 feet from last week. Fishing has slowed overall for most species with the colder weather. This is a good time to fish for sauger and walleye. Ice has been variable at boat ramps and along the banks and side channels with the freeze/thaw weather conditions.
Posted on: Wed, 26 Nov 2014 23:13:06 +0000
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