Fishing Report for Weekend of 7/15

Here is your Iowa DNR Fishing Report for the weekend of 7/15. Enjoy and don't forget to go to the Iowa DNR website and get your fishing and hunting licenses online.

Cedar River (above Nashua)
Cedar River is up about 1.5 feet. Use live bait to catch a variety of fish. Walleye – Fair. Channel Catfish - Slow: Anglers fishing in current breaks and eddies are finding catfish. Use cut bait on a hook. Northern Pike - Slow: Minnows are turning pikes heads. Rock Bass - Slow: Catches of rock bass have been spotty.

Decorah District Streams
Take care when walking through wild parsnip while getting to your favorite stream. Don't let it touch your skin; it reacts with the sun and causes horrible blisters. Trout streams are in good condition but flows are up. Brown Trout - Good: A nice variety of insects have been hatching in the evenings. Use a #18 blue wing olive or #14 or #16 caddis fly imitation. Strong midge hatches are also occurring. Brook Trout - Good: For stained water, use a streamer or minnow imitation. Rainbow Trout - Good: A few of our streams are not stocked in July and August as these streams tend to get too warm for cold water fish. Refer to our calendar and map to find out which ones. Spin fishers should try spinners or worms.

Lake Hendricks
The lake has a green algae bloom but anglers are still catching fish. Largemouth Bass - Fair: Anglers fishing from a boat or canoe are having luck using topwater plastics over the vegetation and reeling to deeper water. Bluegill - Fair: Fishing from shore is difficult due to aquatic beds. Anglers are finding fish in deeper water using a hook tipped with small piece of worm. Channel Catfish - Fair: Use cut bait, worms and stinkbait fished off the bottom.

Lake Meyer
Expect spotty catches of fish depending on day and time. Algae bloom is becoming more evident. Bluegill - Fair: Gills are in shallow dense vegetation and difficult to catch. Largemouth Bass - Fair: Use a jig tipped with a variety of soft plastics. Start along the weed edges and fish deeper. Channel Catfish - Fair: Catfish are taking a big worm fished off the bottom under a bobber. Evenings are best.

Upper Iowa River (above Decorah)
Water temperatures are in the 70's. Fish the deeper holes and around current breaks. The key is to get to the bottom. A variety of sucker species are showing up in the creel this week. Worms are the bait of choice. White Sucker – Fair. Smallmouth Bass - Fair: Try running a spinner bait along undercut banks and overhanging rock ledges.

Upper Iowa River (below Decorah)
Water is slowly clearing, but clarity will depend on rainfall amounts. Use worms. Smallmouth Bass - Good: Spinner baits are turning smallie heads. Walleye – Slow.

Volga Lake
Volga Lake has a green algae bloom. Anglers drifting over rock or brush piles will find fish. Largemouth Bass – Fair. Black Crappie – Fair. Bluegill – Fair.

Casey Lake (aka Hickory Hills Lake)
Anglers are doing excellent on channel catfish and good on bluegill and largemouth bass. Anglers are catching bluegill from the shorelines and off of jetties. Target channel catfish off of the middle jetty and west end of the lake. Bluegill - Good: Slowly drift and retrieve small 1/32 or 1/16 oz. jigs near submerged structure 2 to 3 feet below the surface. Largemouth Bass - Good: Cast topwater baits early morning or late evening. Try also weedless baits such as frogs and rubber worms. Channel Catfish - Excellent: Use Stink baits and cut baits fished on the bottom off of the middle jetty and west end of lake.

Cedar River (Nashua to La Porte City)
The Cedar River is setting up for good angling opportunities as the beautiful weekend forecast approaches. Walleye - Fair: Walleye are biting well on the jig tipped with a crawler combination or crankbaits. Target break lines, rocky shorelines, eddies or tailwater riffles for aggressive walleye. Smallmouth Bass - Fair: Use a jig and crawler combination, crankbaits or spinner baits near rocky shorelines. Channel Catfish - Fair: Stink baits or chicken livers has been fair; concentrate above logjams or try riffle areas. Northern Pike - Fair: Some northern pike have been caught using the same techniques as walleye or smallmouth bass.

Manchester District Streams
Recent fish sampling surveys on the Upper Maquoketa River (Trout Portion) has shown good numbers of brown trout with many of quality size. Brown Trout - Fair: Use spinners or dry flies near overhead cover and other habitat.

Maquoketa River (above Monticello)
The Maquoketa River is in excellent angling condition for the upcoming weekend. Walleye - Fair: A jig tipped with a crawler is a deadly combination this time of year. Look for current breaks and woody structure. Smallmouth Bass - Fair: Use a jig and crawler, crankbaits or spinner baits fished near rocky habitat. Channel Catfish - Fair: Fish chicken livers or stink baits near the upstream end of logjams.

Shell Rock River (Greene to Shell Rock)
The Shell Rock River is setting up for some good angling opportunities as the beautiful weekend forecast approaches. Walleye - Fair: Walleye are biting well on the jig tipped with a crawler combination or crankbaits. Target break lines, rocky shorelines, eddies or tailwater riffles for aggressive walleye. Smallmouth Bass - Fair: Use a jig and crawler combination, crankbaits or spinner baits near rocky shorelines.

Wapsipinicon River (Tripoli to Troy Mills)
The Wapsipinicon River is currently at 5.48 feet and falling. Conditions and clarity for the upcoming weekend should vastly improve. Walleye - Fair: Walleye are biting well on the jig tipped with a crawler combination or crankbaits. Target break lines, rocky shorelines, eddies or tailwater riffles for aggressive walleye. Smallmouth Bass - Fair: Use a jig and crawler combination, crankbaits or spinner baits near rocky shorelines. Channel Catfish - Fair: Stink baits or chicken livers has been fair; concentrate above logjams or try riffle areas. Northern Pike - Fair: Some northern pike have been caught using the same techniques as walleye or smallmouth bass.

Interior rivers continue to fall and fishing reports have declined due to the recent heat and humidity. Channel catfish, smallmouth bass and walleye still provide great angling opportunities on the rivers. Panfish reports have been slow as we are in the mid-summer lulls. Trout streams are in excellent condition and recent fish sampling has shown quality brown trout populations.