Fishing Report for the Weekend of 4/21/17

Looks like the fishing is picking up in Iowa. Get out and fish this weekend with help from the Iowa DNR Fishing Report for the Weekend of 4/21/17.

Cedar River (above Nashua)

Currently, the river is fishable and water levels are falling. Visit https://waterdata.usgs.gov/ia/nwis/rt for current water level information. Water temperatures are in the mid to upper 50's. Walleye - Good: Try a jig tipped with a minnow or nightcrawler below dams in the pockets. Channel Catfish - Excellent: Use dead chubs or shad fished under a bobber. Smallmouth Bass - Excellent: Smallmouth bass are taking everything, but prefer a jig tipped with a crawler. Northern Pike - Fair: Pike are caught while fishing for other species.

Decorah District Streams
Streams with better water quality will clear faster. Rainfall amount and severity will determine how muddy streams get. Visit www.iowadnr.gov/Fishing/Trout-Fishing for the proposed stocking schedule. Call 563-927-5736 for current stocking. Use jigs tipped with twister tails, feathered spinnerbaits, or flashy spoons. Use a nightcrawler to catch a freshly stocked fish. Brook Trout - Fair: Use scuds or stonefly imitations for fish not rising to the surface. Brown Trout - Fair: A great time to fish for Brown Trout is when water turns off color from rainfall events. Try caddis fly and midge larvae imitations hatching off the water. Nice hatches of blue wing olives and dark hendricksons are occurring on warmer sunny afternoons. Rainbow Trout - Good: Fish rainbow trout in the head end of riffles. Try slowly pulling a black bead head fly with a light colored scud or midge dropper through the upper and lower ends of pools for trout in deeper water.

Lake Hendricks
Boat anglers are finding fish in deeper water. Please stay off the jetties until further notice; County Conservation Board Staff are establishing grassed walkways. Channel Catfish - Fair: Use a nightcrawler on a hook in shallower water on windblown rocky shorelines. Black Crappie - Slow: Warmer shore temperatures are drawing crappies in. Use a hook tipped with a minnow under a bobber. Largemouth Bass - Fair: Use jerk bait fished slowly over rock piles.

Lake Meyer
Water clarity is improving after last week’s 4-inch downpour. Wednesday's rainfall over saturated soils may cause clarity to decline. Channel Catfish - Slow: Try a dead chub or crawler on a rocky windblown shoreline. Largemouth Bass - Fair: Try a jig tipped with a nightcrawler or bright colored plastic tail. Use a slow retrieve in cooler water.

Turkey River (above Clermont)
Water levels are falling and temperatures are in the mid to upper 50's. Visibility is fair. Smallmouth Bass - Good: Try a jig tipped with a minnow or feathered spinnerbait around a current break. Walleye - Good: Try a jig tipped with a soft plastic twister tail. Use a slow retrieve in cooler water. White Sucker - Excellent: The sucker bite is on. Use a hook tipped with a nightcrawler fished off the bottom.

Upper Iowa River (above Decorah)
Water levels are falling with temperatures on the rise. Visibility is poor. Visit https://waterdata.usgs.gov/ia/nwis/rt for current water level information. Walleye - Fair: Try a blade bait or bigger crankbait near coldwater tributaries. Brown Trout - Fair: Try spinnerbaits near the mouths of coldwater tributaries. White Sucker - Good: Use a worm with enough weight for it to sit on the bottom. Watch your rod tip. When it bends, set the hook.

Upper Iowa River (below Decorah)
Water levels are falling and temperatures are rising. Visibility is poor. The sucker bite is on.  Walleye - Slow: Try spinnerbaits and jerk baits along rocky shorelines. Smallmouth Bass - Slow: Use jigs tipped with nightcrawlers or ringworms. Try also bright colored twister tails. White Sucker - Good: Use a hook with a worm and enough weight to get the worm to the bottom.

Volga Lake
Few anglers have been out this week.  Bluegill - Slow: Use small jigs tipped with waxworm along a sunny shoreline. Black Crappie - Slow: Panfish anglers should start to see fish in shallow water. Use a hook tipped with a small minnow under a bobber. Channel Catfish - Fair: Use dead minnows or other dead fish along windblown shores to attract a cruising cat. Largemouth Bass - Good: Try a jig tipped with a twister tail. A slow retrieve is key in cooler weather.

Wapsipinicon River (state line to Tripoli)
We have received no information about fishing on this water body. Northern Pike - Good: Use spoons or hook tipped with a chub.

Temperatures will be in the low 60's. Rainfall amounts through Thursday will determine stream conditions for the weekend. Anglers must get a landowner's permission to fish private property, even if it can be accessed through public property. For current fishing information, please call the Decorah Fish Hatchery at 563-382-8324.

Brinker Lake
There have been reports of some anglers catching crappie on Brinker Lake. Black Crappie- Fair: Drift a minnow under a slip bobber for some good crappie action.

Cedar River (Nashua to La Porte City)
Walleye - Fair: Use jig and minnow combinations in eddies or slack water areas off of main flow. Smallmouth Bass - Excellent: Try jig and minnow combinations in rip-rap or rocky shoreline areas. Many anglers will catch smallmouth while fishing for walleye. Channel Catfish - Excellent: Use dip baits and cut baits fished on the bottom. Northern Pike - Fair: Try bucktail spinners or live bait fished under a bobber.

Heritage Pond
Heritage Pond will be stocked with trout this Saturday, April 22nd. Rainbow Trout - Good: Try various trout baits under a bobber or cast and retrieve "flashy" spinner baits.

Manchester District Streams
Trout stockings are under way in the Manchester District area trout streams. Stocking calendars are available online on the DNR website.

Maquoketa River (above Monticello)
Walleye - Good: Try jig and minnow in eddies or slack water areas off of main. Smallmouth Bass - Good: Use jig and minnow combinations in rip-rap or rocky shoreline areas. Many anglers will catch smallmouth while fishing for walleye.

North Prairie Lake
Anglers are still reporting trout fishing as being fair to good on North Prairie Lake. Rainbow Trout - Fair: Use spinner baits or lures that create a "flashy" appearance. Try also a minnow or other trout baits fished under a bobber.

Shell Rock River (Greene to Shell Rock)
Walleye - Fair: Try jig and minnow combinations in eddies or slack water areas off of main flow. Smallmouth Bass - Excellent: Use jig and minnow in rip-rap or rocky shoreline areas. Many anglers will catch smallmouth while fishing for walleye.

South Prairie Lake
There have been reports of some anglers catching crappie on South Prairie Lake. Black Crappie - Fair: Use a minnow under a bobber or cast small tube jigs retrieved slowly along the edges of weed beds.

Wapsipinicon River (Tripoli to Troy Mills)
Walleye - Fair: Use jig and minnow combinations in eddies or slack water areas off of main flow. Northern Pike - Fair: Cast bucktail spinner baits or float a live shiner or chub under a bobber. Smallmouth Bass - Excellent: Try jig and minnow combinations in rip-rap or rocky shoreline areas. Many anglers will catch smallmouth while fishing for walleye.

Fishing reports remain good to fair for walleye, smallmouth bass, northern pike and channel catfish on the interior rivers. Black Hawk County lakes are providing some crappie also. Heritage Pond in Dubuque County will be stocked with trout this Saturday, April 22nd. Area trout streams are in excellent condition, contact the N.E. District Office at 563-927-3276 for more information.