Fishing Report for the Weekend of 6/9

Steamy would be an understatement when addressing the weather this weekend. Seems that the fish are biting though. Just hydrate a LOT! Here is the Iowa DNR's Fishing Report for the Weekend of 6/9.

Cedar River (above Nashua)
Water clarity is improving with temperatures in the mid 70's. Visit https://waterdata.usgs.gov/ia/nwis/rt for current water level information. Walleye - Good: Try a jig tipped with a minnow or twister tail below dams in the pockets. Channel Catfish - Good: Use dead chubs or stink bait fished from shore under a bobber. Find fish in brush piles and backwater areas. Smallmouth Bass - Good: Smallmouth are hitting everything that hits the water. Fish around brush piles for a whopper. Black Crappie - Fair: Use a minnow under a bobber in eddies or off channel areas.

Decorah District Streams
Streams conditions are excellent. Flows remain elevated. Use care when crossing. Call 563-927-5736 for catchable trout stocking locations. Use jigs tipped with twister tails, feathered spinnerbaits, or flashy spoons. Use a nightcrawler to catch a freshly stocked fish. Brook Trout - Good: Use mayfly or caddis fly imitations for the afternoon hatch. Brown Trout - Good: Off color water is a great time to fish for brown trout. Try caddis fly and mayfly imitations hatching off the water. Hatches are improving with warming temperatures. Use leach or streamer patterns for more aggressive fish. Rainbow Trout - Good: Fish rainbow trout in the head end of riffles. Slowly pull 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
Near shore fish activity is improving with warmer temperatures. Water clarity is excellent. Clean off your boat trailer before you leave the boat ramp. Boat anglers are finding fish over structure in deeper water. Bluegill - Good: Catch gills moving into shallower water with a small jig. Let it sink and slowly reel it in. Channel Catfish - Good: Crawlers or stinkbait work best as water temperatures rise. Fish around stumps and other woody structures. Black Crappie - Slow: Use a hook tipped with a minnow under a bobber. Largemouth Bass - Good: Use a jig tipped with a plastic twister or top water lure.

Lake Meyer
Water clarity is excellent. Water temperatures are in the low 70's. Please clean off your boat trailers before moving to another water body. Find the latest hot spots on the Iowa DNR's fishing atlas. Set your GPS coordinates to WGS84 to key in to your structure preference. Bluegill - Good: Use a small jig in shallow water with a slow retrieve. Channel Catfish - Good: Use stinkbaits with warmer temperatures or a crawler fished on the bottom. Dawn and dusk are best. Largemouth Bass - Good: Use a spinnerbait; a variety of colors are working. Bass are moving in as water warms. Black Crappie - Fair: Catch crappie in the evening in shallow water along a rocky shoreline. Try deeper water in the daytime. A minnow or artificial scented baits fished under a bobber will catch a nice fish. Northern Pike - Fair: Try a spinnerbait for a pike hanging in shallow water.

Turkey River (above Clermont)
Water levels are falling with temperatures in the low mid 70's. Smallmouth Bass - Good: Try a jig tipped with a minnow or feathered spinnerbait around a current break. Walleye - Good: Use a jig tipped with a soft plastic twister tail or minnow. White Sucker - Good: Try a hook tipped with a nightcrawler fished off the bottom.

Upper Iowa River (above Decorah)
Water levels are falling with temperatures in the mid 70's. Visibility is good. Visit https://waterdata.usgs.gov/ia/nwis/rt for current water level information. Walleye - Good: Try a jig tipped with natural colored twister tails or small crankbait near 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. Smallmouth Bass - Good: Catch smallies in the off channel areas. A variety of lures are working now.

Upper Iowa River (below Decorah)
Water levels are falling with temperatures in the mid 70's. Visibility is excellent. Bank anglers should toss a lure upstream and let it float through the current along a ledge or current seam.  Walleye - Good: Use jig tipped with a minnow or plastic twister tail fished at the head and tail ends of deeper pools. Lots of 8- to10-inch fish in the creel. Smallmouth Bass - Good: Use a variety of spinnerbaits. White Sucker - Good: Try a hook with a worm and enough weight to get the worm to the bottom. Northern Pike - Good: A few anglers are picking up pike using spinnerbaits near the mouth of tributaries. Quite a few smaller fish mixed with 20+ inchers. Channel Catfish - Good: Morning bite is best; use crawlers and stink baits.

Volga Lake
Water temperatures are rising. Fish shallower water in the evening. Find fish attracting structure locations on the Iowa DNR's fishing atlas. Bluegill - Fair: Use small jigs tipped with small piece of nightcrawler or red worm fished deep. Black Crappie - Fair: Find crappie along rocky shoreline especially near sunset. Try a hook tipped with a small minnow under a bobber. Channel Catfish - Good: Start using stink baits as temperatures rise. Largemouth Bass - Good: Fish bass moving into shallow water. Try a spinnerbait with a slow retrieve in cooler water.

Summer is here and it's going to be a hot, humid weekend. Stay hydrated and wear sunscreen. Area rivers and streams are falling. Water clarity is good and water temperatures are rising.Water clarity is much improved and water temperatures are slowly rising. Please thank landowners for allowing public fishing on private property. For current fishing information, please call the Decorah Fish Hatchery at 563-382-8324.

Big Woods Lake
Black Crappie - Good: Try numerous depths floating a crappie minnow under a slip bobber as the crappie begin to stage for spawn. Bluegill - Good: Find bluegill spawning beds along the shorelines. Try a piece of worm or small jig under a slip bobber fished above the beds.

Brinker Lake
Black Crappie - Good: Try numerous depths floating a crappie minnow under a slip bobber as the crappie begin to stage for spawn. Largemouth Bass - Good: Casting spinner and crankbaits along and near the shoreline. White Bass - Good: Cast or troll crankbaits for some great white bass action.

Casey Lake (aka Hickory Hills Lake)
Anglers have been doing very well on largemouth bass. Largemouth Bass - Good: Use spinnerbaits along the edges of the weed beds.

Cedar River (Nashua to La Porte City)
The Cedar River is in great condition and is producing good catches of channel catfish, smallmouth bass and walleye. Channel Catfish - Good: Use chubs, dead cut baits, livers and stinkbait. Smallmouth Bass - Good: Use artificial baits. Walleye - Good: Try jigs tipped with a crawler or cast crankbaits.

George Wyth Lake
Black Crappie - Good: Try numerous depths floating a crappie minnow under a slip bobber as the crappie begin to stage for spawn. Bluegill - Good: Find bluegill spawning beds along the shorelines. Try a piece of worm or small jig under a slip bobber fished above the beds.

Manchester District Streams
Trout streams are clear and in excellent condition. Rainbow Trout – Good.

Maquoketa River (above Monticello)
Angler reports have been really good for smallmouth bass on the Maquoketa River in Delaware County. Recent surveys have found good numbers of walleye also. Smallmouth Bass - Good: Use artificial baits. Channel Catfish - Good: Try fishing a nightcrawler or stink baits.

Martens Lake
Anglers are doing well on largemouth bass on Martens Lake. Largemouth Bass - Good: Use weedless spinnerbaits or plastic worms fished along shoreline or near lily pads.

Plainfield Lake
Anglers are starting to catch some bluegill on Plainfield Lake as the spawn approaches. Bluegill - Good: Find the bluegill spawning beds along the shorelines. Try a piece of worm or small jig under a slip bobber fished above the beds.

Shell Rock River (Greene to Shell Rock)
The river is falling nicely and should provide some good walleye, smallmouth bass and channel catfish angling opportunities this coming weekend. Walleye - Good: Use jigs tipped with a crawler or cast crankbaits. Smallmouth Bass - Good: Use artificial baits. Channel Catfish - Good: Try chubs, dead cut baits, livers and stink baits.

Wapsipinicon River (Tripoli to Troy Mills)
The river is falling nicely and should provide some good angling opportunities by this coming weekend. Good reports of anglers catching channel catfish. Channel Catfish - Good: Use chubs, dead cut baits, livers and stink baits.

Interior river water levels continue to fall and are producing nice catches of walleye, smallmouth bass and channel catfish. Lake fishing has picked up throughout the crappie and bluegill spawn. Trout fishing remains excellent. Contact the N.E. District Office at 563-927-3276 for more information.