govdelivery-fishingreport_crop
loading...

Depending on what you're dipping the line in the water for, it seems that the early fall fishing lull is here. BUT, in the Northeast quadrant of Iowa, we're doing pretty well. Check out these spots and info from the Iowa DNR and the weekly Fishing Report for the weekend of 9/22/17.

Cedar River (above Nashua)
Water levels are low. Use caution when backing boats down boat ramps. Trailers going off the ends of the ramps have been reported. Walleye - Slow: Troll main channel or deeper holes and along current breaks. Use a jig tipped with a minnow or twister tail. Channel Catfish - Slow: Use a hook with a dead chub or crawler. Try also chicken liver, stink bait and nightcrawlers around brush piles. Black Crappie - Slow: Use a hook tipped with a minnow in eddies below dams and backwaters around brush piles. Smallmouth Bass - Slow: Use crawdad crankbaits along rocky shorelines and substrates.

Decorah District Streams
Hunting season has started. Many streams run through wildlife management areas where hunting is allowed. Wear bright clothing when not stalking a trout. Trout streams are in good condition. Call 563-927-5736 for current catchable trout stocking locations.  Brook Trout- Good: A variety of small mayflies are hatching mid-afternoon. Use a dry fly for insects hatching off the water surface. Use a nymph or scud dropper for subsurface critters. Brown Trout - Good: Use a hopper pattern in pastured or open areas. In wooded areas in the morning, use #22-24 trico patterns. In the evening, use #18-20 blue wing olive patterns. Rainbow Trout - Good: Freshly stocked trout are hitting a variety of lures and baits. Drift a feathered spinner along an undercut bank.

Lake Hendricks
Lake Hendricks is an electric motor only lake. Fishing is great, but catching has been slow.  Black Crappie - Slow: Troll over rock mounds with a jig tipped with minnow or spinnerbait. Largemouth Bass - Slow: Try topwater lures along the edge of a vegetation for a hiding bass. Channel Catfish - Slow: Use a hook tipped with a worm or chicken liver. Bluegill - Slow: Use small hook tipped with small piece of worm in deeper water.

Lake Meyer
Lake Meyer is an electric motor only lake. Few people have visited the lake this week. Bluegill - Slow: Use a small hook tipped with a piece of worm under a bobber near jetties in the evening. Black Crappie - Slow: Find crappie suspended near submersed structure. Use a spinner or jig with bright colored twister tail. Largemouth Bass - Slow: 10- to 12-inch bass are hitting crankbaits.

Upper Iowa River (above Decorah)
The Upper Iowa is stable but low. Be prepared to walk through riffles. Fly fishers, watch for evening hatches of white and grey mayflies. Flying ants are hatching mid-day. Fall is a good time to use streamers or minnow patterns for bass, trout, and walleye.  Walleye - Slow: Drift through a deeper hole or along a current break. Use a jig tipped with a twister tail or worm. Smallmouth Bass - Fair: Try jigs tipped with worms or crankbaits imitating crawdads in deeper holes and along rocky shorelines. Rock Bass - Fair: Use jigs tipped with worms along rocky shorelines.

Upper Iowa River (below Decorah)
Water temperatures are in the low 70's. Northern Pike - Slow: Use a steel leader tipped with 1/4 oz. jig tipped with natural colored plastic to a 3 inch jerk bait fished around tributaries or brush piles. Smallmouth Bass - Slow: Use jigs tipped with plastic tails in the current breaks or near rock ledges. Walleye - Slow: Drift a jig tipped with a twister tail or worm through a deeper hole or along a current break. Channel Catfish - Slow: Catch a catfish from shore with a hook tipped with a crawler. Evening is best.

Volga Lake
Warmer water temperatures are sparking green algae blooms on the lake. Panfishing has been hit or miss for the last week.  Black Crappie - Fair: Troll the deeper areas for suspended crappie; use small jig tipped with a minnow. Largemouth Bass - Slow: Bass are hitting jigs tipped with a nightcrawler or twister tail. Try a topwater lure in the evening as fish come in shallow to feed. Bluegill - Fair: Use a small hook tipped with a piece of worm under a bobber along rocky shorelines. Channel Catfish - Fair: Use chicken liver and stink baits. Catfish are more active in the evening.

It's going to be a hot, humid fall weekend with temperature highs in the low 90's and 60's for lows in the forecast. Area streams and rivers are low due to lack of rain.For current fishing information, please call the Decorah Fish Hatchery at 563-382-8324.


Big Woods Lake
Reports of anglers catching some crappie. Black Crappie - Fair: Float a crappie minnow, red worm or waxie under a slip bobber in 4- to 8-feet of water.

Cedar River (Nashua to La Porte City)
Walleye - Fair: Use a jig and plastic tail tipped with half a nightcrawler on the downstream sandbar drop-offs or woody structure as the river is low Smallmouth Bass - Fair: Cast spinnerbaits or crankbaits along rip-rap shorelines and woody structure.

Maquoketa River (above Monticello)
There have been few reports on the Maquoketa River this past week. Smallmouth Bass - Fair: Cast spinnerbaits or crankbaits along rip-rap shorelines and woody structure. Walleye - Fair: Try a jig and plastic tail tipped with half a nightcrawler on the downstream sandbar drop-offs or woody structure as the river is low.

Shell Rock River (Greene to Shell Rock)
There have been few reports on the Shell Rock River this past week. Walleye - Fair: Use a jig and plastic tail tipped with half a nightcrawler on the downstream sandbar drop-offs or woody structure as the river is low. Smallmouth Bass - Fair: Cast spinnerbaits or crankbaits along rip-rap shorelines and woody structure.

Wapsipinicon River (Tripoli to Troy Mills)
There have been few reports on the Wapsipinicon River this past week; anglers have had best success fishing for northern pike. Northern Pike - Good: Cast and retrieve large bucktail spinner baits near structure or float a live chub or shiner under a bobber in the deeper pools.  Walleye - Fair: Try a jig and plastic tail tipped with half a nightcrawler on the downstream sandbar dropoffs or woody structure as the river is low. Smallmouth Bass - Good: Cast spinnerbaits or crankbaits along rip-rap shorelines and woody structure.

Fishing reports are those of the typical late summer lulls, but anglers are catching some fish on the interior rivers. There are reports of anglers catching smallmouth bass, walleye and northern pike. Best reports have been northern pike on the Wapsipinicon River.Trout streams remain in excellent condition. Call the N.E. Iowa district office at 563-927-3276 for more information.

More From 97.7 KCRR