Fishing
Yellow Bass: Iowans Hate to love Panfish
Yellow Bass: Iowans Hate to love Panfish Iowa has a love-hate relationship with the yellow bass. On one hand they’re plentiful, fun to catch and make delicious table fare. On the other hand, in many instances, they’re an invasive species and out-compete other panfish like crappies and bluegills…even largemouth bass. They are prolific breeders so […]
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The Cost of Getting into Ice Fishing
The Cost of Getting into Ice Fishing Last year’s pandemic was a boon for people heading to the outdoors. It was the one place that was safe. Fishing numbers and licenses in the state of Iowa were up by over 50 percent. Some were anglers getting back into the sport of fishing, while others were […]
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Voyageurs National Park Is A Winter Wonderland
Voyageurs National Park Is a Winter Wonderland Voyageurs National Park cloaked in its winter array is a beautiful, dramatic landscape of glistening snow, frozen lakes and frost-glazed pines. There are few places to experience a winter vista largely free of roads and buildings, and it’s worth a trip to Voyageurs, along Minnesota’s northern border, to […]
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Championship Lure in the Making: The Stunna
Championship Lure in the Making: The Stunna For Dan Spengler, Senior Project Manager-Bait Development with Berkley/Pure Fishing, “it’s a dream come true.” Spengler was ecstatic as he reflected on the recent victory by Berkley Pro Staffer Hank Cherry, Jr., at the 2021 Bassmaster Classic. And why not? Spengler and his team worked with Cherry for […]
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Early Fall Bass Fishing
Early Fall Bass Fishing September in Iowa, a month where we usually begin to see the signs of the coming fall with cooling temps. By now, we’ve endured the hot summer months with highs in the mid to upper 90’s with heat indexes crossing the century mark. Bring on the cooler weather!! We will see […]
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Summertime Shad and Square Bills
Summertime Shad and Square Bills I decided to fish my way through 2020, the year of social isolation, and experienced the most epic day of largemouth bass fishing of my life. I have no idea how many bass I caught the morning of August 7th, but I fished one spot for an hour and a […]
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Targeting Shallow Weed Walleyes
Targeting Shallow Weed Walleyes Over the 40 plus years that I have lived in northwest Iowa, I’ve enjoyed fishing walleyes on the Iowa Great Lakes. My target lakes have included Big Spirit, East and West Okoboji. For many years, however, I missed a real opportunity during the summer months. After fishing the weed edges in […]
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Jugging for Catfish
Jugging for Catfish “FISH ON! FISH ON!” That phrase struck an adrenaline rush that only two things could ignite, a first kiss and “juggin” for catfish. At that moment every head in every boat turned like a top trying to find that one Gatorade bottle creating a wake across the waters of the Des Moines […]
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A Place For Family and Friends: The Outdoors
A Place for Family and Friends: The Outdoors As a young man growing up in the Loess Hills of western Iowa, I was too busy pursuing teenage interests to realize the beauty the hills had to offer. It wasn’t until I was older and a college student at Mankato State University that I found myself […]
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Improving Walleye and Musky Fishing in Iowa Project Update
Improving Walleye and Musky Fishing in Iowa Walleye always seem to be at the top of our favorite fish to chase here in Iowa. March begins the Walleye spawning run in many rivers and lakes, tempting fishermen and women out of hibernation to chase after them just after ice-out. Musky…the elusive yet hard fighting predatory […]
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