Fishing
Walleye Length Changes Coming in 2022
Walleye Length Changes Coming in 2022 When you catch a walleye in Iowa, there’s a good chance that the fish got its start in one of Iowa’s walleye hatcheries. Since walleye often don’t reproduce naturally in the state’s inland rivers and lakes, their populations must be maintained through the Iowa DNR’s stocking program. The hundreds […]
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Getting Ready for the Spring Spawn
Getting Ready for the Spring Spawn Spring in Iowa, and anywhere in the country, is a pretty busy time for our fishy friends who reside in area lakes. Warming water temps signal walleye, crappie, and bass that it’s time to start moving to shallow spring haunts. Walleye are the first to transition to shallow water […]
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Iowa’s Bald Eagle Territory Monitoring Project: Giving Back
Iowa’s Bald Eagle Territory Monitoring Project: Giving Back Have you ever enjoyed watching the majestic bald eagle in flight over the Iowa countryside? Or have you viewed the live Decorah eagle nest video online with awe and wonder? I have always had a fastination with the great bald eagle and enjoy watching them make a […]
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The Truth About Yellow Bass in Iowa Lakes
Yellow Bass in Iowa: The Good, The Bad, and How to Catch Them What Are Yellow Bass and Why They Matter in Iowa Yellow bass are an invasive fish species in many Iowa lakes. They reproduce quickly, compete with native fish, and are often encouraged to be harvested by anglers to help protect local ecosystems. […]
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Preparing for Spring Fishing
Preparing for Spring Fishing It is amazing how fast the seasons come and go! I know that part of the reason has to do with my age, but the fall weather held on so long that it pushed the ice fishing season well into December. Here in northern Iowa, anglers had to head north as […]
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Ice-Out Channel Catfish
Ice-Out Channel Catfish It might come as a surprise to many anglers to learn that channel catfish go on a feeding rampage almost as soon as the ice starts to melt in many of the reservoirs or lakes containing shad and other baitfish. These water bodies experience routine winter die-offs like this every year that […]
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Ready for The Mid-Winter Ice Fishing Blues?
Ready for The Mid-Winter Ice Fishing Blues? As the crisp and frigid air chills your body, snow covers the landscape as far as you can see, the sight is somewhat magical on this early February day. However, as you drive to your ice fishing destination that beautiful sight reminds you that you are smack-dab in […]
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Tight Lipped Ice Tactics
Tight Lipped Ice Tactics We’ve all experienced it… a day we load up and head out full of anticipation of a great day out on the ice. You’ve dreamt of that ice rod bending as you set the hook on yet another slab crappie or 10-inch plus bluegill…Vexilar screens lighting up with fish on the […]
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Taking on the Midwinter Fishing Doldrums
Taking on the Midwinter Fishing Doldrums Midwinter ice fishing is often completely different than early and late ice. Instead of the aggressive fish that come with both early and late ice, midwinter fish are often more neutral and have seen several months of lures. That’s why here on the Iowa Great Lakes the most successful […]
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Hardwater Ice Fishing: Try Something New
Hardwater Ice Fishing: Try Something New It’s hard to believe we’re on the cusp of another ice fishing season. I’m not complaining, mind you. I actually prefer short summers. In fact, if I had my way, we’d have 4 months of spring, 4 months of fall and 4 months of winter. The last I’d heard, […]
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