Fishing

Fish and Wildlife Trust Fund and its impact on Iowa’s Natural Resources

Fish and Wildlife Trust Fund and its impact on Iowa’s Natural Resources By Steve Weisman Over the past few years, there has been a lot of talk around the state about the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and its budget. Basically, there are two areas of revenue: (1) The Fish and Wildlife Trust Fund […]

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Fall Structure: What Draws Fall Fish?

Fall Structure: What Draws Fall Fish? By Nick Johnson Finally, the blistering heat and humidity of this past summer is starting to thin out and cooler weather is on the horizon. Everything seems to be eating and water levels are generally very stable in both rivers and lakes. Fall is a transition time, slow as […]

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Fishing Myth Busters

Fishing Myth Busters By Todd Reed No matter how often you fish, or don’t fish there are many people that have certain beliefs about fishing.  What makes fishing better…what you can’t do when you fish.  There are many myths about fishing that the common public say and truly believe in.  Perhaps Grandpa said these things […]

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Fishing Big Spirit Lake For The Fall Double Header

Fishing Big Spirit Lake For The Fall Double Header By Steve Weisman Fall is always a great time for fishing. The months of September and October offer stretches of mild weather and beautiful colors as the trees turn a myriad of colors, and best of all, the fish are putting on that fall “feed bag” […]

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Going After IGL’s Grand Slam With A Boat

Going After IGL’s Grand Slam With A Boat By Steve Weisman In part one of the this series I challenged anglers to catch two grand slams over the course of two days on the Iowa Great Lakes (Big Spirit Lake and the Okoboji chain of lakes) from the shoreline or docks. This month we are […]

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Tackle Talk: Go-To Lures for Multi-Species Angling

Tackle Talk: Go-To Lures for Multi-Species Angling By Nick Johnson How many lures does one angler need? I would venture to guess than many of you reading this have a stockpile of options to choose from and yet each season make repeated pilgrimages to the tackle store to increase personal inventory with new and improved […]

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Top Walleye Spots in Iowa

Top Walleye Spots in Iowa By Ben Leal Ask any number of fresh water anglers what one of the most sought after fish for table fare is and you’ll get a resounding response, “walleye”. Sure, crappie and bluegill will come up in that conversation as well, but walleye by far will always be in that […]

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Locating Hot Weather Smallies in Iowa

Locating Hot Weather Smallies in Iowa By Todd Reed The tug on the line and in the next instance a miraculous jump above the water…smallmouth bass.  This is always the first image in my mind when someone says smallmouth bass. They are no doubt the most exciting fish that swims in our waters of Iowa. […]

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10 Reasons Why You Don’t Catch Fish

10 Reasons Why You Don’t Catch Fish By Todd Reed No matter your skill level, from successful tournament angler to an aspiring elementary kid, we all have days that we can’t catch any fish. There are many reasons why boys and girls, men and women struggle to catch fish at times. Some days it seems […]

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Unlocking the Secrets to Trolling for Walleyes

Unlocking the Secrets to Trolling for Walleyes By Steve Weisman As a fishing guide on the Iowa Great Lakes, M. Doug Burns is often asked by anglers, “What should I do when I troll for walleyes?” Burns, who has been a professional guide since 1986, begins to answer this question by saying, “There is not […]

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