Panfish

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Improve your Pond with Native Habitat

Improve your Pond with Native Habitat The northern corners crown our state with their excellent natural fisheries that are unparalleled throughout the vast majority of the rest of the state. In the Northeastern counties we have pristine, cold water trout streams and in the Northwestern counties we have our few and only naturally formed lakes. […]

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Spring Fishing in Iowa

When Spring Has Sprung

When Spring Has Sprung Spring in Iowa, and for that matter anywhere in the country, is a pretty active time for our fishy friends that reside in area lakes. Warming water temps are a signal for walleye, crappie, and bass that it’s time to start moving to shallow spring haunts. Walleye are the first to […]

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Cooking with Cast Iron

Cooking with Cast Iron Professionally, I am a director at a church camp. To be honest, this career was never on my radar when I was younger. What I thought I wanted (desk job making lots of money) ended up being something I just couldn’t stand to do. Yes, I tried a desk for a […]

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Building your own Cabin

Building your own Cabin I remember my first long-distance family vacation. We packed up our van, when I was five years old, and headed west to South Dakota. This would be the first of many family camping vacations, which instilled a fascination with nature and camping. I always liked looking at the modern and historic […]

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Exploring Iowa’s Water Trails

Exploring Iowa’s Water Trails Iowans are blessed with many rivers, creeks, lakes and reservoirs that are perfect paddling whether they choose a canoe, kayak or even an inner tube. These waterways will take you through a variety of areas that are significant to our state whether from a historical, cultural, geological, or ecological standpoint. Indeed, […]

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spring boat maintenance tips

Tips for Getting the Fishing Rig Ready for Open Water

Tips for Getting the Fishing Rig Ready for Open Water As spring approaches, anglers are transitioning from ice fishing to open water fishing. When this time comes, it’s time to get the boat ready for another year of fishing. There are really two ways to approach this. The first is for those who are mechanically […]

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Trolling on Ice Techniques

Techniques for Trolling on Ice

Techniques for Trolling on Ice Open water trolling is a technique, or at least a phrase, that most anglers are familiar with. Trolling on the ice is a technique that more and more ice-anglers are becoming familiar with. Trolling on the ice might not make sense at first, but once you understand the concept, it […]

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Battling Invasive Species in Iowa Lakes

Battling Invasive Species in our Iowa Lakes Early in the fall of 2022, a shocking discovery was made on the Okoboji chain of lakes. Eurasian watermilfoil, an aggressive invasive plant that can negatively impact a body of water by outcompeting the native plants and becoming the dominant species was found. The scary part is that […]

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Upgrading Your Summer Fishing Reels

Upgrading Your Summer Fishing Reels The rivers are flowing, and some lakes are free of ice; now is the time to start thinking about your open water fishing arsenal. March is a great time to upgrade an integral part of your fishing tools, and you will notice the difference the first time you use them. […]

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Pond Structure Improvement

Pond Structure Improvement There is no doubt that many of Iowa’s anglers began their fishing endeavors on one of the 110,000 ponds scattered throughout the State. This is true for me too, Grandpa would introduce grandchildren to pond fishing, usually with a spiderman or barbie fishing pole. A small hook with a bit of worm […]

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