Early Spring Trout Fishing
Early Spring Trout Fishing

Early Spring Trout Fishing Spring in Northeast Iowa’s Driftless Region marks the beginning of one of the most rewarding trout fishing seasons in the Midwest. This is one of the prettiest areas in Northern Iowa marked with limestone bluffs, spring-fed creeks, and rolling pastures. The Driftless Region contains a several cold, clear streams that flow steadily year-round. This creates perfect trout habitat, and spring offers fishermen peaceful days on the water. With stable water temperatures, increasing insect activity, and hungry post-winter trout, there’s no better time to explore these legendary streams. Why The Driftless Region? This region is a trout […]

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Iowa Pheasants are Making a Comeback

Iowa Pheasants are Making a Comeback Growing up, I would hear hunting stories from my Dad about his youth, most of these were shared while we were in the field pursuing our own game. During his youth, deer were scarce, there were just a few days a year set aside for deer hunting seasons. You […]

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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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The Basics of Walleye Fishing

The Basics of Walleye Fishing Walleyes are arguably one of the tastiest freshwater fish in the US, and in my opinion, the tastiest fish to catch in the state. On top of that, they also top the charts as one of the feistiest fish to land this side of (and in) the Mississippi river. Walleyes […]

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Diversify your Food Plots for Success

Diversify your Food Plots for Success I have a whole file on my laptop filled with pictures of successful harvests of my daughters. I am the proud dad of four daughters ranging from ages nineteen to twelve. And yes, all four of them are successful deer hunters. Their success, however, came with the benefit of […]

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Featured Story

Big Buck Profile: The 2025 Gandy Buck

Ok, this first big buck profile is a little self-serving in that it is of a buck that I personally took this past deer season. While it is likely not the “biggest” big buck that we will profile this year it is definitely one of my most special deer ever.

Turning a Dream into Reality

As has been noted in several articles since 2023, my family and I finally put together the means to purchase our very own piece of Iowa ground. “The 32,” as we call it, has become a passion project to see if we could take an unassuming piece of real estate and harvest a mature deer from there by giving him all he needs in the way of habitat. This year was the first year that the farm would be huntable in the state in which we intended due to construction projects over the past couple of seasons.

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The Iowa Sportsman website and magazine are Iowa’s only privately owned media sources catering to hunters, anglers, and outdoor enthusiasts here in Iowa. Simply put, we are unlike other Iowa outdoor media sources: All our staff is from Iowa, from our publisher to our writers. We actually follow through on what we advertise; we provide knowledgeable content from people who know the industry or sport discussed.