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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Chasing Nighttime Fish

Chasing Nighttime Fish

Chasing Nighttime Fish How’s this for fishing the first night of this past Walleye Opener on West Okoboji? Six walleyes 15-16 inches, another 12 walleyes in the slot from 17-22 inches, 5 walleyes over the slot with the largest at 25 inches. Oh, and a 22.5-inch/7-pound 4-ounce trophy smallmouth! Not a bad night’s work, I’d […]

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Deer Cues to Look For

Deer Cues to Look For

Deer Cues to Look For Everybody likes a good hint when they need it right? Remember back in your schooldays when the teacher said, “I’ll give you a hint?” When I heard that phrase, I would zero in to what she was going to say next. I did not want to miss anything that might […]

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Tips for Fishing in Hot Temps

Tips for Fishing in Hot Temps

Tips for Fishing in Hot Temps The average summertime temperatures in Iowa are between 82°F and 87°F, and mid-day temperatures often touch 90° to 100°F throughout the state. Not to terrible…right? With humidity levels easily reaching over 70 percent, it can make an outdoor enthusiast think twice before heading to the open water. Even worse, […]

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So you Want to go Elk Hunting...

So you Want to go Elk Hunting…

So you Want to go Elk Hunting… In the May issue of Iowa Sportsman I advised readers, “Don’t put off until tomorrow, that which can be done today. Life is short and none of us are guaranteed tomorrow. Instead of talking about that hunting trip out West or fishing trip up North, set a date […]

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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.