Springtime Panfish-Perch, Crappie, and Bluegill
Springtime Panfish

Spring is in full swing here in Iowa, and what can be more pleasant a reminder than the sound of birds, the sight of flowers blooming, and the feel of a warm afternoon? I can think of at least one more thing…Panfish!

Spring is in full swing here in Iowa, and what can be more pleasant a reminder than the sound of birds, the sight of flowers blooming, and the feel of a warm afternoon? I can think of at least one more thing…Panfish! The next order of business was to hunt for worms. Flipping anything that we could find stuck in the ground in hopes of just finding a few crawlers.

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Springtime Panfish

Check Out Our Current Issue!

The 5 Key Fundamentals to Shooting a Rifle

The 5 Key Fundamentals to Shooting a Rifle If it is your first time firing a rifle or your one-millionth, good rifle marksmanship is accomplished only through having a good foundation of the basic fundamentals. Even an experienced shooter will never improve if he or she changes a fundamental each and every time they pull […]

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Catching Musky and Pike in Iowa

Catching Musky and Pike in Iowa Muskies (aka the musky or muskellunge, plus many other spellings and titles) are the largest of the pike family. Usually, they prefer clear water lakes and rivers and are most actively feeding in water temperatures 55° to 70° Fahrenheit. They will eat any fish they can catch and prefer […]

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Great Catfishing Destinations in Iowa

Great Catfishing Destinations in Iowa We are already well into the open water season and the catfishing is in full swing. As anglers we always want more and bigger fish. Catfish anglers are no exception. If you are willing to do some driving and some walking if you are a shore angler there are some […]

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Trout Fishing in Iowa

Troutin’ About in Iowa

Troutin’ About in Iowa Use the word “trout” and “Iowa” in the same sentence and you’ll definitely get some funny looks. Trout are rarely the first fish that comes to mind when most think of Iowa. Fish more typically thought of, as “Iowa fish” are bluegills, catfish, largemouth bass, white bass and crappies. I never […]

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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.