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In this inaugural episode of the Iowa Hunting and Fishing Report, host Aaron McKinney introduces a new weekly series presented by the Iowa Sportsman Magazine, focused on real-time field reports rather than secondhand information.

Iowa Hunting and Fishing Report
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Hunting Equipment on Budget

Hunting and Habitat Equipment on a Budget

Hunting and Habitat Equipment on a Budget This month I am responding to a question about buying equipment on a budget. Paul from central Iowa asks, “I recently just bought some land for hunting whitetails. My daughter and nephew will be hunting with me. They have been hunting for some time, but I am relatively […]

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carp

Agencies Aim to Catch Invasive Carp

Wisconsin Scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey, in collaboration with the Minnesota and Wisconsin Departments of Natural Resources, will install floating bait platforms and monitoring equipment to test a new method for capturing invasive carp. The equipment will be in place from July 28 to Oct 3, 2025 in Pool 8 of the Mississippi River, […]

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Perch Iowa’s Overlooked Open Water Species

Perch Iowa’s Overlooked Open Water Species Fishing in Iowa is one of the most common summer activities. You will hear about the crappie,bass, and catfish and where the monsters have been biting. But, the yellow perch does not seem to get much recognition. Although perch are overlooked, they are a great fish to catch and […]

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Cool Down for Summertime Fishing Success

Cool Down for Summertime Fishing Success We are all aware that any given summer day in Iowa is pretty much unpredictable. It may be a breezy 72 degrees with light fluffy clouds floating past or it may be a wildly windy day that you would not attempt to use a baitcaster. More often than not, […]

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Featured Story

Springtime Panfish-Perch, Crappie, and Bluegill

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!

I can remember it like yesterday, our family would all meet up at the lake house. There was work to do. The yard was to be picked up, the cabin cleaned, and the dock had to be put in. But then, after the work was finished, it was time for all of us cousins to fish! We would all go out to the garage to pick out a few old rods and tie on a hook and sinker as best we could.

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. Once the bait was secured, we were ready to fish. We would go out on the dock and cast, vertical jig, and even troll along the side of the dock. We usually did pretty well use those tactics, but my all-time favorite was walking along the rocks on shore and dropping the bait down every little crevice, not knowing what was going to come up next.

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Created By Iowans, For Iowans

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.