Check Out Our Current Issue!
In the May 2026 Issue of the Iowa Sportsman
- Chase the Bite: Early Season
- Calming A Hyper Gun Dog
- Perfecting Your Turkey Setup
- Summer Work That Pays Off in Bow Season
- Artifact Hunting in Iowa
- Wild Edible Foraging
- Tactics for Late-Season Toms
- Iowa’s Venom, Oil and Toxic Sap
Click Here To View This Issue Now!
Walleyes: The Springtime Spawn
Walleyes: The Springtime Spawn With the close of the ice season, many anglers dream about the rivers or lakes opening up and the hunt for big walleyes. Often times this transition is only a few weeks apart. Timing and water temperature are crucial along with depth and water levels in the river. A lot of […]
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Hunting Pheasants in the Snow
Hunting Pheasants in the Snow As I write this, my legs are burning from a fresh sunburn I received while mowing my acreage for several hours yesterday. While the thought of wading through January’s knee-deep snow drifts seems almost therapeutic. When December gets here though, my sunburn will be long gone and my legs will […]
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Hunting With a Dog in Cold Weather
Hunting With a Dog in Cold Weather I’d rather deal with cold than heat. My dogs are like me, they would rather work and play in cooler temps than heat. I’m guessing your dogs do too. Just because our dogs may prefer cold weather over the blazing heat, there are still some best practices we […]
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Reasons to Go Ice Fishing in Minnesota
10 Reasons to Go Ice Fishing in Minnesota This Winter Minnesota is literally ice fishing paradise, offering unique advantages that make it a premier destination for anglers during the winter months. From an abundance of lakes to a rich fishing culture, here are the top 10 reasons to ice fish in Minnesota this winter. 1. […]
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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.
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.
