crappie

Spring Ritual: Spawning Crappies

Spring Ritual: Spawning Crappies By Rod Woten Spring is finally in the air! Ice has finally decided to release its grip on our lakes, the sun is starting to feel warmer, and the days are getting longer. Surely gobbling turkeys and popping morels can’t be too far behind? Ever since becoming a fly fishing guide, […]

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Time to Chase Some Slabs

Time to Chase Some Slabs By Steve Weisman As winter draws to a close and ice fishing ends, anglers begin looking toward open water. This is especially true for those searching for big slab crappies. Water temperature and timing are huge keys, and both can happen at different times throughout the Hawkeye state. Obviously, ice-out […]

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Catching Pre-Spawning & Spawning Fish

Catching Pre-Spawning & Spawning Fish By Ben Leal May in Iowa… winter has all but lost its grip, and we’re beginning to enjoy some incredible weather. It also brings with it the spring spawning period for a variety of fish. Temperatures in May will range from highs in the upper 60s to the mid-70s, with […]

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Iowa Ice Hot Spots for Crappie

Iowa Ice Hot Spots for Crappie By Ben Leal At the time of this writing Iowa was experiencing one of the warmest winters that I’ve seen in the sixteen plus years of living here. Southern and Central Iowa ponds, lakes, and reservoirs are all ice free. Northern Iowa is starting to see some skim ice, […]

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Looking at Early Season Open Water

Looking at Early Season Open Water By Steve Weisman Living in Iowa anglers get the chance to experience four seasons for fishing. Right now as we head into the month of March, we have the potential for great ice fishing in northern Iowa (depending on the spring warm-up, of course), yet we also have opportunities […]

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Guide to Late Ice

Guide to Late Ice By Rod Woten There are two phrases that will cause any ice angler to perk up their ears. “Early ice” and “late ice” are the two periods during the winter that ice anglers live for. Probably the biggest reason these periods are so popular with ice anglers is because the fishing […]

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Catching Early Crappies

Catching Early Crappies By Todd Reed The ice is long gone, the grass is turning green, and the birds are singing, all of these are signs for anglers to get out and go fishing. Walleyes, bass, catfish, and pike are fish that really come alive in early spring, but as we flip the calendars to […]

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Fish Wintering Habits

Fish Wintering Habits By Ben Leal By the time February rolls in we are well versed in angling experience. We think we have the fish figured out and locked in. Then, for some unknown reason, the fish move off our spot and seem harder to find. Weather can play a role in how fish react, […]

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When the going gets Tough on the Ice

When the going gets Tough on the Ice By Todd Reed The weekend is upon us and we have the green light for a trip to the ice.  The feeling can be magical on a Friday afternoon. As you drift off in your mind you can see the bluegills piled up beside your bucket, and […]

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Give’em what they want and how they want it

Give’em what they want and how they want it By Bob Jensen Whether you’re after fish in open water or through the ice, your lure presentation is one of the most important considerations for success. Since ice-fishing season is fast approaching in many areas, now is a good time to think about lure presentation as […]

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