fishing
Summertime Slabs
Summertime Slabs Ah, summertime… that time of year when we’re all looking for a place to cool down. The average day in August typically reaches highs in the mid-’80s, and lows will dip down to the mid-’60s. We have had, as you all know, days and even weeks that will reach up into the mid-’90s […]
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Cane Pole Crappies
Cane Pole Crappies One of the sought-after fish on our Iowa lakes are slab crappies. When the month of May comes and the temperatures move into the upper 50s, crappies begin to move shallow into their spawning areas. Optimum spawning temperatures are between 68-72 degrees. Kevan Paul, who owns Kevan Pauls Guide Service and guides […]
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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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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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Topwater Baits 101
Topwater Baits 101 The topwater bait is no doubt the most fun way to catch bass. Over the last century topwater baits have probably hooked more anglers than any other kind of fishing lure. When used under the right circumstances these baits can consistently bring bass in all day long. I hope this article will […]
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Bluegills for Young and Old
Bluegills for Young and Old Let’s face it, I am a bluegill fishing fanatic. And why not? They are plentiful, they put up a great fight and they are great table fare. Oh, and one more thing, they are great fish to get a youngster hooked on fishing. I will also say this: you still […]
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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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Bait Rigs that Catch Fish
Bait Rigs that Catch Fish If you were to go out and ask a dozen anglers what their favorite live bait rig is for any number of species you’ll likely get a dozen different answers. Now it may not be a dozen different baits, but certainly a variety of ways to rig those said baits. […]
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Iowa Trout Grand Slam
Iowa Trout Grand Slam Brace yourselves. Those of you unaware that Iowa has fishable trout populations may be in for a shock. Not only DOES Iowa have fishable trout populations in the northeast corner of the state…some of which do NOT rely on regular stocking to maintain their population…but Iowa actually has THREE species of […]
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My 5 Best Largemouth Tips
My 5 Best Largemouth Tips The largemouth bass, the most familiar fish in the country lives all around us. No matter if you fish a farm pond, a local river, county park, one of the 100’s of man-made lakes around Iowa, or the Mighty Mississippi River, the largemouth bass is waiting for you. Typically we […]
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