fishing

Iowa’s Native Past

Iowa’s Native Past By Ryan Graden I absolutely hated History class in High School. Sitting in a room attempting to learn and memorize what happened long ago that led us to where we are now as a nation drove me nuts. I knew it was good for me, but to sit in a classroom and […]

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Exploring Iowa’s Waterways

Exploring Iowa’s Waterways By Jessica Graham Iowa, the “land of rolling hills and friendly smiles,” also boasts a hidden gem – a network of water trails waiting to be explored. These marked and maintained routes navigate rivers, lakes, and canals, offering paddlers, canoers, and other boaters a unique perspective on the state’s natural beauty and […]

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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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Calling all Iowa Sportsman!

Calling all Iowa Sportsman! By Jessica Graham Tired of the same old hunting and fishing stories? Want to get the inside scoop on the latest gear, techniques, and local hotspots? Then, you need to tune in to The Iowa Sportsman Podcast. You can expect up-to-date hunting and fishing reports. Get the lowdown on what’s biting […]

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Understanding watersheds: we are all part of the solution

Understanding watersheds: we are all part of the solution By Steve Weisman Even at age 67, every once in a while I get one of those “Ah-Ha” moments. You know, when you suddenly get this enlightenment of something you might have already known about, but not really understood. This past week I had one of […]

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Dead Sticking on Ice

Dead Sticking on Ice By Ben Leal When the ice fishing season gets well underway fishing begins to slow down a bit. The much colder water will slow down the metabolism of the quarry we are chasing. They also move out into deeper haunts of the lake, suspending in schools waiting for tasty morsels to […]

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Yellow Bass Iowa’s Overlooked Panfish

Yellow Bass Iowa’s Overlooked Panfish By Rod Woten Iowa has a love-hate relationship with the yellow bass. On one hand they’re plentiful, fun to catch and make delicious table fare. On the other hand, in many instances, they’re an invasive species and out-compete other panfish like crappies and bluegills…even largemouth bass. They are prolific breeders […]

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Early Ice Panfish

Early Ice Panfish By Ben Leal Anglers throughout Iowa keep a keen eye on the calendar each year, especially those anglers affectionately known as “ice heads”. Iowa’s average temperatures begin to dip in October and continue the downward trend throughout the month. Halloween paves the way for November to roll in and Thanksgiving is not […]

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Early Ice Iowa

Early Ice Iowa By Rod Woten Just because Iowa is on the southern edge of the ice belt, doesn’t mean we can’t take advantage of early ice. Obviously “early” is a relative term here since we usually lag behind our Minnesota brethren by a couple of weeks when it comes to setting foot on the […]

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MSU, partners working to improve Au Sable River resiliency

MSU, partners working to improve Au Sable River resiliency By Cameron Rudolph GRAYLING, Mich. — Situated in Michigan’s northern Lower Peninsula is one of the country’s most revered sportfishing destinations. This is a Blue Ribbon trout stream, recognizing its high-quality water accessibility, capacity to withstand angling pressure, and the presence of ideal sportfishing species. This […]

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