Spawning

Walleyes: The Springtime Spawn

Walleyes: The Springtime Spawn By Nick Johnson 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. […]

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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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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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Trolling Cranks for Paper Mouths

Trolling Cranks for Paper Mouths By Nick Johnson We troll for walleye; we troll for muskie, heck some of us even troll for channel catfish. But, whoever thinks of trolling for crappie? Trolling for crappies seems a little bit too aggressive to many of us but in fact it can be an extremely productive way […]

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Spawning Season

Spawning Season By Nick Johnson When fishermen think of fish spawning in Iowa, a few key species come to mind. Bluegill, Crappie, White bass, Largemouth, Smallmounth, and arguably the most celebrated, Walleye. These species in particular become susceptible to angling during these key spawning times and offer anglers a chance at a truly large specimen. […]

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Post Spawn River Walleyes

Post Spawn River Walleyes By Brian Radcliff It often amazes me how quickly the walleye spawn comes and goes. A few warm weeks of spring weather and the dams are ritually packed with walleye seeking anglers, looking to fill their buckets with the first river walleyes of the season. Another week passes and it seems […]

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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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Transition Walleyes: Post Spawn Behaviors and Tactics

Transition Walleyes: Post Spawn Behaviors and Tactics By Nick Johnson Many walleye anglers define this time of year as the post spawn blues. Depending on how the spring has gone, whether warm temps have held or cold temps prevailed this can hold some truth. I like to think of this time of year as an […]

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Spawning Bass in Iowa

Spawning Bass in Iowa By Todd Reed “I threw everything at them and nothing!”. “All I seemed to catch were small bass!”, “The bass would follow the bait all the way to the boat!”, “I kept missing bites!”. Do these sound like familiar phrases in May when trying to catch bass? I know I’ve said […]

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