Stay safe when fishing this summer with these tips:
Try a new fishing spot — if your regular fishing location is popular and busy, try out a new one that is not so crowded.
Once you find your spot, keep at least 6 feet of distance between you and other groups.
Stick with your immediate family, but keep groups to fewer than 10 people.
Bring lures from home instead of buying bait to minimize your interaction with other people.
Bring hand sanitizer and wash your hands often.
This weekly fishing report is compiled from information gathered from local bait shops, angler creel surveys and county and state parks staff. You can check the activity of your favorite lake or stretch of river within each district, including which species are being caught, a rating of the bite (slow, fair, good or excellent), as well as a hot bait or lure pattern.
For current information, contact the district fisheries office at the phone number listed at the end of each district report.
Southwest Iowa
Ada Hayden Heritage Park Lake
Rainbow Trout - Good: 1200 surplus rainbow trout were stocked in Ada Hayden on May 21 and another 650 on June 1. Cast small inline spinners and spoons or live minnows and nightcrawlers under floats. Some anglers are having better success by fishing deeper (15 feet), likely due to increased water temperatures. You need a valid fishing license and pay the trout fee to fish for or possess trout.
Big Creek Lake
Walleye - Fair: Troll live bait rigs or vertical jig with minnows, nightcrawlers, or leeches near points, humps and roadbeds. Target the East Boat ramp bay, the West Boat Ramp bay and the marina to beach area. Bluegill - Good: Cast small jigs or hooks tipped with nightcrawlers under a bobber.
Des Moines River (Saylorville to Red Rock)
Channel Catfish - Fair: Channel catfish and flathead catfish are being caught. Try live bait, stink bait and crawlers.
Don Williams Lake
Black Crappie - Fair: Drift or troll panfish jigs out a little deeper on the edges of the treefalls and over sunken pallets. Most crappies are 8.5 to 10 inches. Bluegill - Good: Catch spawning bluegills shallow fishing small jigs tipped with nightcrawlers under a bobber.
Bluegill should be spawning in local ponds and lakes. Check out the Fish Local webpage to find local community fishing lakes. For more information on Central Iowa lakes and rivers, call Ben Dodd at 641-891-3795 or Andy Otting at 515-204-5885.
Lake Anita
Crappies were caught around brush piles and the road beds this week. Bluegills are starting to build nests and spawn. Bluegill - Fair: Cast on top of the underwater reefs to find spawning bluegills. Some anglers report catching the larger size bluegills drifting. Black Crappie - Fair: Crappies have moved to tree piles and along the two road beds in the lake. Largemouth Bass - Good: Anita has a good bass population. Find fish along vegetation edges and around tree piles.
Lake Manawa
Walleyes are being picked up around the dredge cuts. Channel catfish are being caught on the west shoreline. Channel Catfish - Good: Channel catfish are moving to rocky shorelines to spawn. Walleye - Fair: A few anglers are having good success trolling crankbaits using planner boards.
Littlefield Lake
Littlefield has good water clarity and a ring of aquatic vegetation. Bluegill - Fair: A few spawning bluegills can still be caught. Fish are also being caught out of the cedar tree piles in the lake. Largemouth Bass - Good: There is a large number of 12 to 14 inch fish in the lake.
Prairie Rose Lake
Bluegill spawn is about over. Water temperature is 80 degrees. Bluegill - Fair: Find the underwater reefs or spawning beds placed in the lake to find spawning bluegills. Largemouth Bass - Good: A large population of 12 to 14 inch bass offer fun catch and release fishing.
Viking Lake
Black Crappie - Good: Black crappies are being caught in brush piles. Cast a minnow under a bobber to catch 9 to 12 inch crappie. Largemouth Bass - Good: Anglers are catching bass in tree piles using plastics.
For more information on lakes in the Southwest District call the Cold Springs office at 712-769-2587.
Green Valley Lake
Largemouth Bass - Fair: Use jigs fished near cedar tree brush piles for largemouth bass up to 20 inches. Black Crappie - Slow: Catch crappie up to 9 inches with jigs tipped with live bait fished near cedar tree brush piles. Bluegill - Slow: Catch bluegill up to 7.5 inches with jigs tipped with live bait fished near the fishing jetties or cedar tree brush piles.
Little River Watershed Lake
Bluegill-Slow: Use jigs tipped with live bait fished near cedar tree brush piles for bluegill up to 8.5 inches. Largemouth Bass- Good: Catch largemouth bass up to 20 inches with jigs fished near cedar tree brush piles.
Three Mile Lake
Walleye - Slow: Use jigs tipped with live bait fished along the creek channels for walleyes up to 22 inches. Black Crappie - Slow: Catch crappies up to 10 inches with jigs tipped with a minnow fished along the flooded timber. Bluegill - Fair: Use jigs tipped with live bait fished near cedar tree brush piles for bluegill of all sizes.
Twelve Mile Creek Lake
Black Crappie - Slow: Use jigs tipped with live bait fished along cedar tree brush piles or creek channels for crappie up to 11 inches. Largemouth Bass- Fair: Catch largemouth bass up to 20 inches with jigs fished near cedar tree brush piles. Yellow Perch - Fair: Use jigs tipped with nightcrawlers fished on the main lake flats for yellow perch up to 11 inches. Bluegill - Fair: Use jigs tipped with live bait fished along the weed line or cedar tree brush piles for bluegill of all sizes.
Water temperature in most Mount Ayr district lakes is in the upper 70's. For more information, contact the Mount Ayr Fisheries office at 641-464-3108.
