The Fishing Report: Where in Iowa Are the Fish Biting this Weekend?

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources issues a weekly fishing report on Thursdays. The weekly fishing report is compiled from information gathered from local bait shops, angler creel surveys, and county and state parks staff.

The DNR reminds those boating to be cautious of the low water because of the recent drought.

Here are some central Iowa locations:

Saylorville Reservoir

Channel Catfish - Good: Good size and numbers of catfish can be caught drift fishing cut creek chubs above the mile long bridge.  White Bass - Excellent: White bass fishing continues to be very active.  The Sandpiper and Oak Grove areas are good places to start.  Troll or cast spoons and shallow diving crankbaits.  Look for schools of shad breaking the surface.

Clear Lake
The water level is 23 inches below crest.  Use caution when launching and boating near shore.  Channel Catfish - Fair: Stink bait, cut bait, and crawlers are working in the evenings and mornings near reefs and off the Ventura jetties at nights.  Crappie - Fair: Anglers are picking up some crappies while drifting and vertical jigging minnows and crawlers in 6-10 feet of water in the little lake, around the reefs, and between the state dock area and the island.  Walleye - Slow: A few walleye are starting to be picked up vertically jigging crawlers and minnows in 6-10 feet of water over the reefs and in the little lake.  Yellow Bass - Good: Anglers are catching yellow bass on crawlers, cut bait, and minnows.  Drifting and vertical jigging in 6-10 feet of water off the state dock area, the rock reefs, and in the little lake has been good.  The fish are schooled so move around until you find active fish.

Big Creek Lake
White Bass - Good: White bass are being caught trolling shallow diving crankbaits or spinner rigs with live bait. Target the windblown shoreline.  Bluegill - Fair: Good size bluegill are being caught drifting or bobber fishing pieces of crawler over brushpiles at the entrances to many of the coves and over the roadbed in the west boat ramp bay.

Red Rock Reservoir

White Bass - Good: White bass from 12 to 14 inches are being caught trolling or casting spoons and lipless or shallow diving crankbaits. Target the marina point, sand island, and the northeast corner of the dam.  Look for schools of shad breaking the surface.

Greenfield Lake
Catfish are being caught around the jetties.  Channel Catfish - Good: Dip bait and shrimp are working to catch channel catfish around the jetties. Late afternoon and into the night has been the best time.   Bluegill - Fair: Bluegills up to 8 inches can be caught drifting small jigs tipped with nightcrawler across the open lake.  Crappie - Slow: A few crappies are being caught while drifting.

Lake Anita
Bluegill - Fair: Bluegills are being caught drifting small jigs 6-8 feet down. Tipping the jig with worms or Powerbait seems to help.  Largemouth Bass - Fair: Anglers are catching bass early in the mornings and late afternoons. As the temperatures rise the fish go deeper. Many of the fish caught are in the 14 to 19-inch range. Crappie - Fair: Anglers are having success jigging around cedar tree piles in the evenings using minnows.