Ice conditions vary greatly across the state, and are deteriorating with the warm weather. For current information on fishing conditions for your lake or area, contact the office in that district. Phone numbers are listed with each district report. Ice fishing reports will be released every week while quality ice conditions exist.
 

Northeast

Mississippi River: The ice fishing activity picked up a little this weekend on Pools 9-11 on the Mississippi River, but anglers are urged to use caution. Most places have 5 to 6 inches of ice, but watch areas with slight current, as there will be less ice. Bluegills and bass are biting at Bussey Lake on Pool 10 at Guttenberg. Martelle and Joyce Lake areas on Pool 10 at Harpers Ferry have been producing some crappies, bass and nice size bluegills. There are good reports of a lot of bluegills being caught on Pool 10 at Bagley Bottoms on the Wisconsin side, and at Cold Springs near Ferryville, Wis. Lake Meyer (Winneshiek): Anglers are catching bluegills around the south point near trees and stumps.

Lake Hendricks (Howard): Bluegills are biting on the north end of the lake on teardrop jigs and wax worms, with an occasional crappie or perch in the bag.

Maquoketa River (Delaware): Bluegill and crappie fishing is good in Terrel Park, Manchester and in Lake Delhi. Some nice-sized fish are being caught on jigs tipped with a wax worm.

Delaware County Farm Ponds: Crappie fishing is fair during the evening hours using jigs tipped with a minnow.

Sweets Marsh (Bremer): Crappie fishing is fair using minnows and wax worms.

South Prairie Lake (Black Hawk): Bluegill fishing is fair on wax worms fished around structure.

For information on fishing in northeast Iowa, call the regional office in Manchester at (563) 927-3276.

 

Northwest

Spirit Lake (Dickinson): Walleye are being caught on the east side using jig and raps. A few yellow perch are being caught on the west side at Buffalo Run using jigs with wigglers and wax worms. There is some crappie activity off the weed edges at Buffalo Run and at Angler's Bay using small minnows and wax worms. Anglers are catching lots of bluegill at Angler's Bay and a few at Buffalo Run.

West Okoboji (Dickinson): Anglers are catching bluegill and crappie in the Miller's Bay area fishing in 10 to 12 feet of water. Fish along the weed lines using teardrops tipped with wigglers or wax worms. Anglers are also catching bluegills and crappies in Emerson Bay. Anglers are catching some yellow perch in the Miller's Bay and Emerson Bay areas. Some 20- to 27-inch northern pike are being caught in Miller's Bay using chubs.

Ice conditions throughout north-central Iowa are generally good. Ice depth will vary between 4 and 8 inches. No vehicle traffic has occurred on these lakes. Anglers are using some four-wheelers and snowmobiles.

Five Island (Palo Alto): Walleyes are being caught in the evenings between the first and second island and also on the south side of the third island.

Silver Lake (Palo Alto): Anglers are catching yellow perch, but a lot of sorting is required.

Elk Lake (Clay/Palo Alto): Walleye and yellow perch are being caught in the narrows.

Brushy Creek (Webster): Brushy is frozen over. The main lake has 2 to 3 inches of ice, and the bays have 4 to 5 inches. In the north fingers, anglers are catching a few fish. Anglers need to be very careful; ice is thin in many places.

Clear Lake (Cerro Gordo): Yellow bass fishing has been good. Best success has been on the west end of the lake near McIntosh Woods State Park. Fish are being caught in 6 to 8 feet of water with small jigging spoons tipped with a minnow head, insect larvae or cut bait. Small minnows or teardrop jigs with wax worm are also working fished under a small bobber.

Blue Pit in Lester Milligan Park, Mason City (Cerro Gordo): Approximately 1,500 catchable-size rainbow trout were stocked in late; and another 1,500 will be stocked again in late December. For trout stocking information contact 563-382-3315.

Silver Lake (Worth): Yellow perch have been biting. Small minnows or insect larvae are producing the best results. Perch are generally nice size with some sorting required.

Rice Lake (Winnebago): Anglers are catching yellow perch on the south shoreline near the state park access. Lots of sorting is required.

Indian Lake (Hancock): Bluegill fishing is good on teardrops with waxworms fished under a small bobber.

Little Wall Lake (Hamilton): Crappies in the 8-inch range have been hitting on small minnows or insect larvae. An occasional bluegill and perch are also being caught.

For more information on fishing in northwest Iowa, call the regional office in Spirit Lake at (712) 336-1840.

 

Southwest

There is virtually no fishing underway in most of the lakes in the southwest region. In the larger bodies of water, use extreme caution.

Big Creek (Polk): Anglers are taking some bluegill and few crappies above the spillway. Again, use extreme caution, especially if the weather warms.

Prairie Rose (Shelby): Ice varies from 4 to 5 inches, up to 6 inches in some areas, but there has been no fishing or anglers observed.

Cold Springs (Cass): There are 4 inches of ice, but no anglers.

Viking (Montgomery): No one fishing.

Harrison and Adair counties: Ice conditions are not safe and no one is fishing.

Most farm ponds have 3 to 5 inches of ice with little or no fishing activity. Ice quality is marginal at best.

There is no safe ice on any of the southern-most lakes in the southwest region, such as Three Mile (Union), Twelve Mile (Union), Green Valley (Union), Fogle Lake (Ringgold), or Badger Creek (Madison) counties.

For more information on fishing in southwest Iowa, contact the regional office in Lewis at (712) 769-2587.

 

Southeast

There have been a few anglers venturing out on the smaller lakes and farm ponds. Currently, it is not recommended that people go on the ice.

Mississippi River, Pools 16 - 19: Some ice in the backwaters but generally there is NO ice.

Lake Odessa ( Louisa): Unsafe ice even in the smaller backwaters where the warm weekend made the ice rotten.

Lake Geode (Henry): Ice only around the edges, the rest of the lake is open.

Lake Darling (Washington): Inch and one-half of ice; rotten around the edges.

Lake Rathbun (Appanoose): Unsafe ice conditions.

Lake Wapello (Davis): Unsafe ice conditions.

Lake Miami (Monroe): Unsafe ice conditions.

Lake Sugema (Van Buren): Unsafe ice conditions.

Farm ponds (Johnson, Linn, Tama, Jones, Cedar, Iowa, Benton, Poweshiek, Marshall, and Grundy counties): Fishing has been good for bluegill and bass on teardrops tipped with wax worms. Ice conditions are variable so use caution.

Farm ponds and smaller county ponds (Washington and Keokuk counties): Variable ice conditions. The best have about 3 inches of ice. Be careful of rotten ice around the edges in the shallow water. Ponds that are not shaded still have thin ice.

For more information on fishing in southeast Iowa, call the regional office in Brighton at (319) 694-2430.
 

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