South Prairie Lake

The interior rivers should be opening back up with the warm weather. The extended forecast for again next week looks to be warming temperatures. Ice reports have been sketchy but reports are anywhere from 5-7 inches on most lakes, use extreme caution when venturing out. Trout streams remain in excellent condition. For further information contact your local bait shops for the most recent information.

Anglers are catching both bluegill and crappie out of South Prairie Lake.

Bluegill - Good: Try vertical jigging with an ice fishing jig tipped with a waxworm for best success.

Black Crappie - Good: Look for structure with electronics. Vertical jig an ice fishing jig tipped with a waxworm or a crappie minnow underneath a bobber for some good action.

Source: Iowa DNR

Interior river levels remain low and with the arrival of fall angling opportunities for walleye and smallmouth bass should improve. Lakes in and around Black Hawk county have been providing catches of panfish and largemouth bass. Trout streams remain in excellent condition and will remain to be stocked unannounced throughout the month of October. For further information contact your local bait shops for the most recent information.

Black Crappie - No Report: Try drifting a crappie minnow under a slip bobber to locate crappie on this small lake.

Recent DNR netting surveys reveal catches of nice crappie and bluegill size structures in this lake.

Bluegill - No Report: Try drifting a piece of nightcrawler under a slip bobber to locate bluegill on this small lake.

Source: Iowa DNR

Interior river levels remain low and with the arrival of fall angling opportunities for walleye and smallmouth bass should improve. Lakes in and around Black Hawk county have been providing catches of panfish and largemouth bass. Trout streams remain in excellent condition and will remain to be stocked unannounced throughout the month of October. For further information contact your local bait shops for the most recent information.

Black Crappie - No Report: Try drifting a crappie minnow under a slip bobber to locate crappie on this small lake.

Bluegill - No Report: Try drifting a piece of nightcrawler under a slip bobber to locate bluegill on this small lake.

Recent DNR netting surveys reveal catches of nice crappie and bluegill size structures in this lake.

Source: Iowa DNR

Interior river levels remain low and with the arrival of fall angling opportunities for walleye and smallmouth bass should improve. Lakes in and around Black Hawk county have been providing catches of panfish and largemouth bass. Trout streams remain in excellent condition, catchable stockings will remain throughout the rest of this week. For further information contact your local bait shops for the most recent information.

Recent DNR netting surveys reveal catches of nice crappie and bluegill size structures in this lake.

Black Crappie - No Report: Try drifting a crappie minnow under a slip bobber to locate crappie on this small lake.

Bluegill - No Report: Try drifting a piece of nightcrawler under a slip bobber to locate bluegill on this small lake.

Source: Iowa DNR

Interior river levels remain low but are providing catches of walleye, smallmouth bass and channel catfish. Anglers have been targeting area lakes in and around Black Hawk county for largemouth bass and some panfish. Trout streams remain in excellent condition across N.E. Iowa. For further information contact your nearest local bait shop

Anglers have had success on bluegill on South Prairie Lake.

Bluegill - Good: Fish a piece of crawler under a bobber at various depths along the edges of weed beds for bluegill.

Source: Iowa DNR

Trout streams in northeast Iowa are generally in good to excellent condition with good numbers of wild Brown Trout and stocked Rainbow Trout. Lakes are warm with good bass fishing while panfish have been more difficult to catch lately. The Cedar, Maquoketa, Shell Rock and Wapsipinicon Rivers have low water conditions and are good for smallmouth bass and channel catfish, but walleye fishing had been slow. Contact the Manchester Fish Hatchery at 563-927-3276.

Bluegill - Fair:

Largemouth Bass - Good:

Source: Iowa DNR

Trout streams in northeast Iowa are generally in good to excellent condition with good numbers of wild Brown Trout and stocked Rainbow Trout. Lakes are warm with good bass fishing while panfish have been more difficult to catch lately. The Cedar, Maquoketa, and Wapsipinicon Rivers have low water conditions and are good for smallmouth bass and channel catfish, but walleye fishing had been slow. Contact the Manchester Fish Hatchery at 563-927-3276

Bluegill - Fair:

Largemouth Bass - Good:

Source: Iowa DNR

Interior river water levels have fallen and are providing catches of smallmouth bass, walleye and channel catfish. It's been hit and miss for walleye but smallmouth bass and channel catfish have been good. Lakes in and around Cedar Falls/Waterloo have slowed down on panfish. Trout streams are in excellent condition, for further information contact your local bait shop for most recent reports.

Anglers have been catching nice bluegill around the edge of weed beds in South Prairie Lake.

Bluegill - Good: Locate the edge of weed beds fishing a piece of crawler under a slip bobber or jigging small artificial jigs for nicer fish.

Source: Iowa DNR

Interior water levels have fallen and are providing catches of smallmouth bass, walleye and channel catfish. Check the USGS website (https://waterdata.usgs.gov/ia/nwis/rt) for most recent river levels. Lakes in and around Cedar Falls/Waterloo have been productive for crappie, bluegill and largemouth bass. Trout streams are in excellent condition, for further information contact your local bait shop for most recent reports.

South Prairie lake has a nice run of good sized bluegills.

Bluegill - Fair: Fish the edge of weed beds with a piece of crawler fished under a slip bobber.

Source: Iowa DNR