10-13-04

Southwest

Viking (Montgomery): Crappie and bluegill fishing is fair using jigs tipped with night crawler or minnow in 6 to 8 feet of water. Channel catfish fishing is good using liver.

Cold Springs (Cass): Fishing is fair for crappies around the brush piles. Channel catfish fishing is fair.

Manawa (Pottawattamie): Fishing is good for channel catfish. Walleyes are being caught on the west shore along the rocks. A few wipers are being caught.

Orient (Adair): Channel catfish are fair using liver in the evening. Crappies in the 7 to 8-inch range are being caught.

Greenfield (Adair): Bluegills and crappies are fair around brush piles. Channel catfish are good toward evening.

Mormon Trail (Adair): Walleye fishing is good using crankbaits or jigs. Anglers are catching 7 to 9-inch on minnows in 6 to 8 feet of water. Bluegills are being caught drifting a piece of night crawler 5 to 7 feet deep in front of dam. Channel catfish are good using night crawlers or liver.

Meadow (Adair): Bluegill fishing is fair on jigs and night crawlers. Largemouth bass fishing is good.

Prairie Rose (Shelby): Fishing is fair for 7-inch crappies in 6 to 8 feet of water using jigs and minnows around rocks and woody structure. Bass fishing is good. Anglers are catching channel catfish on liver.

Littlefield Lake (Audubon): Fishing is fair for large bluegills drifting with night crawlers. Channel catfish fishing is good.

Willow (Harrison): Largemouth Bass fishing is fair in the evenings around structure. Bluegills are good along weed edges. Channel catfish are being caught in the evenings using chicken liver.

Southwest Iowa Farm Ponds: Channel catfish, bluegill and largemouth bass fishing is fair. Remember to ask permission and clean up after yourself.

Big Creek (Polk): Bluegill fishing has been good for fish 8 inches or larger using hooks and worms. Crappie fishing has been slow in deeper water using jigs and minnows. An occasional nice walleye has been caught trolling crankbaits. Channel catfish fishing has been fair using night crawlers and cut and stink baits.

Lake Ahquabi (Warren): Bluegill and redear fishing has been fair to good using jigs or hooks with worms and wax worms. Crappie fishing has been fair to good. Channel catfish fishing has been fair. Largemouth bass fishing has been fair to good, although most fish are below the legal size limit.

Hooper Lake (Warren): Bluegill fishing has been fair using worms and jigs. Largemouth bass fishing has been slow using buzz baits and surface lures.

Hickory Grove (Story): Crappie fishing has been fair to good using jigs and minnows. The better fishing has been in deeper water. Bluegill fishing has picked up using small jigs or hooks and worms.

Don Williams (Boone): Crappie fishing has been slow using minnows and jigs. The best fishing has been in 5 to 10 feet of water. Bluegill fishing has been slow, with small jigs with worms. Channel catfish fishing has been fair and largemouth bass fishing has been slow. The best fishing is with surface plugs and crankbaits.

Rock Creek Lake (Jasper): Crappie fishing has been fair. The best fishing is in deeper water using jigs and minnows. Channel catfish fishing has been good along the shorelines and shallow water. Largemouth bass fishing has been relatively slow, although a few nice fish have been hitting on jigs and night crawlers.

Easter Lake (Polk): Bluegill fishing has been fair, although there are a number of smaller fish being caught. Crappie fishing has been fair with jigs and minnows or jigs and night crawlers. Some nice walleye have been caught while trolling lures or jigs along the face of the dam. Channel catfish fishing has been slow with most caught on night crawlers and stink baits.

Red Rock (Marion): White bass fishing has been excellent using crankbaits, sonars and a variety of casting lures. Crappies have been good to excellent along the face of the dam and in the Roberts Creek area. Channel catfish has slowed. The best areas are in the bays and coves.

Red Rock tailwater (Marion): White bass fishing is good in the tail water using jigs and minnows. Crappie fishing is good using jigs. A number of 10 to 14-inch fish are also being caught.

Roberts Creek (Marion): Crappie fishing has been good using jigs with minnows. White bass/wiper fishing has been good near the outlet into Red Rock.

Saylorville Lake (Polk): White bass fishing has been good trolling crank baits and shore fishing casting small spoons, a few wipers mixed in, with fish from 3 to 4 pounds reported. Crappie fishing has been spotty, although reports indicate some nice sized fish. Channel catfish fishing has been fair with traditional baits.

Saylorville Lake tailwater/river (Polk): White bass fishing has been good below Saylorville Reservoir. Channel catfish fishing is fair to good. Anglers are catching a few crappie and walleye.

Three Mile (Union): Bluegills are being caught using wax worms and night crawlers. Some crappie and yellow perch are being caught minnows around deeper structure. Anglers are starting to catch muskies. Largemouth bass can be caught in the rocks and over the deeper rock structure.

Twelve Mile (Union): Fishing for channel catfish is good using night crawlers or liver.

Green Valley (Union): Several largemouth bass can be caught around the tree piles and in the stake beds. Channel catfish can be caught in the bays using liver and night crawlers. Some crappie can be caught using minnows around the deeper brush piles. Some bluegill can be caught on night crawlers and wax worms.

Little River (Decatur): Crappies are being caught in the flooded trees and deeper bays. Bluegill can be caught using night crawlers around the flooded trees in 6 to 16 feet of water. Some walleyes are being taken with crankbaits.

Slip Bluff (Decatur): Some crappies are being caught off the deeper trees piles and flooded timber. Several small largemouth bass can be caught from the shore.

West Lake Osceola (Clarke): Largemouth bass are biting on crankbaits and jigs. Channel catfish fishing is good using liver.

Fogle Lake (Ringgold): Some bluegill and crappie can be caught in the flooded trees and along the creek channels. The lake is currently being lowered to improve fish growth but is still accessible for fishing.

Walnut Creek Marsh (Ringgold): Bluegill can be caught along the south dike. Crappie can be caught on minnows around the stumps.

The information in this report is provided courtesy Iowa Department of Natural Resources