Iowa Fishing Report

If you’re planning a fishing trip to Iowa, you have some excellent choices for lakes and streams throughout the state including Big Creek Lake, Big Spirit Lake, Black Hawk Lake, Browns Lake, Brushy Creek Lake, Clear Lake, Coralville Lake, DeSoto Bend Lake, East Okoboji Lake, Five Island Lake, Lake Icaria, Lake MacBride, Lake Manawa, Little River Lake, Lost Island Lake, North Twin Lake, Pleasant Creek Lake, Rathbun Lake, Red Rock Lake, Rock Creek Lake, Saylorville Lake, Silver Lake Palo Alto, Spirit Lake, Storm Lake, Three Mile Lake, Trumbull Lake, Tuttle Lake, Twelve Mile Creek Lake, West Okoboji Lake and others. Many of the lakes in Iowa have camping facilities as well as other accommodations nearby. Iowa is well known for excellent Bass, Crappie and Walleye fishing. Additionally, in waters around the state you’ll find populations of Catfish, Musky, Tiger Musky, Northern Pike, Sauger, Saugeye, Longnose Gar, Bowfin, Paddlefish and sunfish including Green Sunfish, Rock Bass, Spotted Sunfish, White Bass, Yellow Bass, Yellow Perch which are plentiful in some waters.

Fishing is regulated in Iowa by the Fish & Game Department. You can check their website for current fishing reports. Other fishing reports are offered by independent services which collect information from fishermen. Some reports are divided by regions (southern, northern, eastern and western), some are listed by fish species while others are listed simply lake-by-lake.

Reading Iowa Fishing Reports

Often fishing conditions change by the hour. When reading fishing reports the most useful information is likely to be the sum total of all reports over the last few weeks rather than the specifics of the most current fishing report. So finding that the fish have been caught shallow over the last few weeks is more important to know than the exact lure the last report mentioned.

Often archived Iowa fishing reports from prior years can help you identify seasonal patterns for a specific lake. Review the prior reports to find consistent information for summer months of June, July and August. The information will be different than that for the fall months of September and October. Winter months of November, December, January and February will show reports unique to this time of year, possibly including ice fishing reports. Pay special attention to the spring (March, April and May) fishing reports from prior years as they should provide information to help you predict the approximate time for the spawn.

If you are considering a visit to Iowa for a fishing trip and are unfamiliar with the area, some of the major cities in Iowa include Fort Dodge, Souix City, Dubuque, Waterloo, Council Bluffs, Des Moines, Davenport, Iowa City, Emmetsburg, Mason City and others scattered across IA, some with fishing opportunities nearby. To enhance your fishing experience, you may want to hire a local guide. Click here for a list of Iowa fishing guides.

Iowa Fishing Reports

The fishing report resources listed below offer independent information about fishing conditions at various lakes, rivers and streams in Iowa. Use this information knowing that weather and other factors may have caused fishing conditions to change since the reports were filed.

Iowa Department of Natural Resources

Clear Lake Iowa Fishing Report

Iowa Fishing Report

Best of luck to you on all your fishing trips in Iowa. Use the navigation on the left to find fishing reports for other states.

Iowa Fishing Reports For Lakes, Rivers and Streams in IA