05-19-2004, 04:26 AM
Southeast
Mississippi River Pools 16 to 19: Fishing on the Mississippi River has been slow to fair but is beginning to pick up with the warmer water conditions. The water temperature at Muscatine is 69 degrees and the river stage is 10.3 and is expected to remain stable over the next week. Anglers continue to catch white bass in the tailwaters and the mouths of the creeks on jigs and minnows. Fishing has been fair for walleye and sauger in the mouths of incoming rivers and the tailwaters on jigs tipped with minnows and crankbaits. Bluegill and crappie fishing is picking up in the backwater areas. Jigs tipped with wax worms and minnows are working best. Fishing is good for channel catfish on shad, night crawlers, stink bait and crushed minnows. Anglers also report catching a few flathead catfish on large chubs.
Lake Odessa (Louisa): The water level is starting to be lowered for the summer draw down. It is currently about 1-1/2 foot low and will continue to drop slowly until early July. Some nice bluegills are being caught in some of the smaller backwaters on a worm and a bobber.
Lake Darling (Washington): Anglers are catching lots of the smaller crappies. With some sorting, you can go home with a nice mess of 8 to 9-inch fish. The bigger crappies should be in later this week if the weather stays warm. There will be road construction going on in the park, but the main boat ramp will still be open.
Lake Geode (Henry): Bluegill fishing has really picked up over the last few days. Concentrate along the edge of the weeds in the shallow bays. The bass are also in shallow with some anglers reporting a few on the beds. Crankbaits worked along the edges should provide some nice action.
Lake Belva Deer (Keokuk): Bluegill fishing is fair to good, depending on the weather. Use a very light jig tipped with a piece of worm and work it very slowly around the flooded trees and in the flooded vegetation. Anglers are catching good numbers of the 10 to 12-inch bass and an occasional legal sized 15-inch bass. Try fishing plastic worms around the flooded timber for the bass.
Lake Rathbun (Appanoose): Crappies have been hitting on small jigs and minnows. Some fish continue to suspend in 6 to 10 feet of water.
Lake Sugema (Van Buren): Largemouth bass have been hitting on artificial lures. Crappies are biting in deeper water.
Lake Miami (Monroe): Bluegills and crappies have been hitting on small jigs and minnows. Most of the fishing has been in shallow water.
Lake Macbride (Johnson): Crappie fishing has been good on warmer days when the fish move in to the shorelines to spawn. Most crappies caught are between 8 and 10 inches. Small jigs or minnows fished around shallow brush are working well. Shoreline fishing has been good along the causeway and off the fishing jetties. Some walleye are being caught and the largemouth bass fishing has been good. Some catfish can be caught in the evening in the shallow bays on dead shad. Bluegill fishing is good, but most fish are between 5 and 7 inches.
Coralville Reservoir (Johnson): Catfish continue to be caught on shad in the shallow flats. A few nice crappies are being caught in the bays near brush. The Corps of Engineers has started raising the water levels of the lake and should be to the summer pool elevation of 683 by the end of May.
Lake Iowa (Iowa): Crappie fishing has been good around the brush piles on small jigs or minnows. Bluegills are starting to spawn and can be found in the shallow bays.
Kent Park Lake (Johnson): Catfish have been biting in the evening. Bluegills can be caught in the shallows on small jigs or small pieces of worm.
Diamond Lake (Poweshiek): The crappie fishing has started to increase with the warm weather and the fish are starting to move into the shorelines. Small jigs have been working well. Bluegills can be caught off the beds in the shallow bays. Some catfish can be caught in the evenings.
Iowa River (Johnson): Crappie, white bass and catfish are being caught below the dams in Coralville and Iowa City.
Skunk River (Washington and Henry): Catfishing remains hit and miss with the fluctuations in the weather. Night crawlers and minnows seem to be catching fish.
For more information on fishing in southeast Iowa, call the regional office in Brighton at 319-694-2430.
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Mississippi River Pools 16 to 19: Fishing on the Mississippi River has been slow to fair but is beginning to pick up with the warmer water conditions. The water temperature at Muscatine is 69 degrees and the river stage is 10.3 and is expected to remain stable over the next week. Anglers continue to catch white bass in the tailwaters and the mouths of the creeks on jigs and minnows. Fishing has been fair for walleye and sauger in the mouths of incoming rivers and the tailwaters on jigs tipped with minnows and crankbaits. Bluegill and crappie fishing is picking up in the backwater areas. Jigs tipped with wax worms and minnows are working best. Fishing is good for channel catfish on shad, night crawlers, stink bait and crushed minnows. Anglers also report catching a few flathead catfish on large chubs.
Lake Odessa (Louisa): The water level is starting to be lowered for the summer draw down. It is currently about 1-1/2 foot low and will continue to drop slowly until early July. Some nice bluegills are being caught in some of the smaller backwaters on a worm and a bobber.
Lake Darling (Washington): Anglers are catching lots of the smaller crappies. With some sorting, you can go home with a nice mess of 8 to 9-inch fish. The bigger crappies should be in later this week if the weather stays warm. There will be road construction going on in the park, but the main boat ramp will still be open.
Lake Geode (Henry): Bluegill fishing has really picked up over the last few days. Concentrate along the edge of the weeds in the shallow bays. The bass are also in shallow with some anglers reporting a few on the beds. Crankbaits worked along the edges should provide some nice action.
Lake Belva Deer (Keokuk): Bluegill fishing is fair to good, depending on the weather. Use a very light jig tipped with a piece of worm and work it very slowly around the flooded trees and in the flooded vegetation. Anglers are catching good numbers of the 10 to 12-inch bass and an occasional legal sized 15-inch bass. Try fishing plastic worms around the flooded timber for the bass.
Lake Rathbun (Appanoose): Crappies have been hitting on small jigs and minnows. Some fish continue to suspend in 6 to 10 feet of water.
Lake Sugema (Van Buren): Largemouth bass have been hitting on artificial lures. Crappies are biting in deeper water.
Lake Miami (Monroe): Bluegills and crappies have been hitting on small jigs and minnows. Most of the fishing has been in shallow water.
Lake Macbride (Johnson): Crappie fishing has been good on warmer days when the fish move in to the shorelines to spawn. Most crappies caught are between 8 and 10 inches. Small jigs or minnows fished around shallow brush are working well. Shoreline fishing has been good along the causeway and off the fishing jetties. Some walleye are being caught and the largemouth bass fishing has been good. Some catfish can be caught in the evening in the shallow bays on dead shad. Bluegill fishing is good, but most fish are between 5 and 7 inches.
Coralville Reservoir (Johnson): Catfish continue to be caught on shad in the shallow flats. A few nice crappies are being caught in the bays near brush. The Corps of Engineers has started raising the water levels of the lake and should be to the summer pool elevation of 683 by the end of May.
Lake Iowa (Iowa): Crappie fishing has been good around the brush piles on small jigs or minnows. Bluegills are starting to spawn and can be found in the shallow bays.
Kent Park Lake (Johnson): Catfish have been biting in the evening. Bluegills can be caught in the shallows on small jigs or small pieces of worm.
Diamond Lake (Poweshiek): The crappie fishing has started to increase with the warm weather and the fish are starting to move into the shorelines. Small jigs have been working well. Bluegills can be caught off the beds in the shallow bays. Some catfish can be caught in the evenings.
Iowa River (Johnson): Crappie, white bass and catfish are being caught below the dams in Coralville and Iowa City.
Skunk River (Washington and Henry): Catfishing remains hit and miss with the fluctuations in the weather. Night crawlers and minnows seem to be catching fish.
For more information on fishing in southeast Iowa, call the regional office in Brighton at 319-694-2430.
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