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Lots of great waters to dip the bobber in, so get out this weekend. We'll help with the Iowa DNR's 'Fishing Report' for the weekend of 8/10/17.

Cedar River (above Nashua)
Fish are more active with stable water levels and cooler temperatures. Fish are taking a variety of lures and baits. Walleye - Good: Find walleye in brush piles or deeper holes. Try fishing along current breaks. Channel Catfish - Good: Use a hook with a dead chub or crawler for a 2 pound catfish. Northern Pike - Good: Find pike in brush piles and tributary mouths. Black Crappie - Good: Use a hook tipped with a crawler in eddies below dams and backwaters. Smallmouth Bass - Good: Use crawdad crankbaits along rocky shorelines and substrates.

Decorah District Streams
Be respectful of private property; it’s a privilege to fish these areas. Call 563-927-5736 for current catchable trout stocking locations. Wild parsnip is done for the year, but beware of first year plants. Freshly stocked trout are hitting a variety of lures and baits. Brook Trout- Excellent: A variety of mayflies are hatching. Use a dry fly for insects hatching off the water surface. Use a nymph or scud dropper for subsurface critters. Brown Trout - Excellent: Now is the time to use terrestrial flies. Grasshoppers, crickets, and ants will turn a trout head in grassed areas and prairies.  Rainbow Trout - Excellent: Use any number of black ant or leaf hopper patterns.

Lake Hendricks
The lake is looking good. Use a canoe to paddle out or troll for fish suspended around rock piles. Black Crappie - Good: Use a minnow or spinnerbait around the jetties. Largemouth Bass - Good: Try topwater lures on the edge of a vegetation for a hiding bass. Channel Catfish - Good: Use a hook tipped with a nightcrawler, chicken liver or stink bait.

Lake Meyer
The lake has an on-going algae bloom, but water clarity is about 3 feet. Water temperatures are in the low 70's.  Bluegill - Good: Use a small hook tipped with a piece of worm under a bobber near jetties in the evening. Black Crappie - Fair: Find crappie suspended near submersed structure. Use a spinner or jig with bright colored twister tail. Largemouth Bass - Good: Early morning and evening bite is best. Use topwater lures fished along vegetation beds or spinners along rocky edges.  Northern Pike - Fair: Pike are biting off anglers’ lines. Use a steal leader with a spoon along vegetation edges near springs. Pike are great eating; take time to learn how to clean them.

Upper Iowa River (above Decorah)
The Upper Iowa is in excellent condition. Clarity and temperatures are improving fish activity. Northern Pike - Good: Use a steel leader tipped with 1/4 oz. jig tipped with natural colored plastic to a 3 inch jerk bait fished around tributaries or brush piles. Walleye- Slow: Find a walleye drifting through a deeper hole or along a current break. Use a jig tipped with a twister tail or worm. Smallmouth Bass - Excellent: Try jigs tipped with any number of plastic tails.

Upper Iowa River (below Decorah)
Water temperatures are in the mid to low 70's with excellent clarity. Northern Pike - Good: Use a steel leader tipped with 1/4 oz. jig tipped with natural colored plastic to a 3 inch jerk bait fished around tributaries or brush piles. Smallmouth Bass - Good: Find a smallie in the current breaks or near rock ledges. Use jigs tipped with any number of plastic tails. Walleye - Fair: Drift a jig tipped with a twister tail or worm through a deeper hole or along a current break. Channel Catfish - Fair: Catch a catfish from shore using a hook tipped with a crawler. Evening is best.

Volga Lake
Morning and evening before the sun gets too high are best. Bluegill - Fair: Use a small hook tipped with a piece of worm under a bobber. Black Crappie - Good: Use a jig tipped with a minnow under a bobber near submersed trees. Largemouth Bass - Good: Bass are hitting crankbaits. Try a topwater lure in evening as fish come in shallow to feed.Channel Catfish- Good: Use stink bait, worms, and cheese baits.

Area streams and rivers are in good condition. Beautiful weather this weekend with high's in the upper 70's.For current fishing information, please call the Decorah Fish Hatchery at 563-382-8324.


Casey Lake (aka Hickory Hills Lake)
Bluegill - Fair: Try off of the jetties and in the cove areas in 2- to 4-feet of water.

Cedar River (Nashua to La Porte City)
The Cedar River is in excellent condition. Walleye - Fair: Use a jig and twister tipped with a crawler fished downstream of snags that create current breaks and eddies.  Try also drifting and jigging downstream with the current. Smallmouth Bass - Fair: Cast spinnerbaits or topwater lures in early morning or late evening. Channel Catfish - Fair: Try dead cut baits or dip baits fished upstream of logjams or above riffles.

Manchester District Streams
Anglers are doing well catching trout on imitation hoppers on Spring Branch Creek and other area streams; there is a banner crop of grasshopper this summer. Brown Trout - Good: Use imitation hoppers on the surface.

Maquoketa River (above Monticello)
The Maquoketa River is falling and will be in excellent condition by this weekend. Smallmouth Bass - Good: Cast spinnerbaits or topwater lures in early morning or late evening.

Shell Rock River (Greene to Shell Rock)
The Shell Rock River is being reported as being in good condition. Angling opportunities may be good on this river for walleye or smallmouth bass this weekend. Walleye - Fair: Use a jig and twister tipped with a crawler fished downstream of snags that create current breaks and eddies. Try also drifting and jigging downstream with the current. Smallmouth Bass - Fair: Cast spinnerbaits or topwater lures in early morning or late evening.

Wapsipinicon River (Tripoli to Troy Mills)
The Wapsipinicon River is in the best condition it's been in all summer. Northern pike fishing has been good on the upper stretches of the river. Northern Pike - Fair: Use large spinnerbaits or live chubs under a bobber. Walleye - Fair: Use a jig and twister tipped with a crawler fished downstream of snags that create current breaks and eddies. Try also drifting and jigging downstream with the current. Smallmouth Bass - Fair: Cast spinnerbaits or topwater lures in early morning or late evening. Channel Catfish - Fair: Use dead cut baits or dip baits fished upstream of logjams or above riffles.

Most rivers are falling quickly and clearing up; the extended forecast looks great for this weekend. Trout streams remain in excellent condition. Contact the N.E. District Office at 563-927-3276 for more information.

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