Fall offers fantastic fishing – get out and enjoy it

Fall is a great time to catch fish with family and friends. The air is cool, the views are picturesque, lakes are less crowded and the fish are easy to catch. Make lasting memories together and put your worries behind you.

'Fantastic fishing opportunities await both new and expert anglers,” said Joe Larscheid, chief of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources Fisheries Bureau. 'Enticing a fish to bite your hook is fun for all ages.”

Cooler temperatures and shorter daylight times trigger fish to actively search for food to build energy reserves to survive the long winter. These predictable movements make them easier to find.

'Yellow perch, muskies, crappies, walleyes, largemouth and smallmouth bass are more active in the fall,” explained Larscheid. 'They eat more and more often to get ready for winter.”

The fall bite in lakes and ponds shifts to the main part of the day. Fish are more active during the day and will be close to shore. Target areas of a lake where the water is warmer, mostly in shallow water bays along the north shore.

'Use live bait, particularly minnows, small tackle and fish slowly when fishing in cooler water,” Larscheid said.

Look for panfish schools in open water near structure like a brush pile, underwater hump, drop-offs and rock reefs. Largemouth bass will be close to some type of structure like underwater brush piles, old road beds, rock reeks or weed lines.

Quickly find fish structure locations with the online fishing atlas or download structure location maps from the DNR's Fishing Maps website.

Find tips for catching yellow perch, crappie, walleye, bass and catfish on the DNR website at www.iowadnr.gov/fishing. Check the weekly fishing report to find out what is biting where.

Media Contact: Joe Larscheid, Chief of Fisheries, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, 515-201-3376.

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DNR to eliminate Gizzard Shad at Lake Sugema

KEOSAUQUA, Iowa - The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will treat Lake Sugema on Oct. 29 (pending workable weather conditions) with a very low concentration of rotenone to eliminate gizzard shad. If the treatment is postponed, it will be rescheduled for sometime with better weather conditions this fall.

Lake Sugema will be closed to all recreation on Oct. 29 and will reopen on Oct. 30. The public will not be allowed within the treatment zone while the rotenone is being applied.

This low treatment level, about 4 percent of the normal dosage, allows the DNR to specifically target the shad with few impacts to other game species. Rotenone, a natural pesticide derived from the roots of certain members of the bean family from South America, is a common tool that fisheries managers use to manage sport fish, improve water quality, and manage endangered species.

Anglers should not retrieve dead or dying fish; rotenone label guidelines do not allow for human consumption of treated fish.

Gizzard shad, an injurious species, were illegally introduced to Lake Sugema in 2015. The growing gizzard shad population has reduced game fish abundance and quality, decreased water quality and limited fishing activity for some species.

Media Contact: Mark Flammang, Fisheries Biologist, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, 641-647-2406.