Iowa DNR issues fishing report

The following is a report on fishing conditions in southeastern Iowa bodies of water courtesy of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources

Lake Belva Deer

Water temperature is around 60 degrees. Water clarity is back to 5+ feet. Bluegill - Good: Look for bluegill in 12 to 15 feet of water. Black Crappie - Good: Most crappies are sticking to deeper water; some are crashing the surface in spots chasing little bluegills on the surface. Largemouth Bass - Good: Work your way back into the trees in the shallow water. Soft plastics, rigged weedless and good heavy test line helps.

Lake Darling

Water temperature was 60 degrees on Wednesday (10/14).Water clarity continues to improve (3+ feet); a lot of the green color has left the water. Largemouth Bass - Good: Bass haven't seemed to be affected by the rapidly changing weather conditions. Work the wind-swept shoreline with crankbaits. Bluegill - Fair: The weather change over the weekend pushed most bluegills back out deep. If the wind allows you to, anchor over the brush piles in 10-12 feet of water and vertically jig. Black Crappie - Fair: Sometime between last Wednesday night and Thursday afternoon crappies stopped biting; they have started to bite again, but moved back out to deeper water.

Skunk River (Rose Hill to Coppock)

The fishing on the Skunk River is pretty quiet right now. Water levels have stayed at the same low level the last few days.

For more information on the above lakes, call the Lake Darling Fisheries Office at 319-694-2430.

Lake Sugema

Black Crappie - Fair: Drift jigs tipped with a minnow in 6-10 feet of water for suspended crappies. Submerged structure can also hold fish. Keep moving until you find active fish. Largemouth Bass - Fair: Try crankbaits or rubber worms along the shorelines and rip-rapped areas.

The district includes Appanoose, Davis, Lucas, Mahaska, Monroe, Wapello, Wayne and Van Buren counties. Contact the Rathbun Fish Hatchery at 641-647-2406 with questions about fishing in south central Iowa.