DNR Fishing Report for New London area

Sites selected to report are within a one-hour drive from New London. Information is taken from the DNR Iowa Fishing Report. For more information on the following lakes and rivers call the Lake Darling Fisheries Office at 319-694-2430.

Lake Geode 16 min. (10 mi): Water temperature is in the mid-80s. Bottom of the thermocline is at 10 feet. Recent rain was about 3/4 inch. Some water is going over the spillway. Black Crappie — Fair: Find crappies around the artificial habitat in 8 to 10 feet of water suspended a couple of feet above the bottom. Bluegill — Fair: Spawning areas have emptied out with the high water temperatures. Find bluegills in 6-8 feet of water along the rock drop-offs and artificial habitat. Largemouth Bass — Fair: Look for bass on rock piles and other habitat in 6-8 feet of water.

Big Hollow Lake 21 minutes (18 mi): Water temperature is in the mid-80s. Curly-leaf pondweed beds are dying back with the hot weather. Black Crappie — Fair: Expect crappies to take advantage of the shade provided by the curly-leaf pondweed beds until they are gone. Bluegill — Fair: Find bluegills in the curly-leaf pondweed beds and in the brush in 5-6 feet of water.

Lake Darling 46 min. (40 mi): Water temperature is 84 degrees. Two inches of rain Tuesday night brought the lake level up over a foot. A lot of duckweed was brought into the lake from above during the rain. Bottom of the thermocline is between 9 and 10 feet. Not enough oxygen for fish below that depth. Bluegill — Good: Work the deeper water rock piles in 8 to 10 feet of water. It’s about 10 degrees cooler down there than at the surface. Channel Catfish — Fair: Try chicken liver around the point where the bank drops into deeper water quickly just before daylight. Catfish are Feeding early before returning to deeper water to beat the heat. Largemouth Bass — Fair: Best bite is the early morning hours and the last hours of daylight in the evening. Work the deeper brush piles in the middle of the day.

Iowa River (Columbus Junction to Mississippi River) River level at Wapello is forecast to be about one foot below flood stage by Friday afternoon (6/27).

Mississippi River Pool 18: Tailwater stage is 10.2 feet at Lock and Dam 17 at New Boston and is rising. Tailwater stage is forecast to reach 12.2 feet by the middle of next week. Flood stage is 15 feet. The gates are out of the water at the Lock and Dam. Bluegill — No report: Look for bluegills up shallow in the backwaters. Use pieces of worm under a bobber along brush piles in the Huron Island complex. Channel Catfish — Fair: Try around brush piles and snags along the main channel and side channels. Use stink bait, cut shad or night crawlers upstream of the brush. Float leeches or crawlers under a bobber along riprap shorelines with current. Walleye — No Report: Look for walleyes on the wing-dams. Cast crankbaits or jigs with plastic or night crawlers on the upstream side of the wing-dams or troll crankbaits. Fishing may be difficult with dirtier water conditions due to recent rains. White Bass — No report: Cast crankbaits, inline spinners, or jigs and twister tails in areas with current around rocky points or water discharges. White Crappie — No Report: Use minnows under a bobber or vertical jig with minnows or plastics around brush piles in the backwaters and side channels in the Huron Island complex.crankbaits. Fishing may be difficult with dirtier water conditions due to recent rains. White Bass — No report: Cast crankbaits, inline spinners, or jigs and twister tails in areas with current around rocky points or water discharges. White Crappie — No Report: Use minnows under a bobber or vertical jig with minnows or plastics around brush piles in the backwaters and side channels in the Huron Island complex. recent rains. White Bass — No report: Cast crankbaits, inline spinners, or jigs and twister tails in areas with current around rocky points or water discharges. White Crappie — No Report: Use minnows under a bobber or vertical jig minnows or plastics around brush piles in the backwaters and side channels in the Huron Island complex.

Mississippi River Pool 19: Tailwater stage is 6.74 feet at Lock and Dam 18 above Burlington and is rising. Tailwater stage is forecast to reach 8.1 feet by early next week. Flood stage is 10 feet. River stage is 526.50 feet at Fort Madison; flood stage is 528.0 feet. Bluegill — No report: Look for bluegills up shallow in the backwaters. Try pieces of worm under a bobber along brush piles. Channel Catfish — No report: Try around brush piles and snags along the main channel and side channels. Use stink bait, cut shad or night crawlers upstream of the brush. Float leeches or crawlers under a bobber along riprap shorelines with current. Walleye — No Report: Look for walleyes on the wing-dams. Cast crankbaits or jigs with plastic or night crawlers on the upstream side of the wing-dams or troll crankbaits. Fishing may be difficult with dirtier water condition due to recent rains. White Bass — No Report: Cast crankbaits, inline spinners, or jigs and twister tails in areas with current around rocky points or water discharges. White Crappie — No Report: Use minnows under a bobber or vertical jig with minnows or plastics around brush piles in the backwaters and side channels

Tailwater stages are forecast to rise close to 2 feet by the middle of next week. Main channel water clarity is fair to poor. Main channel water temperature is 84 degrees. If you have questions on fishing Pools 16-19, contact the Fairport Fish Hatchery at 563-263-5062.