Iowa DNR releases fishing report

Lake Geode

Channel catfish ? good: catfishing has been good along the face of the dam and the creek channel at the upper end of the lake.

Lake Belva Deer

Channel catfish ? excellent: catfishing has been very good through the hot weather. Chicken liver is the bait to use. One very good spot to look for them is the rock mounds at the upper end of the lake. Crappie ? good: anglers are starting to pick up some crappies in the timber off the creek channel and up in the campground arm of the lake.

Lake of the Hills

Lake of the Hills is the only lake in West Lake Park that allows live minnow as bait. Channel catfish ? excellent: lots of catfish are being caught on stinkbait and chicken liver. Chicken liver seems to be the current favorite. Early and late are the times to be there. Bluegill ? good: fishing a worm and bobber set at three to four feet down seems to be working the best. Largemouth bass ? excellent: target shallow rocky areas as well as the water around the logs and stumps and use white spinnerbaits in the morning and plastics the rest of the day. Crappie ? good: the crappies are on the brush piles. The ones just off the fishing pier seems to be angler favorites. Also look for them to be in the rocks along the dam.

Railroad Lake

The old creek channel is probably the first place to look for fish. Second is the brush piles along the south side in shallow water. Live minnows as bait are not allowed in Railroad Lake. Bluegill ? good: some bluegills have moved back over the stump fields on the north side but a lot of them remain in the old creek channel on the south side. Largemouth bass ? excellent: the bass are around rocks. Working spinnerbaits in the morning and plastics along the deeper edge of the rocks is working best. Crappie ? good: crappies are still over in the brush piles and trees along the old creek channel.

Skunk River (Coppock to Mississippi River)

The river level has dropped a few more inches since last Friday. Channel catfish ? good: catfishing remains fairly good.

For more information call the Lake Darling Fisheries Office at 319-694-2430.

Pleasant Creek Lake

Channel catfish ? fair: some catfish are being caught towards dark. White bass ? fair: watch for schools of feeding white bass on the surface close to sunrise or sunset and cast small jigs, spoons, or top water baits.

Otter Creek Lake

Channel catfish ? good: fishing has been best in the evenings. Yellow bass ? good: fishing has been best in the mornings.

Coralville Reservoir

Channel catfish ? fair: some catfish are being caught by drifting cut bait. Most fish are three to eight pounds. Crappie? fair: Try slip bobber fishing over brush piles. Most fish are nine-12 inches.

Iowa River (Marshalltown toCoralville Lake, and Coralville Lake to River Junction)

Channel catfish ? good: shad, either cut or whole, has been working well.

Cedar River (Cedar Rapids to Moscow)

Channel catfish ­? fair: cut bait has been working best.

Maquoketa (Hopkinton to Canton)

Smallmouth bass ? good: try spinners or crankbaits. Walleye ? fair: try jigs or crankbaits.

For more information, contact the Lake Macbride Fisheries Station at 319-624-3615.

Lake Wapello

Channel catfish ? good: anglers have been using nightcrawlers off the fishing jetties to catch their limit of catfish. Bluegill ? fair: try using small jigs tipped with a chunk of nightcrawler along shoreline structures. Largemouth bass ? fair: use spinnerbaits around submerged structures along the shoreline. Top water lures can be productive in the early morning and late evening.

Red Haw Lake

Channel catfish ? good: try areas along the dam and off the rock jetties using nightcrawlers. Bluegill ? good: use small jigs in less than six feet of water near shoreline structures and off the rock jetties. Largemouth bass ? good: anglers have been successful using crankbaits fished along the dam and the rock jetties. Use crankbaits that mimic crawdads. Also try top water lures fished in the early mornings and at sunset.

Lake Sugema

Fishing has been slow. Try top water lures for largemouth bass in the mornings and evenings and crankbaits or spinnerbaits throughout the day. Try nightcrawlers for channel catfish.

Rathbun Reservoir

The water temperature is 76 degrees. Channel catfish ? excellent: try areas over the rock humps and underwater points. Nightcrawlers have been the bait of choice. Walleye ? slow: anglers have been having success trolling nightcrawlers over humps and underwater points. If nightcrawlers aren?t working try crankbaits that mimic shad trolled over the same areas. Lake Rathbun contains zebra mussels so clean, drain and dry boats before transporting them to another water body. Spray boats and trailers with high pressure hot water (above 104 degrees) or let them dry for at least 10 days (five days in the sun).

For other questions regarding fishing in south central Iowa call 641-647-2406.