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October creates a need for different fishing strategies as the water is starting to cool down and the fish aren't biting the same. No worries, they still need to eat and if you have the correct info and gear, you'll reign king over the other anglers around you. Largemouth Bass, Walleye and Bluegills are still hitting the bait and some trout have started biting harder in some of the smaller rivers and streams. Of course, we wouldn't be so confident about our report if the Iowa DNR didn't publish it. Here's your Fishing Report for the weekend of 10/6/17.

Water levels are low. Use caution when backing boats down boat ramps. Trailers going off the ends of the ramps have been reported. Walleye - Good: Troll main channel or deeper holes and along current breaks. Use a jig tipped with a minnow or twister tail. Channel Catfish - Slow: Use a hook with a dead chub or crawler. Try also chicken liver, dead chubs and nightcrawlers around brush piles. Black Crappie - Fair: Use a hook tipped with a minnow in eddies below dams and backwaters around brush piles. Smallmouth Bass- Good: Use crawdad crankbaits or spinnerbaits along rocky shorelines and substrates.

Decorah District Streams
All stream stockings are unannounced in October. All streams continue to be stocked. Many streams run through wildlife management areas where hunting is allowed. Wear bright clothing when not stalking a trout. Trout streams are in good condition. Call 563-927-5736 for current catchable trout stocking locations.  Brook Trout - Good: A variety of small mayflies are hatching mid-afternoon. Use a dry fly for insects hatching off the water surface. Use a nymph or scud dropper for subsurface critters. Brown Trout - Good: Fall rains will put the browns in a feeding frenzy. Use a hopper pattern in pastured or open areas. In wooded areas in the morning, use #22-24 trico patterns. In the evening, use #18-20 blue wing olive patterns. Rainbow Trout - Good: Freshly stocked trout are hitting a variety of lures and baits. Drift a feathered spinner along an undercut bank.

Lake Hendricks
Lake Hendricks is an electric motor only lake. The bite should improve with the return of cooler weather. Water will be shut off sometime this week. Black Crappie - Fair: Troll over rock mounds with a jig tipped with minnow or spinnerbait. Largemouth Bass - Good: Try topwater lures along the edge of a vegetation. Slowly troll over rock reefs for fish seeking structure. Channel Catfish - Slow: Use a hook tipped with a worm or chicken liver. Bluegill- Good: Find bluegills in deeper water. Use a small hook tipped with small piece of worm.

Lake Meyer
Lake Meyer is an electric motor only lake. The bite should pick up with cooler weather.  Bluegill - Fair: 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: Try a jig tipped with plastic twister or worm or a spinner near structure.

Upper Iowa River (above Decorah)
The Upper Iowa is stable but low. Be prepared to walk through riffles. Fly fishers, watch for evening hatches of white and grey mayflies. Flying ants are hatching mid-day. Fall is a good time to use streamers or minnow patterns for bass, trout, and walleye.  Walleye - Good: Drift a jig tipped with a twister tail or worm through a deeper hole or along a current break. Smallmouth Bass - Good: Try jigs tipped with worms or crankbaits imitating crawdads in deeper holes and along rocky shorelines. Rock Bass - Fair: Use jigs tipped with worms along rocky shorelines.

Upper Iowa River (below Decorah)
Another shot of rain should bring on the bite and bump water levels a little. 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: Use jigs tipped with plastic tails or crawfish imitations in the current breaks or near rock ledges. Walleye - Good: Drift a jig tipped with a twister tail or worm through a deeper hole or along a current break. Channel Catfish - Slow: Catch a catfish from shore with a hook tipped with a crawler. Evening is best.

Volga Lake
Panfishing has been hit or miss. Black Crappie - Fair: Troll the deeper areas for suspended crappie; use small jig tipped with a minnow. Largemouth Bass - Good: Bass are hitting jigs tipped with a nightcrawler or twister tail. Try a topwater lure in the evening as fish come in shallow to feed. Bluegill - Fair: Use a small hook tipped with a piece of worm under a bobber along rocky shorelines. Channel Catfish - Fair: Use chicken liver and cheese baits fished on the bottom. Catfish are more active in the evening.

Chance of rain likely Friday and Saturday. Fall weather is in the air with temperature highs in the low 70's and 50's for lows in the forecast.Area streams and rivers are low. For current fishing information, please call the Decorah Fish Hatchery at 563-382-8324.


Brinker Lake
Anglers are catching a good number of largemouth bass and crappie; morning bite is best. Under the Hwy 218 bridge has been most successful for crappie. Largemouth Bass - Good:  Use imitation shad lures. Black Crappie - Fair: Try a crappie minnow under a bobber at various depths.

Cedar River (Nashua to La Porte City)
Topwater baits have been good for smallmouth during the early morning and late evening hours. Anglers have been catching some flathead catfish near the downtown Waterloo area also. Walleye - Good: Use a jig and plastic tail tipped with half a nightcrawler on the downstream sandbar drop-offs or woody structure as the river is low. Smallmouth Bass- Good: Cast spinnerbaits, crankbaits and topwater lures along rip-rap shorelines and woody structure. Northern Pike - Fair:  Use artificial baits.

Maquoketa River (above Monticello)
Smallmouth Bass - Fair: Cast spinnerbaits or crankbaits along rip-rap shorelines and woody structure. Walleye - Fair: Try a jig and plastic tail tipped with half a nightcrawler on the downstream sandbar drop-offs or woody structure as the river is low.

Plainfield
Largemouth Bass - Good: Artificial baits, particularly spinnerbaits, have been the best. Yellow Bass - Fair: Cast jigs for some good yellow bass action.

Shell Rock River (Greene to Shell Rock)
Walleye - Fair: Use a jig and plastic tail tipped with half a nightcrawler on the downstream sandbar drop-offs or woody structure as the river is low. Smallmouth Bass - Good: Cast spinnerbaits or crankbaits along rip-rap shorelines and woody structure.

Three Rivers Pond
Largemouth Bass - Good: Artificial baits, particularly spinnerbaits, have been the best. Early morning and late evening hours are best.

Wapsipinicon River (Tripoli to Troy Mills)
Northern Pike - Excellent: Cast and retrieve large bucktail spinner baits near structure or float a live chub or shiner under a bobber in the deeper pools in Buchanan County and upstream into Bremer County. Walleye - Fair: Try a jig and plastic tail tipped with half a nightcrawler on the downstream sandbar drop-offs or woody structure as the river is low. Smallmouth Bass- Fair: Cast spinnerbaits or crankbaits along rip-rap shorelines and woody structure.

Anglers are catching walleye, smallmouth bass and northern pike on the interior rivers. There have been good reports on largemouth bass and some crappies being caught on the area Black Hawk County Lakes. Best reports have been northern pike on the Wapsipinicon River.Trout streams remain in excellent condition. Call the N.E. Iowa district office at 563-927-3276 for more information.

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