Fishing Report for Weekend 3/10/17

River levels are down and clarity is up. This may be a great weekend to get out and fish, although it'll be a bit chilly. Here's you Iowa DNR Fishing Report for the weekend of 3/10/17.

Cedar River (above Nashua)
Water levels are falling and clarity is improving. Visit the USGS Current Water Data websitefor more information. Walleye - Slow: Walleye are starting to bite. Try a jig tipped with a flat tailed twister. Channel Catfish - Good: Use dead chubs fished under a bobber.

Decorah District Streams
The 2017 Catchable Trout Stocking Calendar is out - stocking starts until April 3. Streams are in good condition, but flows remain elevated. Gravel roads are soft in spots as the frost goes out. Decent hatches of caddis and stone flies and midges have been occurring with the recent spring-like weather. Spin fishers using swimbaits and spoons are catching nice fish. Brook Trout - Fair: Use flies or lures that look like sculpins, dace or suckers. Brown Trout - Good: Fishing when the water turns off color from run-off will turn the browns on. Try critters imitating small caddis fly larvae or gnats hatching off the water. Rainbow Trout - Fair: Black fly midge or hares ear wet flies are attracting bows fished in the riffles. Slowly pull a black bead head fly with a yellow scud dropper through the upper and lower ends of pools for trout in deeper water.

Lake Hendricks
With warmer temperatures and windy weather, the lake ice will go out quickly. Any ice left is not safe. Channel Catfish - Fair: Use a dead fish on a hook in shallower water on windblown shorelines.

Lake Meyer
The aerators have been turned off; ice is covering about half of the lake. No one has been out on the lake. Channel Catfish - Fair: Find a rocky windblown shoreline for best luck. Try a dead chub or some other minnow.

Turkey River (above Clermont)
Water levels are falling, but flows remain up. Water clarity is improving.

Upper Iowa River (above Decorah)
Water levels are falling and clarity is improving. Visit the USGS Current Water Data websitefor more information. Walleye - Slow: Anglers were catching a few walleye below dams in deeper holes. Use jigs tipped with twister tails.

Volga Lake
The lake is ice free. Channel Catfish - Good: Use dead minnows or other dead fish along windblown shores to attract a cruising cat.

Area rivers are falling after rainfall earlier in the week. Rivers have been producing a few nice fish. It's going to get cold in Northeast Iowa again this weekend with highs in the 20's. For current fishing information, please call the Decorah Fish Hatchery at 563-382-8324.

Cedar River (Nashua to La Porte City)
Most anglers are targeting walleye, but catching other species too. Walleye - Fair: Use jig and minnow combinations in deeper holes or slack water areas off of main flow. Channel Catfish - Good: Dead cut baits fished on the bottom of the river work very well this time of year. Northern Pike - Good: Cast jig and minnow combinations or float a live chub or shiner underneath a bobber.

Maquoketa River (above Monticello)
The Maquoketa River is holding fairly stable and should offer some walleye angling opportunities this weekend. There have been no reports, but clarity remains fairly good for the river.

Shell Rock River (Greene to Shell Rock)
There are no fishing reports for this week.

Wapsipinicon River (Tripoli to Troy Mills)
There have been good reports of anglers catching walleye on the Wapsipinicon River, mainly below the low head dams. Walleye - Good: Use jig and minnow combinations in deeper holes or slack water areas off of main flow.

Interior rivers are providing some angling opportunities as they fluctuate this time of year with varying weather conditions. Reports have been particularly good on the Cedar and Wapsipinicon rivers for walleye, channel catfish and northern pike. Area trout streams are in excellent condition, contact the N.E. District Office at 563-927-3276 for more information.