Statewide Iowa — The latest IGHSAU Volleyball rankings are out.

Northwest Iowa — The Iowa Department of Natural Resources has released their weekly fishing report for northwest Iowa. This weekly fishing report is compiled from information gathered from local bait shops, angler creel surveys and county and state parks staff. You can check the activity of your favorite lake or stretch of river, including which species are being caught, a rating of the bite (slow, fair, good or excellent), as well as a hot bait or lure pattern.

NORTHWEST
Black Hawk Lake
Water temperature is in the mid-60’s. Lake level is about 10 inches below the crest of the spillway. Water clarity is about one foot. Black Crappie – Fair: Anglers are picking up some 8- to 10-inch fish in and around the fish house shelter on Ice House Point. Bluegill – Slow. Channel Catfish – Fair: Try cut bait or dip baits fished on the bottom in areas along shore or near the rock pile off Cottonwood Point. Largemouth Bass – Fair: Use traditional bass lures fished along shore in areas with rocks, fallen trees or docks. Ice House Point shoreline near the outlet and near the inlet bridge are good areas to target bass. Walleye – Slow: Shore fishing action should pick up as water temperatures. Try along Ice House Point and near the outlet in the east end of the lake. Throw twisters or fish live bait like minnows or leeches under a bobber.

Brushy Creek Lake
Black Crappie – Fair: Try a small jig tipped with a small minnow in 15 feet of water near woody structure. Largemouth Bass – Fair: Use weedless lures along vegetation edges and traditional bass lures along areas with woody structure. Yellow Perch- Fair: Try a small jig tipped with a crawler or minnow in 10-15 feet of water.

Storm Lake (incl Little Storm Lake)
Water clarity is roughly 1-2 feet. Most areas along shore are free of vegetation. Channel Catfish – Fair: Use cut bait or dip baits fished on the bottom in areas along shore with rocks. Largemouth Bass – Fair: Cast lures along shore and docks. Many areas near shore have only sparse vegetation patches with plenty of casting opportunities. Use weedless lures if fishing in areas with heavier vegetation. Walleye – Slow: A few walleye are being picked up mid-lake along dredge cuts. Shore fishing for walleye should improve as water temperatures continue to cool down and they begin to increase feeding behavior. Cast twisters or crankbaits from shore. Also try live bait such as minnows or leeches fished under a bobber along shore during evenings or mornings.

Water temperatures in most lakes are in the mid-60’s. For more information, contact the Black Hawk District office at 712-657-2638.

Beeds Lake
Black Crappie – Fair: Drift fish or troll a small minnow or tube jig. Largemouth Bass – Fair. Yellow Bass – Good: Drift fish or troll a small minnow or tube jig. Shore anglers are having success jigging a piece of crawler on the bottom.

Clear Lake
Water temperature is in the mid-60’s. The lake is 4 inches low. Water clarity is 23 inches. Black Crappie – Fair. Walleye – Slow: Use a jig tipped with a minnow or crawler fished near vegetation along the north shore. Also try slip bobber fishing a minnow on the rock reefs. Yellow Bass – Good: Try a small jig tipped with a minnow or cut bait fished in 5 to 6 feet of water along the high bank on the north shore or out from the pump house. Use your electronics to find and stay on fish.

Lake Smith
Bluegill – Fair: Use a small piece of crawler under a bobber along the dam and in open pockets in the vegetation.

Rice Lake
Any water west of the north boat ramp is a waterfowl refuge and is closed to all activity from Sept. 1st through the final day of the duck season. Bluegill – Fair. Largemouth Bass – Fair: Bass are biting on a variety of baits. Walleye – Slow. Yellow Perch – Fair: Use a jig and minnow in the deeper water along the homes on the south shore.

Silver Lake (Worth)
The vegetation has open up some. Bluegill – Fair: Try a small piece of crawler under a bobber fished along the edge of the vegetation. Largemouth Bass – Fair: Bass are biting on a variety of baits. Yellow Perch – Slow.

Upper Pine Lake
The boat ramp at Upper Pine Lake will be open this weekend. Black Crappie – Fair.

For information on the lakes and rivers in north central Iowa, contact the Clear Lake Fish and Wildlife office at 641-357-3517.

East Okoboji Lake
The water temperature is 66 degrees. Many anglers have had success with slip bobbers/spoons and vertical jigging and drop shot fishing. A great bluegill/crappie/yellow bass bite can be found trolling weed lines. Many anglers have observed high catch rates with a lot of sorting. Black Crappie – Fair: Crappie are hard to target specifically, but can be caught mixed with other panfish. The bite has improved in and around docks and hoists. Bluegill – Good: Bluegill are biting like crazy. Leeches or worms and a simple bobber setup work well. Pumpkinseed – Good: Fun and easier to catch from most docks. Use a small hook, bobber and piece of worm.

Lost Island Lake
Anglers report they have started to catch yellow bass in shallow amongst the vegetation. Black Crappie – Fair. Bluegill – Fair. Walleye – Fair. Yellow Bass – Fair. Yellow Perch – Fair.

Minnewashta Lake
Panfishing has been good for anglers trolling weed lines. Vertical jigging is improving. Black Crappie – Fair: A nice crappie bite can be found with a little movement around the lake. Bluegill – Fair. Pumpkinseed – Good.

Silver Lake (Dickinson)
Walleye – Fair: Try using slip bobbers and finding weed lines.

Spirit Lake
The water temperature is 64 degrees. The water has been clearing up; using lighter line works best. Use lead core and tadpole baits. Black Crappie – Fair: Try tube jigs with wigglers or pilkies in deeper water. Bluegill – Fair: Use tube jigs with wigglers or pilkies in deeper water. Walleye – Good: Bite is hit-or-miss at dusk, but the day bite is improving. Many anglers have started to fish in shallower with slip bobbers along weed edges. Yellow Perch – Fair: Best bite is morning till 11:00 and mid-afternoon. Depths vary depending on the time of day. Move often to find fish – schools are smaller and sporadic.

West Okoboji Lake
The water temperature is 66 degrees. Many anglers have been most successful with trolling, but jigging and casting has also been very good. Use lead core and tadpole baits. Offshore fishing for bass has been great. Black Crappie – Good: Crappie have been very picky lately, but can be easily caught if you aren’t afraid to switch things up. Can also be caught frequently while picking through other panfish or have been found around weed edges. Bluegill – Good: Bluegill are biting like crazy with fish up to 10-inches seen. Try fishing in 15-20 and up to 40 feet of water. Jigging, casting, and slip bobbers work well. Try trolling with twister tails and ripple shads. Walleye – Fair: Walleye have been hard to target, but many anglers have been catching them while fishing for other species.

Offshore fishing for bass has been very good lately. The panfish/perch bite has been excellent. Area lake levels are low, making launching and loading boats more difficult. The forecast calls for highs in the 70’s and 80’s, but lows in the 50’s at night. Lake temperatures have been slowly cooling down and are in the 60’s degrees at night. For current conditions, call the Spirit Lake District Office at 712-336-1840.

Statewide Iowa — The latest Radio Iowa High School Football poll is out.

BHRV is ranked #3 in Class 3A. Class 2A puts Spirit Lake at 3rd, ELC in 4th, West Lyon at the 7 spot, and Unity Christian is in the rankings at #9. West Sioux is 7th in Class 1A and Remsen St. Mary’s is 5th in 8-players.

Class 5A
1. Cedar Rapids Kennedy (4-0), LW #2 vs Dubuque Senior (Thur)
2. Ankeny (3-1), LW #3 vs DSM Roosevelt
3. Southeast Polk (3-1), LW #1 vs Waterloo West
4. WDM Valley (3-1), LW #4 @ Marshalltown
5. Iowa City High (4-0), LW #6 vs Iowa City West
6. Urbandale (3-1), LW #7 vs DSM East
7. Cedar Falls (3-1), LW #9 @ Muscatine
8. Linn-Mar (4-0), LW (X) vs CR Jefferson
9. Cedar Rapids Prairie (3-1), LW (X) @ Ottumwa
10.Dowling Catholic (1-3), LW #5 vs C.B. Abe Lincoln

Class 4A
1. North Scott (4-0), LW #1 vs Iowa City Liberty
2. Indianola (4-0), LW #2 vs Perry
3. Cedar Rapids Xavier (3-1), LW #2 vs CR Washington
4. Bondurant-Farrar (4-0), LW #7 vs Carlisle
5. Lewis Central (2-2), LW #4 @ CB Jefferson
6. Fort Dodge (4-0), LW #6 @ Webster City
7. Fort Madison (4-0), LW #8 @ Mount Pleasant
8. Waverly-Shell Rock (3-1), LW #5 @ Waterloo East
9. Norwalk (3-1), LW #9 @ Boone
10.Newton (4-0), LW #10 vs Pella

Class 3A
1. Harlan (4-0), LW #1 vs Saydel
2. West Delaware (3-1), LW #2 @ Center Point-Urbana
3. Boyden-Hull/Rock Valley (4-0), LW #3 vs Carroll
4. Solon (4-0), LW #4 vs West Burlington
5. Humboldt (4-0), LW #5 vs Ballard
6. Nevada (4-0), LW #7 vs Gilbert
7. Independence (4-0), LW #8 @ South Tama
8. Sergeant Bluff-Luton (3-1), LW #10 vs Sioux Central
9. Mount Vernon (3-1), LW (X) @ Benton
10.Davenport Assumption (2-2), LW #6 vs Central DeWitt (Thur)

Class 2A
1. Southeast Valley (4-0), LW #1 @ #4 Estherville Lincoln Central
2. Waukon (3-1), LW #2 @ Oelwein
3. Spirit Lake (4-0), LW #3 @ #6 OABCIG
4. Estherville Lincoln Central (3-1), LW #4 vs #1 SE Valley
5. West Marshall (3-1), LW #7 vs Iowa Falls-Alden
6. OABCIG (3-1), LW #5 vs #3 Spirit Lake
7. West Lyon (2-2), LW #10 @ Sheldon
8. Greene County (3-1), LW (X) @ Clarinda
9. Unity Christian (3-1), LW (X) vs Okoboji
10.Pocahontas Area (3-1), LW #6 vs Clarion-Goldfield-Dows

Class 1A
1. Van Meter (4-0), LW #1 @ West Central Valley
2. Iowa City Regina (4-0), LW #2 @ Wilton
3. Underwood (4-0), LW #3 @ MVAOCOU
4. Pella Christian (4-0), LW #4 @ #6 Sigourney-Keota
5. Dike-New Hartford (4-0), LW #6 vs East Marshall
6. Sigourney-Keota (4-0), LW #7 vs #4 Pella Christian
7. West Sioux (3-1), LW #8 vs Western Christian
8. Cardinal (Eldon) (4-0), LW #9 vs Van Buren
9. Dyersville Beckman (4-0), LW #10 @ Postville
10.Waterloo Columbus (3-1), LW (X) @ Cascade

Class A
1. West Hancock (4-0), LW #1 @ North Union
2. Woodbury Central (4-0), LW #2 @ Lawton-Bronson
3. Grundy Center (2-1), LW #3 @ AGWSR
4. North Linn (4-0), LW #4 vs Soyuth Winneshiek
5. Riverside (Oakland) (4-0), LW #5 @ AHST
6. Logan-Magnolia (3-1), LW #6 vs Missouri Valley
7. North Tama (4-0), LW #7 vs Nashua-Plainfield
8. Mason City Newman (3-1), LW #8 vs #9 North Butler
9. North Butler (4-0), LW #10 @ #8 Newman Catholic
10.Earlham (3-1), LW (X) @ St. Albert

8-Player
1. Montezuma (5-0), LW #1 vs SE Warren
2. CAM (Anita) (4-0), LW #2 @ #4 Audubon
3. Easton Valley (4-0), LW #3 vs Central City
4. Audubon (4-0), LW #4 vs #2 CAM (Anita)
5. Remsen St. Mary’s (4-0), LW #5 @ St. Edmond
6. Newell-Fonda (4-0), LW #6 vs Kingsley-Pierson
7. Janesville (4-0), LW #7 @ #10 Turkey Valley
8. WACO (5-0), LW #8 @ New London
9. Gladbrook-Reinbeck (4-0), LW #9 @ GMG
10.Turkey Valley (4-0), LW #10 vs #7 Janesville

Northwest Iowa — The Iowa Department of Natural Resources has released their weekly fishing report for northwest Iowa. This weekly fishing report is compiled from information gathered from local bait shops, angler creel surveys and county and state parks staff. You can check the activity of your favorite lake or stretch of river, including which species are being caught, a rating of the bite (slow, fair, good or excellent), as well as a hot bait or lure pattern.

NORTHWEST
Black Hawk Lake
Water temperature is in the low 70’s. Lake level is about 9 inches below the crest of the spillway. Water clarity is about one foot. Black Crappie – Fair: Anglers are picking up some 8- to 10-inch fish in and around the fish house shelter on Ice House Point. Bluegill – Slow. Channel Catfish – Fair: Try cut bait or dip baits fished on the bottom in areas along shore or near the rock pile off Cottonwood Point. Largemouth Bass – Fair: Use traditional bass lures fished along shore in areas with rocks, fallen trees or docks. Ice House Point shoreline near the outlet and near the inlet bridge are good areas to target bass. Walleye – Slow: Try along the dredge shelf in front of Denison Beach or the rock pile off of Cottonwood Point.

Brushy Creek Lake
Black Crappie – Fair: Try a small jig tipped with a small minnow in 15 feet of water near woody structure. Largemouth Bass – Fair: Use weedless lures along vegetation edges and traditional bass lures along areas with woody structure. Yellow Perch- Fair: Try a small jig tipped with a crawler or minnow in 10-15 feet of water.

Storm Lake (incl Little Storm Lake)
Water clarity is roughly 1-2 feet. Channel Catfish – Fair: Use cut bait or dip baits fished on the bottom in areas along shore with rocks or near the dredge cuts if fishing by boat. Largemouth Bass – Fair: Cast lures along shore and docks. Many areas near shore have only sparse vegetation patches with plenty of casting opportunities. Use weedless lures if fishing in areas with heavier vegetation. Walleye – Fair: Pick up fish along the dredge cuts with crankbaits or bottom bouncers. Use planer boards to pull crawler harnesses just above the weedlines. Try jigging or slip bobber fishing in the deep areas of the dredge cuts where many areas are free of vegetation. Shore fishing for walleyes should improve as water temperatures cool.

Water temperatures in most lakes are in the lower 70’s. For more information, contact the Black Hawk District office at 712-657-2638.

Beeds Lake
Black Crappie – Fair: Drift fish or troll a small minnow or tube jig. Largemouth Bass – Fair. Yellow Bass – Fair: Drift fish or troll a small minnow or tube jig.

Clear Lake
Water temperature is in the low 70’s. The lake is 3.36 inches low. Water clarity is 23 inches. Black Crappie – Fair. Channel Catfish – Fair: Try cut bait or chicken liver on the wind swept shore after sunset. Walleye – Slow: Use a jig tipped with a minnow or crawler fished near vegetation along the north shore. Also try slip bobber fishing a minnow on the rock reefs. Yellow Bass – Good: Use a small jig tipped with a minnow or cut bait fished in 5 to 6 feet of water along the high bank on the north shore or out from the pump house. Use your electronics to find and stay on fish.

Rice Lake
Any water west of the north boat ramp is a waterfowl refuge and is closed to all activity from Sept. 1st through the final day of the duck season. Bluegill – Fair. Largemouth Bass – Fair: Bass are biting on a variety of baits. Walleye – Slow. Yellow Perch – Fair: Use a jig and minnow in the deeper water along the homes on the south shore.

Silver Lake (Worth)
The vegetation has open up some. Bluegill – Fair: Try a small piece of crawler under a bobber fished along the edge of the vegetation. Largemouth Bass – Fair: Bass are biting on a variety of baits. Yellow Perch – Slow.

Upper Pine Lake
The boat ramp at Upper Pine Lake is closed until the new ramp is installed.

For information on the lakes and rivers in north central Iowa, contact the Clear Lake Fish and Wildlife office at 641-357-3517.

East Okoboji Lake
The water temperature is 69 degrees. Many anglers have had success with slip bobbers/spoons and vertical jigging and drop shot fishing. A great bluegill/crappie/yellow bass bite can be found trolling weed lines. Many anglers have observed high catch rates with a lot of sorting. Black Crappie – Fair: Crappie are hard to target specifically, but can be caught mixed with other panfish. The bite has improved in and around docks and hoists. Bluegill – Good: Bluegill are biting like crazy. Leeches or worms and a simple bobber setup work well. Pumpkinseed – Good: Fun and easier to catch from most docks. Use a small hook, bobber and piece of worm.

Lost Island Lake
Anglers report they have started to catch yellow bass in shallow amongst the vegetation. Black Crappie – Fair. Bluegill – Fair. Walleye – Fair. Yellow Bass – Fair. Yellow Perch – Fair.

Minnewashta Lake
Panfishing has been good for anglers trolling weed lines. Vertical jigging is improving. Black Crappie – Fair: A nice crappie bite can be found with a little movement around the lake. Bluegill – Fair. Pumpkinseed – Good.

Silver Lake (Dickinson)
Walleye – Fair: Try using slip bobbers and finding weed lines.

Spirit Lake
The water temperature is 69 degrees. The yellow perch bite has been slower, but the walleye bite has picked up. Use lead core and tadpole baits. Walleye – Good: Bite is hit-or-miss at dusk, but the day bite is improving. Many anglers have started to fish in shallower with slip bobbers along weed edges. Yellow Perch – Fair: Best bite is morning till 11:00 and mid-afternoon. Depths vary depending on the time of day. Move often to find fish – schools are smaller and sporadic.

West Okoboji Lake
The water temperature is 68 degrees. Many anglers have been most successful with trolling, but jigging and casting has also been very good. Use lead core and tadpole baits. Offshore fishing for bass has been great. Black Crappie – Good: Crappie have been very picky lately, but can be easily caught if you aren’t afraid to switch things up. Can also be caught frequently while picking through other panfish or have been found around weed edges. Bluegill – Good: Bluegill are biting like crazy with fish up to 10-inches seen. Jigging, casting, and slip bobbers work well. Try leeches or worms and a simple bobber setup. Walleye – Fair: Walleye have been hard to target, but many anglers have been catching them while fishing for other species.

Offshore fishing for bass has been very good lately. The panfish/perch bite has been excellent. Area lake levels are low, making launching and loading boats more difficult. The forecast calls for highs in the 70’s and 80’s, but lows in the 50’s at night. Lake temperatures have been slowly cooling down and are below 70 degrees at night. For current conditions, call the Spirit Lake District Office at 712-336-1840.

Statewide Iowa — The latest IATC cross country team rankings are out.

In the Class 3A boys rankings, MOC-Floyd Valley is #6. The 3A girls rankings puts Spencer in the 7 spot MOC-Floyd Valley in 14th, and SBL in 19th. Class 2A boys rankings have Western Christian in 3rd, Unity Christian in 7th, Spirit Lake is ranked 10th, and Okoboji is #18. 2A girls rankings puts Cherokee at sixth, Sibley-Ocheyedan in the 8 spot, Unity Christian in 9th, Okoboji in 17th and GLR-CL is 18th.

Boys 4A

Northwest Iowa — The latest Radio Iowa football rankings are out.

Boyden-Hull/Rock Valley is up to #3 in Class 3A, while SBL fell to 10th. Class 2A puts ELC down to #4, CLGLR is back in the rankings at #8, and West Lyon is at the 10 spot.  West Sioux fell to #8 in Class 1A, and Remsen St. Mary’s is ranked 5th in 8-player.

Class 5A
1. Southeast Polk (3-0), LW #1 @ #3 Ankeny
2. Cedar Rapids Kennedy (3-0), LW #3 vs CR Jefferson
3. Ankeny (2-1), LW #6 vs #1 S.E. Polk
4. WDM Valley (2-1), LW #7 vs Waukee
5. Dowling Catholic (1-2), LW #2 @ #6 Iowa City High
6. Iowa City High (3-0), LW #8 vs #5 Dowling
7. Urbandale (2-1), LW #5 @ DSM Roosevelt
8. Johnston (2-1), LW #9 vs Waukee Northwest
9. Cedar Falls (2-1), LW #10 vs Ankeny Centennial
10.Sioux City East (3-0), LW (X) @ 3A #10 Sergeant Bluff-Luton

Class 4A
1. North Scott (3-0), LW #1 @ #2 Xavier
2. Cedar Rapids Xavier (3-0), LW #2 vs #1 North Scott
3. Indianola (3-0), LW #5 vs #4 Lewis Central
4, Lewis Central (2-1), LW #4 @ #3 Indianola
5. Waverly-Shell Rock (3-0), LW #6 vs 3A #2 West Delaware
6. Fort Dodge (3-0), LW #7 @ Marshalltown
7. Bondurant-Farrar (3-0), LW #10 vs Pella
8. Fort Madison (3-0), LW (X) @ Washington
9. Norwalk (2-1), LW #3 vs Dallas Center-Grimes
10.Newton (3-0), LW (X) @ Saydel

Class 3A
1. Harlan (3-0), LW #1 @ Glenwood
2. West Delaware (2-1), LW #3 @ 4A #5 Waverly-Shell Rock
3. Boyden-Hull/Rock Valley (3-0), LW #4 vs #9 Algona
4. Solon (3-0), LW #6 @ #6 Assumption
5. Humboldt (3-0), LW #7 @ Boone
6. Davenport Assumption (2-1), LW #2 vs #4 Solon
7. Nevada (3-0), LW #8 @ Hampton-Dumont-Cal
8. Independence (3-0), LW #9 @ Vinton-Sjellsburg
9. Algona (3-0), LW #10 @ #3 Boyden-Hull/Rock Valley
10.Sergeant Bluff-Luton (2-1), LW #5 vs 5A #10 Sioux City East

Class 2A
1. Southeast Valley (3-0), LW #2 vs #5 OABCIG
2. Waukon (2-1), LW #3 vs #9 North Fayette Valley
3. Spirit Lake (3-0), LW #5 vs #6 Pocahontas Area
4. Estherville Lincoln Central (2-1), LW #1 @ Clarion-Goldfield-Dows
5. OABCIG (3-0), LW #8 @ #1 Southeast Valley
6. Pocahontas Area (3-0), LW #7 @ #3 Spirit Lake
7. West Marshall (2-1), LW #9 @ Chariton
8. Central Lyon/GLR (1-2), LW (X) vs #10 West Lyon
9. North Fayette Valley (3-0), LW (X) @ #2 Waukon
10.West Lyon (1-2), LW (6) @ #8 Central Lyon/GLR

Class 1A
1. Van Meter (3-0), LW #1 vs Panorama
2. Iowa City Regina (3-0), LW #3 vs Mediapolis
3. Underwood (3-0), LW #4 vs East Sac County
4. Pella Christian (3-0), LW #5 vs Van Buren County
5. MFL MarMac (3-0), LW #6 @ Waterloo Columbus
6. Dike-New Hartford (3-0), LW #7 @ South Hardin
7. Sigourney-Keota (3-0), LW #8 vs Pleasantville
8. West Sioux (2-1), LW #2 @ Emmetsburg
9. Cardinal (Eldon), LW #9 @ Central Decatur
10.Dyersville Beckman (3-0), LW #10 vs Cascade

Class A
1. West Hancock (3-0), LW #1 vs West Fork
2. Woodbury Central (3-0), LW #2 vs Akron-Westfield
3. Grundy Center (2-1), LW #3 vs Hudson
4. North Linn (3-0), LW #4 @ Clayton Ridge
5. Riverside (Oakland) (3-0), LW #5 vs Sidney
6. Logan-Magnolia (2-1), LW #6 vs Tri-Center
7. North Tama (3-0), LW #7 vs Nashua-Plainfield
8. Mason City Newman (2-1), LW #8 @ #9 Saint Ansgar
9. Saint Ansgar (2-1), LW #10 vs #8 Newman
10.North Butler (3-0), LW (X) @ BCLUW

8-Player
1. Montezuma (4-0), LW #1 @ Melcher-Dallas
2. CAM (Anita) (3-0), LW #2 vs East Mills
3. Easton Valley (3-0), LW #3 @ Springville
4. Audubon (3-0), LW #4 @ Exira-EHK
5. Remsen St. Mary’s (3-0), LW #5 @ Kingsley-Pierson
6. Newell-Fonda (3-0), LW #6 @ Algona Garrigan
7. Janesville (3-0), LW #7 @ Rockford
8. WACO (4-0), LW #8 vs Iowa Valley
9. Gladbrook-Reinbeck (3-0), LW #10 @ Triploi
10.Turkey Valley (3-0), LW (X) vs Riceville

Northwest Iowa — The Iowa Department of Natural Resources has released their weekly fishing report for northwest Iowa. This weekly fishing report is compiled from information gathered from local bait shops, angler creel surveys and county and state parks staff. You can check the activity of your favorite lake or stretch of river, including which species are being caught, a rating of the bite (slow, fair, good or excellent), as well as a hot bait or lure pattern.

NORTHWEST
Black Hawk Lake
Water temperature is 71 degrees. Lake level is about 7 inches below the crest of the spillway. Water clarity is about one foot. Black Crappie – Fair: Anglers are picking up some 8- to 10-inch fish along Ice House Point and near the fish house in Town Bay. Bluegill – Slow. Channel Catfish – Fair: Try cut bait or dip baits fished on the bottom in areas along shore or near the rock pile off Cottonwood Point. Largemouth Bass – Fair: Use traditional bass lures fished along shore in areas with rocks, fallen trees or docks. Ice House Point shoreline near the outlet and near the inlet bridge are good areas to target bass. Walleye – Slow: Try along the dredge shelf in front of Denison Beach or the rock pile off of Cottonwood Point.

Brushy Creek Lake
Black Crappie – Fair: Try a small jig tipped with a small minnow in 15 feet of water near woody structure. Largemouth Bass – Fair: Use weedless lures along vegetation edges and traditional bass lures along areas with woody structure. Yellow Perch- Fair: Try a small jig tipped with a crawler or minnow in 10-15 feet of water.

Storm Lake (incl Little Storm Lake)
Water clarity is roughly 1-2 feet. Channel Catfish – Fair: Use cut bait or dip baits fished on the bottom in areas along shore with rocks or near the dredge cuts if fishing by boat. Largemouth Bass – Fair: Cast lures along shore and docks. Many areas near shore have only sparse vegetation patches with plenty of casting opportunities. Use weedless lures if fishing in areas with heavier vegetation. Walleye – Fair: The walleye bite is hit-or-miss. Anglers need to adjust some methods to fish in areas that have vegetation. Pick up fish along the dredge cuts with crankbaits or bottom bouncers. Use planer boards to pull crawler harnesses just above the weedlines. Try jigging or slip bobber fishing in the deep areas of the dredge cuts where many areas are free of vegetation.

Water temperatures in most lakes have cooled to the lower 70’s. For more information, contact the Black Hawk District office at 712-657-2638.

Beeds Lake
Black Crappie – Fair: Drift fish or troll a small minnow or tube jig. Best bite is early morning. Largemouth Bass – Fair. Yellow Bass – Fair: Drift fish or troll a small minnow or tube jig.

Clear Lake
Water temperature is in the lower 70’s. The lake is 2.16 inches low. Water clarity is 25 inches. Black Crappie – Fair. Channel Catfish – Fair: Try cut bait or chicken liver on the wind swept shore after sunset. Walleye – Slow: Use a jig tipped with a minnow or crawler fished near vegetation along the north shore. Also try slip bobber fishing a minnow on the rock reefs. Yellow Bass – Good: Use a small jig tipped with a minnow or cut bait fished in 5 to 6 feet of water along the high bank on the north shore or out from the pump house. Use your electronics to find and stay on fish.

Rice Lake
Any water west of the north boat ramp is a waterfowl refuge and is closed to all activity from Sept. 1st through the final day of the duck season. Largemouth Bass – Fair: Bass are biting on a variety of baits. Walleye – Slow. Yellow Perch – Fair: Use a jig and minnow in the deeper water along the homes on the south shore.

Silver Lake (Worth)
The vegetation has open up some. Bluegill – Fair: Try a small piece of crawler under a bobber fished along the edge of the vegetation. Largemouth Bass – Fair: Bass are biting on a variety of baits. Yellow Perch – Slow.

Upper Pine Lake
The boat ramp at Upper Pine Lake is closed until the new ramp is installed.

For information on the lakes and rivers in north central Iowa, contact the Clear Lake Fish and Wildlife office at 641-357-3517.

East Okoboji Lake
The water temperature is 72 degrees. Many anglers have had success with slip bobbers/spoons and vertical jigging and drop shot fishing. A great bluegill/crappie/yellow bass bite can be found trolling weed lines. Many anglers have observed high catch rates with a lot of sorting. Black Crappie – Fair: Crappie are hard to target specifically, but can be caught mixed with other panfish. The bite has improved in and around docks and hoists. Bluegill – Good: Bluegill are biting like crazy. Leeches or worms and a simple bobber setup work well. Pumpkinseed – Good: Fun and easier to catch from most docks. Use a small hook, bobber and piece of worm.

Lost Island Lake
Anglers report they have started to catch yellow bass in shallow amongst the vegetation. Black Crappie – Fair. Bluegill – Fair. Walleye – Fair. Yellow Bass – Fair. Yellow Perch – Fair.

Minnewashta Lake
Panfishing has been good for anglers trolling weed lines. Vertical jigging is improving. Black Crappie – Fair: A nice crappie bite can be found with a little movement around the lake. Bluegill – Fair. Pumpkinseed – Good.

Silver Lake (Dickinson)
Walleye – Fair: Try using slip bobbers and finding weed lines.

Spirit Lake
The water temperature is 72 degrees. The yellow perch bite has been slower, but the walleye bite has picked up. Use lead core and tadpole baits. Walleye – Good: Bite is hit-or-miss at dusk, but the day bite is improving. Many anglers have started to fish in shallower with slip bobbers along weed edges. Yellow Perch – Fair: Best bite is morning till 11:00 and mid-afternoon. Depths vary depending on the time of day. Move often to find fish – schools are smaller and sporadic.

West Okoboji Lake
The water temperature is 72 degrees. Many anglers have been most successful with trolling, but jigging and casting has also been very good. Use lead core and tadpole baits. Offshore fishing for bass has been great. Black Crappie – Good: Crappie have been very picky lately, but can be easily caught if you aren’t afraid to switch things up. Can also be caught frequently while picking through other panfish or have been found around weed edges. Bluegill – Good: Bluegill are biting like crazy with fish up to 10-inches seen. Jigging, casting, and slip bobbers are working well. Leeches or worms and a simple bobber setup work well. Walleye – Fair: Walleye have been hard to target, but many anglers have been catching them while fishing for other species.

Offshore fishing for bass has been very good lately. The panfish/perch bite has been excellent. Area lake levels are low, making launching and loading boats more difficult. Many boaters are already taking their boats out for the season, making the lakes less congested and allowing for better fishing opportunities. The forecast calls for highs in the 70’s and 80’s, but lows in the 50’s at night. Lake temperatures have been slowly cooling down and are in the low 70’s. For current conditions, call the Spirit Lake District Office at 712-336-1840.

The latest Iowa Run, Jump and Throw cross country polls are out and a the area is well represented.

In 3A boys MOC Floyd Valley is #6. In the girls 3A poll Spencer is #7 with MOC Floyd Valley at 15. The 2A boys poll has Western Christian at #2 with Unity at 7, Spirit Lake at 11, Okoboji at 18 and George Little Rock Central Lyon at #20. The Girls 2A poll features Cherokee at #5 with Sibley Ocheyedan at 8, Unity at 9, Okoboji at 14 and George Little Rock at 19.

Boys 4A
Rank Team
1 Sioux City, North
2 Dowling Catholic, WDM
3 Johnston
4 Iowa City, City High
5 Dubuque Hempstead
6 Waukee Northwest
7 Cedar Falls
8 Norwalk
9 Iowa City, West
10 Pleasant Valley
11 Urbandale
12 Iowa City, Liberty
13 Prairie, Cedar Rapids
14 Ankeny Centennial
15 Valley, WDM
16 Linn-Mar, Marion
17 Cedar Rapids Kennedy
18 Bettendorf
19 Southeast Polk
20 Ankeny

Girls 4A
Rank Team
1 Dubuque Hempstead
2 Pleasant Valley
3 Valley, West Des Moines
4 Johnston
5 Ankeny
6 Ankeny Centennial
7 Des Moines Roosevelt
8 Ames
9 Southeast Polk
10 Dowling Catholic
11 Waukee
12 City High
13 Linn-Mar
14 Dubuque Senior
15 Urbandale
16 Iowa City West
17 Indianola
18 Cedar Falls
19 Waukee Northwest
20 Bettendorf

Boys 3A
Rank Team
1 Dallas Center Grimes
2 North Polk
3 Marion
4 Pella
5 Glenwood
6 MOC Floyd Valley
7 Waverly-Shell Rock
8 Western Dubuque
9 Mount Vernon Lisbon
10 Carlisle
11 ADM Adel
12 Solon
13 Decorah
14 Sergeant Bluff-Luton
15 Clear Creek Amana
16 Charles City
17 Gilbert
18 Center Point Urbana
19 Washington
20 Newton

Girls 3A
Rank Team
1 Bishop Heelan
2 Solon
3 DCG
4 North Polk
5 Carlisle
6 Pella
7 Spencer
8 Western Dubuque, Epworth
9 Ballard
10 Dubuque Wahlert
11 Mount Vernon-Lisbon
12 Davenport Assumption
13 Glenwood
14 Center Point-Urbana
15 MOC-Floyd Valley
16 Harlan
17 Gilbert
18 Waverly-Shell Rock
19 Sergeant Bluff-Luton
20 Washington

Boys 2A
Rank Team
1 Danville/New London
2 Western Christian
3 Tipton
4 Williamsburg
5 Mid-Prairie
6 Des Moines Christian
7 Unity Christian
8 East Marshall
9 GCGR
10 Albia
11 Spirit Lake
12 Waukon
13 Jesup
14 Monticello
15 Davis County
16 Oelwein
17 Denver
18 Okoboji
19 New Hampton
20 GLR-CL

Girls 2A
Rank Team
1 Mid-Prairie
2 Denver
3 Tipton
4 Jesup
5 Cherokee
6 Monticello
7 Williamsburg
8 Sibley Ocheyedan
9 Unity Christian
10 Van Meter
11 Roland Story
12 DM Christian
13 Davis County
14 Albia
15 Okoboji
16 Danville NL
17 Pocahontas
18 Dike-New Hartford
19 George LR-CL
20 WCKP

Boys 1A
Rank Team
1 Earlham
2 ACGC (Guthrie Center)
3 Maquoketa Valley (Delhi)
4 Ogden
5 Bellevue
6 Central Decatur (Leon)
7 St. Edmond (Fort Dodge)
8 Newman (Mason City)
9 Regina (Iowa City)
10 South Winneshiek (Calmar)
11 Madrid
12 St. Albert (Council Bluffs)
13 Missouri Valley
14 Central Springs (Manly)
15 Northwest Webster (Manson)
16 Valley Lutheran (Cedar Falls)
17 Nodaway Valley (Greenfield)
18 Cascade
19 Columbus (Columbus Junction)
20 Wayne (Corydon)

Girls 1A
Rank Team
1 South Winneshiek
2 Hudson
3 Pekin
4 Login Magnolia
5 Regina Iowa City
6 Newman Mason City
7 St. Edmond Fort Dodge
8 Earlham
9 North Linn
10 Sumner Fredricksburg
11 Central Elkader
12 Kee Lansing
13 Tri Center
14 Collins Maxwell
15 Marquette Bellevue
16 ACGC
17 Manson Northwest Webster
18 Baxter
19 Montezuma
20 Central Decatur