September 26, 2025
Big Creek Lake – Anglers may notice orange and white buoys in the northwest arm of the lake. These markers indicate equipment for an ongoing fishery research project—please avoid disturbing them.
-
Bluegill – Good: Drift 1/8-ounce (or lighter) jigs tipped with nightcrawler near the bottom in 5–8 feet of water.
-
Walleye – Fair: Streams flowing into the upper end of the lake are producing action. Jig nightcrawlers near the notches in the silt dams, or work live-bait rigs and shad-imitating crankbaits/plastics along humps, points, and vegetation edges in 5–15 feet of water.
-
Wiper (Hybrid Striped Bass) – Fair: Target the lower half of the lake with shad-imitating plastics, spoons tipped with cut bait, or topwater lures over active schools. Focus on wind-blown shorelines and coves, with early morning and evening providing the best bite.
Des Moines River (Stratford to Saylorville Lake) – Channel Catfish – Good: Dead gizzard shad or cut bait is the top choice.
Red Rock Reservoir –
-
Black Crappie – Fair: Drift or troll small swimbaits, twister tails, or tube jigs. Check the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Lake Red Rock homepage for a map of new habitat structures added this summer to attract crappies.
-
Channel Catfish – Good: Drift cut bait near and above the Mile Long Bridge on the upper end of the reservoir.
-
White Bass – Good: Troll lipless crankbaits, spoons, or blade baits along wind-blown shorelines and points.
Saylorville Reservoir – White Bass – Good: Troll lipless crankbaits, spoons, or blade baits along wind-swept shorelines and sharp drop-offs, such as near the Sandpiper Beach area.
For more information on Central Iowa lakes and rivers, contact Andy Otting at 515-204-5885 or Seth Fopma at 641-891-3795.