Shore Fishing

Hi all! This is my first post on here, no more “lurker” status for me…yipiee! Anyhoo, I am used to hopping in my dad’s boat whenever he goes fishing, but I can’t always head up North to fish with him whenever the mood strikes me. In light of that I am thinking of becoming a little more adventuresome and trying out some shore fishing in my area (Cedar Rapids). Anyone have any advice on some good spots? I always see people fishing the Cedar River in Palisades, but I never see them catching anything. We caught some nice crappies up at Pleasent Creek a few weeks ago, but we were fishing off shore near trees and brush, so I’m not sure how well the shore fishing is there. Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

Well…First off congrats on your first post!!
Welcome to the “non-lurking” side of the site!

A few I can think of, off the top of my head near CR.

Don Murphy “Lake”… has good panfish/bass fishing. It is on highway 13 I believe (south of hitters softball complex), you can shore fish the entire thing. I would recommend using a scum frog in the “slop”..
Or, minnows for crappies…and nightcrawlers for bluegills and catfish.

Lake Macbride is close, a ton of great shore fishing, like jettis/penninsula’s/piers…etc. Bass/sunfish/catfish/crappies all can be caught from shore!

I am sure there are some smaller ponds/lakes in public parks or public areas that I don’t know about in the area. I will think more on it.

All the rivers around can also provide great fishing, only without a boat, the only shore fishing you could do is for catfish..

Good Luck..let us know how you do!!

I used to shore fish down by Iowa City all the time. My favorite spot was the tube coming out of the Coralville Res. Also the McBride spillway. I also used to wade the flats of Pleasant Creek for Bluegills about this time of year. Good luck.

Hey guys! Thanks for the suggestions! I am hoping to get a few times in before I get spoiled…..the fam and I are going on our annual week long fishing trip up to Northern Minnesota in a few weeks….I wish we could catch fish like that down here! Ah well, catching fish is really only half the experience, right?

WELCOME Missy and good luck fishing.

A couple of other places to try:

Cedar Lake – You wouldn’t want to eat anything from there, but there are some big Bass, Cats and Rough Fish there. Great spot to hit early in the spring or late in the fall.

Creeks (Indian, Prairie, Otter) – Not exactly bank fishing, but with a pair of hip waders (or old sneakers once the water’s warmer) there is some real good Smallmouth fishing to be had here, some Bluegills/Sunfish in the pools as a bonus.

Ellis Park – Cats and Carp a plenty for bait fishing – some Smallmouth too if you know what you’re doing.

Just a few spots I can think of off the top of my head.

Anyone ever fish around the marina for bass?

Do the owners get grouchy if you try?

I was out on Plesant Creek again on Monday….it was a crap shoot! We were catching blue gill, bass, crappie, and catfish in the most random spots. Most of them were pretty small, but it was fun anyway…and HOT! I’m thinking of hitting Lake McBride this weekend. Has anyone been getting any action there lately?