Well guys,
I have drawn tired of catching tiny little gills. Can anyone help me out with some areas to fish and catch the quality of the gills on the river???? I have had countless days catching 3″ gills and some 6+ would calm the soul. For those who don’t know me I do not keep anything. Completely catch and release for this cat.
jc
Hey Jeremy, I know of a couple of guys who used to fish palo lake in the early spring and get some really nice bluegills as big as your hand. The area by the standing timber twards the back end of the lake is where it was. As for big bluegills in the cedar i don’t think there is any lol. I know theres thousands of smaller ones but in 40 years of fishing the cedar i’ve never got a nice big bluegill like the ones on the miss. If i were drilling holes id fish the backwaters for crappies, we caught some with minnows and bobbers just befor iceup. If you get really bored drill some holes around the houseboats at ellis for crappies, we get them there. Mahaffeyes bridge across from the boatramp for nice crappies too. I was across the 965 bridge today and just a film of ice is all plus open water by the bridge.
Its a little bit of a drive for you but Brushy over by Fort Dodge has a lot of 8″+ Gills. They are usualy pretty good biters too.
Pleasant Creek, if the ice is safe. The drop at the dam about 10 yards South of the outlet has been a pretty consistent producer. Also, clear across the lake in the coves just to the dam side of the boat ramp on the NW arm. Fish the weededge and you’ll probably come up with some good gills and a few perch.
The Cedar holds some big gills, or at least it used to. I haven’t fished it much in the winter save a couple of days last year when I blanked. Seminole Valley closes the park gates so you have to walk about half a mile before you can even get to those ponds in there, and then they’re full of springs that make the ice questionable if you don’t know where you’re going. The ice also seems really variable in Mowhawk there, and even though I’ve marked a lot of fish in there I’ve yet to catch anything worthwhile. I’d suspect that Ellis and Robins lake are probably a good place to go exploring, but since I have no idea where to start I would suggest a full day and a full tank of gas in the auger if you’re going to try to find a hotspot.
Does anyone fish Hanon lake or anything around blairstown
jc
Jeremy if you can get into the old sandplant on otis road because they’er dredging accros the river on the shack side and down close to hwy 30 now. Both plants are Martin maretta corporation dredges but he older plant on otis you might ask to fish there, its full of crappies and big ones too and an occasional 4 pound bass. Lost alot of minnows at the otis operation over the years. Another idea and i don’t know if you can get in there is the sand plant on the east side of hwy 13 just south of anamosa, herd of some nice catches coming from that pit over the years.
Heck Jeremy, fill yourtank and hit the rural roads and look for small 1/2 to 1 acre ponds, we’ve done that years ago and some farmers will let you in to fish, its always nice if you catch some to fillet a few right there for them so you can come back and do it again, theres been some nice crappies taken out of some of the local farm ponds in the last 10 years. If it were me and a full tank of gas i look for farm ponds with a sharp fillet knife for the farmers.
Mossydan, Highway 13 does not got to Anamosa.
You thinkin’ 151?
Gianni, I know that, 965 crosses the reservior at coral ville, hwy 13 goes thorught central city, coggon, ryan, manchester, elkader etc. The sand pits im talking about is on otis rd that goes to rompot here in town, the old martin marietta sandplant is at the corner of otis and rompot down by cargill along the river. Lots of big crappies in the old sandplant if a guy can get in there. Hy 30 runs east and west down by hawkeyedowns, 150 runs twards anamosa. HY 20 runs east and west out of manchester. Ive drove 13 hundreds of times as i used to live in La Crosse.
Thanks for the info Mossy Dan…. But I just made the drive looking for this location and followed Otis all the way past Indian Creek and did not see it. Is there any landmarks that will help in its locating? Thanks again.
jc
Just an FYI, those sandpits are private, and they will kick you out for fishing them. I heard most of the crappies got washed out of them during the flood anyway.
I’ve sneaked in them pits many years back (when I was a little punk kid ) goffing off and they were very un-safe !!! There are a ton of springs in them,there was cracks in the ice that were 12+” and allot of open holes all over.You have to walk about three city blocks back to them and when you do you’ll be trespassing.The CR police Dept. will make sure you know that for the helicopter flies over them all the time.What ever you chose be careful if you try there.
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Another idea and i don’t know if you can get in there is the sand plant on the east side of hwy 13 just south of anamosa,
mossydan – post #164054 – 01/03/05 10:41 PM
So, is it on the East side of Hwy 13, twenty miles west of “just South of Anamosa,” or twenty miles East of Hwy 13, just South of Anamosa? The only one I knew of South of Anamosa was the operating quarry, on the left hand side of the road as you’re heading toward Dubuque.
There’s one about ten miles West of 13, just North of Troy Mills called Sandy Creek. When the Wapsi floods it deposits fish in there, but I’ve never been able to sink a bait through the bullheads to see if there’s a bluegill or crappie down there waiting. The access isn’t kept up, and with the snow I would advise parking along the gravel and walking back in there. I’ve never fished it through the ice, so can’t say whether or not it’s safe with respect to springs or not, but if I remember right, it’s very deep in spots.
Hey Gianni, sorry about that post of the sandpit on 13, your right its on 150 going to anamosa, just pulled a mind blank is all, sorry. Supserdave, I know most guys got kicked out of the otis sandplant but i’ve been let in a few times on a saturday to the main dredging that has the dike around it. Plus the deep dredge that connects to the river has crappies in it. The one deep dredge that connects to the river has crappies in it too, thats the old dredging operation of many years ago but there are crappies in there, ive caught them. Walk the bank along the river and follow it to the old main dredge area connected to the river. When you get into the main area where its connected to the river look twards the bank and theres a big concrete piling of some sort laying half in the water and half on the bank. Ive fished there and gotten crappies from 4 ft to 10 right along that big concrete piling just a few feet off the bank. In the spring when you can put your boat in the water at the otis ramp go into the old dredging area and as you go in the main opening go to your immediate left and turn your sounder on. Troll back and forth over this area until you see a sharp rise close to the mouth, its an old pile of rocks or something down there in about 15′ of water and ive used a slip bobber with a minnow and gotten big crappies on this pile of whatever it is. Those are the two best places by the sand plant where the old dredging use to take place that is connected to the river, but the best place is in the actual sandplant.
Jeremy, if you park at the otis boat ramp and walk down river about a block and a half you’ll hit the old dredging operation that connects to the river. Look to your left and you’ll see that old piling. Thats the piling im talking about. Thats free water and anyone can fish it. If you’ve got a locator and put a little water on the ice and check through the ice you can find fish in that area. Check the mouth on the up river side for that pile of rocks or whatever it is because there are good numbers of nice fish there and thier deep. I figured by my finder from my boat that the piles about 5 to 6 ft high and about 10 ft wide and there are fish on it.
Damn Gianni, ive been working very hard lately and am tired, its 151 that goes throught anamosa, maybe someday i’ll get everything right.
No sweat bud.
Is the dredged area upriver from the roller dam or downriver? It’s been a few months since I’ve driven down there, but it seems like the Otis ramp is the one right above the dam just downriver from Cargill. Anything connected to the main river, I believe, is considered public waters, but if you have to cross private land to get there you might run into trouble.
Be extremely cautious in anything connected to the river along that stretch. Currents in there are dangerously fast and unpredictable. Drill often and stay safe.
Oops, forgot this.
Image is, as indicated, owned by Mapquest.
I’ve heard that on navagatable waterfronts the first 20′ off the water is state or federally owned and accessable. Example; prarie creek is non accesable on farmers property. Go down past cargill along the river until you are at the boatramp. Where the road angles to the left by the railroad tracks thats the entrance to the old sandplant that was active two years ago. The new plant is much bigger and is down river on the shack tavern side about 1 1/2 to 2 miles, about 3/4 miles from highway 30 east that goes twards palasades, heck thats another idea Gianni, the pool that runs along the road thats across from the bluffs has alot of crappies in it ive heard. The rivers on the east side by the bluffs, the smaller pool is right by the road on the park side.
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