Pool 14 – 15 help

I am new to the area, and I was wondering if I could receive some fishing advice regarding pool 14 and 15.

I don’t have a boat out here yet. I went with a friend and caught a bunch of northern in cattail slough about a week ago on shad raps. Other than that, I haven’t had any luck. I have fished from shore in Le Claire around the rocky shoreline (last year I visited and caught a bunch of catfish in this area). This year I haven’t even gotten a bite on Sonny’s cheesebait, nightcrawler, or cut bait. I have also fished Lock and Dam 14 near the lock channel for catfish… not even a bite. There were a decent amount of people fishing the area and none of them had any luck either. I walked the trail towards the canal and tried various spots along the trail tossing a shad rap and a nightcrawler. No luck at all.

Any advice or help would be appreciated! Hopefully, I’ll be getting a boat soon.

Best advice I can give you is to not fish on the weekends. The area is packed on the weekends and the fishing is usually terrible.

Other than that, fish any area in P15 with current and you will catch catfish. But not this time of year, this time of year they are up in the rocks (1-3′ of water) getting ready to spawn.

Walleye fishing has been terrible all year, absolutely terrible.

Thanks for the advice. I’m to the point where I just want to catch something. I am currently living in Le Claire. Last year I was pulling some big catfish floating a bobber and nightcrawler along the rocky shoreline near the boat docks during the evenings. I thought that may be a sure thing right now considering the spawn, but I can’t even get a bite there.

I haven’t fished pool 15 other than from shore at the L&D 14, on the pool 15 side. I’m supposed to be getting a boat this week, so hopefully I can get over there. I’m more familiar with pool 14 from pleasure boating that side of the river, but I want to check out pool 15.

Also, what’s up with these D&R fishing reports? They seem to be the complete opposite of what I have found. Catfishing Excellent and Northern Fair – I nailed the northern and haven’t gotten a bite fishing for catfish. Is that report ever reliable?

No the dnr reports are not very good just confuse you keep at it try catching shad or emerald shiners with bait net and float those through shallow current areas everything from bass to cats will bite

Don’t know what to tell you. We’ve been catching them on the rocks for over a week, 30-40 an hour with 3 guys.