I grew up fishing on the Mississippi and moved to Cedar Rapids about three years ago. I finally got a boat and after a registration nightmare I’m finally in the water. Fished around a bit and caught some fish on the Cedar this weekend. I’m leary to venture too far from the ramp but I’d really really like to find some walleyes on the Cedar.
Any ideas in the CR area?
Thanks!
Jacob
Below the dam downtown, theres some pretty nice ones there. Jigs work about the best tipped with a minnow but not necessary.
No help here but wanted to welcome you to IDO!! Hope you get on some fish soon after the registration issues.
Eric 
Thanks!
I’m trying to decide if I’m going to slip the boat in at Chain Lakes or under the C Street dam after work today. I scoped out both last night and Chain Lakes looks like there were quite a few sandbars around, which would be good places to jig around.
I keep seeing “current seam” mentioned. I’m used to fishing wing dams and the flats below them on the Mississippi with good success.
What is a current seam?
Actually scratch that, I know what a current seam is I guess I just haven’t really heard it called that before. I fished one of them where the Cedar takes about a 90 degree bend and creates a pretty large back eddy. I jigged it with a leadhead tipped with a leech for a little while but at the risk of boring my fishing partner (wife) I moved along pretty quickly after landing a nice sized sheephead.
Hey, I would scratch the Cedar and hit the Iowa River. The walleyes are starting to show themselves. If you want to shoot me a PM, go ahead and I may be able to divulge a few of my secrets. Also, what part of the Mississippi did you used to fish? I have fished most of the pools up and down the great state of Iowa and may have room for you in my boat if you have any secrets to share… 
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Hey, I would scratch the Cedar and hit the Iowa River. The walleyes are starting to show themselves. If you want to shoot me a PM, go ahead and I may be able to divulge a few of my secrets. Also, what part of the Mississippi did you used to fish? I have fished most of the pools up and down the great state of Iowa and may have room for you in my boat if you have any secrets to share…
L&D13 all the way down to Albany, IL we fished pretty extensively. Mostly bass but eventually we migrated towards mostly walleye fishing. PM to ya… I mistakenly said “Andover” in the PM… not sure what I was thinking!
A current seam is where theres faster water moving past slower water and right on that edge where the two meet. Walleyes will stage in the slower water and waitr for food to go by them in the faster water. If you put in down at the roller dam, theres an island just a block down river. On the very down river end of that island is where deep water starts and stays deep for about a half miles then shallows up at the beginning of the second island. On the east side of the river, starting at the downriver end of that first island is where the shallow water is and is all rock that holds crawfish, bluegills and minnows. Start at the end of the first island and slowly troll down and back up the river or if your a jig fan jig that whole area, especially where the water shallows up coming back up river. Be carefull and look for rocks, theres a ton of them on the east side of that first island and on the west side its shallow with logs and all sand until you hit the downriver end of that island.
Just below the second island is where it shallows up again and until you hit just above Indian creek on the east side of the river just down from the second island. Its shallow enough at normal water levels that you have to go through the rocks at full throttle so your lower unit doesen’t hit bottom. Don’t do this until you learn where the deeper water cuts to the right then goes back left befor you hit continious deep water. You have to be careful down there until you learn the deeper cuts going past the island. The water down there during normal water is only for a jon boat or smaller aluminum V-bottom and a smaller, 50 horse and under,, a glass boat and you probably won’t make it back up river. During normal water levels theres just not enough water around the islands for that type of boat, its smaller boats only. Theres walleyes there and some nice ones too but you’ll have to work for them. Try jigging for crappies around all the deadfalls, especially if theres very little current. Theres tons of catfish down there and a good place to pole fish or run ditty poles. Theres lots of big flatheads down there too and I mean some big ones. The flatheads can come from a very long way down river to that area and they do every year. There is some line and pole breakers down there all the way to Palisades bluffs and the old dam there thats all broken down now, lots of deep water down there too and sand and gravel bars. You can hunt Agates on the gravel bars there too. Lots of big walleyes in that area too.
Hey Jacob, Welcome to IDO. I’m the guy over on the refuge that got a hold of the DNR lady about your boat registration soap opera.
Glad to see you over here, wish I could help you out down there. I would listen to what Steve and Dan has to say, they pull some nice ones out. Might also keep in mind the Wapsi.
Excellent information, Mossydan! I’ve got a 1648 PolarCraft modified-v. Only a 15 HP motor so I think I should be ok. Might have to postpone dropping in below the roller dam until a weekend when I’ve got most of the day to explore.
Thanks again guys!
Thanks Eye, same to you. The Wapsi’s one of those rivers that is perfect for a small jonboat or v-hull. Alot of times in the mid summer its a canoe only and the wapsi’s got alot of walleyes and also smallmouths in it. A very nice top water river for smallies and is chock full of catfish and the rivers pretty clean too. The wapsi’s perfect for a full day float where your going from side to side fishing every deep cut. And don’t forget the under cut banks for smallies. Theres northerns there too and some very big occasional walleyes. Float the river once and you’ll see. A really good river for minnows and stinkbait for catfish in the deeper holes and cuts. If you can keep minnows alive, like in a flow troll, going from cut to cut, just drifting a minnow under a bobber is another good bet and a good way to spend a day floating the Wapsi. If you can get a canoe and a small 2 1/2 horse you’d have it made.
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Hey Jacob, Welcome to IDO. I’m the guy over on the refuge that got a hold of the DNR lady about your boat registration soap opera.
Glad to see you over here, wish I could help you out down there. I would listen to what Steve and Dan has to say, they pull some nice ones out. Might also keep in mind the Wapsi.
I missed this… Honk-on?
Nice to see a familiar face! Thanks for the welcome, we’ll see if I can get into some walleyes here soon! The wapsi sounds interesting… my brother and I have been tossing around the idea of fishing it this year. Maybe we’ll have to make it a priority! He’d heard good things about the catfish in there.
Not only catfish JW but theres some serious walleye fishermen that fish it fairly regular. Theres streatches that hold a really nice smallmouth population too. Its a very good multi species small river. The Wapsi and the Maquoketa up by manchester are both good small rivers and worth fishing multi species. Both rivers are good fly fishing and top water too. When the waters at normal levels you can see almost all the holes and cuts.
Thanks Dan, only wish.
Ya that’s me Doc 
, lot of good guys here. Give a fella walleye envy. Give em heck.
The Cedar has been giving up decent catfish all month. Mohawk, Nature center parks are good on foot places. The Iowa and Wapsi are better for smallies, and walleyes in the summer.
Deeper holes and seams along eddies are the ticket.
Welcome to IDO and eastern Iowa small river fishing.
Fished on foot just below the C-street roller on Wednesday morning. First 40 minutes I caught a pretty nice LMB, 17″ or so, two stripers, two gar, and a shovelnose sturgeon. I’d never caught a gar or a sturgeon before so that was pretty cool. All of them on a lipless Rapala.
Dropped in below C street roller and ran to the bottom of that first island Friday after work for a couple of hours. Jigged and trolled a crankbait about 200-300 yards below and back up both sides of the river with no luck. Not even a bite. 
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