Coralville Lake/Reservoir Report 2-20-07

The past few days I have been targeting the "elusive" Coralville Reservoir crappies. These specific crappies are very tempermental, to say the least. However if you can find feeding fish you will catch some of the biggest crappies in Iowa.

This particular body of water is very intimidating. Coralville Reservoir is 23 miles long. I spent the majority of saturday just looking for familiar spots on the water. It is has been quite a while since there was thick enough ice on the lake to fish with a snowmobile. I logged over 75 miles on my sled just looking for areas to fish. I covered the whole lake and decided on two spots to fish. The first spot was in a cove, that had 18 FOW water at the mouth. This spot also had some submerged brush piles. This spot I only caught one fish, but it was a dandy 16" slab. Unfortunately, my batteries in my camera were dead. The second spot was the same as the first, only the depth was 12 feet. This is where I really nailed the crappies.

The bite has been a consistant hit or miss for me. One morning they will go really well, like Sunday morning. Sunday evening- nothing. This morning, Adam and I caught only a few crappies along with some gills. The fish are usually on the flasher, and that is the most frustrating part. Choosing the right bait- size and color- smashed waxworm, half a waxworm- or whole? These fish are very picky, and that is why I label them as elusive. They are fed so well, you have to be on top of your game to detect a bite, hook the fish, and then land them. For me, it is just trial and error- eliminate what doesn’t work. Horizontal baits sometimes are what they prefer, or they may only eat a vertical bait. I can say for sure, they will not touch a minnow. But, if you put in your time, and give it a good honest effort, you very well may be rewarded with some dandy slabs!!

I think tomorrow, will be the last day for snowmobile travel on the lake. The snow is all but melted to slush, and I also believe the corps is letting the lake down four feet. Which make the whole lake UNSAFE, even if you are on foot. I would check with the corp before you head out.

Here is the website for the corps- http://www.mvr.usace.army.mil/Coralville/default.htm

And the phone number

(319) 338-3543 ext. 6300

I hope everyone is still getting on some safe ice in Iowa. There is still a bunch of ice out there, just remember, it is never safe!!

Good luck- stay safe, and we’ll see you on the hard water!!