It is good to be back from MEXICO!! I love nice weather as much as the next guy, but I am glad to be back walking ON water, rather than walking IN water!! Call me a crazy ice-fisherman, but I live for the ice season.
Today’s report will cover the last week of action in the Hawkeye state-
Lately, I have been fishing with a few friends on the Iowa river- Over the weekend, Andy Craig, Bob Gillispie and I fished together. We ventured east, west, north and south, in search of safe ice, and walleyes! I will admit the flood has absolutely destroyed some of the fishing in the area. Some of our deeper holes have filled in with 8-10′ of sediment from the flood. Fishing was tough, but if you are willing to put in the work, walk long distances, you will be rewarded with some great Iowa ice walleyes!
Pictured to the left is IDO memeber Steven Krapfl with a beauty saugeye! Nice fish Steve!!
It takes a couple of key parts to come together to make a successful Iowa walleye outing on the ice- One- hard work- You need to put your time in during the open water periods especially during the fall- It is key to locate fish during the fall that are prepping for their winter movements.
Areas that have been good to us are areas that have 10-15′ of water, with deeper water near by. The slacker water of the hole’s have been holding some fish, but I actually like to fish as close to the current seam as safe ice lets me. Not only do you need a deeper hole in these smaller rivers, but you also need baitfish- if the hole is void of baitfish, good luck locating any game fish-
This is where a flasher, like my MarCum LX-5 really becomes crucial to success. It not only helps you find the breaks and transitions from rock/sand, but it also allows you to search quickly and effectively for baitfish, and for gamefish. If a particular hole is void of both of those, we pack up and move on.
Wintering fish are in specific spots for specific reasons- Just because the hole has depth, doesn’t necessarily make it a walleye wintering hole- Walleye holes need depth, adequate light penetration, current, oxygen, and FOOD!! If you can locate areas that have these key ingredients, you will find fish! Then you need to make them bite!! My biters have been on the Custom Jigs and Spins Lightning Spoons in the brighter colors, such as Clown, and Firetiger-
Pictured to the right is Jason Bach with another beauty Iowa Saugeye!
Pictured to the left is myself, with a perfect Iowa eater sized walleye! Please remember that these fish can be extremely vulnerable during the winter months, and if you find a great walleye hole, remember to CPR some of them, and only take what you need for a meal, so all of us can continue to enjoy great ice fishing in Iowa!
Good luck, stay safe, and we’ll see you on the hard water!!
1- Andy Craig with a stray Pike
2- Clown Lightning Spoon
3- Firetiger Lightning Spoon
Nice Post Luke! I’ll be out of work today at 400 and down there by 430. Trevor said you guys had a pretty good morning. Can’t wait to punch the time clock and get back to fishing.
beautiful fish fellas! wish I was there with ya to enjoy it. Keep tearing it up and keep me posted!!
Luke,
Can you expand a bit why the lightning spoon vs. other jigging spoons? I’ve never fished them but after seeing the Rainy fish and now these, something I definitley have to add to the arsenal.
Nice to see you Iowans don’t have to come up here to catch MY fish.
Hey Steve, J-Bomb was saying that his VEXILAR was lit up like a X’mas tree just before dark. Sounds like I need to get down there soon!! Give me some info. Once again good work boys on the excellent report
Bock- Did you get a new hat??? I thought that said Vexilar on it???
Nice looking eyes and great report Luke
Nice fish and report Luke.
Great looking fish Guy’s!! Welcome back Luke, Hope your trip went well. Great pics. Good fishin Doug
Nice looking fish guys!
Nice to see you back on the hard water with another good walleye fishing report Luke.
Nice eyes & great report
Good report Luke. We got to be careful though if we aren’t those guys from Minnesota will be traveling to Iowa to beat up on our Walleye’s……..
Kooty-
For me, first- I have confidence in this spoon- I have caught smallmouth, largemouth, walleye, sauger, saugeye, crappie, gills, wipers, catfish, and every other fish that swims under the ice-
Second- the lightning spoons come in three versatile weights, allowing me to fine tune my presentation- depending on fish moods, current and depth.
Third- the paint schemes are like HD, and they come in great colors- the eyes on the spoons are very lifelike.
Fourth- the lightning spoon has a very unique bend in it that gives it a great fluttering action.
Fifth- they just flat out catch fish!
That is why I have said for a long time now that it is my favorite spoon.
Hope that helps
Very nice eyes guys
OK…. Those Saugeyes are COOL!! Great Job Luke!!
“Lightning Spoons” Great color schemes, GLOW, Oversized Hooks, Nice Bend for flutter falling, and as Luke Eluded to there catching lots of fish!! Personally I don’t care if there PRETTY, but if they catch fish
Looks like some nice fish. Bob any relation to John?
Nice fish. I cant seem to find any walleyes this year bigger than 10 inches.
Hey Luke I’ll be in Cancun on the 21th of Feb. but before that I’d like to try some of this Iowa River fishing stuff. I’m near Marshalltown and this part of the river is mud and carp. There are some walleyes but not near any many as in other areas. If I head north a bit I’ll run into more of a rocky bottom. Are you adding anything to the spoon and how far do you jig these spoons? Couple inches or a half a foot? You got me fired up now.
Smackem- I typically don’t tip my spoons- However there are times when it adds extra bite appeal. I either fish them plain or with a minnow head.
As far as jigging technique, usually cat and mouse will get the walleyes to strike, while other times they want to hit the spoon while it is falling, much like a vertical jigging presentation out of the boat. Slow falling lightning spoons often get finicky walleyes to bite. I typically jig one to two feet of the bottom and sometimes will pound the bottom, let the fish dictate how you present your spoons!
Let me know if this helps or if you have any other questions.
What sort of weights were you needing in your spoons to get them down and what size line? I’m thinking maybe 4# for line. I’m not sure if I have 15 fow anywhere around here. Maybe 10 at the most. Are you seeing bait fish on the flasher? What do they look like?
Thanks
I use the 1/8, and 1/4 size almost exclusively, I haven’t found an area with strong enough current to need the 3/8 ounce size. When targeting deeper walleyes though, that heavier size may come in handy, because it allows the bait to get down to the fish faster when hole hopping.
Yes, I do see baitfish on the flasher, what they look like depends on what type of baitfish they are. The easiest to distinguish is shad. They come around in pods, and look very distorted on the flasher, and often don’t give off a strong return like a walleye will. The baitfish also move much faster and often times cover your entire flasher screen.
Thanks Luke, I have a couple spots to check out maybe Saturday.