Free Fishing Weekend: What to Know Before You Head Out

Free Fishing Weekend (June 3, 4 and 5, 2016) is the perfect time to take kids fishing or introduce someone to fishing. Have some fun, create new memories and spend quality time with your family and friends.

Travel to one of the hundreds of Iowa lakes, thousands of miles of rivers or a nearby pond for a few hours of outdoor fun and relaxation. 

Follow these simple tips to help your family have a fun and safe free fishing weekend.

Attend a fun, hands-on fishing clinic to learn the basics of fishing. A list of fishing clinics, derbies, and other fun events co-sponsored by the DNR is available on the special events page.

A small hook (size 6 or 8), bobber (size of a nickel and no larger than a quarter) and a worm will get you started. Bring something to get the hook out of any fish that you catch - needle-nose pliers work well.

Learn how to tie at least one basic fishing knot. The uni, palomar, blood and improved clinch knots are strong, reliable and easy to tie. For step-by step instructions and illustrations, check out our Knots Every Anglers Should Know.

Fish in the morning and evening; fish are more active during these times.

Fish like structure so they can hide. Fish in or around trees and stumps in the water. If you can see the fish, they can see or hear you, so try not to let your shadow scare the fish. Pinpoint panfish hotspots with downloadable fishing structure location maps available on the DNR’s Fishing Maps website.

Some species of fish have length and bag limits so make sure you know the fishing regulations.

Keep a bottle of sunscreen, a pair of sunglasses, and a hat with a brim in your tackle box to help protect you from the sun. Children fishing around deep or fast-moving water should wear a life jacket. Make sure the life jacket fits your child snugly and won’t ride up around their face.

If you are going to release the fish, handle it as little as possible and with damp hands. For more catch and release tips, see our 6 Tips for Catch and Release Fishing.

Commemorate your child’s First Fish with a frameable certificate. Submit your entry online .

Spring Fishing In Full Swing Across Iowa

Crappies and bluegills are biting in small ponds and lakes across Iowa. Spring panfish fishing is a great opportunity to introduce beginners of all ages to fishing.

“Late May and early June is an excellent time to take kids fishing since many species are spawning and do not spook as easily,” said Joe Larscheid, chief of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources Fisheries Bureau. 

“Parents can make the trip more memorable by bringing snacks, taking photos and celebrating each fish as if it were a record breaker,” said Larscheid. “Sharing and teaching fishing skills to our kids will help pass along this Iowa tradition.”

Look for any type of structure in the water, like rocks or a pile of brush or gravel to find bluegills or crappies. Bass will be around brush or boat docks or rock piles. Pinpoint panfish hotspots with downloadable fishing structure location maps available on the DNR’s Fishing Maps website.

“Keep the hooks, bobbers and bait small because panfish have small mouths,” Larscheid said. “The biggest problem we see is anglers using too heavy of line with large bobbers and hooks. Use as light of tackle as you can. I suggest using four pound line, a bobber the size of a quarter and a size 8 hook.”

"We have a lot of good opportunities close to home," Larscheid said. "Make sure a rod and reel are part of any weekend plans. Fishing makes memories that will last a lifetime."

Anyone catching their first fish is encouraged to take a photo of it and send it in to receive the DNR’s first fish award. The DNR will commemorate the event with a certificate suitable for framing with the submitted photo. Apply for a first fish certificate online.

Enjoy Iowa’s outdoors and spend some time fishing this spring. Find tips for catching crappie, bluegills and yellow bass on the DNR website.

Iowa Great Lakes Crews Net 25 Year Old Musky

Excitement and pride echoed through the Iowa Great Lakes fisheries netting crew in late April. “It is amazing that this male musky is alive and doing well in West Okoboji Lake 25 years later,” said Joe Larscheid, chief of the Iowa DNR’s Fisheries Bureau.

The fish was purchased by the Upper Great Plains chapter of Muskies Inc. in 1991 and stocked into West Okoboji Lake in April 1992 at an average length of 12.7 inches.

“Every muskellunge stocked in the Iowa Great Lakes was batched marked with a freeze brand so we know what year and lake it was stocked,” said Larscheid.

A few years after being stocked, the muskies grow large enough to be caught in the gill nets set out by fisheries staff at night in the spring. All muskies caught during the gill netting season are tagged with a Passive Integrated Transponder (PIT) tag which uniquely identifies these fish for life.  “Every time this fish is caught we record all information in our database which allows us to look up the individual recapture histories of each fish over time,” added Larscheid.

This 41.6 inch, 17.5 pound fish was originally tagged in 1994 and was recaptured in 1998, 2000 and 2006. It is one of the first groups of muskies held over the winter at the hatchery then stocked in the Iowa Great Lakes in the spring. “Based on the success of these fish we switched all of our musky stockings to spring yearlings which dramatically improved the survival and health of our musky populations in Iowa,” Larscheid said.

“To my knowledge, this fish is the oldest known-age muskellunge ever recaptured by fisheries crews in the Midwest,” said Jonathan Meerbeek, DNR fisheries research biologist.  Last year’s crews were impressed with their recapture of a 21 year-old, 41 inch male muskellunge. “Recapturing a 25 year-old fish of known age is almost unheard of,” Meerbeek said. 

The anal fin and right pelvic fin taken from this fish will be used in a known-age muskellunge research project that will assist managers interested in estimating muskellunge age across the country.

Spring and Summer Fishing Events

Whether you want to learn to fish at a clinic, compete for prizes at a tournament, or just have some fun, there is something for everyone. Activities vary at each event and may include fish identification, how to operate a reel, different ways to cast, knot tying, how to handle fish, bait presentations and different fish cleaning methods. 

5/13/2016

4:30 p.m. – Fishing Frenzy!, Grays Landing, Castana

5/21/2016

8 a.m. – HBFAKids Fishing 2016, Mississippi River Pool 19, Fort Madison

5/28/2016

10 a.m. – Youth Fishing Clinic, Lake Icaria Marina, Corning

6/3/2016

5 p.m. – Free Fishing Friday, Grays Lake, Des Moines

6/4/2016

8 a.m. – Central Park Annual Kids Fishing Derby, Center Junction

8 a.m. – Langwood Adventure Day, Langwood Education Center, Wapello

8 a.m. – Pleasant Hill Youth Fishing Derby, Copper Creek, Des Moines

8 a.m. – CARPFest, Grays Lake, Des Moines

8 a.m. – Northwest Iowa Outdoors Youth Fishing Derby, Little Sioux Lake, Correctionville

8 a.m. – Annual Lake Pahoja Youth Fishing Derby, Lake Pahoja, Inwood

8:30 a.m. – 17th Annual Cops N' Bobbers Fishing Clinic, West Des Moines City Hall Pond

8:30 a.m. – Family Fishing Clinic, Clear Lake, Ventura

9 a.m. – Brushy Creek Fishing Derby, Lehigh

9 a.m. – Kid's Fishing Day, Willow Lake, Woodbine

9 a.m. – Family Fishing Day, Riverside Park, Stacyville

9 a.m. – Youth Fishing Clinic, Ice House Point Park, Lake View

9 a.m. – Hook, Line and Sinker Fishing Derby, Newton Izaak Walton League

9 a.m. – Youth Fishing Clinic, Lost Island Huston Park, Ruthven

9 a.m. – Kids Fishing Seminar and Derby, Environmental Discovery Park North Pond, Muscatine

9 a.m. – Kids Fishing Clinic, Pinicon Ridge County Park, Central City

9 a.m. – Kids Fishing Derby and Clinic, Hawkeye Park Pond, Ankeny

10 a.m. – Lake Anita Kids' Fishing Day, Anita

10 a.m. – Youth Fishing Clinic, Davis County Pond 2, East of Bloomfield

11 a.m. – Scranton’s Kids Fishing Days, Scranton

3 p.m. – Kids Fish Iowa! Adventure, Lowe Park, Marion

6/5/2016

9 a.m. – Youth Fishing Clinic and Derby, Pollmiller Park Lake, West Point

4 p.m. – Family Fishing Fun, Glissman Pond, Adel

6/12/2016

1 p.m. – Kids Fishing Derby, Spring Lake, Jefferson

6/18/2016

8 a.m. – Pollmiller Kids Fishing, Pollmiller Park Lake, West Point

6/19/2016

Noon – Father's Day Float and Fish, Des Moines River, begins at Prospect Park

7/3/2016

9 a.m. – Manchester 150th Sesquicentennial, Tirrill Park, Manchester

7/23/2016

8 a.m. – Chatfield Kids Fishing, Chatfield Park, Keokuk

9 a.m. – Taste of Hope Fishing Derby, Lutheran Church of Hope pond, West Des Moines

10 a.m. – Youth Fishing Clinic, Southwood Conservation Area Pond, Smithland

Record Setting Spring Walleye Netting Season

11 lbs walleye netted  from East Okoboji Lake

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources’ spring fish spawning season is over and Iowa’s two walleye hatcheries are filled to capacity as netting crews collected enough walleye to produce 1,048 quarts of walleye eggs at the Spirit Lake hatchery and 846 quarts at the Rathbun hatchery.

Walleyes were caught at East Okoboji Lake, West Okoboji Lake, Spirit Lake, Storm Lake, Clear Lake and Rathbun Lake from April 3-13. The effort from all the lakes combined collected more than 249 million eggs.

This year’s walleye netting produced the highest number of quarts of eggs from Storm Lake since the walleye broodstock collection efforts began here in 1988.  “We collected over 640 quarts of egg this year,” said Ben Wallace, DNR fisheries biologist. “This beat our old record by 144 quarts.”

“We had a very large year class of 18 to 20 inch females show up last year and we saw them again this year and they’ve put on a little growth,” said Wallace.  “Egg collection at Storm Lake should be good for the foreseeable future provided we can maintain this year class of fish.”

A 30 inch female, estimated to be 13 years old, was brought through the Storm Lake hatchery. This fish was originally tagged in the hatchery in 2008 and was recaptured for egg collection in 2009, 2011, 2013 and 2014.

Crews at Rathbun Lake observed good numbers of smaller fish (<24 inches) this season, not seen in previous years.  “This is a great indication that walleye survival of recent stockings has improved compared to recent broodstock collections,” said Mark Flammang, DNR fisheries biologist. Lake Rathbun has a rich tradition of excellent walleye fishing with a consistent number of large walleyes (approaching or over 30 inches).  “The smaller fish netted this year are a welcome addition signifying a bright future for both anglers and netting crews.”

At Spirit Lake, fisheries staff netted over 2,400 walleyes on Big Spirit Lake and East and West Okoboji Lakes.  The Spirit Lake Hatchery also cultures muskie and northern pike and DNR personnel collected 226 muskies providing eggs for hatching. Northern pike were netted from Spirit Lake and Diamond Lake, producing over 823,000 fry, most of which have already been stocked.

With little natural reproduction by walleye in Iowa, walleye populations rely heavily upon stockings.  Walleyes are stocked throughout Iowa into natural lakes, interior rivers, flood control reservoirs, and selected larger man-made lakes. 

The DNR plans to release more than 149 million walleye fry in May. While the majority of walleyes are stocked as fry, some are cultured in Iowa DNR hatcheries and stocked at different sizes.  Over 1.1 million two-inch walleyes are expected to be stocked into lakes, rivers, and streams across the state this summer.  Larger 6-9 inch fingerlings (more than 340 thousand) will be stocked in lakes later this fall.

Teaching Outdoor Skills: Fish Iowa!

June 27 & 28, 2016 (100% attendance required for credit; assignment due July 14, 2016)
8:00 am – 6:00 pm; 8:00 am - 4:30 pm

DMACC West Campus (5959 Grand Avenue, West Des Moines)

Some sessions also at Raccoon River Park and Walnut Woods State Park

Registration Deadline: June 20, 2016
Registration Fee:

• 75 (includes materials and lunch only; no credit – email Barb.Gigar@dnr.iowa.gov to register)
• $100 (includes materials and 1 license renewal credit)
• $175 (includes materials and 1 EDMA graduate credit)

Electronic Registration for credit

This two-day workshop will acquaint participants with the Fish Iowa! fishing education modules and a variety of other resources to teach fishing in a variety of settings. Participants will learn fishing basics including fish identification, fishing locations, casting techniques and cleaning and cooking fish. Participant will experience pone (bank) fishing, lake fishing (including kayak, canoe and/or fishing boat), river fishing and fly-fishing.

 

Instruction will include a variety of demonstration and hands-on experiential approaches. Activities will also include peer teaching and small group work to develop appropriate teaching strategies for individual teaching situations.

 

The registration fee includes lunch, teaching module and an instructor kit. The materials will be provided in pdf format, so please bring a laptop or similar device with a USB port.

 

Please dress and be prepared for outdoor activities (sturdy shoes, weather appropriate clothing, hat, sunglasses, sunscreen, insect repellent, water bottle). Participants will cast, use fillet knives, navigate mildly rough terrain, board boats/kayaks and use compound bows. Anyone with concerns about activities should visit with the instructor prior to the workshop.

 

Lodging is on your own; camping is available at Walnut Woods State Park by reservation - reserve early. There are also several hotels (just north of the intersection of I235-I80/35.

 

For more information, contact: Barb.Gigar@dnr.iowa.gov; 515-494-3891.

 

 

Northeast Iowa Trout Stream Stocking Schedule

The popular annual stream trout stocking season begins April 4. This year’s trout stocking calendar, available on the DNR website, has a new look along with a few schedule changes from previous years.

Stocked streams will receive a combination of announced and unannounced stockings of catchable trout throughout the 2016 stocking season.  Previously, most stream stockings were either always announced or unannounced the entire season.  This year, more streams will have approximately half of their stockings announced and half unannounced. 

The DNR Trout Program strives to provide a diversity of trout fishing opportunities for Iowans, including announced catchable stockings, unannounced catchable stockings, fingerling stockings, wild populations, streams with restrictive regulations, easy universal access areas and remote streams with difficult access. 

Iowa’s three trout hatcheries produce and stock approximately 310,000 catchable-sized rainbow or brook trout and 110,000 fingerling brown trout into hundreds of miles of northeast Iowa streams April through October. A list of stocked streams is available on the DNR trout map or trout stream webpage.

Funding to support the trout stocking program comes from the sale of fishing licenses and trout fees. In 2014, nearly 39,000 Iowans and over 4,300 nonresidents spent over 430,000 days trout fishing. This year’s modified stocking schedule will help improve hatchery staff efficiency and ensure long-term sustainability of Iowa’s successful and growing trout program.

Anglers need to have a valid fishing license and pay the trout fee to fish for or possess trout. The daily limit is five trout per licensed angler with a possession limit of 10.

Weekly stocking information is available on the 24-hour trout stocking hotline at 563-927-5736.