| Most ice in the district is anywhere from 5 to 9 inches thick and covered with several inches of snow. Even with the recent cold weather, ice conditions have not improved and many lakes have open water pockets. Use caution if venturing out. For more information, contact the Black Hawk District office at 712-657-2638. |
| Anglers have been out on the north end. Conditions are more variable elsewhere on the lake with thin ice and open water to watch out for. Use caution if venturing out and check ice often as you move around. |
| Black Crappie - Fair: Fish are being picked up on the north end in 20 plus feet of water. |
| Bluegill - Slow: |
| Yellow Perch - Fair: |
Brushy Creek consistently produces good fishing for bluegill, crappie, walleye, largemouth bass and muskie. Yellow perch are a bonus and good numbers can be caught at times. Brushy Creek is home to very large walleye and many 40-inch plus muskie. The catfish population has lot of large individuals. Sampling has shown many channel catfish over 10 pounds. Brushy Creek is deeper than most lakes in the region, so water temperatures warm and cool slower here. Because of its depth, Brushy can thermally stratify, so avoid fishing in areas deeper than 16 to 20 feet during the summer heat. Brushy Creek has more habitat that an angler can fish in a day. Look for areas where multiple habitat types meet. For example, fish areas where you find a weed line running into standing timber next to a rocky point. After the first week in July when the curly leaf pondweed dies back, look for any remaining green vegetation and fish around it.(2020)
In nearly all cases, Iowa fish are safe to eat. Cleaning and/or preparing the meal causes most of the problems regarding taste or color of fish. Like all living creatures, fish are susceptible to diseases, parasites, and other naturally occurring conditions in the water. If you suspect your fish is affected by any of these conditions, do not eat it. Consider eating smaller and younger fish which usually have lower levels of contaminants than larger ones. Most contaminants accumulate in larger, older fish. For additional information, check out our resources for eating and cooking Iowa caught fish.
To learn more about fish tissue monitoring, visit our Fish Tissue Monitoring page .