| As of February 19, lakes and ponds in Central Iowa had 6-11 inches of ice. Ice is more variable south of Interstate 80. For information on Central Iowa lakes and rivers contact Ben Dodd at 641-891-3795 or Andy Otting at 515-204-5885. |
| As of February 19, Hickory Grove had ice thickness from 6 to 10 inches. |
| Black Crappie - Fair: Catch crappies in the late afternoon into the evening on jigging spoons with live minnows or minnow heads, or wax worms on glow jigs. Fish over cedar tree habitat or the submerged willow and cottonwood that grew while the lake was drawn down. This growth is mostly found on the portion of the lake between the South Boat Ramp and Snow Bunting Lodge. |
| Bluegill - Good: Catch bluegill on waxworms throughout much of the lake. The best pattern has been a late afternoon into evening bite over the dead willow and cottonwood trees that grew while the lake was drained. The portion of the lake with most of this habitat is between the Snow Bunting Lodge and the South Boat Ramp at depths greater than 12 feet. |
The fishery has developed very well since renovation work in 2020. Fishery surveys during 2024 found Largemouth Bass from 8- to 15-inches. The larger bluegills were 7- to 9-inches. Black Crappie numbers are good. Going into winter of 2024/2025 there is a nice group of 9.5- to 10.5-inch crappies. Channel Catfish have reached sizes up to 22-inches. Walleyes are abundant, with most fish being 12- to 14-inches.(2024)
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 .