| Ice fishing conditions are generally good in traditional areas but care must always be taken. Even in some traditional areas thin ice or even open water has been reported. If you have angling questions, please call Bellevue Fisheries Management at 563-880-8781. |
| Water level at Dubuque Lock and Dam is stable at 5.2 feet and the RR Bridge is at 7.8 feet. Water is clear with the temperature is around 33 degrees in main channel. |
| Northern Pike - Excellent: Pike fishing has been very good in the backwaters. Anglers often using large shiners with tip up's. |
| Walleye - No Report: Very difficult to get to the tailwater as boat ramps have iced in or subject to ice flows. |
| Black Crappie - Good: Anglers are often using tip downs with minnows for bait. |
| Bluegill - Excellent: Anglers are targeting the various harbor sites within the city of Dubuque. If you have airboats or hovercrafts several newly dredged backwater areas like Stone Lake and Tippy Lake have been good. |
Fishery is in good shape. Excellent spawn of yellow perch and walleye in 2015 bode well for the future. Lots of nice crappies up to 13 inches were caught in the fall. Northern pike numbers were very high and a substantial fishery for this species developed. Largemouth and smallmouth bass support excellent numbers and should provide a quality fishery for years to come. The Sunfish Lake habitat restoration project is complete and should provide quality angling well into the future. The next major restoration work with begin in Tippy's Lake and Stone Lake. (2016)
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 .