| 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, ice thickness on much of Big Creek was 10 to 11 inches. There is a large area of open water mid lake. This band of open water arcs from the marina to the West Boat Ramp bay and back across the lake to the Ensign shelter. |
| Black Crappie - Fair: A fair population of large crappies is present in Big Creek if schools can be found. Catch crappies on glow jigs and glow spoons tipped with live minnows, minnow heads or wax worms in the evenings near brushpiles in water deeper than 15 feet. |
| Bluegill - Fair: Catch bluegills near sunken trees on waxworms and spikes. |
2023 fish surveys showed a good distribution of Largemouth Bass sizes from 9- to 19.5-inches. Bass are most abundant from 12.5- to 15.5-inches. There is a fair population of Smallmouth Bass found mostly in the lower half of the lake with sizes surveyed between 7- and 15.5-inches. Bluegills are topping out around 8.5-inches with fair number of 7- to 8-in fish. Crappie populations look very good. Black Crappies were surveyed at all sizes from 5.5- to 13-inches, with most in the 9- to 11-inch range. White Crappies surveyed were 6-to 12-inches. Hybrid Striped Bass have been stocked into Big Creek since 2016 to take advantage of the large gizzard shad population. Hybrid Striped Bass fishing has been good during the summer through early fall and even through the ice. Hybrids up to 24-inches can be expected. Walleye fishing is good, especially in April, May and June before the Gizzard Shad hatch. 2023 fish surveys showed a good distribution of sizes from 7- to 28.5-inches. Fry stocked Walleye had fair survival in 2023, so population numbers look to remain good. Channel Catfish are very abundant from 11- to 17-inches and good numbers of 18- to 30-inch fish. The Muskie population is fair. Muskie surveyed in 2023 ranged in size from 22- to 47.5-inches. Chances at 45- to 50-inch fish exist.(2023)
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 .