Water temperatures have increased on the Mississippi River with the recent warm weather and water levels on the river have dropped and are beginning to stabilize. All pools, 16 - 19 have reported good catfishing on dew worms, minnows and stink bait. Many anglers are catching drum along the shorelines. In pool 16, there have been some good catches of bass in Sunfish Slough. Walleye and sauger fishing have been slow but with water levels stabilizing, the summer feeding frenzy should be beginning soon.

Fishing is good at Lake Odessa (Louisa) for crappies using minnows. Bluegills are being caught on worms and wax worms around brush and stumps. Fishing has been spotty for channel catfish on nightcrawlers and stink baits. Some bullheads have been caught on nightcrawlers.

Anglers at Lake Geode (Henry) are catching 10-inch crappies on minnows suspended 7 to 9 feet in 18 feet of water. Areas near the dam have proven best. Bluegills are being caught in spawning areas on worms and wax worms. Catfish anglers are having good success using nightcrawlers in shallow water. Sub-legal largemouth bass are hitting spinning baits and surface lures.

Anglers at Lake Darling (Washington) have been catching catfish in shallow bays on nightcrawlers and stink baits. Some anglers have had great success catching 1- to 4-pound fish by dipping their nightcrawlers in stink bait. Crappies are being caught on minnows in deeper water areas during the evenings. Bluegills are still spawning and can be caught in the spawning beds near shore.

Walleye are being caught at Lake Rathbun (Appanoose) on nightcrawlers in the Rolling Cove area. Anglers are catching crappies in deep water on jigs with minnows. Bluegill fishing is good at Lake Sugema (Van Buren) on ice fishing jigs tipped with wax worms. Largemouth bass fishing is excellent with many large fish being taken on top water lures in the early morning and late evening hours.

Fishing is excellent at Lake Wapello (Davis) for bluegills and redear sunfish around submerged structure using jigs tipped with waxworms. Channel catfish are being caught at Lake Macbride (Johnson) using nightcrawlers, stink bait and leeches. Walleye are biting on leeches in 4 to 10 feet of water. Anglers at Coralville Reservoir (Johnson) are catching white bass (14 to 17 inches) on jigs and small crankbaits fished around schools of gizzard shad. Walleyes/saugeyes have been biting around gravel and sandy areas on nightcrawlers and crankbaits.

Catfish and bullheads are biting at Otter Creek (Tama) on liver and leopard frogs. At Diamond Lake (Poweshiek), catfish fishing is good on stinkbaits and nightcrawlers. At Lake Iowa (Iowa), anglers are catching catfish on chicken liver in the evenings. At Union Grove (Tama), saugeyes are being caught on leeches and nightcrawlers. A few catfish have been caught in the evenings on chubs. Largemouth bass fishing is excellent at Pleasant Creek (Linn) on plastic worms. Some walleyes are being caught on leeches off of the points and flooded road beds.

On the Cedar (Muscatine), Iowa (Louisa), Skunk (Keokuk County to mouth) and Wapsipinicon rivers (Clinton and Scott), channel catfish are biting nightcrawlers and stink baits around rocky outcroppings and brush piles. Anglers are moving often for best results. Flathead catfish are being caught around brush piles on chubs, bullheads and sunfish. Freshwater drum are hitting nightcrawlers in rocky areas.

Anglers fishing farm ponds are catching bluegills on waxworms, worms and poppers. Largemouth bass are striking surface lures and spinners and channel catfish are biting on nightcrawlers and stinkbaits.

For specific information on fishing in the southeast district, call the district office at (319) 694-2430.