DNR fishing report - week ending Sept. 5

BY PCC STAFF

LEE COUNTY - The following is the Iowa Department of Natural Resources fishing report for southeast Iowa for the week ending Sept. 5, 2018.

Big Hollow Lake Bluegill - Slow: Anglers are picking up a few bluegills at around six feet. The fish seem to be pretty scattered, so move around or drift troll to find them. Largemouth Bass - Fair: Anglers are catching some decent bass early in the morning in the flooded timber on soft plastics.

Iowa River (Columbus Junction to Mississippi River) The Iowa at Wapello has been slowly rising for the last couple of days and according to NOAA's forecast is going to continue to rise for a few more days to a couple more feet.Channel Catfish-No Report:With the rising water, it’s a good time to try the mouths of some of the feeder creeks. Use caution when navigating a rising river.

Lake Belva Deer Water temperature isin the upper 70's.Black Crappie-Fair:Try slow trolling or drift fishing by the beach and towards the dam.Largemouth Bass- Slow: Workthe tops of the mounds at the upper end of the lake.Channel Catfish - Good: Anglers continue to catch the catfish. Try along the rip-rap around the lower end of the lake and on top of the mounds at the upper end.

Lake Darling Water temperature was 76 degrees on Aug. 30. Water level is up because of the heavy rains, but still has a green cast to it.Bluegill- Fair:Drift for crappies; don’t be surprised if you pick up a few nice bluegills, too.Black Crappie- Fair:Drift over the rock piles in 8 to 12 feet of water.Channel Catfish-Good: Anglers continue to catch catfish. It’s a good time to fish the weirs in the in-lake silt dams as the water from the recent and forecasted rains come into the lake.

Lost Grove Lake Black Crappie-Fair:Deep trolling (20 to 25 feet) continues to produce some crappies. With the water starting to cool down, hopefully it won’t be too long before they start moving shallow again.Largemouth Bass- Fair:Anglers are catching some pretty nice bass in the flooded timber.

Skunk River (Coppock to Mississippi River) The water level in the Skunk jumped up a couple of feet with the rain earlier this week, but is headed back down until we get more rain forecast for the end of this week.Channel Catfish-Slow: Haven’t seen much angler activity on the Skunk River this week, but up and down river levels make it hard to figure out what the fish are doing day to day.

Mississippi River Pool 19 Tailwater stage is4.83feet at Lock and Dam 18above Burlingtonand isrising.Current predictions have the river reaching 7.1 feet next week.We have not received any fishing report information for this pool this week.Channel Catfish- No Report: Usedip baits or shadaround brush piles and snags along the side channels and main channel.

River stages have been on the rise with the recent heavy rains. Main channel water temperature is around 76 degrees. Water clarity is fair to poor.If you have questions on fishing Pools 16-19, contact the Fairport Fish Hatchery at 563-263-5062.

For more information on theabove lakes and rivers, call the Lake Darling Fisheries Office at 319-694-2430.