Jim McDonnell
03-14-2004, 09:27 AM
BIG SPIRIT LAKE continues to produce crappie, perch and bluegills in the Footbridge area, Templars Lagoon and Anglers Bay. Wax worms on a small jig or a slip bobber and small minnow will catch you some fish on most days. Late afternoons are producing the fastest action, but on those special days, the bite can be all day. Ice conditions are still good for foot travel or an ATV. Be careful around points and current areas.
WEST OKOBOJI has a pretty good bluegill, crappie and perch bite going in Millers Bay and the north end. Also check out Eagle and Pocahontas Points. For the bluegills, use small jigs tipped with wax worms or Gulp Grubs.
THE LINN GROVE DAM continues to produce walleyes, carp and catfish. 1/8 oz. jigs tipped with a Power Grub or Gulp Minnow have been good producers. Roach rigs with a small chub is another good choice.
THE PETERSON HOLE, just west of the town of Peterson, is another good staging hole for catfish and walleyes. On color, try white, chartruse or orange.
Some of our smaller lakes, such as SILVER LAKE at Ayrshire, LITTLE CLEAR, ELK, TRUMBULL, VIRGIN AND PICKERAL have open water almost completely around the shorelines. Several more warm days, rain or winds will take the ice out on these smaller lakes.
The dams on the Missouri River at Yankton, Pickstown and Chamberlain have a fair walleye bite going that should continue to improve. Cold fronts and high winds on the prarie can make fishing difficult. The bite is usually better during the week when the Corp of Engineers run water through the turbins. Weekends have heavy boat traffic and less water running which in turn makes for a tougher bite. Fireball Jigs and minnows are good producers.
Keep a tight line and may your aim be straight. Jim McDonnell is a professional fishing guide on the Iowa Great Lakes. He is an avid hunter, trapper and free lance outdoor writer in the northern Iowa, southern Minnesota and eastern South Dakota area.
WEST OKOBOJI has a pretty good bluegill, crappie and perch bite going in Millers Bay and the north end. Also check out Eagle and Pocahontas Points. For the bluegills, use small jigs tipped with wax worms or Gulp Grubs.
THE LINN GROVE DAM continues to produce walleyes, carp and catfish. 1/8 oz. jigs tipped with a Power Grub or Gulp Minnow have been good producers. Roach rigs with a small chub is another good choice.
THE PETERSON HOLE, just west of the town of Peterson, is another good staging hole for catfish and walleyes. On color, try white, chartruse or orange.
Some of our smaller lakes, such as SILVER LAKE at Ayrshire, LITTLE CLEAR, ELK, TRUMBULL, VIRGIN AND PICKERAL have open water almost completely around the shorelines. Several more warm days, rain or winds will take the ice out on these smaller lakes.
The dams on the Missouri River at Yankton, Pickstown and Chamberlain have a fair walleye bite going that should continue to improve. Cold fronts and high winds on the prarie can make fishing difficult. The bite is usually better during the week when the Corp of Engineers run water through the turbins. Weekends have heavy boat traffic and less water running which in turn makes for a tougher bite. Fireball Jigs and minnows are good producers.
Keep a tight line and may your aim be straight. Jim McDonnell is a professional fishing guide on the Iowa Great Lakes. He is an avid hunter, trapper and free lance outdoor writer in the northern Iowa, southern Minnesota and eastern South Dakota area.