Do you like to fish? Most people enjoy fishing because they can get outside and explore the outdoors. Lots of fishermen like to fish for a good size fish that they can eat, or just catch and release, but they don’t want to travel very far. Iowa offers an abundance of amazing locations that are nearby where you can catch fish and also be out in nature. If you like to fish then these are some places you should add to your list.
Pleasant Creek Lake in Palo, Iowa, is sophomore Hudsyn Reyhon’s favorite because it is not too far away, and it offers a wide variety of fish species, and fish size. Although Reyhons doesn’t make it to Palo that often, he said that when he does it is always worth the trip. The palo lake holds many diverse species of fish, the most common ones are largemouth bass, black and white crappie, walleye, channel catfish, and sometimes you could get lucky and catch a musky. The Palo Lake is roughly 410 acres in total, with the deepest part being just under 20 feet deep. The lake features a lot of structure, like sunken trees, and rocks, as well as some bridge pilings in the deeper parts. When Reyhons goes to palo he tends to fish around the bank because that is where most of the largemouth bass like to hide cause most of the trees and structure are along the bank. From Mount Vernon to Palo Lake it is about 31 miles away, and takes 35 minutes to get there. Reyhons said “if I want to be able to fish close, and still catch some decent fish, I go to Palo.”
Another place to visit if you enjoy fishing is Lake McBride located in Johnson County, right by the city of Solon. This lake feeds into the Iowa River, which is also known as Coralville Lake. This lake features a wide variety of fish species such as largemouth bass, spotted bass, crappie, channel catfish, walleye, and striped bass. Clay Simpson, a junior, likes to fish this lake because there are a lot of opportunities to fish from the bank if you don’t have a boat. “The lake is not over-fished too much so you usually have a pretty good chance at catching some fish,” Simpson said. The lake is about 900 acres, has a causeway on one end of it with a small opening for boats to sneak through. The lake is just under 20 minutes away from Mount Vernon, and just over 13 miles. This lake is so popular because it offers an opportunity for any angler to get outside and test their skills at a beautiful public lake.
The next lake to fish is a little farther than the last two, it is Lake Rathbun, it is one of the largest lakes in Iowa, and is a great fishery to visit. This lake is great for off shore fishing in a fishing boat, but bank fishing is also a great way to catch fish on Rathbun as well. This reservoir is 11,000 acres, and the maximum depth is about 48 feet deep. Rathbun is 158 miles from Mount Vernon, or about 2 hours 50 minutes. Lake Rathbun holds many diverse fish species such as walleye, white bass, largemouth bass, channel catfish, and flathead catfish. Sophomore Calvin Crawford has visited this lake twice, and each time he loved it. He not only enjoys the fishing, he also loves the beautiful scenery. “The fishing is crazy,” Crawford said. “I just wish that Rathbun was a little closer so I could go more often.”
The final place to fish is not a lake, or a reservoir, it is a river, the Cedar River to be specific. The cedar river begins in Dodge county Minnesota, and ends in Columbus Junction Iowa where it meets the Iowa River, it then goes to the Mississippi River from there. The river is about 338 miles long, the deepest part of the river is near Cedar Falls and it is 102 feet deep! This lake offers many opportunities to catch large fish such as smallmouth bass, walleye, carp, drum northern pike sturgeon, channel, flathead, and blue catfish. “Around the Suttliff bridge,” according to Weston Haskell,”is the best spot to catch catfish.” Haskel likes this spot the most because it is close to his house, and he knows what to use to catch all species of catfish. This river has a strong current and lots of sandbars which is why smallmouth bass are so abundant in the cedar river.
In conclusion if you enjoy fishing or just want to get outside these locations are great places to go. Weston Haskell plans on going to the Cedar River this weekend fishing for catfish. “This will probably be the last time I get to go to the Cedar this year before winter,” said Haskell.
