Where do you consider good places to fish in IA

[anglerdave]

J58

Depends on where in IA you want to fish. He in the central portion of the state, the Raccoon River below Lake Panorama is wadable and has good smallmouth. If you have a canoe, I would try Lake Aquabi south of Indianola. This is a good bluegill lake.

Of course you can't beat the Driftless area in the Northeast for both trout and smallmouth bass.

Here in Des Moines, the Des Moines river is a pleasant paddle and you can expect to catch small and largemouth bass, white bass early in the morning and catfish anytime of the day. All on a fly rod.

[j58]

Most likely it would be in the Des Moines area mostly. But I definately like the trout in NE IA and I won't rule out anything.

Are you involved in any active fly fishing group up there?

Oh and one more thing, please tell me in the time I have been away that the situation with snakes has not changed and we don't have venoumous water snakes that have moved in up there? LOL, I know that may be trivial but I am really paranoid because now I am watching for cottonmouths, copperheads and rattler's now when I am out fishing. Not a real comfortable feeling for one who has a fear of snakes.

I have climbed to the bank for safety at the hatchery in Manchester when the water snakes were swimming my way, but they were just black water snakes, can you imagine my paranoia when I find out what creatures we have here. I didn't even mention the scorpians yet....

[This message has been edited by j58 (edited 24 August 2005).]

[This message has been edited by j58 (edited 24 August 2005).]

[anglerdave]

J58

Having lived in the Austin TX area for 16 years before moving back to Des Moines, I fully understand your concern for snakes. There was nothing like having a cottonmouth slither over the side of my jon boat or drop down from the trees to add excitement to a fishing trip.

There are no poisonous snakes here in the rivers. I am told there are timber rattlers down around Winterset but I have never encountered any.

I am not involved with any fly fishing groups. There is a local chapter of the Hawkeye Fly Fishing Federation that meets up in Ankeny which is 20 minutes norht of here. I think they are known as the Central Iowa Fly Fishers.

Gene Huges at 2nd Ave Bait in Des Moines can give you some good info on local groups and places to fish as well.

[j58]

Dave, oh yeah, I would have bailed on the boat! I have never had the pleasure yet of a up close a personal visit yet, and I hope to keep it that way for the hopefully short time that I will still be here. Since I fish alone a good share of the time now, I am really careful while I am out.

You must be from IA orginally the way you talk. I lived in the Des Moines area for 10 years. That is where I would probably want to go back to also. There are a lot of fishing opportunities there within an hour. However you had great rivers that I have not had the pleasure of getting on yet down there in the Hill country.

I long to get back up to northeast IA to trout fish. There are so many things I want to do again that I have missed. I will look forward to maybe meeting some of you once I get back down the road.

[Rick Z]

The ponds around here usually have bass, gills, crappie and catfish in them. Several have green sunfish, others have pumpkinseeds.

Rick

[anglerdave]

J58

Fortunately for Iowa, I am not a native son. My wife was born and raised in Des Moines.

[j58]

Dave, do you like IA now that you are there? I used to fish some up at Big Creek, a little at Saylorville. I never have fished the Des Moines or Raccoon Rivers. Over at Coon Rapids, there used to be the Garst Ponds. There were maps you used to be able to mail and get, I might still have one around. It showed the locations of the ponds. I don't know though from what I am finding on the web if they are still available.

I liked Red Haw at Chariton. I had a large bluegill that came out of there on a fly rod that put me in the record books and got me a signed, dated print that I had framed in 1993. [url=http://www.friendsofpr.com/dwife/DSC02234.JPG:3c4a3]http://www.friendsofpr.com/dwife/DSC02234.JPG[/url:3c4a3]

There is the state park in Indianola, Oskaloosa, Miami Lake at Louvilla some at Red Rock. Rock Creek in Kellogg. Those were the ones I went to the most.

I hope you enjoy IA, I can tell you after being away for awhile, although I hate winter, after this heat, the cold might feel good.

[j58]

Do any of you know about a new state park between Indianola and Des Moines? My son was telling me about it today and told me it used to be an old strip mine maybe, anyway he said he heard they will be stocking it with trout starting Sept.

Are you talking about banner pits?

[j58]

Thanks for the information. I had forgotten about Badger Creek and I have been out there several times, totally forgot about it.

How long ago was Big Creek drained? I am real excited about this Banner Pit place. Is there much bank access there or can you use a boat or anything? Trout fishing right outside Des Moines, wonderful!

I think I am ready to come back north. It will still be a little bit though before I can make the move, less than a year though. I never thought I would hear myself say that because I was really tired of winters when I left but maybe this unrelenting heat this summer as just done it. I am very ready for some cooler weather.

If you can think of anything else, I am printing this out so that I can add it to my fishing notes.