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Posts: 28
Location: Sarell, MN | I have recently moved back to Iowa from MN and I'm not use to fishing for Muskies until June. So when do people start fishing on the lakes that do not have a close season. 3-Mile, Clear, Big Creek P.C.
Wouldn't mind meeting some of you on the water this year
Sean Knudson |
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Posts: 686
Location: Tomahawk, Wisconsin | If there is open water in Iowa I would get out on the water brother!!!!!! Fish if you can!!!!! Talk to IAJUSTIN and see whats happening if the waters are open. |
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Posts: 28
Location: Sarell, MN | Thanks Muskydr, I will have to e-mail him. I am pretty sure that there is open water on 3-Mile and Big Creek. |
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Posts: 686
Location: Tomahawk, Wisconsin | Ask him about the slobosaurus that he caught last April!! P.C. |
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Posts: 2015
| PC is locked tight - usaully 2nd week of March before its open
Three mile was open (friend was there.. nothin)....its been #*^@ cold the last few days |
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Posts: 214
Location: Central Iowa | The forecast doesn't look too good either, the ice is going in the wrong direction now. |
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Posts: 772
Location: Ames, Iowa | Most lakes below hiway 20 are open- Big Creek was about fully open by third week in Jan, but may freeze up with these cold nites- but they will lose that ice sooner rather than later. Unless northern IA, ice fishing is over on the bigger lakes. I'll get to Big Creek, and would like to get to Brushy Creek this spring.
Don |
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Posts: 1185
Location: Iowa | Anybody else from Iowa getting real pissed with the weather we are having...not 3 days ago it was 63 degrees here...today it was 1 degree Farenheit...quite a differenc in temperature...I wish it would be 1 season at a time...not 2...
Big Perc |
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Location: In the slop! | I agree, could have done without this cold-snap. |
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Posts: 214
Location: Central Iowa | yep, just when I thought we were getting some decent weather...BAM 0 degrees, so now I'm back to my cabin fever depression. This sucks. |
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Posts: 1185
Location: Iowa | Not looking too promising for the rest of the month either...nothing too spectacular for a while either at least in the 10 day forecast...a couple days around 40 but rain/snow mix on those days...definetly not enough to open the lakes up...f#$king Iowa anyways...sometimes I hate this d@mn state...
Big Perc |
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Location: Minneapolis, MN | LoL BigPerc. Funny how the grass is always greener somewhere else. You hate IA and I can't wait to get to IA because there's no way I could make it to June. If I had to wait til June I'd be on suicide watch. |
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Location: Iowa | Don't get me wrong...I love Iowa for the Deer, Turkey and Pheasant Hunting but come this time of yeat is pisses me off...it's like it is 2 seasons trying to be 1...just venting my frustration...won't be long now... |
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Posts: 214
Location: Central Iowa | Anyone now if 3 mile or Big Creek are open? 3 mile has to be close. |
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Posts: 1185
Location: Iowa | Big Creek still had thick white ice as of last Friday...should start to go though with these warm temperatures this week...3-mile has to be there if not real close...
Big Perc |
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| Hey, cool chat site, it's neet to see some guys fishing the lakes I like. I'm soon to be moving to Mason City(from Waterloo) and the three hour drive I have to get to Three Mile will be more like 4. I was wondering if anyone has fished Clear Lake, and if so if you thought it had a decent population of muskies in it. I have to find something to musky fish or I'll start getting withdrawals. I won't be far from Brushy Creek but I haven't fished it with too much success thus far. I also heard Volga Lake had muskies in it now and I wonder if anyone can confirm that. If so it'd be cool to stop by after tagging a gobbler, and stick a musky or two! Hope you guys can get on the water soon, and show those Iowa muskies who's BOSS.
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Posts: 1185
Location: Iowa | Musky-Skunk,
Clear Lake does have a healthy population of muskies in it they are just hard to contact since the lake gets so much fishing pressure as is...it's a great day out there if you just see one much less catch one...my buddy caught his first muskie ever there (a fat 35" fish on a crankbait)...the lake lacks a lot of stucture making it difficult...it's kinda like a bowl...there are some reefs but they are usually so packed with walleye or yellow bass guys that it makes it really hard to fish effectively...you have to find spots that no one really fishes hard...spot on the spot type things and even then if your lucky you might see one...I have had a couple follows and a couple close calls but never landed a fish from Clear Lake...it is better in the spring and fall as the water temps in the summer dance around that magical mark of 80 degrees making it hard to succesfully catch and release a muskie...the forage bass on Clear Lake consists of yellow bass, bluegill and all the bullhead you can imagine...its not uncommon to see black clouds swimming just under the surface...that means its time to cast around there cause there is usually a muskie near by...my best advice to anyone fishing Clear Lake would be to follow the yellow bass fisherman...we have seen muskie take yellow bass off peoples line while fishing there...My grandparents live in Mason City so I was up there quite a bit with my buddy a couple of years ago to fish Clear Lake...been kind of difficult lately with college just getting finished and internships taking over the summers...as far as Brushy Creek, goes I have never fished it but would like to sometime this spring or next fall...3-mile can be real tough or it can be amazing...I personally have never even seen a fish there but I have friends who have had multiple fish days...I have caught a few real nice bass...I have been told fishing the deep timber produces but it can be costly on the tackle box...make sure you have a lure retriever...Pleasant Creek is probably the best muskie lake in Iowa...my buddy had a 5 fish day over there a couple of years ago...I have seen some d@mn nice fish there and was with my buddy when he had a 3 fish weekend...great structure with a forage base of shad...find the schools of shad and your bound to at least see a fish...Lake Hawthorne has muskies in it but they quit stocking it last year and started stocking some other lake...never seen a fish there...its a real hard lake to fish...kinda like 3-mile but smaller...caught one of the biggest bass of my life there though...Big Creek is probably the toughest lake in Iowa to fish as far as muskie go...I fish this lake most often due to its closeness to home(I am from Clive) and have only seen a couple of fish in the 3 years I have been fishing it...there are so many d@mn carp in the lake and it is so heavily pressured that it is almost impossible to fish with success...all the bass and walleye guys think they own the lake and will stop at nothing to barge into the spot you are fishing...personally I don't think it is worth your time to drive from Mason City to fish...Clear or Pleasant are probably your best shots...if I wasn't so far from Pleasant Creek I would fish it all the time...good luck and look me up if you are ever in the area...pm me or something...
Big Perc
Edited by Big Perc 3/3/2006 2:53 PM
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Posts: 772
Location: Ames, Iowa | Interesting thread. For the last few years, some nice 44-46 inch spring muskies have consistently come off the beach area at Big Creek. Big Creek is best fished on a weekday. Its true, any other time you battle the bass fishermen and the pontoon boats. At work, I'm 17 miles from the ramp. School gets out at 315, leave the parking lot and be on the water in a half hour. Clear Lake is relatively close, but I can drive another 75 minutes north and launch on a lake that has a high population of 40 inch muskies. Unless I want to target walleyes, smallies, and catfish, I'm gonna have to hear better news coming from Brushy and Clear before investing valuable time pursuing muskies there. I think the future for muskies at Brushy is particularly promising. Perc- I'm waiting to read the reports from the guys at the big Brushy outing this May.
Don |
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| Big Perc, thanks for the Clear Lake info, I'll have to give it a try once I get moved up there (after college graduation). As far as PC goes I believe it has some dandy fish in it with all the shad and going by DNR stocking reports. I've fished it three afternoons after class/work and personally haven't seen a musky(except once bass fishing), and usually count somewhere around 15-35 boats depending on the time of year. Beautiful lake but being between Waterloo and Cedar Rapids makes for some serious traffic issues, but I'll still fish it from time to time(haven't really givin it a fair chance yet). Hawthorne annoyed me ever sense I seen some bank fisherman kick about a 28"er up on the bank for dinner, and 10 minutes later some guys put about a 7 lb bass on a stringer. I quess growing up with catch and release makes it difficult to tolerate others. Three Mile is by far my favorite musky lake in the state and unfortunatly the three hour drive means I only get to fish it about 1 or two weedends a year. Usually after seeing no fish Saturday, and Sunday to around noon, we figure out the location and start getting lots of follows and hookups, then at 4:00 it's time to head out and I'm dreaming of what would happen if I had ONE MORE DAY, oh well. I would like to go there for a week but I hate to give up trips northward, maybe I should get into teaching and solve this vacation problem, hehe. As far as Brushy Creek goes I agree with dj, I fished it about three days last summer and seen/caught muskies two of the days. I don't see many fish yet and only a few seem to be big so far, but there is a lot of food and cover in that lake and if it is continued to be stocked I think the musky fishery could boom. I do believe that lake lives up to its brushy name and has three mile beat by a ways, which is saying a lot. When the fish are hugging the shore or weeds in spring and early fall you can reach them pretty easily, but when they move out and suspend in the standing timber it can be a real nightmare trying to cast and work your baits through it. Anyways, hope you guys down south can start pestering those muskies, they've had a long enough breather as far as I'm concerned. Catch a BIGGIN for me.
Andy S. |
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Posts: 1185
Location: Iowa | 3-Mile: OPEN!!!!! 41 degree water temps...
Big Creek: 50% ice covered...don't know water temps...
It's muskie time...Thursday...10:30 am, 3-mile...the 2006 season starts...can't wait...time to stick a piggie...
Big Perc
Edited by Big Perc 4/18/2006 7:54 PM
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Posts: 1185
Location: Iowa | Was out on 3-Mile 3/17/06 ...we had a 40" class fish up to the boat in the first 15 minutes...swiped and missed twice but gave up a real good look at her...then with about a 1/2 hour left I had one swirl up on my bait and miss also...water temps were 42.3 consisently...it was a great day on the water...can't wait to get out again...prolly won't be for a while though with this cold weather they are predicting for this week...and I start my job 3/27/06...weekends only for me from then out...
Big Perc
Edited by Big Perc 4/18/2006 7:55 PM
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Posts: 28
Location: Sarell, MN | Big Perc, congrants on the job. I was thinking of heading down to 3-Mile on Sat April 1st. I hope the weather gets better by then. |
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Posts: 1185
Location: Iowa | Anybody been out in Iowa lately...I have a couple times but nothing to show for it...just curious how everyone else is doing...
Big Perc |
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Location: Eagle Grove, Iowa | Big perc,
Go to palo they are getting them every cast over there, All the other lakes suck!!!!!! |
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Posts: 27
Location: Central, IA | Fished PC hard last friday. Met up with a few other anglers, and apparently the Madison chapter of MI was having an outing there last saturday. We didnt see any fish and I didnt hear/see of anything caught friday. Water Temp got up to high 50's througout the day.. |
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Posts: 785
| April 1st I got a 38"er at BC, and lost about a 32" walleye. Been to Palo a couple week nights since and haven't seen much more than a couple of nice sunsets. Lost my favorite crankbait, and the bait knocker came in the mail a few days later. I'm starting to think all this PC talk is to confuse the gullible anglers such as myself  . Going to the Mile this weekend and maybe something will be goin' on down there.
Good fishing, and God bless |
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Posts: 1
| Hey Sean,
How's the muskie fishing where you are. By the way, where are you? I got a car in on trade the other day that had a map of Iowa and I immediately thought of you. I hope everything is going alright. Hope you find another favorite crankbait. Ha!
Take care and good luck fishing!
Eric Winscher
P.S. What's your email address? This is the only way I found ya! Mine is [email protected]. I still have those chairs- they're perfect for the band!
PSS I accidentally posted this on another guys profile thinking it was you. How awkward! |
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Posts: 28
Location: Sarell, MN | Eric,
I sent you an e-mail |
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Posts: 785
| First 40"er of the season and she's bueatiful, been seeing some big girls but havin some trouble connecting. Turkey huntings been getting in the way lately but thats a tradeoff I'm willing to make  |
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Posts: 28
Location: Sarell, MN | Musky-Skunk,
Congrat on the fish, I am still waiting for my first Iowa fish. Was only out about a handful of times last yr. No time with moving and the new job, but I hope to change that this yr. Heading to Brushy Creek on Sunday. |
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Posts: 457
Location: Minneconia | Let's see some pics skunk. |
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Posts: 785
| Dirt Esox, this ones for you.
Attachments
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 big fish.JPG (89KB - 134 downloads)
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Posts: 5
| Nice site, can't wait to view it more! My muskie fishing this year has been non existant, but hopefully that will change soon. Notice a few of you from ioo too! |
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Posts: 19
Location: North Central Iowa | Nice fish!!! |
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Posts: 772
Location: Ames, Iowa | Was that fish caught on Big Creek or Brushy Creek? That is a healthy looking muskie.
Don |
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Posts: 785
| Thats a Brushy fish, things were going well there and at Three Mile but in the last couple weeks its taken a nose dive and I've been lucky to even raise a fish. I wasn't exactly tearing things up before that but was at least seeing some good fish. The water is actually 4 degrees colder than it was 4 weeks ago so it can't help. Sorry the pic is so HUGE, I had 2 instructors and a fellow student trying to help me put it up so just be amazed we did it. Starting my new job the 22nd, so that will put an end to my free time. Not many post lately, fishing must be absolutely rotten, or the fish are bitting like crazy and y'all are bein lock jawed. That or you have jobs |
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