Iowa gets overlooked in walleye conversations, which is a mistake. The state has one of the best stretches of Mississippi River walleye water in the country, a natural glacial lake system in the northwest corner, and a set of interior reservoirs that produce consistently every spring.
It also has something Minnesota and Wisconsin do not: no closed walleye season on most waters, meaning the Mississippi River tailwaters fish through late winter and early spring while lakes to the north are still frozen.
The Mississippi River
The eastern border of the state, from Lansing and New Albin in Allamakee County down through Guttenberg, Dubuque, Bellevue, Clinton, Davenport, Muscatine, Burlington and Keokuk.
The river is divided into navigation pools by lock and dam structures, and the tailwater below each dam is the highest-concentration walleye water in the state during the pre-spawn.
Pool 9 (below Lock and Dam 8 at Genoa, Wisconsin, fished from Lansing and New Albin, Allamakee County) and Pool 10 (below Lock and Dam 9, fished from Harpers Ferry and Guttenberg, Clayton County) are the classic upper-Iowa walleye pools.
Pool 11 at Dubuque, Pool 12 at Bellevue (Jackson County) and Pool 13 at Clinton (Clinton County) continue the pattern south.
How the tailwater bite works
From roughly late February through April, walleye and sauger stack in the tailrace below the dams as they stage to spawn on the rock and rip-rap.
- Vertical jigging is the primary method. A 1/4 to 3/4 oz jig — heavier when current is strong — tipped with a fathead minnow or a soft plastic, held vertically below the boat and worked slowly along the bottom as you control your drift with the trolling motor.
- Three-way rigs with a floating jig head and a minnow, dragged along the bottom, work well in heavy current.
- From shore, the wing dams, the rip-rap along the lock walls where accessible, and the shoreline below the dams all produce.
Current speed drives everything. High water means heavier jigs and tighter boat control. The tailrace is also genuinely dangerous water — current, floating ice in early season, and commercial barge traffic. Wear a life jacket and stay well clear of the dam gates and any posted exclusion zones.
Sauger are common alongside walleye in the river and are frequently mistaken for them. A walleye has a white tip on the lower lobe of its tail and a clear spiny dorsal; a sauger has black spots on the spiny dorsal and no white tail tip.
The Iowa Great Lakes
Dickinson County, in the northwest corner: Spirit Lake, West Okoboji, East Okoboji, and the smaller connected lakes, based out of Spirit Lake, Okoboji, Arnolds Park and Milford.
These are natural glacial lakes, not reservoirs, and they are the best natural-lake walleye fishery in Iowa. Spirit Lake in particular is a major walleye producer and a state hatchery egg-take site.
Spring fishing here starts at ice-out, typically late March into April. Walleye move onto shallow rock and gravel shorelines to spawn, then stage on the first breaks. The pattern:
- Ice-out through spawn — shallow rock, often in under 10 feet, best at night and in low light. A jig and minnow, or a shallow-running stickbait cast from shore or a boat.
- Post-spawn into May — fish pull to the breaks and points in 12 to 20 feet. Jig and minnow, slip bobbers with leeches once the water warms, and eventually spinner rigs.
East Okoboji is shallower and stained; West Okoboji is deep and clear; Spirit is large and wind-swept. They fish differently enough that a bad day on one is often a good day on another twenty minutes away.
Clear Lake
Cerro Gordo County, at Clear Lake and Ventura, right off I-35. Shallow, wind-driven and heavily managed, with a strong walleye population supported by stocking.
Because the lake averages under ten feet, the whole basin warms fast and the spring bite arrives early. Fish the rock reefs, the shoreline rip-rap and the areas around the inlets. Wind direction matters enormously on a lake this shallow — fish the windblown shore.
The interior reservoirs
Saylorville Lake — Polk County, north of Des Moines, near Johnston and Polk City. A Des Moines River impoundment with a strong walleye population. Spring fishing centers on the upper end and the river channel as fish run up to spawn, and on the rip-rap along the dam.
Lake Red Rock — Marion County, near Pella, Knoxville and Otley. Iowa's largest lake, a Des Moines River flood-control impoundment. Turbid, current-influenced, and productive. The tailwater below the dam and the upper river arm are both spring hotspots.
Rathbun Lake — Appanoose County, near Centerville and Moravia. Cleaner than Red Rock, with a good walleye population and the state's largest hatchery on site.
Storm Lake — Buena Vista County, at Storm Lake. Shallow, fertile and heavily stocked.
Coralville Lake — Johnson County, near Iowa City and North Liberty — and Lake Macbride alongside it, both hold walleye.
Presentations for an Iowa spring
Jig and minnow. A 1/8 to 1/4 oz jig on lakes, heavier in river current, tipped with a fathead or a small shiner. This catches more Iowa walleye than everything else combined.
Casting stickbaits at night. Shallow rock and rip-rap after dark in April is a genuinely underused pattern on Iowa lakes and produces large fish.
Slip bobber with a leech. Once water passes about 55 °F, a leech under a slip float positioned precisely over a rock hump or a break is deadly.
Three-way rig. River fishing in current, dragging a floating jig or a small crankbait behind a dropper weight.
Spinner rigs and bottom bouncers. More of a summer method, but effective on the reservoirs by late May.
Light matters more than anything
Walleye have a reflective layer behind the retina that gives them a large advantage over prey in dim light. Two practical consequences:
Fish low light. Dawn, dusk and after dark are dramatically more productive than midday, especially on clear lakes like West Okoboji.
Fish wind and stain. A chop on the water and a few inches of stain do the same thing daylight-wise that dusk does. A windy overcast afternoon on Clear Lake or Storm Lake can fish like an evening.
Handling
Iowa spring walleye are caught in cold water, which helps survival substantially. Two specifics:
- Teeth and gill plates. Walleye will cut you. Grip across the top of the head behind the eyes, or use a lip grip. Do not slide a hand under the gill cover.
- Big females. Pre-spawn females are the most valuable fish in the population. Support the belly horizontally, do not hold a heavy fish vertically by the jaw, and put her back quickly.
Before you go
Iowa has length and creel limits for walleye that vary by water body, and several lakes — including some of the ones above — carry specific protected slot regulations. The Mississippi River has its own rules and, because it is a border water, reciprocal licensing arrangements with Wisconsin and Illinois that are worth understanding before you fish it. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources publishes the current fishing regulations and a weekly fishing report by region. Check both.
Check your regulations before you go. Seasons, size limits, slot limits, bag limits and access rules change and vary by individual water body. Confirm the current rules with the relevant state or provincial fish and wildlife agency. Nothing on this page is a substitute for that.
