Dropping a line in the Cedar River in Charles City this week is almost guaranteed to be relaxing. Chances are good you won’t be pulling in many fish.While high water is plaguing the river, other nearby fishing spots have more promise.

Here are the latest fishing reports from the Iowa DNR for the Cedar River, Clear Lake and the Decorah trout streams:

Cedar River (above Nashua)

Water levels are on the rise with poor visibility. Watercraft activities are not recommended.
Walleye – Slow: Use a jig tipped with a crawler, minnow or twister tail. Channel Catfish – Fair: Catch catfish in the impoundments with dead chubs fished on the bottom. Smallmouth Bass – Slow: Use a variety of jigs or spinners near brush piles. Black Crappie – Slow: Crappie are keying into shallow rocky shorelines. Use small jigs tipped with twister tail or minnow.

Clear Lake

Surface water temperature is 73 degrees. Walleye – Good: Try a slip bobber and leeches or crawlers fished near the edge of vegetation in 3 to 6 feet of water. Yellow Bass – Slow: Use a small jig tipped with a piece of crawler at the edge of vegetation. Channel Catfish – Good: With recent rains, fish any spot where water is entering the lake with cut bait, chicken liver or crawlers. The best bite is late evening.  Largemouth Bass – Fair: Try a spinner or topwater bait in the open spots in the vegetation.

Decorah District Streams
Yellow wild parsnip is blooming. Wear long sleeved clothing when walking through it to prevent skin contact. Catchable trout are stocked weekly as weather and water conditions permit. Listen to the trout stocking hotline (563-927-5736) for daily plans. Brook Trout – Fair: A variety of aquatic and terrestrial insects, like ants and beetles, are more numerous. Use care not to spook a feeding fish. Brown Trout – Fair: Hendrickson, caddis, and cranefly hatches occurring. Use hendrickson, gnat or beadhead nymph patterns and watch the water boil. Pale yellow, black, brown, and grey colors work best.  Rainbow Trout – Fair: Try a piece of worm or small cheese chunk on a hook under a bobber in the deeper holes or floated past an undercut bank. A variety of small spinnerbaits also work.