Outdoors

Ready to get back on the trails once the cold snap lifts for some fresh air and excellent winter hiking in Iowa State Parks? Our park staff offers these tips to help you make the most of your snowy trek: “I always stress the importance of previsit scouting and research,” said Andy Bartlett, park manager at Ledges State Park near Ames and Boone...

Sticking a lively minnow in front of fish hasn’t really changed a whole lot over time. With all the technology, sonar, map chips and other tools to help us catch fish … there are times each winter when we have to go back to the basics. While the mantra lately has been a power fishing approach where we aggressively jig lures to break down water fast and try to contact the most aggressive fish, the opposite of that approach is sitting on key locations with a lot more of a patient and methodical approach with dead sticks. ...

For one reason or another, I’ve been unable to get on the ice for a couple of weeks. I’m guessing that warmer weather will provide the opportunity and encouragement to go ice fishing a few more times, but for now I’m doing a lot of remembering. Mostly I’m remembering past fishing trips. For 40-plus years, I’ve had the privilege of working in the fishing industry...

It’s that time of year for those two hated words: tax time! For sure, it’s not a fun time. It’s simply a duty that needs to be completed. On a positive note, on the Iowa State Tax form, there is a spot in Section 9: Tax Credits and Check-off Contributions, where we can choose to donate a specific dollar amount to the Chickadee Checkoff. ...

DES MOINES — A reminder to all anglers that the walleye fishing season on Spirit, East and West Okoboji lakes is only open through Feb. 14. It will close after that date and reopens on May 1. These are the only Iowa lakes that have a closed season for walleye...

DES MOINES — The Iowa Department of Natural Resources will host a virtual meeting at 6:30 p.m., Feb. 23, to review the recently completed hunting and trapping seasons, discuss possible changes to rules and regulations, and address other topics as requested and time allows...

Recent happenings have me thinking about and looking forward to open water fishing. A lot! The Super Bowl is over. College and high school basketball seasons are entering the homestretch. On a recent Sunday morning air temperatures at various locations across the Midwest ranged from 10 to 25 degrees below zero, and the wind was gusting up to 30 mph. ...

One of my favorite places to go on a winter ice fishing trip is the Northwest Angle on Lake of the Woods. The fishing is awesome, but there’s just something about going up to the Angle. You see, you have to travel through Minnesota into Canada, travel 40 miles in Canada and then back into Minnesota to reach the Angle...

While January is usually the driest month of the year, last month saw above-normal precipitation and above-normal temperatures across the state, according to the latest Water Summary Update. Temperatures averaged 4 degrees above normal for the month, with 1.27 inches of precipitation, 0.35 inches above normal. ...

Not long ago, the North American Ice Fishing Circuit’s qualifier was held on West Okoboji’s Emerson Bay. The ice, obviously was not nearly as thick as it is now, so contestants had to use ATVs, snowmobiles or walked to their fishing location. It was worth it, though, and the bluegills did not disappoint...

When you’re ice fishing, just like when you’re open water fishing, there are days when the fish get finicky. They might be finicky due to weather conditions, or it could be fishing pressure that has them closed-mouthed. Whatever the reason, just like in open water, there are some things you can do to get fish under the ice to bite even when they need some coaxing. Following are some of those things...

Remember back in 2006 when the nearly 5,000 feet of bulrushes in Angler’s Bay (from the Hale’s Slough Boat Ramp to the Sandbar Beach Resort property) were saved from private development through the efforts of the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation along with the assistance of local and non-local donors? Shortly after that, the INHF turned ownership over to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources to protect and implement a comprehensive conservation plan...

Last year, a little over 7,200 Iowa taxpayers helped boost wildlife conservation with donations to the Fish and Wildlife Fund on their state tax form, representing about 0.5% of total taxpayers in Iowa. “We are thankful for those who donated to wildlife conservation with their tax refunds as the funds go directly to habitat development and restoration programs for some of Iowa’s most vulnerable animal species,” said Stephanie Shepherd, wildlife biologist with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Diversity program.. ...

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources will host a virtual meeting at 6:30 p.m., Feb. 23, to review the recently completed hunting and trapping seasons, discuss possible changes to rules and regulations, and address other topics as requested and time allows...

If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s never too early to talk about spring walleye fishing. With the lakes locked up and frozen, many of us view spring fishing as some distant event. But to be honest, it’s all I think about. After what seems like an endless winter, I’m ready for spring and the fishing adventures that lie ahead...

Many years it’s hard to know when the ice fishing season is starting to wind down. Mother Nature controls that, and she does things her own way. Depending on where you live, some years we get to fish through a hole in the ice a couple of weeks into March. In other years, the season is winding down by late February...

The broodstock lakes of northwest Iowa offer anglers excellent walleye fishing opportunities. In addition, Big Spirit Lake, East Okoboji, West Okoboji and Storm Lake are home to the female walleyes that give up their eggs each year so Iowa’s hatcheries can raise the millions of walleye fry and fingerlings needed to maintain good fishing in Iowa...

The second annual Camp Autumn Ice Fishing Tournament and Fundraiser is set for Saturday, Feb. 13, with registration taking place at 9 a.m. and the fishing going from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The tournament will be held at Camp Autumn, a 30-acre private lake located about 13 miles southwest of Everly. ...

The paddlefish snagging season on the Missouri and Big Sioux rivers opens Feb. 1 and goes through April 30 (sunrise to sunset). Anglers fishing for paddlefish must have a valid Iowa fishing license, along with a special paddlefish license and unused transportation tag(s)...

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is offering a free virtual shed antler hunting course to individuals who have little to no shed antler hunting experience or would like to further improve their current skills. “If you haven't hunted for shed antlers at all or are looking to sharpen your skills, then this course is for you,” said Jamie Cook, program coordinator with the Iowa DNR...

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is launching a new event registration site that is part of the Go Outdoors Iowa system currently used for hunting and fishing licenses. The new site, at events.gooutdoorsiowa.com, is now home to hunter education classes, hunter education field days, boater education classes, learn to hunt/trap/shoot workshops, mentored opportunities, general outdoor skills workshops and more...

The mild early winter temperatures have been enjoyable, but they have also caused some ice issues on the area lakes. Generally speaking, the ice is 12-14 inches, but that’s not everywhere. That, in a nutshell, is the problem. The old adage “not all ice is created equal” really fits this year...

Some friends invited me to spend an afternoon on the ice with them on a recent mid-January day. The forecast was for temperatures in the 40s with some weather coming in the next day. That is often the formula for good fishing. In truth, though, that wasn’t the deciding factor for going fishing with my friends. ...

Iowa has about 45,000 acres enrolled in general Conservation Reserve Program contracts expiring this fall and all of it is eligible to reenroll as part of the recently opened 56th general CRP signup. The sign up is open through Feb. 12. The rules and eligibility requirements for this general signup are similar to the last one, where the cutoff was around 210 points. ...

A recently completed three-year study to better understand how Canada geese utilize metro Des Moines will be used to revise the Iowa Department of Natural Resources’ Canada goose management plan. Orrin Jones, state waterfowl biologist with the Iowa DNR, collaborated with Iowa State University to mark 71 urban and rural female Canada geese with GPS GSM transmitters and monitored their movements between 2018-20...

Although it seems like it just started, in many areas across the ice fishing belt, the ice fishing season is already at the midway point. In many places it’s been much warmer than usual, so travel on the ice has been limited. Despite that, there are lots of anglers on the ice, and numerous reports indicate that the fish have been cooperative...

As a college kid growing up in rural north-central South Dakota, I was enthralled with riding snowmobiles across the ditches and wide-open spaces. I can still remember my first one was a 1969 vintage 440 Arctic Cat Panther. It’d go way faster than I felt comfortable going, and I remember my brother-in-law taking it for a ride and going to the local lake. There he was challenged to a race and he came back saying, “Steve, your Cat was the fastest snowmobile there. It blew them away!”...

The National Association of State Park’s Directors has recognized the Iowa State Park Passport for extraordinary achievement among people, projects and programs in managing state park systems. NASPD awarded the State Park Passport with a Presidential Award for Corporate Partnership, honoring the leadership and innovation of Travel Iowa and Bandwango working alongside the Iowa Department of Natural Resources to create the successful passport program, especially engaging park visitors safely during the national pandemic.. ...

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources reached a milestone goal to plant at least 100,000 trees on state-managed lands in 2020. The tree plantings commemorate the 100th anniversary of the National Association of State Foresters, as well as the 100th anniversary of Iowa state parks...

Big northern pike have always fascinated me. While pike are indeed abundant across the Upper Midwest and beyond, big pike that surpass the 35-inch mark can be much more difficult to find. Trophy class pike don’t live everywhere and not every fishery can produce big fish but few fish get me as excited as big pike...

Avid ice angler John Crane and I talked on the phone recently. He has been doing a lot of ice fishing in his home area of north central Minnesota and on this particular day he had been after walleyes. After my usual questions of “wadja catch” and “wadja catch 'em on,” the conversation got a little more in-depth...

For the third consecutive year, the North American Ice Fishing Circuit will be holding one of its National Qualifiers on West Okoboji’s Little Emerson/Big Emerson Bay on Sunday, Jan. 17. Host bait shop will be Stan’s Bait and Tackle. The NAIFC tournament series, is the only tournament series that provides local anglers an opportunity to advance to a National stage. ...