Iowa fishing reports

Iowa River Surging at 16,500 cfs — Work the Edges for Walleye and Catfish

USGS gauge 05465500 put the Iowa River at 16,500 cfs on May 1 — elevated spring flows that are pushing fish out of the main channel and into current breaks, wing dams, and slack backwater pockets. No in-stream temperature is available from the gauge, but early May typically brings river temps into the mid-50s to low-60s°F range across central Iowa, signaling the tail end of the walleye post-spawn and the ramp-up of channel catfish activity ahead of summer. Wired 2 Fish reported that a central-Iowa bass angler found fish active on a local lake in 42°F water in early April right after ice-out; with temperatures climbing several degrees since that report, bass should now be transitioning into pre-spawn staging mode. The full moon on May 2 is worth planning around: walleye and catfish typically increase feeding intensity during low-light periods around the full moon, making dusk-to-midnight windows prime on both the Iowa and Des Moines Rivers.