| Water temperature is back down in the lower 60's throughout the district. Levels are rising slightly. If you have angling questions, please call Bellevue Fisheries Management at 563-880-8781. |
| Water level at Dubuque Lock and Dam is rising slowly and presently is at 6.5 feet and the RR Bridge is at 8.7 feet. Water is clear with the temperature around 62 degrees in main channel. The main boat ramp at Spruce Creek park is still under construction. |
| Walleye - Good: Smaller walleye and sauger are along the rock lines. Use small spinners and jigs to pick up both walleye and sauger. Bigger fish can be located on the wingdams with crankbaits. |
| Black Crappie - Fair: It takes a bit of fishing in brush piles but a few crappie can be caught on minnow rigs. |
| Bluegill - Good: They are nesting in shallow sandy areas in the backwaters. |
| Channel Catfish - Excellent: Fish in moderate current areas in six feet or less of water. Blood bait or even live worms is the bait of choice. |
| Freshwater Drum - Excellent: Drum can easily be caught on egg sinker and worm rigs. |
| Northern Pike - Good: Pike fishing this winter and early spring was very good. An increase in the pike bite was noticeable the past few weeks. |
| Yellow Perch - Good: Some yellow perch are being caught in the tailwater areas on jig and worm rigs. |
| Largemouth Bass - Fair: Bass are starting to get active but it has been slower angling so far this year. They are in the midst's of spawning now. |
| Smallmouth Bass - Good: Smallies are showing up along the rock lines and can be caught with simple spinners or small crankbaits. |
Excellent Fishery! Mississippi River fisheries are varied with nearly 100 species of fish being present in each Pool. Pool 12 is especially noted for quality Largemouth Bass fishing, sunfish, crappie, and catfish. Some other fisheries are coming on strong as well including smallmouth bass and northern pike. Freshwater drum are always a staple and easy to catch in any moderate flowing current areas. Yellow perch can also be found in Pool 12 but often they are reported as "hit or miss". When found they can be abundant. The dredging of Stone, Tippy's, Sunfish and Keogh have really improved opportunities for angling in the middle and lower sections of Pool 12. (2025)
In nearly all cases, Iowa fish are safe to eat. Cleaning and/or preparing the meal causes most of the problems regarding taste or color of fish. Like all living creatures, fish are susceptible to diseases, parasites, and other naturally occurring conditions in the water. If you suspect your fish is affected by any of these conditions, do not eat it. Consider eating smaller and younger fish which usually have lower levels of contaminants than larger ones. Most contaminants accumulate in larger, older fish. For additional information, check out our resources for eating and cooking Iowa caught fish.
To learn more about fish tissue monitoring, visit our Fish Tissue Monitoring page .