LARGE MOUTHED BASS are a very sought after fish. Probably more time, effort and money is spent each year on equipment, fishing tackle, vehicles and boats dedicated to bass fishing than any other species. Seeking out and finding bass, of any size, and if lucky, having a big bruiser of a fish like today’s image take the lure, spells excitement of the highest order. Fishermen and women who strive to put in a lot of fishing time know who important each outdoor adventure becomes when elusive large mouthed bass are the target for the day.

Sand Lake’s fish species living there includes a lot more than largemouth bass. One can find walleyes, some of pretty good size. Thousands of walleye fry have been stocked here by DNR fisheries bureau employees. Bluegill are present also, and added bonuses are yellow perch, crappie, white bass, green sunfish, carp, quillback carpsucker, big mouth buffalo and catfish. It is inevitable that whatever species of fish my forage in the Iowa River will, at flood times, find the outlet pipes or other overflow points to allow a variety of species to enter the waters of Sand Lake.

Ron Hartwig has been an ardent fisherman for a long time. His equipment list will attest to that. The miles on his truck will attest to that. The number of different water bodies his boat has been on will attest to that. The number of people he has shared fishing excursions with will attest to that. Taking guests with him adds spice to any outdoor adventure on the water. When the bass in today’s column indicates, Hartwig was debating which lake to go to. His friend did not want to spend hours on the road, no matter what direction Hartwig was going to point the truck. So to save time, they went east one mile to Sand Lake. As it turned out, that choice of a water body to fish at was the right choice.

Sand Lake was acquired in 1999. A total of 95 acres of water and land were purchased from the Martin-Marietta Corporation. The portion they sold was former sand and gravel sites in which the products they desired were not available anymore. Over time, the sands they needed to bring to the surface had to be found under the lands further to the west. The left these eastern portions available. The Marshall County Conservation Board was interested in furthering outdoor recreation and fishing opportunities close to Marshalltown. It was a natural fit, a good acquisition that has yielded an untold number of hours of outdoor fishing fun over the last decade and one-half.

Of the total acreage of 95, about 50 acres are water bodies in four different pools. The pools are interconnected at the surface for two of the four. All are geologically connected hydraulically by underground sand and gravel layers. A brochure and map of Sand Lake is available at the MCCB office located at the Grimes Farm Conservation Center. Pick one up and learn more about this great outdoor escape public area.

Geologically the reason the Sand Lake area has so much sand, enough quantity that allowed mining of the product, all stems back to a long run of glaciers coming and going. Over tens of thousands of years of heavy summer water runoff from glacial ice margins further north, to locked up water each winter in long frozen lock downs, surface lands accumulated many layers of water sorted sands and gravels. These particle sizes were easily moved by fast flowing rivers of water. During those glacial times, summer runoff of water filled the entire ancient Iowa River floodplain all summer long. Winters were relatively dry due to long cold winters freezing any runoff from happening.

A huge factor for sand accumulations is the junction of a major tributary to a river. Such locations are where engineers will conduct test core drilling in attempts to locate large quantities of sand for construction needs. In this case, Linn Creek’s watershed contributed huge amounts of soil erosion materials from its beginning points near what is now State Center. That watershed alone has 66.8 square miles. The Iowa River watershed above Marshalltown is 1,532 square miles. Where they meet is the area now called Sand Lake.

Sand excavations typically went as low as 32 feet before the clays of other subsoils told the dredge operator to go no deeper. On average, the depths of the major pools of water at Sand Lake are 30-32 feet deep. Fish will be found in the top 10 feet of water only. Below that level water has too little oxygen for fish survival. Each summer a thermocline develops in quarry pit waters similar to Sand Lake. Sunlight, wave action and aquatic organisms can only live where there is enough dissolved oxygen … the top 10 feet of the water column. Below 10 feet and all the way to the bottom 20-22 feet more, the water is inky black, cold and devoid of air for fish.

Maybe you will be lucky someday when fishing at Sand Lake. Enjoy your time near or on the water. Fish often. Relax and enjoy the day. And enjoy a big bass if it hits your lure. Of course anyone is welcome to send photos to me for possible fish tales of the future. Thanks in advance.

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Last week, I told about young turkey poults and how they entered the world. Since then I have heard of a few more turkey sightings. If your see turkey hens and her young, do write down the time, place and number of young you observe. Send the data to me, if you wish, at P.O. Box 96, Albion, Iowa 50005. I’ll forward it to the DNR upland game researchers at Boone.

PHEASANT young are next on this scribe’s want to see list. I was not disappointed. Along a roadside near a state wildlife area known as the Colo Bogs Complex a few miles west of State Center, I spied my first young pheasant chicks. That happening took place earlier this week. Slowly driving back roads early in the morning will be one method of looking for pheasant hens. They will be trying to dry off after a night of heavy dew. In fact, DNR crews of officers and biologists will conduct roadside surveys the first two weeks of August on 217 standardized routes statewide. Each route is 30 miles long.

Roadside game counts on these standard routes is the way to estimate populations of pheasants, quail, rabbits and gray partridge. Last winter’s relative mild conditions should have a positive on pheasant survival. An uptick in route data will be present if this is true. Time will tell. And report of rooster pheasants this spring are an indication of missed opportunities last fall. It is good to see these wild birds surviving in spite of all the factors that seem to work against them.

During 2014, harvest increases were noted i Iowa for pheasants by 30 percent. Of course this is coming off a very low end of the population cycle so any increase is worth noting. Quail in southern Iowa also had a 23 percent increase, cottontail rabbit up also by 28 percent and squirrels up 23 percent. Mourning doves taken by hunters increased by 17 percent. it will be interesting to see how the fall seasons for these critters will end up for 2015. Stay tuned.

DUCK populations estimates are also being made in the prairie pot hole country of Canada and north central U.S. states. The trend line data at this time showing an increase for most species of waterfowl. Overall duck numbers in the survey by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Canadian Wildlife Service show a statistically similar range. Total populations of all duck species is pegged at 49.5 million breeding ducks. Last year’s data had the number at 49.2 million.

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HUNTER SAFETY CLASS, the last one for 2015 in Marshall County, will be held on Aug. 20 (6-9 p.m.) and Aug. 22 from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. Classes are primarily aimed at youth ages 12 or older, or anyone who has not previously taken hunter safety. Sign up for the class is done on-line by contacting www.iowadnr.gov/huntered. This scribe urges those interested to get registered early. The class will be conducted at the Izaak Walton League grounds located two miles south of Marshalltown. Roger Kaput is the chief hunter education instructor.

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“In nature, all final solutions are temporary.”

– Paul Quinnett, author

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Garry Brandenburg is a graduate of Iowa State University with BS degree in Fish & Wildlife Biology. He is the retired director of the Marshall County Conservation Board. Contact him at P.O. Box 96, Albion, Iowa 50005