FISH EGGS are big business for Iowa fisheries bureau staff members at this time of the year. Adult walleye, northern pike and muskies are spawning.

A big part of the process is to capture adult fish and assist new eggs in the hatching process and survival game of life. Natural reproduction does happen in some of Iowa’s lakes and large glacial aged natural lakes of northern Iowa. Survival percentages can be enhanced if DNR crews are successful in bringing more young fish to the life cycle equation.

At Lake Rathbun’s hatchery in southern Iowa, gill nets set for capturing adult fish moving into shallow waters during the night is what is required. Crews work long hours into the wee hours of early morning to pull the nets.

Adult fish that reach the correct “ripening” time will have their eggs collected for placement into incubation containers. Once the adult fish recover, they are returned to the main lake.

Meanwhile at Okoboji and Big Spirit Lake, DNR crews have their own nets to set for walleye, northerns and muskies. These broodstock fish will produce over 600,000 eggs. Adult fish get a bit of rest and recovery time before they go back into the main lake they came from.

If you are so inclined to see these fish up close and personal, the Rathbun and Spirit Lake hatcheries are open to the public during daytime hours of 8 a.m. until 8 p.m. daily, including weekends, beginning April 10. Other open house hours may be posted on the front doors of these facilities.

The Spirit Lake hatchery office number to call for info is 712-336-1840. A road trip to any of these hatcheries is a highly recommended excursion for a weekend get-a-away to see fish hatchery operations in full force. It gives one a new appreciation for this segment of natural resource management.

Today’s image of a mounted northern pike was caught in 2002, on Jan. 16 to be exact, by fisherman Owen Primavera at Spirit Lake. It was 39 inches long, and its weight was 18.74 pounds.

Anytime after March 1, these big fish are feeling the urge to propagate. Northerns seek out in wetland sloughs with shallow vegetated areas near or adjacent to feeder streams into the big lakes. Here is where crews set special nets for these adult fish.

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This past winter at Green Castle Lake, located one mile south of Ferguson, Ben Snyder caught a big northern during a mid January fishing attempt. Luck was with him when a big northern took to his bait.

The battle was on. Eventually the fish was brought to the drilled ice hole.

Ben noted that getting the fish through the hole was troubling but ultimately successful. The big fish was 35 inches long.

Photos were taken, and then the fish slipped back into the water of Green Castle. Ben is the grandson of Larry and Sharen Benander. Congrats to Ben for having a great day fishing.

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Iowa has about 15,000 miles of fishable streams. Between the Missouri River on the west border and the Mississippi on the east, many river systems hold fish.

In addition, Iowa has about 42,000 acres of natural lakes, over 5,000 acres of state-owned artificial lakes, and a whole bunch of former gravel pits. Big reservoir lakes such as Saylorville, Red Rock, Rathbun and Coralville also add to fishing opportunities.

Add innumerable farm ponds from tiny to medium to large, and even more opportunities are opened. After high water flows on area rivers, many backwater oxbows fill with water and some will hold fish.

Iowa’s natural lakes were cut, gouged, and shaped by glacial ice advances and subsequent retreat (melting from a natural warming of long term climate forces). Water from melted ice filled the depressions.

Geologic time frames molded and shaped the lakes and shorelines into very attractive outdoor settings. Most natural lakes can be found in northern Iowa regions.

Clear Lake is just one. The bigger Spirit Lake and Okoboji systems on our present day landscape were of glacial historic origins. Surrounding the big lakes were many more shallow wetlands whose waters filter into the main lake water bodies.

Fish in these shallow water sites and into the big waters hold a variety of species. For instance, consider bullheads, large mouthed bass, crappie, bluegill, walleye, carp, perch, northern pike and channel catfish.

Four of Iowa’s big natural lakes contain over 3,000 surface acres each of water. The largest is Spirit Lake with 5,684 acres. West Okoboji has 3,939 and Clear Lake hits the list with 3,643. Storm Lake’s size is 3,060 acres.

Smaller units include East Okoboji at 1,875, Trumbull with 1,190; Lost Island has 1,260 acres; Silver Lake at Lake Park is 1,058; West Swan Lake tallies (Emmet County) 1,038; Black Hawk sees 957 acres; Five Islands has 945 and Eagle Lake pegs in at 906 acres.

Iowa natural water areas are impressive. However, compared to the glacial lakes of Minnesota, eastern South and North Dakota, Iowa is outpaced by these states.

Every one of the upper Midwest natural lakes has its own glacial history stories to tell. Between all of these water bodies were extensive native prairie grasslands, and in many cases, forested shorelines helped set the scene for Native American peoples and later settlers.

Why is fishing a popular outdoor activity? In one word, it is food. The origins of people fishing was to help survive, then cook or preserve the meat and eat well.

Survival is a time-tested motivating source in order to sustain human lives. Today we tend to take it for granted that fishing is just a sport, a fun way to experience the outdoors. We are fortunate to have many alternate food supply chain options, of which fish are just one segment of those options.

It is good to know fishing as it may be practiced today. However, remember that only a few centuries ago, fishing may have been a life or death struggle. We have come a long way.

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WILD TURKEY hunters will be searching woodlands and field edges for tom turkeys. Youth turkey season is April 11-13. The first of the gun seasons is April 14-17.

If a youth does take a wild turkey, do send a well composed image to me at brandegb@heartofiowa.net. Thanks and good hunting this spring.

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Garry Brandenburg is the retired director of the Marshall County Conservation Board. He is a graduate of Iowa State University with a BS degree in Fish & Wildlife Biology.

Contact him at:

P.O. Box 96

Albion, IA 50005