While most fish will occasionally jump from the water when hooked, few do so as readily as the smallmouth bass. The mere thought of a leaping smallmouth — gills flared, red eyes glaring, seemingly suspended in a curtain of spray — can quicken the pulse of even the most jaded angler, let alone a brown [...]

A pair of six-pound catfish dangled from a rope near the Coralville Lake spillway last week while a trio of anglers chatted at the overlook above about this season’s prime early fishing conditions and the loot they’ve already snagged. The avid anglers said they’ve been out with their poles almost every day since February with [...]

Drive west out of Dyersville on Highway 20 and within 100 miles you will cross five good rivers — the North Fork of the Maquoketa, Maquoketa, Wapsipinicon, Cedar and Iowa. Turn north and take a winding route back and you will cross the West Fork of the Cedar, Shell Rock, Volga, Little Turkey, Turkey, Upper [...]