Storm Lake

Storm Lake’s tremendous dredging program would not be as far along as it is were it not for the locally organized work crew and infrastructure. As we have noted before, City Infrastructure Director Pat Kelly volunteered to ramrod the operation and the city council agreed. That pledge led to the creation of the Lake Improvement Commission, an authority formed by Storm Lake, Buena Vista County, Lakeside and the Lake Preservation Association with advisory support from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.

With the city of Storm Lake located on the shores of our lake, it’s imperative that first responders be prepared in the event of a lake emergency. Buena Vista Regional Medical Center paramedics participated in a training drill facilitated by Storm Lake Public Safety.

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources issues a weekly fishing report on Thursdays in an effort to provide the latest information heading into the weekend. The weekly fishing report is compiled from information gathered from local bait shops, angler creel surveys, and county and state parks staff. For current information, contact the district fisheries office at the phone number listed at the end of each district report.

The Storm Lake trapshooting high school and middle school teams will compete in the Scholastic Clay Target Championships at the Iowa State Trap Shooting Association home grounds north of Cedar Falls June 4-6.

The high school team members will shoot 200 targets at the two-day event and the middle school students will shoot 100 targets.

Storm Lake (including Little Storm Lake): Boaters should use caution around the dredge barge, booster pump barge, and pipeline. Walleye regulations for Storm Lake are three fish per day, all fish between 17 and 22 inches must be released and only one over 22 inches may be kept. Walleye is fair. Anglers are picking up 12 to 13 inch and 17 to 19 inch walleye. Try trolling shad colored crankbaits in 7 to 9 feet of water. Channel catfish is fair. Use traditional catfish baits.

Storm Lake (including Little Storm Lake): The city is in the process of getting the dredge machine out on the lake. Boaters should be aware of the dredge barge, booster pump, and pipeline in the water. Walleye regulations for Storm Lake are three fish per day, all fish between 17 and 22 inches must be released and only one over 22 inches may be kept. Walleye is good. Anglers are catching walleye using plastics, crankbaits, leaches, and minnows fished along the east and south sides of the lake.

Storm Lake: Walleye is good. Anglers are catching walleye using plastics, crank baits, leaches, and minnows fished along the east and south sides of the lake. Anglers are doing well fishing along the dredge cuts between Chautauqua Point and the big island. Fishing the dredge cuts between the big island and Shorty’s Island has also been productive for walleye. Yellow perch is slow. A few perch have been picked up with minnows along the east side of the lake. White bass is good.