Lowa Muskies In Transition

THE PERCEPTION OF IOWA NOT BEING A TOP STATE FOR MUSKY FISHING MAY SOON CHANGE

- Ryan Becker

Many people think of Iowa as the land of corn, but it’s also become a great place to find muskies — and some big ones at that. For years it has been more of an off-the-radar destination, but like anywhere in the musky range if you put in the time to figure things out this state can yield numbers along with the potential for big fish!

Late summer and early fall can be a great time to fish Iowa. Before the transition, I target muskies in open water, either casting or trolling depending on water clarity, wind and cloud cover. Many Iowa waters containing muskies do not have a deep weed edge with the exception of East and West Okoboji, so I look for areas holding the most baitfish, usually large schools of yellow bass or perch.

If I choose to cast, I’ll use staples such as the Mag Bull Dawg, Regular or Husky Medussa and, if muskies are active, sometimes I upsize to a Pounder or Monster Medussa. If muskies are very active or moderately active, I work the baits aggressively with big rips or constant rips of the bait, and if they’re less active I will use long, slow pulls. Another option I use is slow-rolling Cowgirls before bursting them up toward the boat.