While northern pike might not be the first fish that jump into your mind when you think about sports fishing in the state of Iowa, but for the angler looking for a big fight in a state not traditionally known for trophy sized fish, there are some good northern spots to be found. Northern pike can generally be found throughout the upper 2/3 of the state, and are stocked in several lakes in addition to being in several river systems, including the Mississippi River. In fact, the upper Mississippi River (especially north of Clinton, Iowa, according to the Iowa DNR) has areas where the pike populations thrive in abundance. The key is finding where they’re biting, and figuring out how to adjust when high waters, flooding, or natural movement of prey causes them to move elsewhere.
One major example of this is around the Yellow River in far Northeast Iowa by the Effigy Mounds. Where the Yellow River meets the mighty Mississippi has long been known by many locals as an excellent place to fish for northerns, but over the past year many local anglers have found the pike harder to come by. There has been a lot of very fast and high water, which can definitely help explain why these problems are popping up. Pike tend to like slower and smoother water, which explains why this area might see a drastic drop in pike caught while there are high and fast waters.
Other rivers in the state of Iowa which have a great reputation for pike fishing include the Des Moines, Wapsipinicon, and Iowa Rivers, along with their tributaries which display calm but deep water, plentiful vegetation, and plentiful food. When flooding causes fast moving water, this is when pike populations may move or have an off year spawning. This is part of the reason why some areas may be finding it much harder to find the normal number of pike in rivers and river tributaries over the past year while in many lakes the northern pike fishing remains as good as it has ever been.
If you have access to DNR river maps, traditionally on the Mississippi River the best pike fishing in Iowa can be found in Pools 9, 10, and 11. For the last several years these areas have been rated as excellent for pike fishing, and although some patterns of pike seem to have changed during the recent flooding, there’s no reason to believe that good pike fishing won’t return to those old areas or to similar habitat nearby that’s favorable for these predatory fish.