LAKE SUGEMA Van Buren County is home to 575-acre Lake Sugema, a rising star amongst the Hawkeye walleye-chasing fraternity. This is a new lake, finished and filled in 1993. Anglers who have taken delight in tormenting their cronies with photos of walleyes from North Dakota’s Devils Lake over the years have already figured out how to whale on ‘eyes relating to standing timber throughout the year.

Others who have not ventured beyond our borders settle for casting cranks and jigs along the dam and other rocky shorelines in the spring to get their walleye fix.

“The walleye resource in Sugema is truly under-exploited,” Flammang said, “perhaps because anglers in this part of the state are having too much fun chasing largemouth bass, crappies and bluegills.”

Flammang said there is a “huge group of walleyes in the 14- to 19-inch range” swimming in Sugema. As is the case on Rathbun, there is no minimum size restriction.

INLAND RIVERS
Mention walleyes and most anglers immediately think of running water. Iowa has a wealth of riverine habitat, with many streams holding good to excellent walleye populations.

In recent years, the IDNR has experienced outstanding results in stocking two-inch-long advanced fingerlings in a number of flowing waters, several of which have been traditionally overlooked as walleye fisheries.

Most notable are the Turkey, Cedar and Upper Iowa rivers in the northeastern part of the state, all of which are virtually untapped walleye fisheries, perhaps owing to their proximity to the mighty Mississippi.

All three of these rivers have been receiving Mississippi strain fingerlings reared at the Fairport hatchery since 2000. All of those fish were introduced upstream from the first dam above the big river.

According to IDNR fisheries manager Bill Kalishek, the Upper Iowa offers good fishing from Lime Springs clear down to its confluence with the Mississippi south of New Albin in Allamakee County.

He rated the run of Turkey River from Cresco to Garber as “generally good,” most of the fish being found along rocky stretches of rubble rather than those with a sandy bottom.

Kalishek called the action in Cedar River from the state line to Nashua “good to outstanding.” Said the biologist, “All three of these rivers hold good populations of walleyes in the 14- to 18-inch size range now, with fair numbers of fish in excess of 20 inches. The only thing lacking here is angling pressure.”

Other noteworthy rivers in the state include the Raccoon River in Sac, Calhoun and Carroll counties, the Wapsipinicon, Maquoketa, Shell Rock, east fork of the Des Moines River in Kossuth and Humboldt counties and Iowa River in Hardin County.

The east fork of the Des Moines will be a great destination for chasing a trophy walleye next month from Algona to Dakota City … especially if spring runoff is not overpowering. Both anglers and fish congregate near low-head dams. Use extreme caution when fishing near low-head dams, which often are referred to as “drowning machines.”

THE MIGHTY MISSISSIPPI
Old Man River stands alone at the pinnacle of walleye fishing in the Hawkeye State. After a lifetime of fishing and more than 30 years of guiding on the “Father of Waters,” I still can’t explain why the walleyes and saugers that swim here go where they go and do what they do.

The Mississippi also remains an enigma for fisheries biologists, who have learned that they can make only timid suggestions regarding the biomass of this magnificent fishery.

“Natural reproduction drives the fishery here,” northeastern Iowa fisheries supervisor Karen Osterkamp said. “Fish from artificial stockings, which were marked with a freeze brand in pools 12, 13 and 14, showed minimal survival. Less than 5.5 percent of fingerlings make it to age one. The river takes care of itself.”

Over the years, this river has taught me the value of fishing at night in the spring when in pursuit of walleyes, often from shore.