Okoboji, Iowa — In less than two weeks, you’ll be able to fish for walleye again on the Iowa Great Lakes.
DNR officials tell us the 147th walleye fishing season officially opens May 6th on Spirit Lake and on East and West Okoboji lakes.
Mike Hawkins, fisheries biologist for the Iowa DNR says that walleye populations on the Iowa Great Lakes are in very good shape. He says ice didn’t leave the lakes until mid-April, so fish will likely be more active as they make up for lost time.
Walleye season opens the first Saturday in May and runs through February 14 each year on Spirit Lake, East Okoboji Lake, and West Okoboji Lake. The protected slot limit on walleyes is 19 to 25 inches, with only one walleye over 25 inches allowed per day. The protected slot limit applies to Spirit Lake, East and West Okoboji Lakes, Upper and Lower Gar Lakes, and Minnewashta Lake. The daily limit is three walleyes with a possession limit of six.
The walleye season will be opening in the Iowa Great Lakes, but the DNR reminds us that the lakes offer great fishing for a variety of other species. Panfish, northern pike, and smallmouth and largemouth bass fishing can be very good as the water warms. Water levels on the Okoboji chain are just a little above crest level with water flowing over both the Spirit Lake and Lower Gar spillways.
For many anglers, this will be their first trip on the water for the season. The DNR says checking your safety equipment and making sure your boat is ready to get out on the water can help ease congestion at busy boat ramps.
And, another reminder from the DNR: Before you leave a waterbody, CLEAN any plants, animals, or mud from your boat and equipment; DRAIN water from all equipment; and DRY anything that comes into contact with water. Also, they want you to spray your boat and trailer with hot or high-pressure water or dry your boat and equipment for at least five days.
They say to never release plants, fish, or animals into a water body unless they came out of that waterbody, and empty unwanted bait in the trash.
