“A boating safety course provides critical boating knowledge and better prepares you for the risks you may face while boating,” Stocker said.

Benefits to taking a boater education course    Boost your confidence and Keep Your Edge by brushing up on essential boating skills.

Even if you have already taken a course or are an experienced boater Keep Your Edge by taking a new course to sharpen your skills.

A boating safety course can save boaters money. Many boat insurance providers offer discounts to people who have successfully completed a boating safety course.

  In 2022, there were 28 reported boating incidents on Iowa waters: seven of those were personal injury; 17 involved property damage, and four resulted in fatalities. Of the four fatalities, one involved alcohol as a contributing factor.

Media Contact: Susan Stocker, Boating Law Administrator and Education Coordinator, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, 515-313-6439.

Walleye season opens May 6 on Iowa’s Great Lakes

The 147th walleye fishing season officially opens May 6 at Spirit Lake, East and West Okoboji lakes.

“Walleye populations on the Iowa Great Lakes are in very good shape,” said Mike Hawkins, fisheries biologist for the Iowa DNR, “Ice didn’t leave the lakes until mid-April. 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 Lake, Upper and Lower Gar Lake 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 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. 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.

The Iowa Great Lakes Chamber of Commerce will host the 41th annual Iowa Great Lakes Walleye Weekend Fishing Contest in conjunction with the opener.  For more information on the contest, visit their website at https://okobojichamber.com/walleye-weekend/.

Anglers are encouraged to participate in the Iowa Walleye Challenge hosted by the Iowa DNR Fisheries Bureau. Angler catch information from this tournament will provide valuable data to help fisheries biologists manage Iowa’s walleye populations. For more information and to sign up visit https://www.anglersatlas.com/event/680/2023-iowa-walleye-challenge-2023.

Media Contact: Mike Hawkins, Fisheries Biologist, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, 712-336-1840.

Time to start planning to control plants in Iowa ponds

A healthy pond needs aquatic plants, but too many plants can limit the pond’s use and cause imbalances in the fish population. If you had problems using your pond last year because of aquatic plant growth, you could have similar problems this year.

In an existing pond, mechanical and chemical control methods are the best options for immediate control. They usually work best if you start early, when plant growth is not at its maximum level. If you wait until growths are thick, control will be difficult, take longer, and chemical control could cause water quality issues that harm fish.

Mechanical methods include bottom blanketing, shading, removal and lowering water levels. Temporarily blanket the bottom of a private pond and leave it in place for 30 days early in the season to limit plant growth in fishing or swimming areas. Use weighted commercial weed barrier products or thick black plastic (punctured to allow gasses to escape).

To shade a pond, apply a pond dye in April, before most plants are actively growing, to reduce the amount of light needed for plants to grow. This works best in ponds with a small watershed. Many blue and black pond dye products are available for pond beautification. Re-apply the product at a reduced rate throughout the spring and summer since inflowing water can dilute it and ultraviolet light can degrade it.

Removal is a low-cost way to take out plants from high-use areas. It can be done by hand or with special rakes and cutters (make your own or buy from retail outlets).

Lowering water levels is another way to control aquatic plants. Let water out of the pond this spring (or winter) to expose aquatic plants to drying (or freezing) conditions to limit their growth after water is allowed to refill the pond.

Herbicides will control pond plants chemically, but you may need to reapply during the summer to get season-long control. Follow these five steps when you apply any herbicide: 1) correctly identify the plant you want to control; 2) measure the area you are going to treat (surface area and average depth); 3) read the herbicide label to determine the correct timing and amount to apply; 4) identify possible restrictions on uses of the water (e.g., irrigation or watering animals) and 5) apply according to label directions. Most aquatic herbicides work best if applied on a calm, sunny morning.

Media Contact: Jason Euchner, Fisheries Biologist, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, 515-230-4789.