Iowa Fishing Calendar
What's biting month by month, and how many Iowa charters on Unreel target each fish.
| Fish | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Walleye8 charters · May to July and September to October | January: off peak | February: off peak | March: off peak | April: off peak | May: peak | June: peak | July: peak | August: off peak | September: peak | October: peak | November: off peak | December: off peak |
 Crappie7 charters · April to May and October | January: off peak | February: off peak | March: off peak | April: peak | May: peak | June: off peak | July: off peak | August: off peak | September: off peak | October: peak | November: off peak | December: off peak |
 Yellow Perch6 charters · January to February and September to October | January: peak | February: peak | March: off peak | April: off peak | May: off peak | June: off peak | July: off peak | August: off peak | September: peak | October: peak | November: off peak | December: off peak |
 Muskie5 charters · September to October | January: off peak | February: off peak | March: off peak | April: off peak | May: off peak | June: off peak | July: off peak | August: off peak | September: peak | October: peak | November: off peak | December: off peak |
Shaded months are the typical peak for a charter trip. The outlined column is this month.
Iowa fishing, month by month
- January
- Yellow Perch
- February
- Yellow Perch
- March
- Off season for most charters. Some captains still run trips, so it is worth asking.
- April
- Crappie
- June
- Walleye
- July
- Walleye
- August
- Off season for most charters. Some captains still run trips, so it is worth asking.
- September
- Walleye, Yellow Perch, Muskie
- October
- Walleye, Crappie, Yellow Perch, Muskie
- November
- Off season for most charters. Some captains still run trips, so it is worth asking.
- December
- Off season for most charters. Some captains still run trips, so it is worth asking.
How this calendar is built
The charter counts are live from the Unreel directory: each one is a Iowa charter that lists that fish as a target. A fish only appears here if at least three local charters target it.
The shaded months are general peak windows for the Northern Plains, not fishing regulations. For ocean species, the spawning, migration and federal closure notes were checked against NOAA Fisheries species profiles, and for inshore and freshwater species against state wildlife agency guidance and rules. Seasons, closures and limits change every year and can differ by water, so check Iowa's current regulations and ask your captain what is running before you book.