Decent Public Fishing in/around Ames?

[tigershoops31]

My 3 year old son is dying to go fishing and now that bball camps have wrapped up for me I'd like to get him out a few times before school starts up again. Any places we could go fish from the bank and possibly have decent success in or around Ames? Thanks!

 

[mapnerd]

I would try Mcfarland Park. It's NE of Ames.

 

[iowa_wildcat]

Take that boy to Moore Park in Ames. Come equipped with some small hooks and worms. Go out on the fishing dock and lower just a small portion of a worm into the water. He will love watching the bluegills hit his worm. They always seem to be hungry and bite like crazy.

 

[Sterling4Cy]

Hickory Grove by Colo. This was Tim Floyd's favorite fishing spot when he was in Ames.

 

[tigershoops31]

Great thanks for the ideas! I got the poor kid a pole and some bobbers for his birthday in May but we haven't gotten out yet. He'll be jacked either way, but if we catch a few even better!

 

[JustRedman]

I just caught a really nice bass at Ada Hayden on Friday. Hit it up around sunset on a topwater Hoola-Popper. You can never go wrong with a minnow or worm on a bobber for the little guy.
Last year I would have said Peterson Pits but I think the winter gave us one mean fish-kill.
Being from southern Iowa I really like small farm ponds but there are far fewer around here than down there.

 

[ajk4st8]

All good choices so far. Id choose McFarland or Moore over Hickory Grove simply because of the bug bites I had from Colo.

 

[Sterling4Cy]

Big Creek might not be bad either. If you get in the coves probably will do good on bass, blue gill, and crappie with crawlers or minnows

 

[cyeah]

If you are just trying to get him to catch fish, Lake Laverne has a TON of blue gills in it. My kids love fishing there because every cast is a catch.

Hickory Grove by Colo. This was Tim Floyd's favorite fishing spot when he was in Ames.

Not true. He had a secret spot up by Webster City that held fish just for him.

 

[Clonester]

If you are just trying to get him to catch fish, Lake Laverne has a TON of blue gills in it. My kids love fishing there because every cast is a catch.

It also has some big bass and catfish.

 

[tigershoops31]

Take that boy to Moore Park in Ames. Come equipped with some small hooks and worms. Go out on the fishing dock and lower just a small portion of a worm into the water. He will love watching the bluegills hit his worm. They always seem to be hungry and bite like crazy.

Thanks for the tips guys...we went out to Moore Park tonight and he had a blast...we caught 2 bluegill in our first two casts and had several others where the fish got the worm and we couldn't get him hooked quickly enough. Unfortunately the day ended when we "caught a branch" in his words...

We returned home and he announced to my wife "We caught two fish! And then we caught a branch :sad: We are bad fishers..."
:biglaugh:

 

[RandomFan]

Lots of catfish this year at Little Wall Lake by Jewell from what I've heard.

 

[woodie]

Lots of catfish this year at Little Wall Lake by Jewell from what I've heard.

the skunk river used to have some holes in it where you could catch fish. i do not like to take kids around rivers in the case they fall in.make certain that if you river fish that you put a life preserver on your kid..

i do not know how far the newer dams back up on the desmoines river in boone.but i used to go west of boone on old highway 30 and go up the west side of the des moines and they had a nice dam that you could fish below the dam and catch some nice cat fish.
i think they have put walleye in the des moines river lakes and in the north raccoon river near scranton,iowa. get ahold of the fishery biologists at iowa state and find out when the walleye(the lady walleyes) are spawning.you should be able to get some 10 lb sows below the des moines river dams or north raccoon riverdams.i have caught some 7-8 lb walleyes in the raccoon when i havebeen back to iowa in april b4.tell us you land a big trophy. i got some 6 lb red snappers last weekend over at south padre
isle-some real good eatin-.
go cyclones!!!!!!!!

 

[cytech]

Thanks for the tips guys...we went out to Moore Park tonight and he had a blast...we caught 2 bluegill in our first two casts and had several others where the fish got the worm and we couldn't get him hooked quickly enough. Unfortunately the day ended when we "caught a branch" in his words...

We returned home and he announced to my wife "We caught two fish! And then we caught a branch :sad: We are bad fishers..."
:biglaugh:

AH the ever elusive tree fish, I have caught a number of them in my fishing days. Just wait till he gets introduced to the Rock fish, and weed fish they are fun to reel in too.

 

[tigershoops31]

AH the ever elusive tree fish, I have caught a number of them in my fishing days. Just wait till he gets introduced to the Rock fish, and weed fish they are fun to reel in too.

Haha he was excited to tell Mom about all the moss we caught too :yes:

 

[Sy4Cy]

Go to the wood dock out at big creek I have caught up to 16 in two hours using minnows just by hanging them under the dock not even using a bobber pr anything else. Blue gills, Wipers, Sheep heads, walleye, catfish, bass too.

 

[cybear52]

boone river