Lake Belva Deer - Keokuk
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Lake Belva Deer - Keokuk Fishing Reports
Stay up to date with the latest fishing reports from Lake Belva Deer - Keokuk. Reports are submitted by local anglers, fishing guides, and our team of fishing experts.
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Largemouth BassTechniqueFootball JigsSeasonSummerStructureRock PileGot out early to beat the heat. Water temps got up to 87°. There was a decent breeze in the morning which blew in a thick haze from the Canadian wildfires. This almost acted like overcast conditions. The bass were on the edges of the rock piles. I started with a 25mm Arsenal Morning Star but switched to a 3/4 Dirty jigs wobble head with a D Bomb. My best 5 went 18.49lbs and 92.75".
SpeciesLargemouth BassTechniqueFootball JigsSeasonSummerStructureRock PileI took my first win in a kayak fishing tournament! This was stop #5 for the Iowa Kayak Fishing Club and my 4th tournament of the year. I started the day throwing a buzzbait. I caught 1 that ended in my final 5 fish limit on the buzzbait. After a few hours I moved out and flipped a Bronco Bug on some of the flooded timber. This got me a few extra bites. As the sun got high I moved out to some rock piles. I found a school on side scan and was able to target them with a jig. This produced the bigger fish including a 21" that put me into first and would take home big bass for the tournament. The key was to slow drag it and make contact with the bottom. When that bite died down I would drag the same Bronco Bug to generate some additional bites. It was a fantastic day on the water!!
- SpeciesLargemouth BassTechniqueDrop ShotSeasonSummerStructureStanding Timber
It was a tough bite on a HOT day at Lake Belva Deer. The storms from the week dirtied the water and we tried lots of different baits. But I was able to get them biting in the early afternoon on the Twilight colored Trick Shotz from Z-Man on a drop shot. The Vmc octopus hook kept them stuck! Belva Deer has a ton of flooded standing timber and we found them near larger clusters.
SpeciesLargemouth BassTechniqueDrop ShotSeasonSummerStructureRock PileWe have had a lot of rain before the weekend. This dropped the water temps. The curly pondweed has died off and washed out of most of the lake. This made the rock piles easily fishable. I started the day catching them shallow with a frog and then pushed out to the rocks with a drop shot. Nothing huge but but a good number of 1.5-2.5lbers made for a fun day.
- SpeciesLargemouth BassTechniqueFrogs/ToadsSeasonSpring (Post-Spawn)StructureStanding Timber
The lake is full of curly pond weed. We managed to find a few along the edges with senkos. I was also able to catch a few off shallow wood surrounded by these weeds with a frog. Nothing huge but a fun bite. Most fish appeared to still be prespawn.
- SpeciesLargemouth BassTechniqueFrogs/ToadsSeasonSpring (Post-Spawn)StructureMatted Grass
Air temps in the 60s with a light wind and mostly cloudy conditions. Most of the bites were along the shallow edges of the pond weed. Bluegill were on beds and feeding under the grass mats. Some bass were still relating to beds. Many seemed to be guarding fry.
- SpeciesLargemouth BassTechniqueTexas Rigs (Pitch/Flip)SeasonSpring (Post-Spawn)StructureMatted Grass
With the lake choked out in grass, I had to slow down and pick it apart. Flipping a Bronco Bug and Cleanup Craw into the scattered voids, pockets, and natural lanes mixing in some standing timber. By the end of the day I was able to put together a nice bag.
- SpeciesLargemouth BassTechniqueBuzzbaitsSeasonSpring (Spawn)StructureRip Rap
The bass are starting to get on beds. The key was getting in behind the curly pond weed, which was easier said than done. I was able to catch a few on a frog, but the most consistent pattern was finding the areas where the grass wasn't as thick or topped out and running a buzzbait over it. I really like the Dirty Jigs buzzbait, but put a Picasso gold blade on it.
