If walleyes live near where you live, they can be caught right now. Some states, and some areas of some states have a closed season on ‘eyes, but with just a little travel, you can get to areas that have walleye fishing happening now, and those areas are probably closer to you than you think. Following are some ways to get in on the action.

Coming off record harvests in 2020 and again in 2023, Iowa’s spring turkey hunters could be living in the “good ol’ days.” And with three straight years of good hatches across much of the state, roughly 35,000 hunters are ready to hit the woods.

Roughly 35,000 camo-covered hunters in stealth mode will be heading to the timber in the next few weeks for Iowa’s spring turkey season. And, just as important as contacting the landowner, checking the shell supply and finding the decoys, part of every hunt prep is to review safe hunting practices.

Spirit Lake’s boys track team wrapped its indoor season at the Ruth Marske Invitational held Saturday, March 23 at South Dakota State University in Brookings. The Indians earned seven top-five finishes on the day and crowned one champion.

Ethan Stecker qualified for the Drake Relays with his winning time of 14.80 seconds in the 110-meter high hurdles. Teammate Cooper Winkel placed third in the event in 14.94 seconds.

School records fell like snowflakes for Spirit Lake’s girls track team at the Ruth Marske Invitational held Saturday, March 23 at South Dakota State University in Brookings. Ahead of Monday and Tuesday’s winter weather, the Indians wrapped their indoor track season with four top-five finishes and four record-breaking runs.

Okoboji’s boys track team competed at the Ruth Marske Invitational held Saturday, March 23 at South Dakota State University in Brookings. The Pioneers earned four pair of top-six finishes on the day.

Okoboji’s girls track team competed at the Ruth Marske Invitational held Saturday, March 23 at South Dakota State University in Brookings. The Pioneers earned a pair of top-10 finishes on the day.

Krishauna Allen placed 10th in the 200-meter dash, finishing in 26.71 seconds. Allen also helped the Pioneers’ 4x100-meter relay team of Ella DeRuyter, Miley Wells and Riley Meyer to a ninth-place time of 51.97 seconds.

Spirit Lake’s boys track team had a stellar outing at a meet hosted by Dordt University on Monday, March 18. The Indians earned nine top-three finishes at the meet in Sioux Center.

Ethan Stecker and Qamerin Hussey earned wins to lead the way. Hussey won the 400-meter race in 52.10 seconds. Stecker won the 60-meter hurdles in 8.30 seconds, edging Spirit Lake teammate Cooper Winkel’s runner-up time of 8.47 seconds.

Spirit Lake’s girls track team competed at a meet held Monday, March 18 at Dordt University in Sioux Center, Iowa. The Indians earned seven top-three finishes on the day.

Leah Bolluyt and Lauren Travis provided a pair of wins, while Bolluyt and Anthea Leupold broke two school indoor records.

Okoboji’s boys track team competed at the Dan Lennon Class B meet held Tuesday, March 19 at the University of South Dakota in Vermillion. The Pioneers earned seven top-six finishes on the day.

Okoboji’s girls track team competed at the Dan Lennon Class B meet held Tuesday, March 19 on the campus of the University of South Dakota in Vermillion. The Pioneers earned three top-five finishes on the day.

Each year, the Iowa Great Lakes Area (IGLA) kicks off the walleye season with the Walleye Weekend tournament put on by the IGLA Chamber of Commerce. This year’s tournament begins at midnight on Saturday, May 4 and ends at 11:59 a.m. on Sunday, May 5.

Spring came early in many areas this year. That made anglers who enjoy open water fishing happy. Many of them celebrated their first open water fishing trip of the year earlier than usual.  

For many of us, the first fishing trip of the season is for crappies, perch, or some form of panfish. There is still time to take advantage of this action. If you want to do-so, here are some ideas that will increase your odds for panfish success.  

It’s 10 o’clock on a summer night along a gravel road anywhere in Iowa. In the farm pond next to the road, a raucous chorus of male frogs are making themselves heard as they vie for mates. A volunteer stands clipboard in hand, ear cocked, mentally sorting out each of the calling species which are using this seemingly ordinary pond.

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is partnering for a third year with MyCatch by Angler’s Atlas to conduct a statewide walleye fishing challenge from March 30 through June 30.