Lake Darling – photo by Sally Y. Hart

Rainy weather may sometimes effect outdoor springtime fishing opportunities, however at Lake Darling State Park, that’s simply not the case. Park Ranger Zach Haworth is seeing plenty of local fishermen having great luck so far, “The crappies are really starting to bite. We talked to several fishermen on Saturday who were having great luck out there. We’ll see as the water shed continues to drain, and water continues to come into the lake. This is the third year of the lake being full and we’re just entering that part where it’s going to be some really good fishing this year and hopefully, for years to come. The fish that most folks will catch the most of are your pan fish, your bluegills and your crappies. As far as bass fishing goes, we have a lot of folks that come out and are interested in fishing for bass. There is a 15-inch minimum length limit on those bass if people wish to keep those. We have a very healthy population of bass in the lake right now and they create a great sporting opportunity of anglers. We just need people to abide by the 15-inch minimum length limit and abide by their daily bag limit as well.”

According to Haworth, rules, policies, and sizes can be a bit confusing at times. Interested first-time Lake Darling anglers are encouraged to visit the Iowa DNR website for more information, or simply stop by the park office with questions.