Any Bass in Anamosa?

Just curious, I have not lived in the area long and last weekend wife talked me into taking the boat to Anamosa and putting in above the dam. I looked for bass but only caught one nice 26″ Pike. We didn’t stay long because it started raining.

Any one give me a rundown on bass fishing the Wapsi in the area. IT looks like they should be there. I live in Olin but water seems to shallow there for me but I’ve never been out there either.

There are some smallies below the dam. I haven’t fished Anamosa much, but have spent a lot of time around Central City and Quasky. There is decent smallie fishing both places, with the odd surprise gator thrown in.

they are biting awesome below the dam.. lots of smaller ones.. but ive caught some 12-15 inchers and a couple 18+

Does this mean there aren’t many above the dam? Is there enough water below the dam to fish from a boat or have you been wading or fishing from shore?

Thanks

Ken, growing up i fished a lot on the wapsi, best stretch was quaski to independence- i caught lots below the dam also in anamosa (wading). Its probably too shallow to fish from your bass boat. The wapsi impoundment in independence has plenty of water most of the time and there are smallies there as well (you can fish your boat there).

The impoundment at Independence is pretty deep from the dam about a mile north or so. Once you get north of the RR bridge, off to the right there is a large ‘lake’ on the right hand side, but the deep water is still in the channel, with the impoundment itself being only 1-2ft deep.

below anamosa…you need to fish from shore or wade out. I catch the most right next to the powerplant.. i’ll go out right now and see if they are still hitting like they were. My friend and i caught 32 in an hour last week

I grew up 2 blocks from the river.
Everyone says to fish right below the dam… hhmmm, Yep thats what you do.

See ya down stream….
jc

JC is that sarcasm? I’m not sure but I think I’ll try above and below the dam and see what shakes out.

My friend and i hit it for about an hour…we caught two smallies about 10-12inches…you hear lots of rumors about 20 inchers being taken but ive only seen one so far. Above the dam if you are driving straight up you will see a curve that goes to the right and a rock shoreline to the left..can usually catch some smallies right there

Ken, look behinf the bridge pillings for pig smallies.
If you are not feeling confident try tossing a leach under a bobber right in the current eddie behind them and see what happens. CerrrrWACK!
From there look for river turns with sandbars and small holes behind them. When the water is warm enough to wade you need to get a tube and float down river until you hit the shallow sandbars. Walk up on them an use a fatrap in the little pool. I have caught hundreds of 2-6lb smallies in that little river. My personal biggestg smallie out of there was in one of these little current eddies. I caught him fishing a crawfish (live) weightless with a 4/0 hook. If you can keep the catfish off them you can bag some huge smallies. Keep in mind that 90% of the guys who fish stay at the dam and don’t really know how to fish for them.
jc

Thanks JC, that’s the kind of info I was looking for. Hope to put the info to good use once the flood is over. I live in Olin and the river is creeping into my backyard.

Please someone turn off the water!

This is my first post on this board but fishing the Wapsi is where my fishing really started so time to take the plunge. I realize that the lead question was about Anamosa and I have little to offer from below Quasky but I’d like to throw in my 2 cents about the system above Quasky. Everyone seems to focus on the area between the dam at Quasky and the rairoad bridge above Independence… I havent been on the river in a number of years but I waded the Wapsi from Quasky all the way to near New Hamptom over the years. I caught a load of smallies from north of the Dunkerton area all the way to and past the Little Wapsi… if you have not fished this area you’re missing some of the most productive and actually beautiful parts of the Wapsi to wade.

This in no way discounts what JC had to say… since I knew him as a pup dragging pig smallies behind him when most kids were playing with Star War action figures. I would also consider mepps style baits, grubs/twisters, small rapala’s and, though hard to find some days, bassbusters. I used mepps black furies and the silver/white aglia’s alot when the fish were up but not slamming surface lures like the rapala. Anyway… my 2 cents hope it helps.

Curt

Just an Opinion, Not a Law