Dead Slough Fishing near Muscatine, Iowa

• Overview

  Dead Slough is one of the Muscatine County waters in Iowa. It stands 538 feet above sea level. At about 54 acres, a day is enough to walk the shoreline properly. It is the biggest water on our Muscatine County list. For a base, Muscatine sits 6.1 miles out. Davenport sits 19 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. Local rules may differ a few miles either side of here.

• Where to Fish on Dead Slough

  No depth figure appears in our records, so the bank has to tell you. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Open biodiversity records for Muscatine County list channel catfish, freshwater drum and bluegill. Take it as the county picture rather than a promise for this water. Take Dead Slough a stretch at a time.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July runs about 75°F on average, January about 20°F. The freeze arrives properly here and holds. The open season starts with the thaw, near enough mid March. Expect the water usable from around mid March until roughly mid December. Right after break-up, and again as the nights sharpen, is when to go. That is the shape of the year on Dead Slough.

• Tackle & Baits

  The access position is unclear from public sources. Access is unmapped, which usually means a farm track and a walk. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Season dates differ by species, so read the table. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. McLaughlin Pond sits 1.4 miles off and takes the overflow. For Dead Slough in particular, ask before you travel.