Leisure Lake Fishing Guide, Jackson County, Iowa

• Overview

  This water sits in Jackson County, Iowa. The country here is lake country bush. It runs to roughly 55 acres — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. The edge runs 2.0 miles or so, easy to work in an afternoon. The closest town, Maquoketa, is 13 miles distant. Further out sit Cascade (13 miles) and Peosta (16 miles). Rules can differ a short way off, since the county line is near.

• Where to Fish on Leisure Lake

  Depth went unrecorded, which puts the reading back on you. Look for where the old bank line still shows under the surface. Built water gives depth close in, which suits a bank angler. County-wide records name common carp, bluegill, white bass, freshwater drum and gizzard shad. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. On Leisure Lake a short move beats a long cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-term averages put July at about 73°F and January near 17°F. Winter shuts things down for a spell, then spring reopens them fast. The lid usually goes in late March, which opens the strongest weeks of the year. The open-water window runs from around late March to about mid December in an average year. Look to early summer and the first cool weeks of autumn. That is the shape of the year on Leisure Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  There is no clear statement anywhere on who can fish it. You can launch: the ramp is half a mile away. Recorded parking is half a mile off, far enough to travel light. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Rules differ from one water to the next round here. Signs go up and come down, so check on the day. Round Lake, 18 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Check the position on Leisure Lake before loading the car.