Des Moines, Iowa is the town that everyone knows about and remembers because it not only hosts the Iowa State Fair but it’s the state capital as well. We’ve all learnt the name in grade school. The fair is an eleven day event held every year in the fall. Some of its more common popular attractions include the Butter Cow, a Double Ferris Wheel and the Fairgrounds Grandstand which is host to popular singers and musicians on a nightly basis during the fair. The Corn Dog Kickoff is a lively auction event held each year where visitors can do some light food grazing while bidding on silent and live auction packages. The proceeds of the auction all go to helping restore the fairgrounds so visitors can eat, bid and relax knowing that their helping the fair.

The State Fair is very popular so you may at times find yourself trapped in crowds like a sardine in a tin can. Remember to stay calm and keep a sharp eye out for concession stands or edge areas where you can slip out of the crowds. If you prefer to stay out of the crowds as much as possible and like and eagle’s eye view, check out the Skyliner Rides that carry visitors comfortably over the midway. Those who’ve gotten tired out from all the walking involved at the fair can head to Legacy Terrace to sit on the Restoration style benches and enjoy the arching fountains. In the evening three foot tall pathway lights flicker on and guide visitors on their way.

Visitors can catch the park ‘n’ ride shuttles to and from the fair for a minimal price per person. It’s even possible to stay on the fairgrounds as they have lots of camping spots available for RV’s and for tent camping. It’s possible to reserve a spot at the fair in advance but you must arrive on the first day of the fair and plan on staying for the entire fourteen days of the fair, otherwise it’s a first come first serve basis.

While in Iowa, you can find some excellent sots and locations to fish for walleye. The first spot that comes to mind is at Big Creek Lake a few miles from Polk City. This lake was however, a non-fishing lake because of all the problems it had. The DNR went in, drained the entire lake, and stocked it once again with excellent results. Here is the place to catch some good size walleyes. This lake is an angler’s delight for walleye fishing. They do however have some length restrictions for the walleye, which is fifteen inches with a limit of three catch and keepers a day. If the walleye is over twenty inches, you can only have one of those. The lake has many great spots to fish for walleye since they rebuilt the lake. They added many rock piles for the walleye to hide. It has been said that trolling the waters by the rock piles has the best results for catching walleye. You can obtain a map of the lake with the locations of the rock piles so you know where the best spots are to find the walleye. You will find this map through the Iowa DNR website or at an area bait shop.

Another great fishing location is Brushy Creek Lake by Des Moines. Although they first starting stocking the lake in the late 1990s with walleye, you can catch a walleye if you know the hot spots where they hover. It is very possible to catch up to sixteen-inch walleyes and sometimes a twenty-two inch walleye is not out of the question. Although the lake is extremely deep, the angler has a real fishing experience when hooking the big walleye. There are many different spots in the lake where rock piles hide the walleye. There is such a lake cover on the lake that you may have a problem deciding where to cast the bait. Many anglers have found that drop and reel in very slowly not to make any fast movement works well. The waters of the lake are exceptionally clear and you will want to have a pair of sunglasses along to protect your eyes on sunny days. This is also when the walleye seek deeper water levels. If you have a chance to fish on Brushy Creek Lake on a cloudy or slightly windy day, you will find the walleye bite more.