Stories from Wednesday, August 3, 2016

This past weekend was a perfect weekend for so many activities on the Iowa Great Lakes. While my grandson and I were out on West Okoboji Saturday morning, we witnessed paddle boarders, kayakers, loungers, skiers, the antique boat lineup along the docks in front of the park and parasailing...

Iowa anglers have lots of opportunities to earn a Master Angler award this summer. The Master Angler program, sponsored by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, celebrates angler success for catching quality-sized fish by awarding a vehicle or boat decal and certificate for each fish that meets program criteria. ...

Recently Recycled Fish was invited to attend a local angling club meeting and give a small presentation. We are a small non-profit organization that inspires to educate and empower anglers, outdoors men and women to be good stewards of the resources we have available throughout North America. Water conservation is just but one aspect, but an ever important one...

It's summer. The water is warm, there are lots of baitfish in the water, there are lots of people fishing, and there are lots of fish that are looking for something to eat, and fish that want to eat are easier to catch. Trolling is a great way to present a bait, and you might be surprised how fast you can troll and still catch fish. Following are some ideas for trolling fast to get more fish to eat your bait...

Here we are pushing the end of July and we're only two weeks away from the Okoboji Blue Water Festival. What a day Saturday, Aug. 13 promises to be with fun and educational opportunities for all ages. It's the perfect place to take the entire family on a West Okoboji Saturday afternoon...

Iowa Lakes Community College guard Asiya Smith has signed a national letter of intent to continue her basketball career at Glenville State College in Glenville, West Virginia. Smith, a 5'9" sophomore from St. Paul, Minnesota, was named a Second Team All-Region Performer in the ICCAC conference during the 2015-2016 season. ...

Iowa Lakes Community College coach Ashley Martin has announced that Marissa Ruiz of Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota, has signed a National Junior College Letter of Intent to play basketball for the Lakers next season. Ruiz is a 2016 graduate of Simley High School where she was a five-year letter winner for the Spartans...

A former Iowa Lakes Baseball star has signed to play with a Major League Baseball team. Manny DeLeon, who played as a Laker during the 2013-14 season, had two successful years at Tabor College in Hillsboro, Kan. He was recently named NAIA National Player of the Year...

A former Iowa Lakes Community College swimmer has qualified for the Olympics in the 50m Freestyle. Giordan Harris will represent his home country of Marshall Islands at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro in August. Harris swam at Iowa Lakes Community College from 2013-2015. Harris swam for the Marshall Islands in the 2012 Olympics in London. The 2016 Summer Olympic Games will be held Aug. 5-21...

Dickinson County softball stars shined this summer. Area squads combined to go 67-48 overall, winning one conference title and netting a total of 15 athletes named to postseason teams. Spirit Lake netted a third consecutive conference crown in 2016 and finished with a total of eight players on all-conference teams...

A two-vehicle collision in Spirit Lake sent one driver to the hospital on Wednesday afternoon. The Spirit Lake Police Department and Lakes Regional Healthcare Ambulance were called to the crash on Highway 71 near Bomgaars at 12:14 p.m. Authorities say a silver Chevy 1500 truck was attempting to make a left turn onto 22nd Street toward Bomgaars when it struck a northbound silver Buick Lucerne...