The variable weather conditions in the last two weeks have made for some erratic ice fishing. In the north, walleye have been the main species of interest and most anglers report sporadic action. The best action has come on cloudy days, when temperatures reach into the 20s. Panfish anglers have seen some fair action in the north, and some good panfish action has been reported on southern lakes.
Along Lake Michigan, the McKinley Marina in Milwaukee and the Racine and Kenosha harbors have frozen over, and anglers have been taking some browns and rainbows through the ice. Fast moving stretches of the Root River are still open and good numbers of browns and rainbows are still holding in the deeper pools.
The Mississippi River stage was at 7.6 feet at Prairie du Chien this week, where the main channel has frozen over, but travel on it is not recommended. Ice fishing activity has been very spotty, with some of the back water areas seeing some bluegill action.
Upper Chippewa Basin fisheries report (Price, Rusk, Sawyer Taylor and inland Ashland and Iron counties) - Ice conditions have been fairly stable in the Northwoods and most lakes now have between 8 and 10 inches of ice. However, there are still snow-covered and drifted areas that have much thinner ice and recreationalists should still be very careful when traversing any undisturbed parts of the lake. There is also some slush under the snow and this can be up to 3 to 4 inches deep in spots. In addition, frozen ruts from early season travel have made for some rough conditions on several of the more popular lakes in the area and these can be very hazardous to ATVs, snowmobilers and fishermen. The variable weather conditions in the last two weeks have made for some erratic fishing. Walleye have been the main species of interest and most anglers report sporadic action, with about one in three trips being successful. The best action has come on the cloudy days, when temperatures reach into the 20s. Small sucker minnows have been the preferred bait, fished in 5 to 10 feet of water in the hour before dark. With many of the lakes in the area having stained water, after-dark fishing has been very slow. Northern pike action has also been generally slow, with only a few anglers reporting any kind of action. Large shiners fished near any green weeds have produced the best success, though most fish have been on the small side. Panfish anglers have seen some fair action, with a few nice crappie and perch being found in deeper water and suspended 1 to 3 feet off the bottom.
Oshkosh Lake Winnebago has up to 12 inches of ice in some areas, clubs have begun marking roads along portions of the east shore, and expect to have bridges out on the west shore by this coming weekend. Once roads have been marked on the west shore of Lake Winnebago in the Oshkosh area people can call the Otter Street Fishing Club in Oshkosh at 920-233-6101 for recorded information on the status of their ice roads and bridges. As always, make sure you know how much ice is in the area you would like to travel on before you venture on the ice. You can use the ice reports, but check for yourself to make sure, as ice conditions can change rapidly due to wind and water currents. The walleye population is booming in Lake Winnebago so there are lots of nice fish for anglers to go after, but the forage base (shad, emerald shiners, and trout perch) is also booming which may make catching walleyes through the ice a challenge this winter. Also - reminder - you can keep one sauger a day now while fishing Winnebago, but if you do keep one, you can only keep four walleye in addition to your one sauger. There is no size limit on walleye or sauger on the Winnebago System. Perch and bluegills are booming as well on the Winnebago lake system, so if can't get the walleye to bite, you might try some of the bays for panfish.
Lake Michigan fisheries team reportOzaukee County -
In Port Washington open water anglers have been catching browns and occasional rainbows near the power plant discharge. Both spawn and casting artificials have produced fish. The west slip has open water, and the north slip is mostly open.
Milwaukee County -
McKinley Marina in Milwaukee has approximately 5-7 inches of ice. Anglers there have been catching occasional brown trout, and tip ups have produced with both shiners and spawn. Anglers open water fishing the Menomonee River at the MMSD offices have been catching a few northern pike; and the river behind the Summerfest grounds is open, but fishing has been slow.
Racine County -
In Racine, fast moving upstream stretches of the Root River are still open. The river is holding good numbers of browns and rainbows in the deeper pools, and drifting spawn sacs has proven effective. The Racine harbor is ice covered, but use caution as the ice thickness varies considerably. Water clarity in the harbor has been somewhat poor, but both browns and rainbows have been caught.
Kenosha County -
Ice anglers in Kenosha have taken a few browns on minnows and spawn in Southport Marina.
Wyalusing State Park Ice fishing remains the most popular activity in the winter. Ice anglers try their luck on the frozen waters of the mighty Mississippi every day. With the recent plummeting temperatures, ice fishing activity has dropped substantially. The warming trend forecast for this weekend is expected to entice the anglers once again.
Baldwin Recent cold snap has slowed fishing activity. Some panfish were being caught in St Croix County on Pine Lake, Little Falls Lake and Squaw. Walleye activity on Cedar Lake has been slow with a few fish hitting around dusk. Daytime bite has been real slow, but a few nice crappies are being caught in deeper water near cribs. The cold snap has eliminated open water fishing on the Mississippi River at Redwing for now.
Crawford County The Mississippi River has been slowly dropping since last weeks mark of 8.3 feet. As of Jan. 4, the river stage was at 7.6 feet. Ice conditions improved this week because of the cold temperatures. Most of the popular ice fishing spots have upwards of 8 to 10 inches of ice. Even though, ice conditions vary greatly and are considered unsafe. Ice fishers are urged to use caution when traveling out onto the frozen waters. The main channel of the Mississippi River is frozen over, but travel on it is not recommended. Ice fishing activity has been very spotty. Some of the back water areas along the Wisconsin River are seeing some bluegill action, but reports are that small fish are being taken. The Prairie du Chien area is seeing some fishing activity with some success being reported. The Sturgeon Slough and McGregor Lake areas has been very spotty this week. A few crappie and bluegill have been caught, but for the most part it has been slow. Anglers are venturing out across the Ambro Slough to Mud Slough and Tilmont Lake. Spotty action has been reported. Once again, dangerous ice conditions exist on the Ambro Slough just upstream from the USFWS boat landing. Open was existed there only a few days ago. Cold Spring has developed some decent ice. Dangerous areas still exist near the boat landing. Success has been spotty. Last week the ice went out below Lynxville. Currently, dangerous ice conditions exist there.
Chippewa Moraine Ice Age State Recreation Area - Some success of area lakes has been reported for walleye and panfish.
Minocqua area fishing report 01/05/10 http://wisconsinoutdoor.com/smf/index.php?topic=3177.0Chippewa Flowage fishing report 1.3.10http://wisconsinoutdoor.com/smf/index.php?topic=3174.0
