Wisconsin Statewide (ICE) Fishing report 1.15.11Ice conditions continue to be good on lakes across the state, with ice thickness is ranging from 12 to 14 inches on northern waters and 8 to 10 inches on southern waters, although some southern lakes still have areas of very thin ice. There have been reports of at least four vehicles going through the ice of Lake Koshkonong, which as some ice heaves with very thin spots. Most river systems in the state are now also frozen over, but recreational safety specialists urge people to stay off river ice, which can be highly variable and unpredictable.
Walleye activity picked up a bit on northern lakes with quite a few anglers reporting decent catches, with perch also added to the bag for many anglers. Panfishing has been fairly consistent statewide, and northern pike action has picked up a bit with the low amount of snow cover on the ice increasing light penetration and bumping up feeding activity. Ice is firming up on the lower Green Bay and fishing pressure has been heavy in some areas. Along Door County, anglers have been targeting perch and whitefish with some success. Northern pike anglers were out in full force out of Oconto.
Lake Michigan harbors and ports are icing over and some anglers have been venturing out but people should use extreme caution ice as conditions can change rapidly. Some open water anglers were having luck with brown trout and steelhead near the Port Washington power plant. The Mississippi River continues to be at unseasonably high levels and was at over 10 feet at Prairie du Chien this week. With the high water, sloughs have moderate to strong current flowing under the ice that can can create rapidly changing ice conditions. Ice fishing has been pretty good with nice sized bluegills, perch and crappie reported.
Ashland
Slush Ice is no longer a problem on Southern Bayfield County area lakes. The slush on most lakes has frozen solid since the rain over the New Year. Ice fishing has picked up with walleye being taken on both the Upper and Middle Eau Claire lakes at dusk and just after sunset; minnows working best on both tip ups and jig poles. Crappie were biting on Lake Namekagon with most people catching their limits in a days time. Panfishing has been fair to good on many of the smaller inland lakes. Snowmobile trails in Bayfield County are in " good" to "excellent" condition. Cable/Namekagon ungroomed trails are fair, groomed trails north and west of Drummond are in "very good" condition, with excellent trails being found north of Delta and Iron River. Snowshoeing conditions are "good" to "very good" in the Drummond, Delta and Iron River areas.
Upper Chippewa Basin fisheries report (Price, Rusk, Sawyer Taylor and inland Ashland and Iron counties) - Ice conditions continue to be good on lakes across the Northwoods and ice thickness is ranging from 12 to 14 inches on most waters. There is 2 to 4 inches of light fluffy snow on top of the ice and there have been no report of slush problems on any of the lakes. An increased number of vehicles have been seen out on the ice, but caution is still urged as there have still been small open-water areas observed around springs, inlets and off of some points. Walleye and panfish have been the main target for anglers in the past week and action could be termed fair. Walleye activity seemed to pick up a bit with the start of the new year and quite a few anglers were reporting some decent catches. The best action has been near dark on the cloudy and milder days, with small suckers or large fatheads fished over the mud flats in 5 to 10 feet of water. Most of the walleye have been in the 12- to 16-inch size, but fish up to 22 inches have also been reported. An added benefit of using the smaller bait this winter has been the catch of perch, which have added a few extra fish to the bag for many anglers. The panfish anglers have seen some fairly consistent action, with some nice crappie and perch being caught 1 to 3 feet off bottom in 15 to 25 feet of water. Northern pike have been seeing increased interest from anglers as action has picked up a bit with the low amount of snow cover on the ice. This has increased light penetration and seems to have bumped up feeding activity for northern. Large golden shiners or sucker minnows fished near deeper weed beds or the med-depth break lines have produced some nice fish, with a few pike up to 32 inches being caught.
Oconto County ?
Northern pike anglers were out in full force from Oconto Breakwater Park to Oconto Park I, using large shiner minnows suspended a foot off bottom and dead smelt in the round fished on bottom. Some perch were being caught in and around Oconto Breakwater Park proper using jigs and perch minnows. There was also the occasional smelt and whitefish reported.
Green Bay area
Brown County - Voyageur Park anglers have been targeting walleye and perch in 6 to 12 feet of water using jigs and the appropriate size minnow for the fish they are after. Sunset Beach has been producing some perch with sizes running on the small size, along with the occasional white fish and smelt.
Door County -
Stone Quarry anglers have been targeting perch and whitefish with some success. Most anglers have been staying closer to shore due to poor but ice conditions have been improving. Anglers have been fishing along Potawatomie State Park for perch with limited success. Most have been using live minnows for bait. Anglers have been venturing off Bullhead Point for perch as well. Fishing has been sporadic at best with some perch being caught around mid-week, but it has since slowed. A few anglers have been catching numbers of bluegill around the docks at the yacht club. Waxworms and a small ice jig seem to be working the best. Sugar Creek anglers have been venturing off the park with snowmobiles and ATVs. Anglers have been targeting whitefish and perch. Most of the angling pressure has been in 15-25 feet of water. Anglers have been venturing out to deep water off Chaudoir?s Dock in search of whitefish. Anglers that are finding whitefish have reported fishing being on the slow side. Also a few perch are being caught with most being of respectable size. Dykesville anglers have been finding it tough fishing due to all the fishing pressure over the last few days. Most anglers have to move well outside the main group of anglers to catch fish. Anglers that are finding fish are catching perch and whitefish. Fishing pressure has been light at Volks Landing. Most anglers are catching perch with the occasional whitefish or smelt mixed in.
Lake Michigan fisheries team report
Sheboygan County - In Sheboygan, much of the marina around the Deland boat launch is iced over. Ice anglers have been working the areas around the docks, but fishing has been generally slow. Please use extra caution out on the ice as conditions can change rapidly.
Ozaukee County - In Port Washington, the area near the power plant discharge provides good winter open water fishing opportunities. The discharge is currently pumping, and the west slip also has open water. Brown trout and steelhead have both been caught near the power plant on spawn fished on a three-way rig. The north slip is iced over, but it is not safe for foot travel.
Milwaukee County - In Milwaukee open water can be found in the lower stretches of the Menomonee River and canals, and there is some limited open water under the Hoan Bridge near Jones Island. The Milwaukee River mouth and harbor are covered in some broken up ice floes, but Riverfront Ramp is currently open. The lagoon behind Lakeshore State Park and McKinley Marina are iced over, but fishing in both of those locations has been relatively slow.
Racine County - In Racine, much of the Root River is iced over. There has been evidence of anglers ice fishing downstream near the 6th Street and Marquette Street bridges, as well as in the Racine harbor. Use extra caution, as conditions can change quickly, and there are some open spots close to shore in the marina. Fishing has been relatively slow in the harbor, but some steelhead have been caught further upriver on spawn set close to the bottom.
Kenosha County - In Kenosha anglers in Simmons Island Marina have been catching occasional brown trout on spawn. Anglers have been fishing through the ice near the docks, as well as in the open water near the railing on shore.
Jefferson County - Anglers are having fair success on Rock Lake catching some legal sized northern pike throughout the lake. Small perch were being caught as well as bluegill in the 5-7 inch range mostly by Elm Point. Some 14-inch largemouth bass were also being seen. The northern were biting on shiners while spikes and wax worms were the preferred bait for the perch and bluegill. Ice thickness on Rock Lake is in the 14-15 inch range and trucks are being driven across the entire lake. One driver recently drove up to the Glacial Drumlin trail trestle on the south end where there is some flowing water and found that the ice was not thick enough to support the front of his SUV. Ice conditions on the other lakes in Jefferson County are good with ice fishing going on but success is slow overall. . The ice conditions on Lake Koshkonong vary greatly from one area to the next. There have been at least 4 vehicles that have gone through the ice so far this season on Koshkonong alone. Lake Koshkonong also has several ice heaves that have thin ice. Drivers are cautioned to know the conditions of the ice before they venture out especially at night as it is always at your own risk on the frozen waters
Crawford County.... The Mississippi River stabilized around the 10 foot mark for more than a week. As of January 11, the river was at 10.05 feet. Open water exists below the Lynxville dam due to the high water. The Wisconsin River is falling and creating dangerous conditions in some areas. In many areas on the Wisconsin there is an ?air gap? between the ice and the water below. This phenomenon exists mainly in the timbered lowlands. Ice conditions remain pretty good even though caution must be used when traveling on the ice. With the Mississippi River being unusually high for early winter many back water sloughs have moderate to strong current flowing under the ice. The current can create rapidly changing conditions. Generally speaking the ice averages around 2 to 14 inches of ice in the backwaters of the Mississippi River and Wisconsin River. Access to most ice fishing locations is much better now that cold weather froze the ?sloppy? spots and the river levels have stabilized. Ice fishing has been pretty good at times. In the Prairie du Chien area nice sized blue gills were being caught on Gremore Lake along with some really nice perch. Anglers will have to move around to find them however. Ice conditions on Gremore Lake are pretty good with a foot or more ice. Crapppie action in Gremore has been slow. Anglers have been venturing across the Ambro Slough to Mud Slough and Tilmont Lake. Most anglers are using the DNR boat landing on Ambro Road. The USFWS boat landing was being used to access the upper portions of the Ambro Complex, however Mill Coulee Creek enters there and creates dangerous ice conditions. Caution must be used in this area. This past week Mud Slough has been slow as there appears to be some current flowing through it. Tilmont Lake has produced a few bluegills and perch however it is kind of slow. Those venturing out to Tilmont Lake should use caution as they cross over the Ambro and Black Sloughs as current exists under the ice. Anglers have been venturing up to the Upper Doubles and Big Missouri. Action there has been spotting with a few nice crappie and bluegill being taken. The Lower Doubles, Fish Lake and Big Missouri have produced some fish but they have been very spotty. Spring Lake and the Fennimore Cut have been slow. There is current entering the upper end of Spring Lake and flowing out through the Fennimore Cut. Action there has been poor. Some anglers are fishing in the back waters of Spring Lake and finding action spotty. Sturgeon Slough has been very slow primarily due to the high water. Current is flowing through that area which causes bluegills and crappie to avoid that area. Some anglers have ventured south to McGregor Lake. Action on McGregor Lake has been spotty too. Cold Spring has been slow this week. The best access to Cold Spring is from the handicapped parking area on the south end. The boat landing access is a bit tricky as open water still exists there. Open water shore fishing at the boat landing has been very slow. Largemouth bass action has been good. Most bluegill anglers report catching many bass incidental to their primary target. Some anglers are setting tip up in Gremore, Tilmont, the Upper Doubles and Cold Spring and are having some success. Anglers are reminded that while fishing on the Wisconsin side of the Mississippi River boundary waters only three (3) hooks, baits or lures can be used. No report on small mouth bass action. Northern pike action has been spotty.
Minocqua Area Fishing Report
http://www.wisconsinoutdoor.com/minocquafishingreport.htm
Chippewa Flowage Fishing Report
http://www.wisconsinoutdoor.com/chippewaflowagefishingreport.htm
Lake Michigan Fishing Report and tips
http://www.wisconsinoutdoor.com/lmfishingtips.htm
Information compiled from the WDNR Outdoor report and private sources
