Wisconsin Statewide Fishing report 3.5.09
The game fish season came to a close on most inland Wisconsin waters last Sunday. Check the current Wisconsin hook and line fishing regulations pamphlet for waters that remain open to game fishing year round. Sub-zero nighttime temperatures and bluebird skies last weekend kept both fishing pressure and fish activity on the low side. Walleye had been providing the most consistent action up until that point. Northern pike action was also more consistent and a few of the bright sunny days produced some fair action. Panfish activity continued to be on the slow side. Look for the panfish action to pick-up in later March, as the warmer weather melts the snow and get water flowing down the holes, which often brings fish up off the bottom and puts them in a more active feeding pattern.
As of March 4, the Mississippi River stage was at 7.9 feet at Prairie du Chien. After rising more than 2 feet a couple weeks ago the river has been at a steady fall early last week. Most of the main channel is open, and with the ice out below lock and dam 9 at Lynxville, walleye and sauger anglers have been out in force.
Anglers are reminded that permanent ice shanties must be removed from waters south of Highway 64 by the end of the day next Sunday, March 8. Shelters can remain inland waters north of Highway 64 through March 15. Portable shanties may continue to be used but must be removed when not occupied.
March 7 marks the opening of the early catch and release trout season, which is the latest possible opening date. Fisheries biologists say the cold, snowy winter should leave trout streams in good shape. The season opens at 5 a. and runs until midnight April 26. The season is catch-and-release, and only artificial lures with barbless hooks may be used while fishing for any species of fish on trout streams. Most trout streams are open to early fishing with the exception of most Lake Superior tributaries and most streams in northeast Wisconsin; check the 2008-2009 Trout Fishing Regulations pamphlet for specific waters.
Upper Chippewa Basin fisheries report (Price, Rusk, Sawyer Taylor and inland Ashland and Iron counties) -
The game fish ice fishing season ended this past Sunday, March 1, on a rather cold and breezy note. Sub-zero nighttime temperatures and bluebird skies kept both fishing pressure and fish activity on the low side. Walleye had been providing the most consistent action up until that point, but success really dropped off in the last week. A fair number of anglers were out trying their luck but most saw very slow action from walleye, with just a few reports of some 11- to 16-inch fish being caught in the warmer late-afternoon period. Northern pike action was a bit more consistent and a few of the bright sunny days produced some fair action. Most fish were in the 22- to 28-inch size, with large golden shiners fished near the weeds seeing the best success. Panfish activity also continued to be on the slow side, with anglers still having to move around to find the few active fish that are being caught. Look for the panfish action to pick-up in later March, as the warmer weather melts the snow and get water flowing down the holes. This seems to bring the fish up off the bottom and puts them in a more active feeding pattern. Ice conditions continue to be very good with most lakes having ice depths of 20 to 22 inches. There is about 4 to 6 inches of light snow on top of the ice and ATV and vehicle travel has been good to most areas of the lakes.
Marinette County –
Northern pike fishing has been improving from the mouth of the Peshtigo River to Oconto Park II. The fish seem to be in the shallows (2 to 3 feet of water) with large shiners working well. A warming trend is expected, which should make inland lake fishing for panfish more enjoyable.
Door County -
With the colder weather last week perch action seemed to have cooled off at Sturgeon Bay. Most anglers were reporting poor catches over the last week. Anglers have been targeting perch around the ship channel near Potawatomi State Park and the Stone Quarry. Anglers were also targeting walleye with limited success. Walleye fishing continued to be good at Larson Reef, with most anglers driving off by the Sand Bay resort and driving the ice road to Larson’s. The best catches were coming early or late in the day. Anglers were reporting the most success using jigging spoons and Rapalas. At Little Sturgeon Bay, Henderson’s seems to have the most of the traffic with good numbers of whitefish being caught. Anglers have reported a jig with a minnow head on it would get action. Anglers were also getting a few perch inside of the bay but fishing seems to be on the slower side. Fishing has been fair off Dycksville over the last week, with most anglers fishing whitefish in 10 to 20 feet of water. Anglers have been using Swedish pimps or Genz worms tipped with a minnow head or wax worm to catch them. Ice conditions in the Dycksville have still been good with most anglers reporting about two feet of ice.
Wautoma
Anglers fishing Lake Puckaway, Big Green Lake and Little Green Lake in Green Lake County have seen success catching northern pike. Northern season ended March 1 and will resume May 2.
Oshkosh
Walleye, northern and white bass action was picking up on Lake Winnebago. Lake Butte des Morts had some great perch reports last weekend. When sturgeon spawn along the rocky shorelines of the Wolf River, they pay little attention to people and are very susceptible to illegal harvest. To protect them, the volunteer "Sturgeon Patrol" maintains a presence at the spawning sites 24-hours a day throughout the spawning season, which usually begins sometime between mid April and early May. The protection effort is directed by Department of Natural Resources Law Enforcement staff and funded, in part, by Sturgeon for Tomorrow, a local sturgeon conservation organization. Anyone who is interested in signing up for Sturgeon Guard should email the Sturgeon Guard Coordinator at dnrsturgeonguard@wisconsin.gov . All ice shelters in Winnebago County must be removed from the ice when not in use by March 8. Winnebago and Fond du Lac county snowmobile trails are currently closed.
Willow River State Park
Early season trout anglers will find open water below the Little Falls Dam. If the thaw holds up overnight, the water could get discolored. The next Full Moon Hike is Saturday, March 7 at the Nature Center beginning at 7 p.m. The event is free with a daily or annual park sticker on your vehicle. Dress for the weather.
Crawford County
As of March 4, the Mississippi River stage was at 7.9 feet. After rising more than 2 feet a couple weeks ago the river has been at a steady fall early last week. The past couple days the river has started to stabilize. The drop in water made ice fishing conditions a little better. Even so, most of the main channel is open. Below lock and dam 9 at Lynxville, the ice is out and walleye anglers have been out in force. The ice conditions in all the back waters of both the Mississippi and Wisconsin rivers has still been in good shape; however, there still exists a few problems with access. Ice fishing improved greatly. Cold Spring’s ice condition took a beating during the high water and access is safe only at the south end by the handicap fishing area. The area around the channel is open as is the boat landing. Bluegill and crappie action at Cold Spring very spotty with only a few good days reported. Cold Spring is considered inland water, not boundary waters. Different fishing regulations are in effect there and non-residents must possess a non-resident fishing license. Additionally the game fish (except panfish) season is now closed at Cold Spring. Fishing on Sturgeon Slough has been very slow. In McGregor Lake (aka Sturgeon or Horseshoe) there has been some reports of bluegill and crappie action, but success has been limited. Fishing on the Ambro Slough complex improved greatly this past week. Access is still a little tricky. The north boat landing (USFWS landing) is unsafe to use as Mill Coulee Creek is keeping that area open. Anglers have access some areas using the DNR boat landing. The DNR boat landing had broken up but re-froze. Caution is still urged in this area. Mud Slough has produced a few crappie and a bluegill here and there but over all it as been slow. Tilmont Lake has started to produce bluegill, crappie and perch. Access to Tilmont Lake is a bit tricky because anglers have to cross the Black Slough. Gremore Lake started to produce some decent bluegills, but recently it has slowed down. The “bottom end” of Gremore Lake near the Ambro Slough/Big Lake produced some bluegill and crappie. Fish Lake and Little Missouri have been very spotty but Big Missouri and the Doubles have produced some decent bluegill and crappie. Spring Lake has really turned on this past week. Some nice crappie and bluegill are being taken there along with a few perch. The Fennimore Cut has produced too, but not as well as Spring Lake. As of Sunday March 1, the boat landing at Gordon’s Bay below lock and dam 9 is open but some ice still existed along the shoreline. Walleyes action has slowed; however, saugers were really biting. Many small saugers were being caught, but those who were patient and found the right spot were catching keeper sized fish.
Information compiled from the WDNR Outdoor report and private sources
