Minocqua area fishing report 2.8.08
Overall a tough week on the ice. A brief window (Friday through Saturday afternoon) provided anglers an opportunity to catch fish. Overall the weather (25 below, wind chills of 50 below) have kept anglers off the ice.
Walleye: Fair. Late afternoon (4pm) through 1 hour after dark. Deeper weed (coontail) edges, sandgrass flats in 14-20' of water. Tip-ups with shiners. Anglers focusing on deep off-shore rock humps using Chubby Darter, jigging rapalas in larger sizes for nice fish to 27" this week. Pre-dawn till 8-9am then again at dusk.
Norther Pike: Fair. Standard pike fishing 8-12' cabbage, tip-ups with large shiners, suckers. Larger lakes such as Big St. Germain, Flambeau, Tomahawk giving up a few nicer fish over deep sandgrass (15-20').
Perch: Fair. Locating the mud flats where the perch are feeding has been key as well as using wigglers for bait. Hali jigs, pimples, Genz worms tipped with wigglers (spikes if wigglers not available). Still some weed action in 8-10', waxies on a forage minnow jig or small crappie minnow.
Bluegill: Fair. Better fish out away from weeds, 12-16' suspended 3-4' up. Dark jigs (black, purple) when they get picky, tip with dark plastic or moussee. Sandgrass or skunkweed holing fish on deeper, clearer lakes.
Crappies: Fair. Best action last hour of light, some after dark. Best on light colored plastic (white, yellow, pink). Tip-down action with small minnows (rosies) on Flowages over mud in 10-14'.
Weather should let up by mid- week. Ice thickness ranging 20-22" average. Three weekends of gamefish left, fishing should improve towards end of the month.
Kurt Justice
Kurt's Island Sport Shop
www.kurtsislandsports.com
