Wisconsin Statewide fishing report 1.22.09
The cold weather last week firmed up ice conditions on most lakes, and cars, trucks, ATVs and snowmobiles are being driven on many lakes. Recreational safety specialists caution that even following the extreme cold weather, ice should never be considered completely safe. Conditions can vary from location to location and day to day. Springs, lake inlets and outlets, and channels can alter ice thickness, so people should avoid traveling on the ice unless they are familiar with the conditions.
People who do take a vehicle on the ice should be prepared to leave the vehicle in a hurry. Unbuckle the seatbelt, keep doors unlocked, and have a plan of action in mind if the vehicle breaks through the ice.
Ice fishing pressure picked up since the bitter cold snap but success has varied greatly. Permanent ice shacks are showing up along frozen Lake Michigan harbors with most anglers targeting northern pike with tip-ups and jigging for perch. Good numbers of anglers have been out on Sawyer Harbor in Door County, but perch activity has been slow.
Bluegills and crappie have been biting on Wisconsin and Mississippi river backwaters and sloughs. Some ice anglers have been taking walleye and sauger below dams. Northern pike and panfish have been caught on many inland lakes.
Muskrats have reportedly been frightening some ice anglers by suddenly emerging from ice holes. They are merely investigating holes in the ice and perhaps getting a breath of air. When they surface inside a dark shack or tent they may even mistakenly think they have arrived at a lodge or burrow.
Woodruff
Area ice anglers report that the walleye bite has been fair, with good numbers of fish being caught. Bluegill and crappie action has also been picking up and these fish can be found in the deeper weed beds. Ice conditions vary so continue to pay attention and exercise caution before venturing out onto area lakes. Most lakes have slush conditions to deal with; however, with the recent cold snap much of that should have firmed up.
Oconto County –
Northern pike anglers have been setting up in the vicinity of Oconto City Park, using shiners and tip ups. At the Oconto Breakwater Harbor most anglers have moved into the mouth of the Oconto River and on to the bay proper. Most anglers are setting tip ups for pike and jigging for perch.
Oshkosh
Ice on Lake Winnebago is about 20 inches thick. Anglers have been catching white bass, perch and walleye. A transcription error has resulted in a change to the sauger and walleye bag limits for 2009. The resulting bag limit is now 5 walleye and 1 sauger on the Winnebago system. The Winnebago System Sturgeon Spearing season is set to open at 6:30 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 14. Ice holes may be cut anytime within 48 hours of the opening of the season.
Iowa County -
The crappies have been biting at Helena marsh especially around dusk. Most anglers refer to this fishing spot as White’s slough, although technically it is called Helen lake. Successful anglers have been using wax worms. The bluegills and crappie have been biting on the slough’s near Pearl Road. They have been using spikes to bag the decent sized bluegills. Birch lake near Barneveld has slowed down, but some anglers have been doing well during the midday.
Crawford County
As of Jan. 20, the Mississippi River stage was at 7.6 feet. The big river slowly rose a couple tenths of an inch from last week. Only daily water level readings are available throughout the winter, so no forecast is available. After last week’s deep freeze the majority of the main channel is frozen over as are all the back waters of both the Mississippi and Wisconsin rivers. Generally speaking the ice conditions are in pretty good shape with a few exceptions. Most of the back water areas with no current flowing through them have around 12 or more inches of ice. Sloughs with current flowing under the ice vary in thickness and can change daily. Caution must we used while traveling on the ice and safety precautions should be taken. Ice “creepers” or cleats are recommended because after some melting and re-freezing it is very icy and slippery out there. Most of the “slushy” spots that existed last week are frozen solid so travel on the ice is pretty good with the exception of the slippery conditions. Ice fishing in the area varies greatly. There has been a lot of fishing pressure on Sturgeon Slough recently. It has produced some decent bluegill and crappie at times but generally it slowed this week. Ice conditions there are pretty good. McGregor Lake (aka Sturgeon or Horseshoe) has been very quite. Not many anglers have ventured out there and those that do have done poorly. Cold Spring’s ice conditions improved this week but caution is advised around the boat landing. Most anglers are still accessing Cold Spring from the southern lobe at the handicap access site and fishing the southern half because dangerous ice exists on the northern half of the southern lobe. Bluegill and crappie action at Cold Spring has been spotty to very slow. The Ambro Slough complex is starting to see more fishing activity and success has improved on some days. Anglers are crossing over the Ambro Slough from the DNR boat landing. The USFWS boat landing on North Ambro Road is still very dangerous because Mill Coulee Creek enters there and open water or very thin ice exists. This area should be avoided. Mud Slough and Tilmont Lake have been very slow this week. Not many anglers have been fishing there. Gremore Lake has been very slow and few anglers were fishing there. The “bottom end” of Gremore Lake near the Ambro Slough anglers were finding some decent bluegill and crappie action. Fish Lake has produced some decent catches of bluegills on some days. Little Missouri has had some decent days producing keeper crappie and bluegill. Most anglers are venturing up to Big Missouri and the Upper Doubles. Big Missouri has been producing decent sized bluegill and crappie. The Upper Doubles has produces lots of bluegill, but the size of most of the fish caught have been on the small size. Those using ATVs or other vehicles to travel on the ice are reminded that USFWS law prohibits operation on any shoreline, island, or upland area within the Refuge boundary. The Fennimore cut has shown improvement. Some decent crappie and bluegill have been taken there but action was spotty. Spring Lake is producing fish, but a fair amount of small ones. Even so some decent crappie and bluegill and a few perch are being taken there. Generally speaking ice fishing action on the Ambro Slough complex varies day to day.
Minocqua area fishing report 1.19.09
Following a brutal week of weather with actual lows of 22 below and highs of 7 below, things warmed up for the weekend to make conditions bearable. Fishing was poor to downright impossible mid-week, but action popped back up with the more seasonable temps.
Walleyes: Poor to Good. Action picked up with the warmer temps. Nice fish to 24" reported Sunday, bite picking up before light snow fronts even during the day. Shiners in green weeds of 10-14', also #5 jigging raps in perch and firetiger were hot. Sandgrass flats of 18-25' producing better on suckers, wild shiners (if available). Jigging also effective, tip center hook with small minnow heads.
Perch: Poor to good. Deeper mud bite picking up. Use #25 Hali jigs, #2 Swedish Pimples to get bait down quickly over 18-27' mud flats at base of drops. Tip hooks with wigglers, red spikes for best action. Perch on weed flats taking rosie reds, waxies on forage minnow jigs.
Pike: Good. Action picked up over weekend. Large shiners, suckers best under tip-ups. Try small spinner blad 12-14' above hook for added attraction.
Bluegills: Good. Fish holding best in 8-12' weeds taking small dark jigs tipped with moussees, single spike.
Crappies: Fair. Not as many reports. May need warmer temps, but most anglers still working weeds, at this time deep water crappies are better. Work 20-30' mud flats with tip downs baited with rosie reds. Jig glow jigs tipped with waxies.
With warmer temps and new moon coming, we should see some good action this week. More anglers mean more reports. Access had been excellent, but recent snow may start to affect things. Slush not a problem, but if snow keeps coming down, snow depth could make it tough for ATVs
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Kurt's Island Sports Shop
Wausau, WI area fishing report 1.22.09
With the arctic blast behind us, at least for now, Wausau area lakes and rivers have again been quite productive as of late. Bluegill and crappies action has picked up steadily in the past week or so. Shallower bays or backwater areas containing wood and/or green weeds have been good choices; look for water depths of 5-8 feet and begin your search there. Small jigs in orange, gold, or glow patterns tipped with waxies have been producing fish on a regular basis. Tip-downs or slip bobber rigs using small minnows have been working consistently for crappies as well. Pack light and remain mobile to stay on schools of active fish – a good rule of thumb for the mid-winter period.
If you’re looking to catch walleyes through the ice, both Lake Wausau and Lake DuBay are offering some fine ice fishing right now. Jigging has been a very solid option for scoring on catches of winter walleyes from area water of late; being with selecting a medium action St. Croix or Frabill ice fishing rod as they are the prefect tool for working various jigging lures this time of year. Lure colors such as fire tiger, orange and chartreuse combinations, and perch patterns are working best. Try tipping the treble hook on these lures with a minnow head to increase your hook-up ratio.
The tip-up bite has been strong in the low-light periods of morning and evening. With the colder temperatures, especially at night, try using a tip-up such as the Frabill Pro-Thermal to prevent hole freeze up and subsequent successful hook-ups. For live bait choice, both golden shiners and sucker minnows continue to produce the best action. Keep a selection of bait in various sizes in your Frabill Aqua-Life and mix-it up if the action begins to slow.
An overlooked period, the mid-winter calendar timeframe can for some exciting northern pike fishing in our area. Begin your search along the deepest weed lines or stump fields available; sharp breaklines in close proximity to main lake basins will also hold trophy pike. Anglers looking to get in on the action need to be geared up properly. Tip-ups are the best option for these toothy trophies through the ice at this point, and both large golden shiners and sucker minnows are both working well. A large Mustad treble hook will suffice for medium sized bait; for the larger offerings, use a quickset rig to ensure good hook-ups as well as minimizing any damage to the fish. Enjoy the bounty of the mighty Wisconsin River system and the surrounding area!
Wisconsin Angling Adventures
Compiled from the WDNR Outdoor report and private sources
