Wisconsin Statewide Fishing report 12.22.11Ice anglers venturing out in the north reported some good early action for northern pike and walleye, mostly on suckers and shiners. There was also some good action for bluegills and crappies. With the mild weather, some open water anglers have returned, with some very good brown trout action reported in the Milwaukee harbor on Lake Michigan. Walleye fishing has been good on Lakes Monona and Mendota in Dane County and musky anglers have been having some success on Lake Monona. Walleye fishing was also good in on the Wisconsin River below the Wisconsin Dells dam.
Ashland County - Ice anglers have started to venture out onto the first ice of Lake Superior. Most all of Lake Superior is open and to say ice conditions are unsafe is a huge understatement.
Bayfield County - There is only a light dusting of snow in most areas of the county, with up to a few inches in the Drummond and Barnes areas. Cold temperatures are holding, which has helped in making ice, ice anglers are seeing upwards to 6 inches of ice on most lake, thought open water can still be seen on many of the larger bodies of water. Anglers are finding success on many smaller lakes catching both crappie and bluegill. Walleye anglers are finding success on both Namekagon Lake and the Eau Claire Chain, but again open water can be seen on all of these lakes, extreme caution should be used.
Sawyer County - Area lakes and flowage are firming up nicely now with cooler weather and no snow. Most lakes have a good 3 to 6 inches of ice. It is still wise this early in the game to use an ice pick and check as you go. Any areas with current, rock bars, snow covering etc, will have less ice. A few people have been venturing out on snowmobiles and ATVs, but that is not really recommended at this point yet. If you do, check with an ice pick as you go and try to stay on other trails if they are already onto the ice. The individuals getting out on the ice are catching a variety of species ranging from panfish to walleye and northern pike. Most walleye and northern are still rather shallow. Some individuals are still fishing only in a foot or two of water. They are getting fish there, but fish are rather spooky in that shallow of water with thin ice. Otherwise, the common depth that appears to be producing is 4 to 8 feet. Suckers and shiners were working well for both northern pike and walleye. Individuals targeting panfish were getting them off the deeper points and deeper weeds. Crappie minnows, waxies and even plastics have produced.
Rusk County - Ice conditions remain varied depending on the Lake. Anglers have been having some success on crappies on the east side of the Dairyland Reservoir. Ice thickness has been anywhere from 4 to 7 inches. Using a jig and minnow seemed to produce the best results in 15 to 20 feet of water. Anglers are also having success on the south end of Potato Lake for northern pike and panfish. Ice thickness has been steady at about 6 inches on the south side of Potato Lake.
Upper Chippewa Basin fisheries report (Price, Rusk, Sawyer Taylor and inland Ashland and Iron counties) - Colder nighttime temperatures in the last week have firmed up the ice cover and helped thicken it to about 5 to 7 inches on most lakes across the area. However the ice thickness does vary - some waters have a bit more and several lakes are reported to have just 3 to 4 inches of ice, with thinner areas near inlets and the middle of the lakes. As such, early season anglers should still be extremely cautious when venturing out and always check thickness before and during any trip out onto a lake. In addition, there is very little snow cover on the ice and cleats can make walking much easier on the slippery surface. Reports from early-season anglers indicate that fishing has been generally slow. Walleye have been the primary target for most early anglers and catches have been very sporadic for the tip-up anglers. Some days have provided some fair action on 10 to 16 inches fish and other days produce just a flag or two. The most productive areas have been the mud/muck flats and deep weed edges, with large fatheads or medium suckers fished at the 4 to 10 foot depth. Some angling pressure has also been seen for northern pike and success for that species has been good. Large golden shiners fished near and over any green weeds have provided the best success. Panfish anglers are also starting to venture out and some fair catches of bluegill, crappie and perch have been reported.
Turtle-Flambeau Scenic Waters Area - Better ice conditions this past week allow for the hardy to venture forth and try their luck at catching some walleye and panfish. Many are rewarded with their two fish bag limit of walleye.
Rhinelander DNR Service Center areaOneida County - Ice conditions in the Rhinelander area range from a few inches to 10-inches depending on the water body. People are using ATVs on a few area lakes although anglers should check with local bait shops for current ice conditions before venturing out. Near Rhinelander the most common fish have been perch, bluegill and northern pike. As of Dec. 20, there was no snow for snowmobiling. With the lack of snow, anglers should consider wearing "creepers" to prevent falling. Ice Creepers will also make an excellent Christmas present.
Peshtigo Ice conditions are questionable in some areas?back water areas and areas close to shore away from moving water appear to be anywhere between 6 to 8 inches thick - but be careful. A fish kill was reported this week that was a case of too much oxygen causing the fish to appear "drunk." This behavior is characterized by fish becoming lethargic and appearing sideways under the ice or swimming slowly in circles. This situation occurs when excess sunlight is able to penetrate the ice (due to lack of snow cover) causing excessive photosynthesis by aquatic vegetation, which produces oxygen. Fish are not using as much oxygen because the cold water has slowed there metabolism but also, the excess oxygen cannot escape into the atmosphere because of the ice. Therefore the water becomes saturated with oxygen causing the fish to appear drunk. Fisheries biologists anticipate there could be more reports of this phenomena this year than most years because of the limited amount of snow on the ice.
Marinette County - Ice conditions continue to improve for Marinette County (3 to 6 inches). Many anglers are ice fishing smaller lakes and the backwaters of rivers. Several ice anglers are reporting good northern pike fishing on bays on both High and Caldron Falls Flowage.
Green Lake County - Ice conditions on Lake Emily and Little Green Lake and Fox Lake in Dodge County are sketchy at best. There was an average of 4 inches at one point and people started venturing out on the ice. However the recent warmer temperatures melted ice creating open spots and making the rest of the ice highly suspect. With the lack of
snow, temperatures constantly below freezing will bring rapid ice formation.
Waupaca County - Panfish and some northern pike are being caught through earlier ice on the Manawa Mill Pond and on a few back waters of the Wolf River. Be sure to continue to check ice condition especially if traveling a new area. With recent rains some ice conditions could have changed sense you were last out.
Oshkosh
Fond du Lac County - Ice is starting to form again on Lake Winnebago with overnight low temperatures but not real fast with the warm temperatures during the day time. Snowmobile clubs have had extra time and good weather for completing last minute trail preparations and signing of the trails. Now everyone is just waiting for the temperature to stay cold enough to build good ice and then let it snow.
Winnebago County - Ice conditions around the county have been sketchy at best. Ice continues to be restricted to the bays and even these areas are very unsafe due to sporadic temperatures. Anglers are encourage not to risk their safety and also take precautions when they do begin walking or traveling on the ice. Some things anglers can do to prepare for the ice are wear a lifejacket or float coat, carry ice picks to help get out of the water in case you do fall through, let someone know where you are going and when you will be returning, use a buddy system, carry a throw rope to assist others in your group, and always check ice depth as you go. Other things ice anglers should do is avoid all inlets, outlets or moving water because ice conditions are very hazardous in these areas. Contact your local bait shops or outdoor recreation group for further on ice conditions. Always remember there is no such thing as safe ice and conditions or spots can very drastically within feet and within hours.
Lake Michigan fisheries team reportIce has started to form in some slow moving stretches of the Lake Michigan tributaries in Southeast Wisconsin. However, fishable water can still be found on most rivers, and area harbors are open as well.
Ozaukee County - In Port Washington, shore fishing in the harbor has been decent, with numbers of brown trout in the area. Shiners fish under a slip bobber have been productive, but some browns have also been taken on crank baits.
Milwaukee County - In Milwaukee, brown trout action in the harbor has been fairly consistent, and a few anglers have also reported some browns caught on spoons fished off McKinley pier. When Milwaukee trollers are able to get out on the lake, decent numbers of 3 to 4 pound brown trout have been hitting spoons in 40 to 60 feet of water north of the harbor.
Racine County - In Racine, flows on the Root River are good for fishing. Effort has been relatively low, but fair numbers of trout have been caught throughout the river. Both brown trout and steelhead have been caught in Island, Lincoln, and Quarry Lake Parks. Fly fishing as well as drifting spawn sacs under a bobber both produced fish.
Dane County - Game fishing on Lakes Monona and Mendota has still been good with nice catches of walleyes being seen on both Lake Monona and Mendota. Musky anglers have been having some success on Lake Monona catching some nice size fish as they put on weight for winter. Some panfishing success has been observed on Lake Monona fishing from shore around the Monona Bay area. As the weather gets colder and ice starts to come in anglers are reminded to be extremely careful as early ice conditions are always some of the most dangerous.
Sauk County - There were a few open water walleyes still being caught in the Wisconsin River below the Wisconsin Dells Dam. There were a few bluegills being caught during first ice, but the rain hurt conditions in the bays.
Trempealeau and Jackson counties - Ice anglers are finding ice of sufficient thickness, especially in areas with no current or water flow. Most anglers reported that the panfish action was slow to average over the weekend. Ice anglers should be aware of changing conditions and temperatures which affect ice thickness and should remain alert for areas of thin or unsafe ice. Anglers should always use the buddy system, especially in the early season when ice may be thin, and they should always let someone at home know where they are going and when they plan on returning.
Marathon County Ice fishers on Lake Dubay report nice crappies and plenty of walleyes biting over the weekend, mostly on tip-ups and tip downs. Most report a good 5 inches of ice away from the river channel. Crappies were few and far between according to ice fishers on the Big Eau Pleine Flowage, where ice depths were 6 to 7 inches. Ice fishers on Lake Wausau had some success catching bluegills with mayflies, and report 6 to 7 inches of ice away from the river channel.
Minocqua area fishing report
http://www.wisconsinoutdoor.com/minocquafishingreport.htmLake Michigan Fishing Report and tips
http://www.wisconsinoutdoor.com/lmfishingtips.htmWausau Area fishing report
http://www.wisconsinoutdoor.com/wisconsinriverfishingreport.htmChippewa Flowage fishing report
http://www.wisconsinoutdoor.com/chippewaflowagefishingreport.htmInformation compiled from the WDNR Outdoor report and private sources
