Ice Fishing Report –
Ice conditions in the north have been good with most lakes having between 14 and 16 inches of ice. Travel has been fair on the lakes – most of the slushy areas have frozen up, but most fishermen have been staying near the packed trails and plowed roads. The light snow and windy conditions of the last few days did push some snow around on the lakes, which created some larger and solid drifts that sportsmen should be cautious of. The changing weather and often brisk conditions have kept fishing pressure down in the past week. But the stay-at-home anglers did not miss much as walleye success continued to be on the slow side. The mid-winter doldrums have continued for walleye and action has been extremely erratic. Some anglers have gone several trips in a row without catching a fish, and others have downsized to using fatheads and small suckers in an effort to prod some flags from perch and small walleye. A few walleye in the 12?? to 16 inch size have been reported and most of the catches have come from 6?? to 12?? of water in the late afternoon hours. Panfish have also continued to be difficult to find for many anglers, with just a few reports of perch and crappie being caught on local waters. The perch are starting to utilize mayfly nymphs as food and anglers have been finding the fish just off the bottom in depths ranging from 5?? to 16 feet of water. Northern pike success has been fair, with the clear and sunny days producing the best action. Large golden shiners or suckers have been the best bait and most of the pike that have been in the 20 to 26-inch size. DNR Senior Fisheries Biologist Thomas ??Skip?? Sommerfeldt
Fishing/Hunting Guide Reports
2/18/15 - Even with the extreme cold weather the fish are biting, I have spoken with a number of people in the area that are catching their limit of crappies, and blue gills. I did spear a sturgeon on Lake Winnebago last weekend. The cold weather by itself should not be a problem for the deer; not sure how the turkeys are doing now that the snow has a crust on top. The beaver trappers are still out and doing well. B. Vergin
