Wisconsin Fishing Reports 11/27/08

[Lee Borgersen]

 :fishing2:

Ashland Area    ( top )

Ashland Area

Trolling remains a bit spotty. There are some fish being caught, but no stellar reports. The bulk of the coho run may already be upstream in the rivers. There are still a few cohos in the lake, along with a few browns, splake, and steelhead, mostly from the Washburn shoreline north, but there are a few down by the head of the bay. In the bay, bass fishing is good. Fish are scattered in deep water on off-shore structure. Finding them is key, and then jig spoons, jigs, or use Lindy or Carolina rigs. Look for a push of bass, walleyes, and northern pike back up into shallower water with the cooling water temps.

Wednesday, November 26, 2008 11:25 AM CST

Boulder Juction Area    ( top )

Boulder Junction Area

Muskie fishing has been very good. Lots of nice fish are being caught, mostly on suckers on weed edges. Rock bars and rocky points also are holding some fish. Artificial lures are hit and miss. Suicks, Mantas, and rubber baits have been working the best. Fish from 40 to 47 inches were caught last week. Walleye action also has been decent, with fish at 20 to 40 feet being common on the big lakes. On the flowages, fishing in 15 to 20 feet has been working pretty well as of late. Jig-and-minnow combos, vertically jigged with stinger hooks, have been the ticket. Crappie action also has been pretty good.

Wednesday, November 26, 2008 11:25 AM CST

Eagle River Area    ( top )

Eagle River Area

Muskies were biting aggressively and the action is ramping up. Fish over the dying weeds at the deep edge, or fish over hard-bottomed surfaces outside of the weedbeds. The muskies are slowly migrating to the steepest edges on the deepest parts of lakes. Use suckers on quick-strike rigs, or cast rubber baits such as Bulldawgs or Suzy Suckers. Crankbaits such as Depth Raiders and Ernies also are working well. Walleye action is good. Fish in 15 to 30 feet of water, over hard-bottomed areas. Use a jig and a minnow. Northerns are still hanging in and around the weeds in 15 feet of water or less. Crappies are suspending 2 to 6 feet off the bottom in 20 to 30 feet of water. Use a crappie minnow under a slip bobber.

Wednesday, November 26, 2008 11:25 AM CST

Green Bay Appleton Area     ( top )

Green Bay/Appleton Area

In Oconto County, brown trout are hitting in the Lower Oconto River in the city, along with some limited walleye action.

Wednesday, November 26, 2008 11:25 AM CST

Hayward Area    ( top )

Hayward Area

For all intents and purposes, the open-water fishing season has come to an end. Most of the smaller lakes have iced over, and many of the bays on the larger lakes also have a thin layer of ice. Ice thickness is generally less than an inch and is nowhere near thick enough for any kind of ice fishing. It likely will be another week or so until the ice is thick enough for the first ice-fishing reports to arrive.

Wednesday, November 26, 2008 11:25 AM CST

La Crosse Area    ( top )

La Crosse Area

Waterfowl hunting action on the Mississippi River in the La Crosse area has been sporadic lately, even with the recent stretch of ideal waterfowl hunting conditions. Walleye fishing also has been sporadic, with anglers having good action on small sauger and only limited success on walleyes below area dams. Bucks have been active in the rut, with bowhunters who have already qualified for EAB having good success harvesting nice bucks.

Wednesday, November 26, 2008 11:25 AM CST

Lake Michigan Metro Area Lakes    ( top )

Lake Michigan/Metro Area Lakes

In Sheboygan, shore anglers fishing off the piers and near the Deland Park launch have been catching a few browns on spawn and spoons. In the Sheboygan River, some cohos and browns have been caught on flies near the Kohler dam and in Esslingen Park.

Wednesday, November 26, 2008 11:25 AM CST

Lake Winnebago Area    ( top )

Lake Winnebago Area

Slow presentations are proving successful for walleye anglers on the Wolf River. Anglers in the Fremont area are using jigs and minnows. Trapping season is in full swing, based on the number of trap markers found along the Wolf River. A fair number of fishers have been registered. The predicted price increase for fur has increased trapper numbers this year. Nice-sized flocks of tundra swans were found at Collins Marsh Wildlife Area this week. Duck numbers appear to be down. Some have already come through the area. Hunters are still looking forward to late-season mallard and goose opportunities.

Wednesday, November 26, 2008 11:25 AM CST

Madison Area    ( top )

Madison Area

Fishing around Madison has been fair, with some walleyes being taken from Lake Mendota from shore after dark. A few pike also are hitting.

Wednesday, November 26, 2008 11:25 AM CST

Marinette Area    ( top )

Marinette Area

Deer activity is excellent, with bucks chasing does, according to archery hunters. Whitefish are spawning in the Lower Menominee River. Water temperatures are again on their way down. Fishing pressure was low as sportsmen geared up for the gun deer season.

Wednesday, November 26, 2008 11:25 AM CST

Minocqua Woodruff Area    ( top )

Minocqua/Woodruff Area

Smaller lakes, bays, and ponds continue their trend toward ice-up, and with the colder evening temperatures this past week, this process should speed up considerably. Open-water fishing activity continues to remain constant, with muskies aggressively feeding prior to ice-up. Buck activity appears to be in mid-rut, with reports of scent trailing occurring at this time. Waterfowl reports improved this past week, with greater numbers of migrating birds now in the area.

Wednesday, November 26, 2008 11:25 AM CST

Prairie Du Chien Area    ( top )

Prairie Du Chien Area

Bluegill action was spotty to good last week. Some decent action was reported around wing dams on the main channel, and around downed trees in the Ambro Slough complex. Some bluegill action was reported up along the Lansing dike. Cold Spring started to produce some very nice bluegills. Crappie action really picked up in some areas. Crappies have been hitting in the timber on small minnows, tube jigs, and small spinners. Perch are still taking a liking to live bait like crawler chunks on a jig and worked quickly through the weeds in shallower water. Largemouth and smallmouth bass fishing was kind of slow. Some of the best action was found near weed edges, flats, points, and in the timber. Bass fishing around the Lansing dike also was spotty. Walleye and sauger action was spotty, too. Some decent action was reported on some of the wing dams, deeper sloughs, and near the dam at Lynxville. Walleye and sauger anglers were trolling crankbaits along wing dams, flats, or drop-offs along the main channel or were dead-lining or casting jigs tipped with minnows.

Wednesday, November 26, 2008 11:25 AM CST

St Germain Area    ( top )

St. Germain Area

Not too many folks were out fishing last week, although some of the diehard local fellows are getting out and doing pretty well. One local fellow is doing great on crappies in deep water, using minnows in 20 feet or more of water and moving his bait up and down until he finds the fish. This should hold up right into the early ice season. Most of the walleye anglers have either put up their gear in favor of bowhunting, or just are not interested in chasing them much. The weather has been blustery, so it seems like most of the fishing now is down to the hard-core muskie guys. Some nice fish up to 51 inches have been caught, but don't expect fast action. Feeding windows are short, but intense. Fishermen have been successful using suckers on quick-strike rigs or jerkbaits and crankbaits.

Wednesday, November 26, 2008 11:25 AM CST

Upper Peninsula Report    ( top )

Upper Peninsula Report

Lake Gogebic fishing has been great. Shore anglers are doing very well by using sucker minnows after dark. Expect nice fish - walleyes in the 2- to 4-pound range are not uncommon, a nice bonus for those U.P. hunters after a good day in the woods. Hunting conditions have been excellent. Temps ranged from 20 to 30 degrees on the eve of Michigan's deer-hunting opener on Nov. 15. Very good hunting reports came along with the perfect snowy weather. Deer activity was good, with bucks still chasing does.

Wednesday, November 26, 2008 11:25 AM CST

Wausau Area    ( top )

Wausau Area

Muskies and big northerns continue to hit hard. Suckers on quick-strike rigs are an excellent choice and will produce fish of both species. It's a good idea to run multiple lines, varying the set depth of each to search the water column more efficiently. Large jigs, tipped with sucker minnows, also are working well. While live bait has been hot, both muskies and northerns are still taking both deep-diving crankbaits and oversized rubber baits. With the artificial lures, more natural patterns, such as perch and sucker patterns, have been working best. Walleyes continue to move toward wintering areas and, although the bite is not fast and furious, anglers are finding good numbers of fish. Live bait presentations have been tops during the chilly air and water temperatures, with jig and minnow combinations or live bait rigs becoming a staple in local arsenals. Probe deep holes, channel sections, and river bends to find fish; pay close attention to your locator as the fish have been tight to the bottom. Sucker minnows, fatheads, and chubs all have been effective and should be worked in a slow, but thorough fashion.