Milwaukee area Fishing reports

[Lee Borgersen]

Weekly fishing report
 Jan. 25, 2012
MILWAUKEE
AREA LAKES

Most of the small, shallow lakes and bays have 6-8 inches of ice. Please use caution on the main bodies of deep lakes as ice thickness varies. With no snow cover, the lakes are very slick, be sure to wear creepers. Ice thickness will increase with no snow cover.

Bluegill fishing was spotty. Anglers willing to "hole hop" with a locator to find fish have done best. Weeds in 6-12 feet will hold fish as will deeper water. Some anglers found them as deep as 35 feet. Wigglers have been the best bait for finicky 'gills. Red and white spikes, wax worms, and mousies have also worked well. No. 14 or No. 16 ice jigs in various styles enticed them.

Crappies were found around weeds or over deeper water. The best times to target crappies were during early morning or evening hours. Use your locator to determine what depth they are holding at and place your bait above the school. A rocker, Rat Finkee, tungsten, or 1 /80th-ounce jig baited with a small minnow, wiggler, or wax worm have produced. Little Cecil or Frostee jigging spoons worked great for aggressive crappies. Tip-downs or dead sticking with a No. 14 treble hook baited with a small fathead, rosy red or lake shiner worked great for finicky crappies.

Big perch have been caught using tip-ups rigged with a light fluorocarbon leader and No. 14 treble hook, baited with a small golden or lake shiner minnow. An ice jig or small jigging spoon baited with multiple spikes produced many perch.

Northern pike action was good. Anglers had their best luck setting tip-ups around weeds in 5-15 feet. Fluorocarbon leaders with a No. 6 or No. 4 red or glow treble hook produced the most action. Large golden shiners or medium suckers worked best. DK's Magic Powder placed on the tail of the minnow works great as an added attractant. "Brined" smelt on a quick-strike rig works well for big pike.

Walleye action was slower, but the majority of the fish caught were of legal size. Dark hours are best; they were found around weed flats or rock bars in 6-15, near the bottom. Tip-ups rigged with a fluorocarbon leader, a No. 10 or No. 12 red or glow treble hook, and small beads were the preferred method for most walleye anglers. Medium golden shiners, small suckers or large lake shiners worked best for bait. Jigging with a Jigging Rapala or Swedish Pimple tipped with a piece of minnow also caught walleyes.


LAKE MICHIGAN, MILWAUKEE

Conditions have changed quite a bit since last week. The cold snap dropped a good layer of ice on the harbor. Access to harbor fishing spots is now day to day depending on wind direction. West winds will move the ice away from shore, but easterly winds will bring it right back to shut down access to fishermen.

When open water is available in the outer harbor, the area behind the amphitheater and the river under the Hoan Bridge has had some good brown trout activity. Fishing the bottom 3-4 feet is the key. Shiners or spawn presented on a three-way is a good option for live bait. For artificials, spoons or jigs worked near the bottom will also catch these browns.

A more consistent fishery has been in the inner harbor where browns and an occasional rainbow are being caught casting artificials. Spoons, crank baits, and jigs are all working well. The trout are feeding on gizzard shad so lures in white, silver or shad colors are the best option. Most of the action is in the top 6 feet. Mid-day or late afternoons have been the peak periods of activity in the inner-harbor fishery.