Wisconsin fishing reports 02/07/08

[Lee Borgersen]

Ashland Area    ( top )

Ashland Area

The area finally has ice north of Washburn. Stockton's south and east side were still open, as was the north end of Madeline. Anglers are finding 2 to 6 inches of ice. Splake and brown fishing near shore has been good. Lake trout bobbing is almost here. Machine travel inside the bay from Washburn toward the lighthouse, and over to Second Landing has been good. The ice is averaging around a foot inside Long Island. People are fishing all over Chequamegon Bay, from Washburn south through Ashland, and east over to Second Landing.

Thursday, February 7, 2008 3:08 PM CST

Chetek Area    ( top )

Chetek Area

Walleye fishermen are picking up a few fish here and there. A few have been fishing main lake points with some success. Other fishermen are fishing the weeds and muck areas. Don't be afraid to set tip-ups right in the weeds. Use a shiner on a No. 10 hook. Red-tailed chubs also work when you can get them. Northern pike are biting consistently. Fishermen have been having some good luck with bigger northerns while fishing deeper main lake channels, especially if there is some wood present in the area. The bluegill and crappie bite has been good, with the perch running in third place. Bluegills seem to be biting good in 8 to 13 feet of water where there are some weeds around.

Thursday, February 7, 2008 3:08 PM CST

Eagle River Area Copy    ( top )

Eagle River Area

Northern pike action continues to be good. Fish in and around the weed edges in 15 feet of water or less. Use a larger shiner under a tip-up. The daytime bite has been the best. Crappies and bluegills are providing good, steady action. The crappies are in water from 20 to 25 feet deep. Look for brush piles, cribs, and structure. Use a minnow under a slip bobber. The crappies will be suspending at varying depths. Bluegills are in and around weeds in 15 feet of water or less. Use a small jig or a waxie on an ultralight rig. While the walleye bite typically slows down at this time of year, with warmer weather coming on, the bite is starting to pick up. Fish early mornings and evenings. Concentrate on weed edges, mid-lake humps, and breaks in 20 to 25 feet of water.

Thursday, February 7, 2008 3:08 PM CST

Lake Michigan Metro Area Lakes    ( top )

Lake Michigan/Metro Area Lakes

In Milwaukee, open water can be found in the inner harbor. Shore anglers fishing at the MMSD office have been catching a few browns on shiners and spoons. Some anglers have been ice fishing in McKinley Marina, and a few browns have been reported.

Thursday, February 7, 2008 3:08 PM CST

Lake Winnebago Area    ( top )

Lake Winnebago Area

Anglers were catching walleyes from a big school of fish on the east side of the lake. That school had been holding in one area for about a week, but has since moved on following last week's storm. Perch and white bass are hitting on Lake Winnebago about 4 miles east of Oskhkosh in about 17 feet of water. There also have been a few panfish reports on the upper lakes. Butte des Morts has had the best bluegill action, but most of the fish are small. White bass are hitting on the east end of the “horseshoe” on Lake Poygan. Anglers also are catching walleyes in the “Norwegian Bay” area of Poygan on the north shore.

Thursday, February 7, 2008 3:08 PM CST

Madison Area    ( top )

Madison Area

Ice conditions are good on the chain. Lake Mendota has 6 to 9 inches of ice, but there is a lot of snow cover, making it difficult to get around on foot. There have been decent perch reports in some areas. There have been good reports at times off the Four Doors, east of Second Point, and at Picnic Point. Anglers are getting few walleyes off Governor's Island, at Dunn's Bar, in Warner Bay, and at other spots. Cherokee Marsh has been giving up quite a few crappies. Try Monona Bay for bluegills and a few northern pike. Lake Waubesa has offered up some bluegills and crappies, along with an occasional pike. Crappies were hitting near the Green Lantern.

Thursday, February 7, 2008 3:08 PM CST

Minocoqua Woodruff Area    ( top )

Minocqua/Woodruff Area

Yellow perch action has been fair, and surprisingly shallow (7 to 10 feet) on several lakes (Big Arb, Kawaguesaga, and Pokegama). On other lakes, mud flats of 18 to 23 feet are producing perch on jigs tipped with wigglers. Walleye action is fair. A few lakes (Little Arb, Big Arb, and Minocqua) are giving up some nicer fish to 24 inches on suckers. Northern pike action is also fair, with a late afternoon bite. Fish are running small to average (18 to 24 inches), but a few high 20-inch fish were caught last week. Large shiners are producing on tip-ups. Crappie and bluegill fishing is fair to poor. For crappies, try late afternoon through dusk, and flutter-drop silver jigs tipped with white (plastic, grub, chena bait). For bluegills, stick to dark No. 10 jigs tipped with mousies, and fish in bays in 8 to 12 feet of water.

Thursday, February 7, 2008 3:08 PM CST

Park Falls Area    ( top )

Park Falls Area

Ice thickness has been increasing and most lakes now have 15 to 17 inches of ice. Walleye fishing has been fair. A good day of fishing has consisted of one or two flags and a catch of one walleye. The few reports of success have come in late afternoon hours, with suckers fished in the 8- to 14-foot depths. Many anglers are starting to target other species, such as northern pike and panfish, which have provided a little better success. Panfish have provided the most consistent action, with some decent catches of bluegills, perch, and crappies being reported. Northern pike success has been fair, with some decent action during the mid-day hours on golden shiners near any old weedbeds.

Thursday, February 7, 2008 3:08 PM CST

Prairie Du Chien Area    ( top )

Prairie du Chien Area

Bluegill, perch, and crappie action was spotty, due in part to the changing weather patterns. Cold Spring was very spotty, with a few days producing some decent bluegills and a few crappies. Shoreline fishing was poor. Anglers are still crossing the Ambro Slough to fish Mud Slough and Tilmont Lake. Some anglers have ventured up to Fish Lake and the Lower Doubles where bluegill fishing was spotty. Action farther up at Little Missouri and Big Missouri and the Upper Doubles also has been spotty. Ice conditions on the Ambro Slough upstream from the federal landing are a bit poor because of the feeder stream that enters the slough. Some anglers ventured out to McGregor Lake, but fishing there was slow. The lower bottoms outside of Prairie du Chien have not seen much fishing activity due to access problems. Some anglers have been fishing through the ice below the Lynxville dam for walleyes and sauger.

Thursday, February 7, 2008 3:08 PM CST

Rice Lake Area    ( top )

Rice Lake Area

The winter whitefish bite on Long Lake continues to be good. Fish the shallower sand flats in 7 to 8 feet of water, using a tiny jig or hook, tipped with a waxie. Anglers are yet again warned that ice fishing for whitefish on Long Lake can be dangerous, because large schools of whitefish roil continuously under the ice, thinning the ice to what can be treacherous levels. The northern bite is still pretty good. Fish the weedlines or openings in the weeds in 4 to 12 feet of water, using a tip-up with a large shiner. It's mainly a daytime bite. Bluegill and crappie action is good, albeit the fish right now seem to be on the small side. For the bluegills, fish 8 to 9 feet in the weeds, using ultralight equipment, with a small teardrop jig, tipped with a waxie or spike. For crappies, fish 20 to 25 feet of water over or around structure, using a small jig tipped with a minnow, a flutter-type jig, or a small jigging Rapala. The walleye bite is average. Fish low-light hours, starting in depths from 15 to 20 feet over hard-bottom areas.

Thursday, February 7, 2008 3:08 PM CST

Siren Area    ( top )

Siren Area

Anglers have been catching a few good-sized crappies and a lot of pike on a number of lakes.

Thursday, February 7, 2008 3:08 PM CST

Sturgeon Bay Area    ( top )

Sturgeon Area

There has been an increase in pressure out of Little Sturgeon Bay this past week. The perch fishing has picked up, with some limits being reported. People are also trying for pike out of little Sturgeon. The white fish action is still going strong off of Lime Kill Road.

Thursday, February 7, 2008 3:08 PM CST

Upper Peninsula Report    ( top )

Upper Peninsula Report

The fishing has been excellent and the ice conditions match the fishing action. Perch action has been good, and some nice crappies have been mixed in with them. Anglers are fishing with wigglers in 22 to 27 feet of water on Lake Gogebic. Walleye action continues to be fair. The walleye fishing is taking place in 20 to 27 feet of water.

Thursday, February 7, 2008 3:08 PM CST

Wausau Area    ( top )

Wausau Area

Action for crappies and bluegills is hot. Set up over mud flats in 8 to 12 feet of water. For the crappies, run tip-downs baited with rosie reds or crappie minnows; for the bluegills, jig small teardrop spoons tipped with waxies or spikes. The walleye action has been very good late in the day and into the evening. Work water depths in the 6- to 10-foot range with medium golden shiners and small sucker minnows under tip-ups. Quite a few northerns are being picked up while fishing for walleyes and crappies.

Thursday, February 7, 2008 3:08 PM CST

Wolf River System Lake Poygan Area    ( top )

Wolf River System/Lake Poygan Area

White bass are really hitting on Lake Poygan, but you have to find them. Panfish are hitting at the mouth of the Rat River.

Thursday, February 7, 2008 3:08 PM CST