Wisconsin fishing reports 01/24/08

[Lee Borgersen]

Ashland Area    ( top ) 

Ashland Area

Not much has changed the past few weeks. The area's waters finally skimmed over north of Houghton Point, as far as you can see. If the area doesn't get any big winds or snows, anglers may be getting into some deeper water by the last weekend in January. Keep your fingers crossed. Machine travel from Washburn, toward the Lighthouse, and over to Second Landing has been good. The ice is averaging around a foot thick. All ice north of Washburn, by Houghton Point, is still 3 to 8 inches. Travel up this way with extreme caution. People are fishing all over Chequamegon Bay, from Washburn south through Ashland, and east over to Second Landing. Fishing reports have been mixed - good one day, slow the next. As usual, a mixed bag of species has been reported, from walleyes, northern pike, smallies, and perch near Ashland, to splake, browns, perch, burbot, lakers, and whitefish over by Washburn.

Thursday, January 24, 2008 12:45 PM CST

Big Green Lake Area    ( top )

Big Green Lake Area

Big Green still had a lot of open water last week. The only ice was in the town bay and Beyer's Cove. There was some bluegill and perch action noted in those two locations, but the action had slowed from the fast action the previous two weeks. If the wind dies down and cold temperatures arrive, the rest of the lake could ice over, but more time would be needed to develop thick ice. Coyote hunters were taking advantage of the snow available this winter.

Thursday, January 24, 2008 12:45 PM CST

Eagle River Area Copy    ( top )

Eagle River Area

Travel on the ice is tough, with water, slush, and a slick “crust” of ice hampering movement. Stick to the beaten trails or you can easily get stuck. And for sure don't go out in trucks. We've “dropped a few” through the ice already this season. Walking is still the best and the safest way to go. Fishing is OK, but anglers are working hard for what they get, with northern pike providing the best action at the moment. The northern bite remains strong. Fish the weed edges or any type of contour, like rocks in 8 feet of water or less. Use a tip-up with a shiner. It's a daytime bite with average sizes, for the most part. The walleye bite is spotty. Fish shallow, rocky knobs, in depths from 6 to 8 feet, or even shallower at times. This is particularly true on the Eagle River chain. It's an early morning or nighttime bite. Use a tip-up with a shiner, or sucker. Moving about is essential, testing each hole until the walleyes are located. The panfish action is nothing special. Fish the shallow, weedy areas, using crappie minnows, spikes, or waxies.

Thursday, January 24, 2008 12:45 PM CST

Green Bay Appleton Area    ( top )

Green Bay/Appleton Area

Anglers were still catching some perch on Green Bay out of Saumico and Oconto. Fishing has been slow lately with some perch being caught out of the harbor. Oconto County Park II had some fishing pressure this past week, with most of the catch being made up of small panfish. A few northern pike were being caught at Geano's Beach, along with a few perch. The Fox River was still wide open early last week, so that's out as an ice-fishing option until some colder weather freezes over the river. Bluegills were hitting at the Machickanee Flowage and on Shawano Lake, with Shawano probably being the better option.

Thursday, January 24, 2008 12:45 PM CST

Hayward Area    ( top )

Hayward Area

Most lakes have 12 to 13 inches of ice, with about 2 to 4 inches of light fluffy snow on top. Travel on the ice has been good, but there are still many rutted areas from the slush problem of a few weeks back. The mild days just before the cold snap provided some fair action, and many anglers caught a few walleyes and northern pike. The walleyes were found in 8 to 14 feet of water, and seemed to prefer sucker minnows and bit best the hour before dark. Panfish action has been fair, with anglers making some decent catches of crappies and perch in deep water, with fish suspended just off the bottom.

Thursday, January 24, 2008 12:45 PM CST

Lake Michigan Metro Area Lakes    ( top )

Lake Michigan/Metro Area Lakes

In Port Washington, the water in the harbor is fairly turbid. Brown trout fishing has been relatively slow, but should pick up as the water clears.

Thursday, January 24, 2008 12:45 PM CST

Madison Area    ( top )

Madison Area

Fishermen are still fishing Cherokee Marsh, University Bay, Monona Bay, and areas on Lake Wingra where they are catching bluegills and crappies.

Thursday, January 24, 2008 12:45 PM CST

Park Falls Area    ( top )

Park Falls Area

Colder temperatures and a lack of snow cover had increased the thickness of the ice prior to last week's cold snap, but ice thickness may vary from lake to lake, so check conditions before heading out. Vehicles can be seen on a number of lakes, but be advised that the best ice was still just more than one foot in thickness. Fishing activity has increased as ice conditions improve. Success has improved, and some fish are being caught. Catches of northern pike, panfish, and walleyes have been reported. Late afternoon toward evening has been more productive for walleyes. Butternut Lake in Price County has been providing some walleye action, but most of the fish have been shorter than 13 inches.

Thursday, January 24, 2008 12:45 PM CST

Prairie Du Chien Area    ( top )

Prairie du Chien Area

Ice conditions vary greatly throughout the area. Travel is dangerous at this time of year, especially on the Mississippi River. Ice thickness ranges from less than an inch to over a foot. Most of the backwaters are frozen over and are in good shape. Bluegill, perch, and crappie action was pretty good. Cold Spring did produce some decent bluegills and a few crappies at times. Anglers are still crossing over the Ambro Slough to fish Mud Slough and Tilmont Lake. Fishing has been pretty good, and some very nice catches of perch, crappies, and bluegills have been taken there. Some anglers have ventured up to Fish Lake and the Lower Doubles where bluegill fishing was spotty. Action farther up at Little and Big Missouri and the Upper Doubles also has been spotty. Some anglers have been fishing below the Lynxville dam for walleyes and sauger. Ice floes have shut down the boat landing at Gordon's Bay.

Thursday, January 24, 2008 12:45 PM CST

Rice Lake Area    ( top )

Rice Lake Area

There's a real good walleye bite going on in the Rice Lake area. Fish rock piles and humps, starting out in 25 feet of water and working shallower to around 12 feet. It's a night bite. Use a tip-up with a small sucker minnow. There are a lot of smaller fish. Red Cedar Lake has been particularly productive for walleyes. Northern pike are hitting well throughout the area. It's a daytime bite. Fish the weed edges in 6 to 12 feet of water. Use a tip-up with a shiner. Bluegills are going great guns, but there'll be a lot of sorting. Fish in 8 feet of water right on the breakline to deeper water. Use a waxie. Some locals have been getting some excellent jumbo perch action on Red Cedar Lake. Fish in 24 feet of water over hard bottom and use a crappie minnow. The whitefish have started hitting on Long Lake. Fish the shallow, sandy areas in 7 to 8 feet of water. Use a tiny spike or a waxie. The whitefish will go to about 3 pounds, and make for some great eating. Anglers should remember that because Long Lake is narrow, it has lots of current, and even when there's good ice elsewhere, Long Lake can still be very iffy.

Thursday, January 24, 2008 12:45 PM CST

Sauk City Area    ( top )

Sauk City Area

Trout are hitting on Devils Lake, and a lot of anglers are getting their limit of three fish in a couple of hours. Most of the trout are running 12 to 17 inches. Anglers are using Swedish Pimples tipped with minnows, or just red hooks, split shot, and minnows. On Crystal Lake, anglers are catching bluegills, especially the last hour before dark. Use Rat Finky jigs or Cobra jigs.

Thursday, January 24, 2008 12:45 PM CST

Siren Area    ( top )

Siren Area

Anglers have been catching bluegills and northern pike on Big Clam Lake. Fishermen also caught a few smallmouths and largemouths from Big Clam, with one of the largemouths hitting 5 pounds. Crappies and walleyes were hitting on Yellow Lake. Pike were hitting on Clear Lake, with a 12-pounder being the biggest caught recently. Ice conditions are pretty good, with up to 15 inches in most places - and that was before the cold weather hit.

Thursday, January 24, 2008 12:45 PM CST

St Germain Area    ( top )

St. Germain Area

Travel conditions on area lakes have improved dramatically. No more slush, but there are still some nasty frozen ruts in most places. Fishing has generally been fair, with panfish and northern pike providing the most action. Walleye fishing is slow. Perch have been biting on the larger lakes. Fish have been coming off weed edges or out over deep water on the mud flats. Live bait has been the key, with crappie minnows working the best. Northern pike have been providing reliable action during daytime hours along weed edges. Some fish are being caught over the tops of weeds now as well, farther back into shallow bays. Tip-ups and large golden shiners are the best bet for pike. Walleye fishing has been slow on most lakes, although on some days you can find fish to catch, but be prepared for a lot of time between flags. Live bait again is the key. Small golden shiners and larger fatheads will work when the fish get finicky.

Thursday, January 24, 2008 12:45 PM CST

Sturgeon Bay Area    ( top )

Sturgeon Area

Ice conditions have been very poor in Door County, with many spots not being safe enough to fish. There are some perch and pike being caught in Little Sturgeon Bay, but with varying ice conditions, the task of find fish could be treacherous. In Sturgeon Bay, the ice was not safe at all late last week ahead of the cold snap. But in the few places that it is safe, like the yacht club, a few fish are being caught. The majority of the catches are pike, with a few brown trout in the mix. Most anglers are using minnows.

Thursday, January 24, 2008 12:45 PM CST

Wausau Area    ( top )

Wausau Area

Ice-fishing action just ahead of last week's cold snap was still very good for a variety of species, including walleyes, panfish, northern pike, and, believe it or not, channel catfish. The walleye bite has moved a bit deeper than in recent weeks, but it remains solid during the low-light and nighttime periods. Tip-ups baited with large golden shiners or sucker minnows are still a good bet; leave the “small” bait at the bait shop. Look for mid-lake humps to hold fish; begin by working the sharper breaks, especially those adjacent to the deepest water, during the day. As the evening arrives, move tip-ups up the breaks, with some on the top of the structural elements. Some fine walleyes continue to come from depths less than 10 feet. Anglers looking to score while jigging should consider using jigging spoons tipped with minnow heads. Northern pike are greedily taking large golden shiners along the deeper weedlines of bays, as well as along the stump fields and irregular breaks on sections of the main river channel. While not commonly targeted by most anglers, the channel catfish population has been active for anglers looking to test their fish-fighting skills on a jigging rod. Use rattling-style jigging spoons tipped with minnow heads. Begin by locating areas of river channel and then key in on the deeper holes within. The panfish bite continues to be the “hot bite” in the area. Good numbers and sizes are being taken on suspended fish in 8- to 12-foot depths.

Thursday, January 24, 2008 12:45 PM CST

Wolf River System Lake Poygan Area    ( top )

Wolf River System/Lake Poygan Area

There is an ATV road to the mouth of Rat River. Follow the “tree line” out onto Lake Poygan from the old Duck Inn. Some walleyes are being caught, but perch action is spotty, and the good white bass action has slowed. It looks like the walleyes may be beginning to stage for their run up the Wolf River.

Thursday, January 24, 2008 12:45 PM CST