A rainy Memorial Day weekend has concluded and Lake Winnebago saw plenty of activity from area fishermen during the pockets of good weather.  Water temps on the main lake hovered in the low 60’s, with water clarity variable throughout the lake.  Many areas had water clarity in the 5-8 foot range, until the rains arrived, causing a stain to the water column.  Lake Flies have disappeared, at least for the time being.

In most areas of the lake, solid action is occurring for walleyes, crappies, and other game fish this weekend.  Earlier in the week, the bite was pretty tough for everyone.

Crappies continue to be the main storyline, with aggressive fish showing up on the west shore and south shore.  Another wave of crappies has moved into Fond du Lac providing plenty of action on Lake Winnebago on the shallow reefs and inside the channels of Lakeside Park.  In addition, suspending fish have been in the 12-15 foot ranges of the south end and near Garlic Island.  If targeting the suspending crappies, try using a size 5 flicker shad or #4 Salmo Hornet in black and gold while trolling behind Off Shore Tackle planner boards at 1.7-2.0 mph’s.

Walleyes have moved out of the rocky shallow water haunts (due to clear water) to either deeper water or near shallow water weeds.  The weeds have become substantially enough to start holding larger fish, providing ambush points and protection.

Don and I fished hard this week, preparing for the Beer Run Tournament in Pipe, Wi.  We found some huge schools of fish, especially near Garlic Island.  These fish had a case of lockjaw for the most part, but there was a mix of crappies, white bass and small walleyes.  Our hunch is that these were white bass returning from the rivers after spawning.

The Fox River mouth in Oshkosh is holding some good numbers of fish.  Many of these are small white bass, catfish, sheephead and walleyes.  The walleyes in the river are either really large or really small.  The quantity of walleyes has dropped from weeks past, and there seemingly are more “junk” fish here now.

In general, the best fishing was occurring in the 12-16 foot ranges this week.  Walleyes continue to be suspended, and should be targeted higher in the water column.  With the clear water conditions, walleyes will feed up to the bait, and running the baits higher in the water column allows for maximum exposure for your bait.

On the southeast portion of the lake, strong schools of walleyes have been present.  Running the baits about 40 feet back seemed to be the golden ticket this week.  Purple was the dominant color in this region.

Near Long Point and Black Wolf areas, the trolling bite still exists, with similar patterns to the southeast portion of the lake.  The Long Point Reef was fairly quiet this week, but a mix of fish has been reported, including some bluegills.

The weed lines from Fond du Lac to the Jesuit are now holding walleyes.  Work the weed lines with either crank baits or jig/plastics to find active fish.  Don’t be surprised if largemouth bass also end up on your line.

The north shore also has a trolling bite for some bigger walleyes and saugers in front of the North Shore Golf Course.

With the rains predicted this coming week, expect all current trends to become obsolete.   The water will likely get dirty, the rivers will have increased flow rates, and the water temps are likely to drop.

Tournaments this past weekend included the Beer Run Tournament in Pipe.  We finished 22nd, with between 9-10 pounds.  The winners had approximately 24 pounds on 5 walleyes.  Big fish was caught by Matt Dorow, a My Fishing Partner contributor, which went 6.03 pounds.  The Houges tournament was held out of Oshkosh.  The winners, Jason Muche/Mark Hanson, had about 18.5 pounds (4 fish).

This coming weekend will be busy for tournaments.  ‘Bago Walleye Club (event number two) is scheduled for Sunday out of Menomonie Park.  Van Dyne Lions will host their annual event Saturday.  In addition the Neighborhood Pub and Grill tournament is also scheduled for Saturday on the North Shore.

Have a happy “short” work week.  Again, we always encourage your reports!  [email protected] is my email should you wish to contribute to this report.