The conclusion of the Sturgeon Spearing Season has come on Lake Winnebago, and the lake’s attention now turns to the annual Battle on ‘Bago.  Overall, ice conditions are excellent with about 20-22 inches of ice.  Working cracks continue to be a concern, and the ice will shift with wind.  The surface of the ice has moderate drifting; however, roads are in great shape thanks to the area fishing clubs.

This will be the last major weekend of ice activities on Lake Winnebago as Battle on ‘Bago starts on Friday (6 am) and continues thru Saturday at 2 pm (Menomonie Park in Oshkosh).  Ticket sales end prior to 6 am on Friday morning and cost $30 each.  Last year, approximately 8,500 tickets were sold.  Please preregister your tickets at  http://www.battleonbago.org/?page_id=24 to reduce your wait times at weigh in.

When purchasing tickets, please try to purchase from a local fishing club.  A portion of the proceeds goes to the selling agent, and club’s sales helps fund local fishing projects or maintenance of the ice roads.  When buying from corporate partners, the proceeds are no longer guaranteed to help area fishermen and habitat.

Fishing reports:  The majority of the fishing activity had been related to sturgeon spearing on Lake Winnebago.  Very little game fishing has occurred the last two weekends.  There have been several pockets of activity and a few reports of success.

Out of Stockbridge, there have been anglers out fishing and moving around a lot.  Most anglers are reporting clear water, but few fish.  There have been only a few marks on the graph, in general.

Brothertown remains the best location for concentrations of fish.  Over the past weekend, walleyes continue to bite on jigging raps and spoons tipped with minnow heads or waxies.  Many of these walleyes continue to run on the small size with some fish going over 18 inches.

In the same area, white bass pockets have also been found.  Include in the mix are bluegill and crappie.  However, perch have been reported as elusive.

The south end remains vacant of fishermen.  I wish I could explain the major void in the fish populations on the south shore, but really can’t other than the light populations of baitfish.

Near Oshkosh just south of the river, there has been a pocket of walleyes and white bass.  Some of the walleyes have been large, with most in the 12-16 inch range.

Out of Merritt Street: Some white bass have been reported.  Small chrome colored clown raps were working for these fish.  In addition, purple prism spoons were also working.  This was the only area where I had reports of perch this week.

Overall the bite has been very good on Lake Winnebago.  The forage base is depleted, and the fish are hungry.   This should continue throughout the remainder of the winter and into the spring run.  It’s a great time to be fishing this lake.

On Lake Poygan there continues to be excellent fishing for walleye and white bass.  The key areas are Indian Point and Horseshoe Hole.  Both are giving up fish regularly, with some occasional crappies.  Gold Swedish pimples have been the bait of choice on Lake Poygan.

Good Luck to the participants in this year’s Battle on ‘Bago.  When this many people are on the lake, courtesy is a must to avoid confrontations.  Please be aware of your surroundings and be thoughtful of your fellow anglers.

We are just 30 days away from open water on the Fox River in Depere, given normal ice out.  It can’t get here fast enough!  Thanks for the support of the site, and if you need to reach me my email is [email protected].  Stay on Top….