Bitter cold temperatures engulfed the Lake Winnebago region for better part of 10 days. High winds hindered ice development initially, but late in the week the ice sheet grew vastly. Nearly the entire lake is now ice covered, but ice depths have a range from 14” of ice down to just an inch.
The lake was nearly vacant on Saturday, as there is still a major risk to travel on Lake Winnebago currently. This is the calm before the storm, as the main lake may be just a few days from ATV travel.
Along the east shore there is activity out of Gladwater beach. There were even some vehicles on the ice in this area. Fishing was slow, and only a few fish were being marked in this area.
The western bays continue to have some minor pressure with fishermen seeking pan fish. According to local bait shops in Oshkosh, the catch rates of fish in the bays is extremely low. Menomonie Park was absolutely vacant. Unbelievably, there was someone fishing 2 miles out of the river mouth on Saturday.
The past week has also had some activity near the Fugelberg and the 20th street launch in Oshkosh. There have been reports of perch and walleye in the area.
Some of the shallow areas already have burbot moving up in pre-spawn activities.
Lake Poygan continues to see heavy traffic. Vehicles have been getting around fairly easily, despite some of the drifting on the ice’s surface. There are no plowed roads, but plenty of tracks to follow. Ice depths in many areas exceeded 14”, with some reports of 18” or more. However, there are still thin areas of ice.
During the weekdays, fishing has been excellent. White bass, crappies, and perch are the most common catches. Walleyes are also found on occasion. Weekends have been slower, simply because of the overhead noise made by anglers and vehicles. Avoid the shanty cities, or fish on the outskirts of the village for the best results. Even with the crowds, fishing is pretty good even on the weekends.
Small baits remain critical to success this season on Lake Poygan. Spoons, jigging raps, and small jigs have all worked over the past week.
Little Lake Butte des Mortes was our focus this week. The northern pike fishing has slowed, along with the crappies. However, perch have become active, especially during mid-day. The size of these fish are on the small size (6-8” is common). Tip-ups with small minnows were extremely busy.
Small jigs tipped with a single waxie was also an excellent presentation. With the extremely cold temperatures, a slow presentation was key. The perch would move through in waves at about 30 minute intervals. I would suggest avoiding an underwater camera, as the perch were spooked by it in the shallow water.
Next week has forecasted cold weather, followed by a warm weekend. The lakes will be busy especially by weeks’ end. Be sure to travel in groups, as the ice is extremely inconsistent this year. Take extreme caution as you travel through virgin ice.
Battle on ‘Bago is a little over a month away. If possible, try to purchase your tickets via local clubs or bait shops. Many of these clubs receive an incentive for each ticket sold, which is often used to support the ice roads or other fishermen friendly activities.
[email protected] is my email. Please send your fishing reports to us; as this ensures the best fishing report on Lake Winnebago is available to YOU each week!
