Mild weather dominated the last couple of week in the Lake Winnebago region of south eastern Wisconsin. Ice formation has been slow on the main lake due to the warm temperatures. The bays and harbors on Lake Winnebago have on average about 4-9” of ice, and are supporting many anglers.
In Fond du Lac, the harbor (Big Hole) has had a lot of pressure. During the week, when the fishing pressure is less, perch have been moving through and are active feeders. The size of the perch are small to average, with an occasional jumbo in the mix. Crappies are also being reported. Minnows seem to be the bait of choice, along with spikes.
In the Oshkosh area, some of the channels off of Lake Winnebago were doing well for pan fish. The bays have had plenty of pressure, and the bite is very inconsistent. If you can find green weeds, that is the place to fish.
The East Shore is not safe just yet, in my estimation. No reports are available.
On Little Lake Butte des Mortes, Pike have started to feed more aggressively and are offering plenty of flag chasing opportunities.
Lake Poygan remains the most popular place to fish, with 8-12 inches of ice in most areas. There are numerous cracks which anglers must be aware of while on the lake. ATV traffic has been ongoing and a couple of vehicles have been on the ice, but this is highly discouraged. The warm weather has been detrimental to the ice, so be sure to get updates at the local bait shops each day to identify any areas of risk.
Because many area anglers are focused on a few community spots on the Winnebago System, getting away from the crowd will be critical to your success. When Atv’s are constantly running over head, fishing tends to shut down.
On Lake Poygan the walleye bite picked up moving into the weekend. Most anglers are focused on Horseshoe Hole. Limits have been rare until recently, when 5 walleyes limits were more common. Clown or yellow based baits have been best on most days, in smaller sizes. Many of the walleyes are small males. White bass and crappie are common catches, and an occasional bluegill. Pike have been in the shallow bays, but the numbers have been lackluster.
The My Fishing Partner Team has been focused on the harbor in Milwaukee, where an excellent bite is going on for Brown trout, Rainbows and Lakers. We did a couple of videos this week to help you out. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=echWQ1UGyBc&list=UUda5_YvomIwQLzTBXJxEzaw is one of those videos which will walk you through the process of targeting these fish. Walleye guys….you already have all the gear you need, as this bite is on your standard walleye rod (8 pound mono) with a darter head jig and some plastics. We plan to continue to focus on this body of water until the ice hardens after the warm temperatures depart.
The ten day temperature forecast is projected to hover around the freezing mark. It may be a while before access to many areas becomes viable. Please feel free to send me your fishing report, good or bad. The Winnebago system is huge, and your experiences are needed to ensure accurate reports on all areas of the system. [email protected] is my email. Have a Happy beginning to the Holiday Season!
