By Mark Schram

Its official…the 2016 Ice Fishing Season is underway on Lake Winnebago and other Winnebago systems waterways.  The past 10 days have seen tremendous changes in temperature, wind and precipitation.  Temperatures as low as -9, highs of 36 degrees.  We saw snow, rain, sleet and fog this week.

The Lake Winnebago region shows drastic differences in ice depths, and even 20 feet can result in huge variances in the ice thickness.  A perfect example was on Little Lake Butte des Mortes on Saturday where we drilled holes and found 8” of ice, followed by the next hole with 3 inches just 10 yards away. Additionally areas on the southwest shore of Lake Winnebago had in excess of 9” of ice, but at the same time, steam pockets could be seen from shore, likely indicating open water mid lake.

Lake Poygan attracted a lot of anglers this past week.  Shifting ice has been of concern when winds have been heavy.  Generally, most areas have 8-12” of ice and ATV travel has been heavy.  There are multiple cracks, with the major crack running east-west along the south shore.  The ice composition is dirty and has a rough surface makeup.  The water is heavily stained in most areas, but pockets of clearer water do exist.

Fishing reports from Lake Poygan have been mixed.  Some anglers were reporting periods of solid action, while other are marking fish which they can’t get to react.    White bass, crappies, and a few stray walleyes are the most common fish being caught.  There are a lot of walleyes under 12” on the system right now, and they have been the most common size caught.  As always, gold is a dominant color on Lake Poygan, especially with dirty water.  Small spoons being the best lure followed by jigging raps.   Success on Lake Poygan is defined with water clarity.

Lake Winnebago has seen minor activity, with the exception of the bays.  The ice on Lake Winnebago is very inconsistent, and there has not been activity along the west shore to provide reliable information of specific areas.

On Saturday, anglers had ATV’s out near the Fugelburg launch in Oshkosh. Additional there was light activity out of Black Wolf Launch, Wendt’s, and South of Subway Road on the west shore.    Surprisingly, some of the key backwaters – frequented by early ice fisherman – such as Menomonie Park (Oshkosh), the Harbor in Fond du Lac and the Old Chaparral (NFDL) were vacant.

Asylum Bay has had some solid reports for pan fish.  The size of these fish was impressive, including some massive bluegills and crappies.  If you can get away from the crowd safely, it is advisable, as the fish have been very spooky with overhead noise.  Ice depths here are about 6-9”.

The channels in Oshkosh should be avoided.  This area is full of shad, and when drilling holes to fish, shad are popping up the holes.

The east shore of Lake Winnebago has solid ice, and there has been some good activity out of the area.  Gladstone Beach has white bass being caught. Check in with Rippin’-Lips in Stockbridge for current conditions.  No bridges are out in the area as of yet, so travel at your own risk.

Chase and I fished Little Lake Butte Des Mortes this week.  The pike population was mildly active with smaller fish.  Occasional, a larger fish would be caught.  There was heavy angler fishing pressure in this area.  The crappie fishing was ok, as long as you were on the absolute key area.  Most angler could produce a few crappies using rosy red minnows.

River Haus in Fond du Lac has a huge selection of tungsten jigs.  Be sure to stop down and say Hi to Don, and grab some fresh bait.

Once this Artic blast moves through the area, warmer temperatures are on the way.  The El Nino winter has played havoc with die hard anglers.  We still have to play the waiting game for major activity on Lake Winnebago.  In the meantime, there are plenty of regional options which will provide opportunities for area anglers.

Thanks for the support everyone!  [email protected] is my email.  Stay on top, and have a great week.