Some of the best fishing days are almost upon us in Wisconsin. Early March offers some incredible choices for anglers to ponder.
In most areas of Wisconsin, the fishing season closes in early March and will reopen around Mother’s day. However, many of the rivers and some select bodies of water will remain open year round for walleye. Please check your Department of Natural Resources handbook for all of the current regulations.
Lake Winnebago is an “open body” of water year round. In early March the lake remains ice covered. Vehicle travel is not wise, but access by foot is common most years. Please remember that the ice can drastically change at a moment’s notice. Rescues are not uncommon this time of the year, as the warm water runoff from melting snow will eat away at the ice from the bottom up.
On Lake Winnebago, many of the walleyes are “staged” in preparation for the Spring spawning run up the Lower Fox and Wolf Rivers. The adjacent reefs near the Fox River in Oshkosh, WI are some of those staging areas for hungry walleyes. Typically, many of the larger shad have come to the end of their lifecycle, and the walleyes no longer have infinite food sources at their disposal. Aggressive males, bulking up for the run, can make for some heavy hitting action on spoon or blade baits.
If end of the season ice is not your thing, The Upper Fox River in Depere, WI should be your destination. This is one of the first open water areas in Wisconsin after ice out. On a typical year the Depere dam area will open up in the first few weeks of March. It is crowded, cold, and one of the best walleye bites in the country, bar none.
Depere can make an average angler look professional. Some of the best walleyes from the Bay of Green Bay (Lake Michigan) enter into this stretch of the river to spawn. It is not uncommon to hear about fishermen having 100 walleye nights, with multiple fish over 28”. The best activity comes pre-dawn, but can continue throughout the day. If you need confidence in your jigging method, make this trip.
Timing is everything at Depere. There are small windows of opportunity when the walleyes will move into spawn. Water temperature is the key element. I try to target the 40-45 degree water temperature ranges to find the largest fish. The larger females like to get in and out when it comes to spawning; however, the smaller males tend to hang around to see if anybody else might be coming to the party. Consumption of the walleyes from this section of the river is not suggested by the Wisconsin DNR.
So make your choice. Do you want your walleyes coming through a hole on the ice or coming over the side rail of your boat? Either way, some of the largest walleyes of the season will be taken in the next 30 days in Wisconsin. Just a reminder to renew your fishing license as they expire March 31st.
Myfishingpartner.com will keep you informed of the hot local fishing bites this spring, including Depere, Lake Winnebago, the lower Fox River and the Wolf River.
