A fresh layer of lake effect snow fell over the ice sheet on Lake Winnebago and Lake Poygan this week. This week’s arctic blast built ice very quickly on the lake. By the weekend, the Otter Street Fishing Club had placed the ATV and Snowmobile bridges in place out of Merritt Street in Oshkosh, allowing access to Lake Winnebago’s central basin. There are no roads as of yet, and when established, they will unlikely have the Christmas tree road markers, due to the early start of the season.
The ice depth on Lake Winnebago is fairly consistent. The formation of the ice sheet has been excellent, and has formed in a uniform and solid manner. We have one the best ice bases in recent memory. The same song and dance applies to Lake Poygan, which has slightly better ice thickness overall; however, has some suspect areas of thinner ice/open water.
General area ice depths include:
Lake Poygan 10-14”
Black Wolf 7-12”
Winnebago County Landing 8-10”
Cowling Bay 8-12”
Asylum bay 6-12”
FDL 6-13”
Merritt street 8-11”
Gladwater Beach Road/Brothertown 0-12”
Fishing has been solid. Bays and the shallows have had the best action, while the central basin has been slow. I believe this to be oxygen driven. There is still plenty of oxygen, food and cover in the shallow depths currently, holding many fish/bait in the shallow depths. As winter progresses, the shallow water oxygen will deplete, and fish will move to deeper water for survival.
South End (Fond du Lac near BP gas). There were vehicles driving about a half mile out on Sunday. This area has some pockets of 12” ice. Fishing has been “o.k.” with some perch and bluegill present.
Chaparral (North Fond du Lac). This area has been vacated now that the main lakes’ ice sheet is formed. However, the main lake in front of the channel, usually holds a lot of anglers. There were only a couple of anglers present this weekend. I was told that the crack (where the ice sheets meet) is very sloppy, limiting access.
Big Hole (Fond du Lac Harbor). This area remains “spotty” with small perch, bluegill and crappies. Traffic has subsided as anglers moved out to the lake.
Wendt’s (Van Dyne): Most anglers are focusing north of Wendt’s in the shallow weeds along the shoreline. Solid sized perch, bluegill, crappies and white bass are being caught. Yellow and green were excellent color choices. Waxies were dominate for a live bait choice.
TJ’s/County Road Z (Van Dyne): Anglers are working the weedy shallow flats for pan fish. Small walleyes are present, along with a few larger ones. Lots of small fish, with excellent action.
Black Wolf: See TJ’s and duplicate
Merritt Street (Oshkosh): Anglers are accessing the central basin here via the ATV bridge near Merritt Street. Occasional white bass and walleyes have been taken, but overall have been scarce. My opinion, it’s just too early to be out there based on the seasonal cycles.
Asylum Bay (Oshkosh): Very crowded conditions, and the fish have become “spooked.” The cameras are showing strong numbers of fish, which are doing a lot of looking at the lures. With the amount of ATV and snowmobile traffic, this area will host a tougher bite for the near future. There have been some excellent sized bluegills and perch reported in this area, with small spoons or tungsten jigs working best.
East Shore near Brothertown: Still pretty slow, but some trucks are venturing out. White bass are the main species here, along with the 6” walleyes. There are still some open water openings out here, so be very careful. The GPS coordinates of this open spot: N 43 58.100 W 88 20.541
Lake Poygan: Decent sized walleyes are cruising around in this lake, many exceeding 20 inches. Strong numbers of white bass and crappies are being caught. Small spoons or jigging raps tipped with waxies/minnow heads are working well. Gold is a key color. Limited truck travel is occurring, but you better know where you are going, as there are still some open water pockets on the lake.
Given the current forecast, truck travel may be common by next weekend on Lake Winnebago. Based on seasonal trends, you may be better off to work the shallow water areas for better opportunities, rather than venturing out to the deeper water.
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