Lake Winnebago and Lake Poygan continue to have thickening sheets of ice, as anglers are starting to expand their boundaries. This weekend saw the first travel past the shoves on the shores of Lake Winnebago. On the south shore, anglers were observed as far out as the Third Reef, and a solid ¾ of a mile off of Fisherman’s Road. ATV’s and snowmobiles are common, but there continues to be considerable risk. Water clarity has improved since last week, and was at about 2 feet of visibility on the southwest corner.
Ice depths have improved since last week, but not as rapidly as hoped. Depths ranged from 3” to 8” on Lake Winnebago and Lake Poygan saw similar results ranging from 4-8”. The south east portion of Lake Winnebago continues to have some ugly ice, with large shoves common. I even observed a fool and his truck, taking a ride on the ice near the BP in FDL.
Angler traffic has diminished since the holidays. Unfortunately, so have the incoming fishing reports which we have received.
Overall, the fishing remains spotty for panfish on Lake Winnebago. 7-10 foot depths were the best locations to find perch. The perch have been schooled from our observations and constant relocation is required to find active fish.
Another key factor was sunlight. Mornings were much better than mid day, and cloudy days produced more fish than cloudy free days. The forecast does not look friendly, with warm temperatures and rain in the long term forecast. Watch for rapidly changing conditions of the ice.
Here are the areas which we have reports from:
Big Hole/Harbor in Fond du Lac: Very little activity. A few small perch were common.
Chaparral (NFDL): Large numbers of anglers have been working this area. The area about a quarter mile to the north has had solid perch, bluegill and crappie action. As mentioned before, these are tightly schooled fish. The guy next to you may be pounding fish; while 50 yards away, another angler will not see a fish on the camera. Minnows were doing better than grubs here.
Wendts: Access to some deeper water has allowed anglers to find some nice perch in this general area. If you can access 6-8 foot of water in this general area safely, this would be a prime targeted zone.
Fisherman’s Road: Limited access, limited activity, hence no reports
Oshkosh Area. From Cory K: Did alright just south of Oshkosh this weekend. Only fished the afternoon both days but ended up with 13 perch over 9 inches and let quite a few 8″ go. 8.5fow, soft bottom, caught fish on buckshot with waxies and a shiner on a deadstick.
Asylum Bay: Still strong numbers of anglers catching a few small bluegills or perch. Spikes are working best. This area will satisfy anglers looking for action and not meals.
Lake Poygan: Many small white bass are habituating this lake currently. There are also solid numbers of average to above average white bass active in the lake. Crappies are common, as are bluegill and perch. Walleye reports have been either really strong or nonexistent. This also probably indicates tightly schooled fish.
Wolf River: The River is getting better ice at some locations. Many parts of the river are still open water. In New London, the Big eddy is producing average sized walleyes on minnows.
Stay on top of the ice, and in the meantime we continually seek reports from the North side of Lake Winnebago and the Brothertown areas. Please drop me a line if you have anything to report on the system. [email protected]. Go Pack!
