Stable weather was the norm this week in the Lake Winnebago region, until late in the weekend when a cold front moved into the area. Water clarity was dirty, with limited visibility, especially in the south end of the lake. Water temperatures have been steadfast, with 72-74 degrees commonly found system wide. Floating vegetation and light algae pockets are common. Overall, the lake is in good condition for consistent fishing. Note: Cover photo was taken by my son Tyler, as this funnel cloud moved over Lake Winnebago on Sunday evening, near Wendt’s.
Anglers had plenty of opportunities this week to fish in good conditions, and many hit the water looking for an array of fish. Nearly all of the game fish have been in active cycles, so there are plenty of options on Lake Winnebago for area sportsmen.
Walleyes are the second most sought after fish this week, as many anglers have made the transition over to perch fishing. White bass have been very aggressive, along with small mouths, large mouths and rock bass. Catfish are feeding in the river and along the western areas of the lake. Pike fishing has picked up along the weeds lines. Crappies are active, and bluegills continue to increase their activity.
Walleye fishing remains solid. The weed bite has been very good this week, especially in the Asylum Bay and Jesuit areas. Crank bait and live bait presentations are working equally well. The trolling bite for walleyes remains solid, especially in the 8-12 foot ranges. Reef tops are active on windy days.
Perch fishing remains solid on the southern half of the lake. Long Point, Abrahams, and Wendt’s are producing solid numbers of perch, with some occasional jumbos in the baskets.
Along the southern western shore, near North Fond du Lac, smaller perch are common, along with some nice sized crappies and bluegills.
Out of Fond du Lac, the “A” Buoy has been a popular destination for perch anglers, along with the mouth of the De Neveu Creek. Perch have been running in the 7-9” ranges on average. The Third Reef has some bigger perch and many sheephead.
Gladstone Beach and Fisherman’s Road area continue to pump out limited number of perch. This is still fairly slow, despite the heavy fishing pressure. Common baskets are 5-10 perch per angler.
North of Fisherman’s Road, a heavy population of fish has taken residence. In two hours of trolling on Saturday, I picked up 7 species of fish, with none of them being a walleye or perch. There are large numbers of white bass, so keeping three rods in the water was difficult. Earlier in the week, some larger walleyes were in the area, and were attracted to flicker shads trolled between 2-2.5 mphs.
Along the north shore, a school of larger walleyes was present near Jefferson Park in 16 feet of water. Minnow style baits were working best.
There were no major walleye tournaments this weekend. The Winneconne Bass Open was held Saturday with a winning weight of about 17.5 pounds. The BWC holds their last event of the year this coming Sunday out of Menomonie Park in Oshkosh.
EAA is in town, and this is one of my favorite weeks to fish the system. You never know when a vintage war bird will fly over, or when a MIG fighter might “threaten” your position. Lake Winnebago gives you a “birds-eye” view of the activity in Oshkosh, while providing some excellent fishing opportunities.
Be sure to submit your master angler submissions on the main page. Did you know that you could earn a master angler for a sheephead? Details by clicking on the catch and release icon in the upper left portion of the page. [email protected] is my email. Thanks for the reports Shawn, AXL, Mike, Chase, and others. Thank you for supporting Myfishingpartner.com!
