A week of summerlike weather gripped the Lake Winnebago region, leading to some fantastic fishing opportunities. Water temperatures have jumped. The water clarity remains stained with a heavy algae mixed into the water column. On calm days, the algae will thicken at the surface.
Many species of fish became very active this week, putting on the feed bag in preparation for cold weather. With perfect conditions, anglers were out in large numbers.
Walleyes became common catches this week, especially the 2013 class of fish. The 9” walleyes seem to be eager to chase baits and were common in 5-10 feet of water. We did find some larger walleyes in the shallow weeds, along with some excellent “eater size” male walleyes on the reef tops. We targeted these fish with minnow style crank baits; but, I also had reports of jigs and crawlers working great also.
White bass are the main storyline system wide. These fish have been staging near most rivers and streams which provide water flow into Lake Winnebago. These fish are ravenous, and are attacking any moving object.
On Friday, in under 3 hours, I caught over 150 white bass (all swimming) casting crank baits or Mepps #3 spinners. I was not in the Fox River but rather in Fond du Lac, near the Fond du Lac River. On Saturday, due to calm conditions and boat traffic, that number reduce to about 50.
There is also a trolling bite in front of Lakeside Park (FDL). Try chrome colored baits run at 3 mph’s to target these jumbo sized white bass. Over the next several weeks this bite will further improve.
The Fox River in Oshkosh is also holding a lot of fish. Look to the bridges (especially near UW Oshkosh) for the best action with those white bass. The Highway 41 Bridge and Rainbow Park (Oshkosh) have held fish, but boat traffic has been heavy, making the area inconsistent.
Perch fishing has been steady, but not spectacular. Partial limits have been common, but full limits (25 fish) remain rare. The perch have moved shallower this week with under 10 feet of water (over a gravel bottom) a common location to find these fish.
Largemouth bass and smallmouth bass are hanging along the weed lines this past week. Pike are also feeding adjacent to the same weed beds.
Overall it was an excellent week of fishing, with plenty of happy anglers returning home with dinner. The trend is looking to continue, with a warm and stable week expected next week. These temperature will not be around long, so take advantage of this great opportunity.
Next report as conditions change. [email protected] is my email for general questions or your fishing reports. You can also submit your master angler submissions at that email, or via the link on the main page. Thank you for visiting our site!
