The Lake Winnebago region had rapidly changing weather patterns, as winter finally departed and summer seemed to show up, leaving spring missing in action. With air temperatures moving into the upper 70’s, from the typical low 30’s the week before, fishing trends changed drastically.
Water temps rose from the low 40’s on Lake Winnebago, to 58 degrees in the Menomonie Park bay (Oshkosh) on Sunday. The main lake was consistently hovering around 50-55 degrees over the weekend, and some areas have moved in the 60-degree range as of Tuesday.
Water clarity on Lake Winnebago remains stained, with visibility around one foot. There is almost no weed growth to date, and the water conditions are highly favorable currently for anglers.
The river(s) were the place to be this week when seeking walleyes. The walleyes came out of the marshes down the river quickly, once the water temperature rose. The Fox River in Oshkosh had some fantastic action over the weekend, and you could almost walk across the decks of the boats to get from shore to shore.
There should be another run down river of walleyes especially for the Wolf River, although it may be a trickle rather than a flood. To date, The Winneconne Bridge has been spotty to date, with several really solid nights followed by some duds.
Fort Fremont walleye tournament (on the Wolf River) held their annual event this past weekend with 51 boats. Winning weight 12 pounds, due to one large fish. Most participants were in the 2-4 pound range on 5 fish.
Many of the walleyes were mixed into schools of white bass on the Fox River. The white bass are headed north and the walleyes are headed toward the lake. Pulling flies was a predominant method of fishing for these active fish. Red and black flies were the best colors. Jig and minnows, plastics or crawlers were also producing fish. Blade baits, like Vibration Tackle’s Echo tails were also very productive. Most of the walleyes have been in the 10-16” size ranges.
On Lake Winnebago, the mouth of the river was the only place consistent amounts of walleyes were being caught. Trolling crank baits was most effective, especially long lining on the rocks. I tried several of the early post spawn locations (away from the mouth) which are hot every spring, and each of the spots held no active fish.
However, Lake Winnebago’s crappies were in high gear near many of the warm bays and in the channels. This year’s catches are showing some huge size, with 13+ inch crappies common. I’ve seen a few ticking the 15” range. The harbor in Fond du Lac, Menomonie Park, Asylum Bay and other warm areas are the key locations to find these fish.
I fished De Pere Fox River twice last week, looking for some post spawn ladies. Early in the week the walleyes were in the 7-11 foot ranges, and with the water warm up moved very shallow, under 6 feet later in the week. Although I produced some high quality fish over the two days, I would say the run is done in De Pere and Peshtigo. Menomonie, MI still has staging fish, but this will only last a few more days. Swamp Donkey Bait will wrap up the season sometime this week.
The real story is the huge female walleyes coming out of the bay trolling. This bite should continue to be excellent for another 10-15 days plus, before these fish scatter. Most anglers will target these shallow water fish with small crank baits.
Forward looking, The Wolf River still has plenty of walleyes in the system and those fish will make their way into the upper lakes in the near future. White bass will progress up the rivers, getting ready to spawning. Many of the mature walleyes, which are post spawn, will feed heavily for several days, and then will move into a period of inactivity as they recover from the scars of spawning.
Traditionally, according to the DNR telemetry studies, a portion of the female walleyes will stage in the upper lakes for approximately 15-25 days, before moving down to Lake Winnebago. The time frame of the stay in the upper lakes is driven by food, oxygen levels, and water temperatures.
Just a quick note: The brown trout have been very active in the Milwaukee Harbor, and it may be worth a trip to Beer Town in the near future.
AIM walleye tour will host their second event this Sunday out of Winneconne, WI.
Have a great week on the water! [email protected] is my email. Thank you for the reports this week, and it was great talking with many of you at the launches this week!
