By Mark Schram

Eastern Wisconsin has seen some mild spring days over the past 10 days, and Lake Winnebago, the Wolf River and The Fox River in Green Bay have had some wonderful transformations.

Early this week a frontal system moved through the area with strong winds and heavy rain.  As a result, the ice sheet on Lake Winnebago has been broken apart, and for all purposes the lake is now open water.  The water is complete chocolate milk on Lake Winnebago, so it will be some time before this will be “fishable” water.

The Wolf River is essentially clean of all ice flows, and the river has risen to near flood stage.  As a result, from New London south to Lake Poygan has been deemed an emergency no wake zone.  No wake must be observed in any marked area, or when within 500 feet of a permanent structure.  These rules could change, so be sure to check with the local bait shop before launching.

The heavy rain has really messed up the water clarity on all body of waters in the area.  The good news is we have the initial elements needed to have a successful walleye spawn on the rivers.  There are still many factors which need to occur to have a great spawn, but the higher water levels certainly do help.

The Fox River in Depere has had light current to date, and the opening of additional gates at the dam after the rain will most certainly dirty the water and create flow through the river and out to the Bay of Green Bay.  This may be the calling card needed to start bringing the big females into the river from the bay.

Fishing Reports:

Fox River in Depere, WI:  The bite is on for males, with females nearly absent from the baskets.   Water clarity has ranged from zero to about 9 inches over the past week.  The best bite is occurring when the sun is high, and cloud cover is minimal.  Water levels are average, and higher than the previous spring.  Water temps have ranged between 40-43 degrees over the past week.

Jig and minnows are the best bait choice, and plastics have had minimal success to date.  When stopping in at Swamp Donkey at the City Launch, be sure to get both shiners and mud minnows.  The walleyes have a definite preference each day.  However, one day it will be shiners, and only shiners…. followed by the next day with a heavy reliance on mud minnows/fat heads and etc.

Last Saturday we caught a few fish on mud minnows, and after switching to shiners we put on a clinic with over 60 fish caught on the shiners.  By contrast, we had 4 walleyes caught on mud minnows.  Parrot colored jigs have been best this season so far, especially in a 3/8 oz.

The majority of the fish have been concentrated into the main river channel, and only a few are up in the shallows.

Wolf River: A very similar bite is occurring on the Wolf.  Mainly males, with average sizes between 13-17 inches.  There is a healthy population of walleyes in the area, along with catfish, sheephead, and rough fish.

The area around Chico’s has had the best reports, with most anglers using shiners and orange jigs to attract the fish.  Some are pumping minnows, some are using three ways rigs, and most a vertical jigging.  Water temperatures have risen from 37 degrees to 42 degrees over the past several days.

 

The Fox River (Oshkosh) and Lake Winnebago have had little activity due to poor ice or ice flows.  This week will be the first week where boats will venture out. Remember, there always is a ton of debris after ice out, so be especially careful.

The upcoming forecast is not looking great next week.  Cold, rain, snow and wind summarizes the week.  Looks like our walleye run might be delayed a week.

RS nets has appointed Myfishingpartner.com the distributor for the nets in the State of Wisconsin.  On the main page of Myfishingpartner.com, just click on the banner ad to get to the RS nets store.  Use code MFP5 to receive a 5% discount on the product if you order on-line.  The nets are available at Swamp Donkey bait in Depere.  They have sold out twice!  These are premium nets, and hooks rarely penetrate the net.  Like your Frabil, ego or Beckman net?….You will love the RS nets due to it’s superior construction.  Trick out your nets with different colored handles and nets, or interchange handles.

That’s it for this week.  Get on the water!  [email protected] is my email.