The extended winter continues to hold its grip on Lake Winnebago, Lake Poygan and the river systems on the Winnebago system. For many, access to the main lake has been limited to foot or ATV as the vehicle bridges have been removed due to inconsistent ice. Many parts of Lake Winnebago have in excess of 15 inches of ice, but the shorelines are breaking down, creating unsafe conditions.
Traffic on the main lake has diminished, as many anglers have refocused on the River in De Pere, WI chasing giant walleyes. More on that later… Here are some limited reports from the Winnebago system.
Fugelberg Launch Area (Oshkosh): There has been solid ATV traffic in this area. The area is featuring staging walleyes, crappies, white bass and some pan fish. Jigging raps and spoons have been solid bait choices.
The Bays in Oshkosh/west shore: Pan fish are in the old weed beds.
Black Wolf area: ATV travel only. Perch and bluegills are active on waxies under a jig.
Merritt Street area (Oshkosh): Still getting walleyes, white bass and pan fish. The bite is slowing down. Natural colored baits have been working best.
Gladwater Beach Area (Brothertown vicinity): loads of white bass present along with an occasional sauger.
Lake Poygan: The Lake continues to have about 18 inches of spotty ice. Overall the bite has been hit-n-miss. Walleye continue to stage and move through this area, heading to the Wolf River for spawning. This lake will break down quickly, especially with the river current under the ice.
Trolling Off Shore Boards along the ice sheet on the Bay of Green Bay
The Wolf River remains ice locked in many locations, and is about 3-10 days away from the ice breaking down to allow for safe boat traffic. There have been a few risk takers out on the system, dodging the ice in open water areas.
The Eureka area on the Upper Fox River is open water, and some boats have been out. Most walleyes have been males, many immature, so the size has been disappointing.
The Winneconne Bridge has been very slow. There is no water current to speak of, and the water levels are well below normal. A heavy rain is vital to get the entire system moving.
DePere and the Fox River is the main focal point of area sportsmen. The walleyes are in at DePere. As of Saturday evening, several more gates were opened, creating muddy conditions, but adding slightly to the weak water flow. Water clarity was at approximately 4 inches.
Male walleyes have been in the deeper river channel, and females have been in the shallows, or at the head/foot of deep holes. Most anglers are using minnows as their meat choice, but plastics can be equally effective. Casting cranks has rarely been effective to date, except at night. The night bite has been producing females in excess of 26” regularly.
Getting away from the Voyager Launch area has produced some excellent activity. Don’t be afraid to get away from the crowd. We found large numbers of catfish near the 172 bridge, along with some white bass. There are some huge schools of bait fish in the river, closer to the bay.
With the increased water flow, it is likely that the spawn will happen in the next seven days. Generally the spawn will be hot and heavy for about 72 hours, and then will diminish quickly. Water temps are already at 40-42 degrees, with 45 degrees being the magic temp.
Catfish caught by Mark Schram at De Pere Fox River
We took a ride out to the ice sheet in the bay and spent several hours trolling in the open water. Surprisingly, the water was clear, and the water temps were a degree warmer than in the river. We produced no fish in University Bay.
The entire area could use a good hard rain to really turn the fish on. Plan to see big crowds in Depere, until the Wolf River opens. Keep us posted of your success and failures. Be sure to send your reports and pictures to us at [email protected]. In the meantime….Stay on top!
