A persistent cold front has hammered the area over the past week, and there looks to be no relief in sight for East Central Wisconsin. Lake Winnebago waters have chilled to an icy 47 degrees, with the expectation of continued decline. The snow flurries on Monday really just tell the whole story.
Water conditions on the lake are horrible for floating vegetation currently. I heard it best said as “you can bale hay out there right now.” Many of the aquatic plants are dying off quickly due to the cold water temperatures. There has been minimal boat traffic again this week.
The only real bite to speak of currently is for bluegills. They are still hanging out in the green weed areas and shallow bays. Many of these fish have excellent size. A downsized presentation is suggested. An ice jig and waxie have worked well in the Asylum Bay area over the weekend. The bait fish and forage levels on the system remain ridiculously high, and it may be some time before this changes.
The Midwest Walleye Series held their championship this past weekend. The entire field only managed 7 fish. Almost the entire field was either in Lake Poygan or the Wolf River. There were several solid bites in the Wolf River over the week including the area known as the “the Cut” and the deep holes nearby. Other reported some success near Fremont for small walleyes in the 11-14 inch range. Everything was geared toward a jig and crawler in a vertical presentation. Water levels were very low on the Wolf. Crappies are also going well on the Wolf.
The Fox has a fairly strong current running through it right now. Fishing has been slow throughout most of Oshkosh.
Muskie are starting to get hot on the Bay of Green Bay right now. Small sized Grandmas are working best in the holographic colors. See you up there this weekend! [email protected]
