Lake Winnebago has once again become the focal point of area sportsmen. Solid ice conditions across the region have allowed fishermen access to many areas of the lake traditional not accessible this early in the season. Most areas in the southern portion of the lake have nearly a foot of ice, topped with about 2-3 inches of fresh snow. Northern portions of Lake Winnebago have ice reports in the 5-12 inch ranges. Lake Poygan also reports in with approximately a foot of decent ice; however the surface does have some slushy locations.
Vehicle travel is not advised; however, there are trucks venturing out onto Lake Winnebago currently. None of the bridges have been placed as of Saturday. The ice build up (heaves) near the cracks makes vehicle travel difficult. The West Shore Fishing Club is currently manufacturing new bridges, and they should be ready to go in the next few weeks if not sooner. Thanks Guys!
Lake Winnebago has some areas of solid activity. The best area on the Lake is near Wendt’s on the West Shore. The common bag includes some nice sized bluegills, crappies, and a ton of small perch. The perch and gills can be caught on a small jig and waxies. Crappies have been attracted to small minnows.
We fished the Old Chaparral area south of Wendt’s several times the past week. This area also featured some strong perch schools moving through the area in the 4-7 foot ranges. Many of the fish were on the smaller size, but with enough time on the ice, a limit of decent perch could be found. Our best bait was the Custom Jigs “nuclear ant” in orange. We tipped these jigs with red spikes (Available at River Haus in Fond du Lac). A spring bobber was a must as the bite was extremely light in most cases.
Some four wheelers are venturing out of Ceape Street in Oshkosh, and there are some reports of anglers catching walleyes in this general area. No details as to which method is available yet. Asylum Bay is producing big numbers of small perch.
Lake Poygan has had some decent pressure from area anglers with a typical bag of white bass and an occasional stray (small) walleyes to show for their efforts. Perch are also common. Overall, this area has had some very inconsistent reports of fish activity and really is day by day and hour by hour situation. The Wolf River is still holding good numbers of decent male walleyes. A jig and a minnow is the best tactic currently. As the food sources become depleted in the river there should be a migration of walleyes back down into Lake Poygan.
Just a reminder: Tew’s Two in Oshkosh and River Haus in Fond du Lac offer some of the best assortment of live bait in the area. Stop in and check out their great selection of minnows, spikes, eurolarve and other items. Have a Happy New Year! Please drop us a note as to how your last fishing adventure went on the ice. [email protected]
