Southeast Wisconsin experienced a stable weather system which featured declining temperatures and no precipitation. Lake Winnebago has recovered from the warm temperatures and melting ice from the previous week; however, at the expense of changing ice conditions. Ice depths are generally in the 13-18 inch range, but remain inconsistent in many locations. Water clarity is best in the northeast corner of the lake and is spotty/slightly stained on the south west corner of the lake.
There are several new ice cracks since the last report on the main lake, and some fishermen are describing them as “scary.” The break generally starts in the southern end, about mid lake and runs up the east shore. Along the crack, some areas have ice depths less than 8 inches. Please use extreme caution when in the general vicinity of the cracks.
Fishing on Lake Winnebago has picked up slightly over the past few weeks, but remains just satisfactory. Walleyes are being seen on underwater cameras consistently, but are avoiding many bait presentations. The perch bite has started to pick up considerably, with some Jumbo perch being reported on a daily basis. White bass schools also persist but are constantly roaming, so each day becomes a new challenge to find the schools. Burbot (aka…lawyers, eelpout) have not been common yet, but should get into spawning mode in the next two to three weeks. Once active, the burbot will be found in the shallow water.
For specific locations:
North Fond du Lac: This area is very slow right now, and camera scouting is revealing very few fish in the area.
BP in Fond du Lac: A solid perch bite is occurring in this area
Calumet and Pipe: Schools of white bass are in this area. Gold colored spoons with waxies are producing the best results.
Brothertown: Remains the best bite on the main lake. White bass, walleye and bluegills are present, with perch being abundant at times. This is a metallic spoon bite (ie…Swedish pimple, Kastmasters etc) tipped with either a minnow head or waxies. The area remains hit n miss from day to day and location to location. Keep moving until you locate active fish. Glow jigs and perch colored jigs/spoons also have been producing in this area.
Merritt Street: White bass, walleye and perch are biting in the area. Again gold is the key color with white being a close second. There seems to be a large walleye population in this area that is just not aggressively chasing baits.
Asylum Bay: Same story here from previous reports. Lots of fish (walleye and perch) in the area, but they continue to run on the small size.
Lake Poygan: There is continued action for white bass on Rapala’s tipped with minnow heads. Perch, crappies, bluegills and walleyes are also being reported less frequently. Pike fishing remains below average at best.
I would like to remind fishermen not to leave equipment in their icehouses on the lake. About this time every year, reports of stolen property from the shanties becomes commonplace. It might even be wise to leave a clear view into the empty shanty (available from the outside) to discourage the despicable individuals from breaking into your fish house.
[email protected] is my email. Drop me a line with your fishing stories. Do not forget to enter in the big sturgeon guess contest on the main page. A fishing prize package goes to the winner! We can also be found on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Fond-Du-Lac-WI/My-Fishing-Partner/222624783318. Become a fan today!
