The weather has been anything but consistent. In the last week we encountered a snow storm, an ice storm and temperatures ranging from below zero to over 50 degrees. The lake ice has taken a beating, especially on Thursday and Friday. The forecast calls for up to 1-2 inches of rain over the weekend, which could end most safe ice fishing in the area. As of Friday morning, limited travel on the lake was still possible, however with risk. Many of the fishing clubs have been pulling their bridges off the ice this week. Conditions are changing rapidly, and what was safe yesterday, may not be safe today.
The mouth of the Fox River in Oshkosh has had constant action with good sized walleyes being taken just about every day. Minnow heads on a jigging Rapala’s or jig spoon were working great. These fish are hungry and will just hammer the baits in many cases. The ice thickness was down to about 3-4 inches in some areas around the mouth. Extreme caution must be used. The Merit Street area was still also doing very well–especially at about 2-3 miles out of the launch. Similar tactics to the mouth are being deployed and working well. In general, the closer you get to the mouth of river, the better the quality and quantity of the walleyes. The north shore and east shore have had no reports left with me this week, and there is nothing substantial to report at this time.
Pan fish have moved shallow. Try to focus on areas which typically have heavy weed cover during summer. If you can still find some green weeds, fish those areas hard. Many of the panfish are looking for warm water and should be putting on the feedbags shortly. The area south of Wendt’s has had some good perch and bluegill action intermittently.
A couple of notes: 2009 WI Fishing Licenses go on sale March 10th. In addition, all permanent ice fishing shacks must be off the lakes this weekend or the owner will face fines.
Keep the reports coming! [email protected]. We are also interested in your photos to add to the site.
The Fox River in Depere is starting to have some ice break up and a few spots of open water. The ramps are not ice free yet, but I will keep you posted. Be safe if you venture out.
We have added a new feature to the site on the main page—The calendar. This is a Winnebago land focused feature which shows all the tournament and seminars happing around Lake Winnebago. Let us know how you like it, or if you have something to add. Open water will be here soon!
