Seasonable March weather engulfed Eastern Wisconsin this past week. Lake Winnebago continues to see light fishing traffic as the late ice season continues. Ice depths have remained solid, and in many places depths of 20 or more inches of ice are present. Area launches or access points are in tough shape. With the exception of the Merritt Street area in Oshkosh, no car or truck travel on the ice is occurring.
There are limited reports available currently, due to fewer fishermen on the lake. But the reports which have been coming in are suggesting a strong bite on staging walleyes. Both the area near the mouth of Wolf River (Lake Poygan) and the Mouth of the Fox River in Oshkosh have aggressive walleyes pounding jigging raps, especially in the fire tiger colors. No meat is required on the lure. Many of the walleyes are in the mid water column, rather than tight to the bottom. The same can be said for large white bass. Merritt Street has a group of anglers at about 2.5 to 3 miles out of the launch. The walleyes are on the move within the system, triggered by the warm water runoff from the melting snow.
The pan fish (perch and bluegills) continue to move shallow in preparation for ice out. Shallow reefs and bays are ideal this time of year. Locating old weed beds is vital to finding these fish. These fish also remain aggressive, so be ready for some hard hitting action. Yellow, Pink and orange are the dominant colors currently. Eelpout are also active currently.
Ice conditions remain dicey overall. Extreme caution must be used anytime you are on the move, even if by 4 wheeler. Car and truck travel is dangerous and not advised.
With some warm weather, Depere (Upper Fox River) should be boat ready. The ice had moved away from the dam, but the launches were still ice locked as of Sunday.
If you are looking for jigging raps, be sure to stop by River Haus in Fond du Lac. Don just got another order in this week. The jigging Raps are getting hard to find at many retailers because they are the bait of choice currently by anglers. Drop me a line with your questions or fishing reports. [email protected].
