Rain continues to be the story around the Winnebago system. A dry day on Sunday provided the opportunity for hundreds of fishermen to hit the water in unison. Water clarity remains stained, but has improved slightly, especially in the northern and western portions of the lake. Algae are forming quickly along the southeast portion of the lake, along with signs of the blue green algae which can make humans and pets ill. Water temperatures generally ranged in the low 80’s, and have not varied much over the past three weeks. The lower Wolf River is now “no wake” in Winnebago County, due to high water levels.
The majority of the fishermen’s attention on the lake is focused on perch fishing. Unfortunately, most of the fish being caught are sheephead.
A couple of notes which are important currently: There has been a large hatch of shad recently, and these fish can be seen feeding on the surface with regularity. The DNR has also confirmed that a large hatch of white bass has occurred in 2010, adding ample forage for predator fish into the system again this year. The walleye class size has yet to be determined, but all indications lean towards a small year class.
Perch fishing has been very hit-n-miss. The big groups of boats will give you an indication where the perch have moved each day, but typically only a few boats are producing fish with in the groups. In some cases, the “spot on the spot” will yield large number of excellent sized perch, with a boat 100 yards away taking a skunk on the day. It can be very humbling.
Some of the better perch locations remain along the south and eastern shores. Gladstone Beach, Fisherman’s Road area, Miller’s Bay, and the Third Reef have had some good reports over the past week. Abraham’s, Long Point, Kalbus, and many of the northwestern reefs have been slow. Crawler chunks and hellgrammites are working equally well. I did have a tip about green night crawlers (dyed) working excellent also.
Walleye fishermen have struggled greatly for nearly three weeks now. There is just too much forage available currently, and water clarity has not helped in the search for these fish. Vibration and sound are key elements. Bright colored presentations are also critical. Many of the diehard walleye anglers have moved their efforts to the Bay of Green Bay currently.
I have cut a new video related to perch fishing. This can be found on the main page of myfishingpartner.com, Facebook, or at Youtube. Be sure to check out the video which shows a new technique (or not so new) in perch fishing for many anglers. It works wonders and catches walleyes also!
[email protected] is my email. Feel free to drop me a line with your questions or fishing reports. If you are looking for hellgrammites, be sure to stop by River Haus in FDL to pick some up. Tell Don, you heard it here. There are some great days on the water yet to come. In the mean time, sort though those sheephead to find the fish you want! Midwest Walleye Series will hold a tournament on Sunday out of Oshkosh. See you next week.
