Rain Rain Go Away Come Again Another Day. The Lake Winnebago area has been under constant deluge for the last week, with nearly 3 inches of rain. Areas to the west of the region have reached the 8-inch mark of rain for the last week. Needless to say, there are heavier flows in the rivers, along with low lying areas which have become flooded.
Overall, Lake Winnebago had stained water, but not as dirty as most anglers would expect given the weather. There is little algae in the water column and weed debris was at a minimum. Water temps are now in the mid to upper 60’s. There has been no turnover, as Lake Winnebago does not experience this annual event due to the shallow nature of the lake.
Most anglers have left their fishing gear in the garage in favor of game hunting. On Saturday, launches were 2/3’s empty, and most community fishing holes were under only minor pressure. Anglers are mainly targeting perch and white bass on Lake Winnebago.
Overall, the fishing has been difficult due to the rain and the continued massive amounts of bait fish residing in the Lake Winnebago system currently.
Perch fishing has been adequate on Lake Winnebago, with most angler taking home 3-10 fish on a normal day. Many of the perch have been running on the larger size, making the effort worth it. The key presentation continues to be dead sticking using a small piece of crawler. Typically, Hellgrammites are an excellent bait choice, but I have not received any reports recently to confirm the bite. I found an orange bead to be particularly useful just above the hook. The Fox River is also producing some decent perch.
In my perch fishing attempts, I have been catching numerous first year largemouth and smallmouth bass. It looks as if there has been a solid hatch of these fish. Unfortunately, the first year walleyes have been largely absent on my lines.
White bass remain aggressive, and can be found throughout the lake. There seems to be better/bigger schools on both the north end and the south end. I have been doing very well on the Flicker Minnows in “slick purple” size number 7. Typically fire tiger or orange are solid colors for white bass, but there is a definite preference toward purple currently. There is no limit on the white bass baskets, so go nuts!
Walleye reports have been nonexistent. The annual staging near the mouth of the Fox River has not occurred just yet, but should pick up soon. Watch the dying weed lines for migrating fish, and seek out the greenest weeds for active walleyes. If trolling, don’t be afraid of higher speeds like 2.5-3.0 mph this time of year.
The ports on Lake Michigan are starting to heat up for brown trout, coho’s and kings (some rainbows in Sheboygan). This is almost exclusively a spawn sac bite; however, a few fish can be picked up casting crankbaits or cleos. The rain has been impacting the bites, along with the direction of the wind. Typically, winds have been blowing alewife into the harbor, making for the best conditions. It’s only going to get better as water temps are still running a little warm to get the main push into the harbors.
The Bay of Green Bay has been picking up for musky catch rates, but will pick up further with some colder tempertures. Walleye fishing was excellent along the east shore, but subsided with the heavy rain. This should heat back up once the weather stabilizes.
May your hunts go well, and your lines remain tight. [email protected] is my email.
