The past week of weather around the Lake Winnebago region can be summed up one way – Chaotic. Warm temperatures, followed by a major snowstorm dropping a foot of snow over the area, created inconsistency for area anglers. This has had a slowing effect on the progress of the annual walleye spawn. Nearly all of the area waters are now ice free; however, water temperatures have plummeted significantly after the snow storm.
Lake Winnebago remains vacant of anglers as the water remains with almost zero visibility, from heavy winds and the recent ice out. Water temps on the main lake remain in the mid 30’s. I would consider Lake Winnebago “unfishable” currently, with the exception of some of the feeder creeks.
The Bay of Green Bay and tributaries have been the place to be for huge female walleyes. From Menomonie, WI to De Pere Wisconsin, the fish are staging for the annual spawn. The biggest walleyes remain in the Bay of Green Bay, especially near Peshtigo, Suamico and Oconto. The big females are generally staged near the mouths of rivers, looking for warm water pockets. A little warm weather and sunshine may just get these fish fired up for spawning.
This past week found many walleyes associated with sand, both in the rivers and on the bay. Sand will heat up faster than mud, creating slightly warmer water temperatures. This has held the fish in shallow water after the snow storm, creating a lethargic mood for the fish.
We spent substantial time in the Fox River in DePere this past week. Water temperatures took a major dive, pushing all the way down to 36 degrees on Friday after the storm. Surprisingly, the water clarity was only slightly impacted after the weather front with visibility at about 6-9 inches. The water current is almost nonexistent, at some times on Saturday it was backing up. The three-day north wind did not help the activity level of the walleyes in the river.
The bite was tough throughout the Easter Holiday weekend on the Fox River. The main channel showed a few fish deep in the holes, but overall it “appeared” as if the fish had left the river, possibly following food back out to the bay. Many of these fish have moved into the shallows, related to sand bars, often as shallow as 2-6 feet. Rip jigging was critical to contacting these fish. Blue was a productive color.
When vertical jigging, a small and slow, rise and pause was required to attract fish. This week, fat heads/mud minnows were the preferred live bait choice, with a chartreuse lead head in the 3/8 to ½ ounce range (To stay vertical and tight to the bottom). A ¼ ounce could be used, but seemed to be less effective for us.
The Swap Donkey tournament was held on Saturday out of the “Dairy Queen Launch” in De Pere. The winners registered 78.5 inches (CRR) of walleyes on their best three fish. There was a small window of opportunity in the morning for trolling the sand flats, which produced the fish on crank baits. Nearly a third of the field took a zero on the tough bite. 28.5” was the largest fish registered.
On the Wolf River, the snow storm had a similar impact on the system, with water temps dropping into the mid to upper 30’s. The area remains flooded, and will likely remain that way for some time. Many of the local launches are under water, so launching can be difficult with larger boats.
The Wolf River is hosting large number of males, seemingly more than normal. The females have been showing up more frequently and are still hard with eggs. Jigs with minnows have dominated, with shiners being the best choice. Hair jigs have also been productive, giving a larger profile in the water. I would suggest stinger hooks on all bodies of water right now.
The marshes/sloughs on the Wolf will heat up in the near future. The main run is expected to occur in the next 14 days. All the elements are there except the warm weather and water temperatures. The sloughs will heat up quickly, with the smaller sloughs warming fastest, kicking off the annual run.
Forward looking: a quick warm up with rain is expected early in the week, with a cold front coming in for the weekend. We could get a quick run of fish with an early spawn this week. I believe we will have multiple runs this year, with walleyes coming up in waves over 10 days or more.
Swamp Donkey in De Pere, just got another shipment of RS nets in on Saturday. They continue to sell out quickly. Many of the area guides and pros are snatching these nets up quickly due to the high quality and the snag free design when using with crankbaits and jigs. Most are matching their RS nets to their boat colors. Colors available include green, yellow, black, red, blue and white in various sized hoops. My Fishing Partner also offers a 5% discount with the code of MFP5 on the RS nets online webstore. http://www.rsnetsusa.com/
Have a great week. Get on the water, and hoist some trophies! [email protected] is my email.
