Sturgeon spearing looks to be on a collision course for three full weekends on Lake Winnebago, as poor water clarity, and inconsistent ice plague the majority of the main lake.  Although the main focus of the lake is related to the spearing activity, there are plenty of other anglers chasing bass, walleye and pan fish.

Many of the spearers initially started on the east shore of the lake.  As water clarity decreased in the Pipe and Quinney areas, some of the shanties moved to the south end of the lake or along the west shore-- where clarity was slightly better.

The east shore of the lake hosts the best ice.  We worked the Pipe area for the past week with some strong activity related to perch.  Ice depths ranged from 11” to 17.5” in the areas we fished (water visibility 5 feet), and limited truck traffic was observed. The ice cracks continue to develop and shift frequently, so everyone needs to be very aware of their surroundings every minute on the lake.    In some areas, holes drilled 30 feet apart could result in the difference of clean or dirty water.  Some of the holes drilled had fragmented ice under the hole and the drilled holes continuously filled with ice fragments coming from underneath the sheet of ice.

The perch in this area tended to have periods of heavy activity during the early afternoon.  Waxies on a green jig produced the majority of the fish, with orange being a solid secondary color.  Tip ups with a fathead, also were productive, especially when a small blade was placed above the minnow to add flash.  We also produce some White Bass, eelpout, and small walleyes over the last 10 days.  Banging the jigs on the bottom would call the perch in, and bites were provoked with either a still presentation, or a slow rise up the water column imitating a fleeing organism.

Similar results are being reported further north, near Brothertown.  In this area, orange colored spoons with brass or chrome colored backs were producing white bass.  Saugers were also being reported in this general area.  Unverified ice depths of 14” were reported.

The Black Wolf area (about 8-10 inches of ice) has had only a few reports this week, and the area is generally slow.  The area near Clarence’s (Fond du Lac) has been busy with spearers, and some individuals are reporting seeing nice schools of perch in the general area.  Merritt Street in Oshkosh has a mix of walleyes and white bass reported with about 8 inches of ice present.

Next weekend is the Madison, WI Sports show along with the area’s largest Ice Fishing tournament in Oshkosh called Battle on ‘Bago.  March 3^rd and 4th will play host to the Northeast Wisconsin Sports Show in Green Bay at Shopko Hall.  I will be in attendance on Saturday, working in several booths including Tommy Harris Custom Blades.  Hope to see you there!

Stay on top of the water for now, and open water is just around the corner.  The ice in De Pere (Fox River) has started to break up, and could be ready for boat traffic in the next 10 days if predicted weather forecasts prevail.

2012 has been a challenge for most area anglers until this past week arrived. A cold front pushed through the area, answering many area fishermen’s requests. Lake Winnebago’s ice solidified to some extent allowing anglers to leave the bays and shorelines to explorer new territory for the first time this season. Ice depths were very inconsistent, ranging from 5” to 14” inches over the main lake. A huge north to south orientated crack has formed, running nearly the length of the entire lake. Water clarity is about 7 feet currently. There remains a decent perch and bluegill bite occurring in the bays and along the shorelines. Walleyes remain scattered, but are only occasionally active.

Lake Poygan continues to be busy. There are mixed bags reported with pan fish, walleyes and white bass. A few pike are being reported also. The ice on Lake Poygan is much better than Winnebago, as related to depth. Vehicle traffic is occurring, but not recommended. Ice depths tend to be a little more consistent on this lake, ranging from 10” to 14”. The heavy traffic on this lake may be resulting in a negative fish mood.

Areas of Interest:

Old Chaparral Area (NFDL): The harbor has been vacated on most days with most of the angler moving out onto the main lake. In this region, decent sized perch are being caught along with bluegills. Wendt’s (Van Dyne): Most anglers are remaining inside of the island. Small perch are in the area.

Stretch’s (Black Wolf): The traffic in this area picked up greatly since the last report. Strong numbers of White Bass, perch and bluegills inhabit this area. They have become spooky with the increased activity overhead, so move to get away from the pack, when possible. Waxies and minnows are both being reported as strong choices for bait.

Asylum Bay: Perch continue to be active in the area; however, are running on the small size. Large schools of bait fish remain in this bay, keeping the perch attracted to this area.

East Shore: Fisherman’s Road has seen some light traffic and reports have indicated it is fairly slow for all fish in this area. There is a tree line established out of Pipe (maybe a couple of miles) with ice depths at about 12”. The northern end of the east shore has some very questionable ice, with heavy shoves and multiple cracks. There also appears to be some open water/surface water spots in this general area.

Gladwater Beach area (Central east shore): There have been multiple reports of a solid white bass school roaming in this area. Spoons and jigging Rapalas are the preferred baits.

Be careful on the ice as the warmer weather re-emerges. The sturgeon spearing season will begin Feb 11th. Activity on the main lake will pick up substantially over the next week, with shacks being placed and hunters doing their initial scouting trips. Chances are that the concentrations of shacks will be thick in the few areas which will be accessible this year, so be prepared to spear in a crowd. This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it is my email. Please feel free to drop me a line as how your fishing excursion turned out!