By:  Mark Schram, Myfishingpartner.com

The weatherman struck out on the long range forecast this past week and the Lake Winnebago region endured another cool week of weather, extending our long and cold spring.  Although a few nice days were granted to us early in the week, the cold front came through with bitter winds and rain.

Early in the week, water temps had risen as high as 67 degrees on the system, but have declined steadily to the high 50’s on Lake Winnebago.  There are some warmer pockets of water near Oshkosh, which registered in the low 60’s on Sunday.  Water clarity is variable, but relatively clear for having some rain.  Although the area saw four consecutive days of rain, overall rainfall totals were only minimal.

A lake fly hatch was observed over Lake Winnebago during the past week, but substantial winds have pushed the flies to the windblown side of the lake each day.  In Fond du Lac, lake flies were observed nearly three miles inland during the recent north wind.

Over the course of the week, many fishermen stayed home due to the weather.  As a result, this report is somewhat limited due to fewer reports to work from this week.

The crappie bite in Fond du Lac on Lake Winnebago has been winding down as the fish conclude or have paused spawning.  The main activity is in shallow water of five feet or less, especially where some emerging cover exists.  Classic bobber set ups were doing well with small minnows.    This class of crappies has had excessive size.  As of Sunday, this bite had dissipated.  There have been some crappies which are active in the west side channels and a few harbors.  However, these areas are not producing limits of fish on a consistent basis.  Over the next several weeks the crappies will reset in deeper water and start feeding heavily.

The walleyes continue to come down the area rivers and are staging in typical late spring locations.  The system is about a week behind normal seasonal trends.

Many of the Wolf River spawning walleyes remain in the river/marshes, and some have moved into the upper lakes (Lake Winneconne and Lake Poygan).   The areas just off the main channel (Lake Winneconne) are holding “eater” sized walleyes in the flats especially in the 5-8 foot ranges.  These walleyes have been attracted to Salmo Hornets in size #4.  Another productive technique has been running slow death rigs in the same general area.

The bridges on the Wolf and Fox Rivers are holding walleyes also.  Typical walleyes are ranging in the 14-17 inch sizes, with a rare larger female.

On Lake Winnebago, the western side of the lake has walleyes residing in very shallow water (4 feet or less).  This is partly due to the larva from the lake flies which has been hatching in the shallow water, and the easy meals associated with them.  When targeting these walleyes, small and slow presentations are ideal.  Crankbaits like a  Smash Shad, #4 or #5 Flicker shad or #4 Salmo hornets are working well. Natural colors such as gold or dalmatian are preferred.

The farther from the mouth of the Fox River, the less the concentrations of fish on Lake Winnebago.  Deeper water walleye fishing has generally been a zero sum game.

The white bass run has essentially stalled.  The drop in water temperatures put the brakes on the run.  Many of the females are still “hard”, and have not spawned yet.  The white bass run may not be feverish in 2017, as the spawn has now been broken into separate runs.  However, given the amount of white bass in the system, it still is expected to be outstanding.

On Sunday, the AIM professional walleye circuit was in Winneconne, WI.  Good friends Jeff Nuechterlein and Ryan Foster won the event with 16+ pounds, over 5-pounds ahead of second place.  Only three teams exceeded 10 pounds, while nearly 30 teams of the best sticks in WI took home a zero (100 teams).  Most anglers remained in the upper lakes and rivers.  27+” was the biggest walleye registered.  All fish were released in the Catch, Record and Release format.

Memorial Day weekend is just ahead of us.  This will be a heavy tournament weekend, especially on Saturday.  It is the official kick off of recreational boating on Lake Winnebago, and it is time to share the water again. Chase and I will be partaking in the Beer Run event out of Pipe, WI.

I get a few questions each year about detailing/cleaning boats in the Fox River area. I highly suggest using Mr. Detail LLC located in Fond du Lac, WI.  Travis does a great job with the cleaning of fishing boats, plus larger yacht style boats.  He does book up quickly because of the fine job he does.  Call (920) 913-3300.

Have  a great holiday.

Email: [email protected].

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/myfishingpartner/

YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCda5_YvomIwQLzTBXJxEzaw?view_as=subscriber

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/markschram33/

Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/myfishingpartner/?hl=en

Instagram #2: https://www.instagram.com/my_fishing_partner/?hl=en

Walleye Nets:  www.Walleyenets.com

Twitter: @fishingpartner