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 in the area. 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 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 3rd 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.
