Lake Winnebago

[Justinm]

welcome to the official Winnebage thread.

[Eric Haataja]

Lots of smaller eyes on the reefs jigging with crawlers and leeches is working well and lots of nice eyes out over the mud coming on spinner up high on boards.

[AllEyes]

I'd echo Eric's post. We've been getting some nicer eyes on the reefs if the wind is blowing good enough. East or West side doesn't seem to matter. Trolled 2 afternoons and got nicer fish, but I'd much rather be pitching a jig to shallow rocks. Try the edges of the reefs 8'-10' if the wind isn't blowing, and we even caught a few anchoring in the mud where we marked/caught fish trolling. Anyone else try that? Trolling is probably more effective, but it was fun to anchor in the middle of nowhere and get them jigging and slip-bobbering.

Perch have also been good to us. Anchoring on the transition areas in 10'-14' has been good. Numbers of 6-8" are a little pesty, but we've gotten anywhere from 20-50, 10"+ fish on any given day. We've been going after the perch when the wind isn't blowing well enough to bring the eyes on the reefs. Good fishing.

[crappiepants]

I'd echo Eric's post. We've been getting some nicer eyes on the reefs if the wind is blowing good enough. East or West side doesn't seem to matter. Trolled 2 afternoons and got nicer fish, but I'd much rather be pitching a jig to shallow rocks. Try the edges of the reefs 8'-10' if the wind isn't blowing, and we even caught a few anchoring in the mud where we marked/caught fish trolling. Anyone else try that? Trolling is probably more effective, but it was fun to anchor in the middle of nowhere and get them jigging and slip-bobbering.

Perch have also been good to us. Anchoring on the transition areas in 10'-14' has been good. Numbers of 6-8" are a little pesty, but we've gotten anywhere from 20-50, 10"+ fish on any given day. We've been going after the perch when the wind isn't blowing well enough to bring the eyes on the reefs. Good fishing.
hey,all eyes, where are u getting the perch?

[Axl]

After Labor Day, the pleasure boating seem to start to slow down out on Lake Winnebago, the nights get cooler, and the walleye action really starts to kick in to full swing. September and October are some of my favorite months of the year to fish Lake Winnebago. There is very little pressure, as most have now turned to hunting, there also are very few pleasure boaters, which means less waves, and the cooler nights have now put those walleyes back on the reefs and in the shallow water.

When I go to target walleyes this time of year, there are several factors that I use to my advantage. I use my graphs to locate pods of baitfish, I key on the bases of small humps and reefs, and I also change my tactics to catch more fish. When I locate a school of baitfish on my graph, I generally will make a few casts with a crank bait and if I do happen to catch a walleye, I will then anchor in this position and try using a minnow with a slip bobber to try and get a few more walleyes in the boat. I like to use a small jig, like a 1/32 oz. or at the most a 1/16 oz. jig under my slip bobber. Minnows are great bait in the fall as the walleyes are really looking to bulk up for the winter, so be sure to have some in your boat in the fall. I like to also troll on the bases of reefs and humps and try and entice a few walleyes to bite on a reaction strike. We will use larger crank baits, such as #7 Shad Raps, Storm Thunderstick Jrs., or we will use a 1-ounce bottom bouncer rigged with a crawler harness. Remember when trolling this time of year to go slow and be patient. If you do not find fish after making a couple of passes on a reef or hump, just move to the next one and continue your search. One of the keys to finding fish in September and October is that you really need to be versatile. A lot of the walleyes will move into the shallow areas on the lake in search of warmer water and of course for an easy meal. Those spots that you ignored all summer long because they were not producing real well, those are the spots you need to go to and try in these upcoming moths.

One thing about fishing in the fall compared to the summer months is that in the summer you can be on an active school of walleyes for several hours and never have to move or relocate. During the fall you really do not get that luxury. The walleyes seem to key on eating for a short period of time each day, so you must be ready to move and go looking for them. Information given to you by other anglers, the internet, or the local bait shop may not be any good in the fall as the pattern of these fish really seem to change daily. It is not uncommon for me to go to five to eight different spots in order to find walleyes. Most of the spots that we do catch our walleyes on in the fall are all less then 10 feet deep and there is generally structure very close by. The fish will key on structure big time right now, and you need to be ready to go looking for them as well.

Some of my favorite places to fish on Lake Winnebago in the fall of the year include: Stevens Reef, Mansur Reef, Gehrke’s Reef, Long Point, and of course the mouth of the Fox River around Oshkosh.

My top choices for colors include: Orange or Purple colored jigs. Silver colored crank baits, and also chartreuse colored blades on my crawler harnesses.

Fall fishing for walleyes is always good whether we catch fish or not. We do not have the hot sun beating on us all day, the bugs go away, there is no sweat running in our eyes and ears, and were not getting buzzed by jet skis. Just a cool fall breeze, the sound of leaves shaking in the trees and our boats trolling or anchored over a school of walleyes. Chasing those fall walleyes is the way walleye fishing was meant to be.

[Eric Haataja]

Thanks Axel feel free to leave your contact info and website after your posts. Scott guides up on Bago.

[AllEyes]

We've been fishing Bago on and off the last couple weeks when the winds allow. Perch are still snapping all over the lake. Really, it's hard to get away from them Went through another order of 1,000 spikes. Size ranges from 6" up to 14.5". Lots of 8"-9" fish and sorting required.

Walleyes have been a little tougher. We've (2 of us) probably averaged about 10 a trip, but the size is nothing special. We're finding them shallow (3-6ft) and not fishing them until 8AM or later. Not exactly preffered, but the perch are thick on top of the reefs until the sun comes up it seems. Then it's one walleye here one there. Kalbus, Long Point, Fahrney, Point Comfort, Jesuit, etc... have been the best reefs for us. I've been sitting on the bow and pitching to the tops...doesn't seem to pay to anchor. Crawlers, leeches, minnows, and plastics all have worked for us. Knock on wood, the sheepies haven't been too bad. If we jig the edge of a reef it's automatic perch...which is why I've fished more plastic this fall than I ever have before.

[AllEyes]

took the nephews out (and out of school:D ) for one last trip to winnebago. with the perch action being so good i wanted to get them out one time, and with the nice air temps and cold weather coming i talked mom and dad into letting them go(promising them fresh perch fillets as a bribe). we had a great day probably catching well over 100 perch between 7-13.5". we kept 30, 8-9" fish. i sat in the middle of the boat and set them up with two rods each over the side. these fish must be in strong competition for food because there was no need for me to point out the bites. two little guys cranking in perch one after another on 4 1/2 microlites is a blast to watch. we fished a transition (11ft) on the south west side which basically was me trying to get out of the wind the best i could. i have a pic i'll try to post of them each with two rods in their hands and four fish on...both sounding like gillespie yelling "what should i do, what should i do" as i refused to help. one of my most memorable days on the water this year.

[Eric Haataja]

Great report, it's nice to see that type of action on nice perch! Those are as tasty as they come!

[AllEyes]

had a decent amount of success fishing the tops of the reefs on bago for eyes the last couple of days. these warm temps seem to have fired the fish up a little. walleyes on jigs/minnows and even picked up a few casting cranks. fished shallow 3-6ft. perch are still plentiful also.

talked to a buddy that fished a little north of us and they had similar results with slightly bigger fish....fishing the same way.

[Walleye-man]

:D Was out today and had water pump problem so I was limited to trolling motor power. Still managed 3 fish. 13" and 16" smallmouth and a 20" eye ball. All caught on 1/16th oz jig (orange) and leech. Had to work for them (no choice) Fishing in 5 to 6 fow. Water temp was 52. Nice day to be fishing today.

[Walleye-man]

Mud bite is hot was out for 5 hours. 11 eyes, 1 sauger and 3 sheeps. Sauger was sweet to see about 18 inches. Largest eye was 21 inches. Sad to see both the sauger and big walleye had VHS along with 4 other eater size waldos.Trolled minnow raps 80 feet behind boards 2.5 to 3 mph. Lake flies are terrible right now.

Tight Lines

[watrfwlnut]

Fished Bago for the first time on 6-24 from 10am-2pm and thanks to Axls many informative posts we did ok...caught 10 eyes from 14-22 inches and a bunch of white bass and sheeps...we fished in 17-19ft of water the whole time and caught fish on both cranks and crawler harnesses...best harness was a hammered gold blade and gold beeds and our best crank was a #7flicker chad ran 80-125ft back...color on the cranks didnt seem to matter...a beautiful day on a beautiful lake...too bad its a 2 1/2 hr drive...

[Walleye-man]

Was out yesterday and scratched out a limit of eyes. Changed tactics from last few trips out. Trolling bite has died out for me. Pulled spinners on bottom bouncers at base of reefs. This works well for me at this time of year. Every body seems to be perching.

Tight Lines

[Fish247]

Went to Millers Bay Sunday morning and caught a mess of perch. Some nice ones but mostly little pukes. Kept 18 9-10 inchers. All but two fish caught on tip ups were kept but we had to really sort to get keepers jigging. Most of the fish we caught jigging were small. Just about every lure we used caught fish but bigger pimples and frosty spoons caught fewer but bigger fish. Color didn't seem to matter. We fished 8-12 and then went to skipper buds to play in the crowd.

Eric

[BigMusky]

how thick was the ice? Is this pretty easy fishing? I have never fish Bago before but I am due a full day of ice fishing this weekend and need to pick a spot to go. If fish are holding to not obvious spots that take time to find, then I probably wont come. But if they are roaming or relating to a weed edge or drop off of some kind I can find that easy enough.

[Eric Haataja]

Talked to a buddy of mine who limited out on nice crappies in Asylem Bay, he just walked out andwas dead stiking minnows and also caught some nice walleyes. Good bite going on this year on bago!

Eric

[FatGuy]

Nice fish! I have never tried spearing sturgeon, but may have to try it sometime!

[schram]

First, Thanks to Eric for letting me post here!

Winnebago Weekly

A mixed bag of weather greeted fishermen this week. High winds over the weekend made a tough go of any fishing on the main lake. However, reefs adjacent to the Fox River in Oshkosh remain active for walleyes in the 13-18 inch range. Limits were tough to come by, but can be achieved with some work. The Little Point area near Wendt’s on the west shore was producing smallmouth bass on spinners and cleos. Water temp was 52 degrees on Sunday.

Supples Marsh has had continued success with pan fish, and this week the carp population grew substantially. Just north of the marsh near the old Chaparral Supper Club, pan fish activity is still very strong. The crappies are in, and can be taken with small minnows under a float. Crappies are also present in the Stockbridge Harbor and High Cliff Harbors.

The Fox River in Oshkosh is receiving the most attention. From the 41 bridge, all the way down to the mouth leading into Lake Winnebago had a huge population of white bass. The fish we caught were all post spawn. Anchored positions were effective, but drift fishing was much more productive for us this week. Pumping flies on three way rigs was the preferred presentation, and the colors of orange, red and black were best. Others are having success with a three way rig and plain hook with a minnow. The area directly across from the Rainbow Park launch and the Hwy 41 Bridge had the highest catch rates of white bass. Walleyes are being caught in limited quantities, usually on a jig and leech. There are also quite a few sturgeons in this area currently.

The Wolf River was red hot for white bass earlier this week, but slowed some this weekend. Just about anything is working right now. Walleyes are also being caught often, especially at the Winneconne Bridge, in Fremont, and in Partridge Lake area. Water levels remain very high and the walleye have not started a major migration down stream as of yet, according to the local bait shops.

Trolling has been moderately successful at Clark’s Point near Winneconne. Northerns, walleyes and white bass can be taken on boards with shad baits running at 17-25 feet behind the boards. The Lake Winneconne and the Lake Poygan bite should become very hot within the next two weeks for walleyes.

Tournaments this coming weekend:
Sat May 10 Romey’s Walleye Tournament Rainbow Park, Oshkosh

For more information like this or to find a fishing partner check out our site at www.myfishingpartner.com

[Eric Haataja]

Thanks for the great fishing report Mark! Welcome aboard and we look forward to seeing more of your fishing reports!

Eric

[Grumpa]

Fished out of Rainbow Park yesterday, wolf river rigs with crawlers and minnows. Caught and released numerous White bass up to 11". Fished accross from the launch also further down river in numerous locations. Best luck was achored, casting into the current and letting it drift downstream with tight line.
Today, trolled Winneconne and Poygan this AM. Could not keep the white bass off the shad raps. Biggest 13.5", also a bonus 33" Northern. Wind makes it fun to troll when you are by yourself.

[schram]

Winnebago Weekly
Weather conditions improved by mid week, but have remained below normal for daily high temperatures. In general, the prolonged spring has delayed post spawn patterns from emerging for walleyes.

The main lake temperature on Saturday was 60 degrees on the west shore and 56 degrees on the east shore. The water remains very stained. Strong walleye activity can be found on Long Point and Fahrney’s Point using slip bobbers with jumbo sized leeches. A strong small mouth bite can be found at Rowe’s Point using black jigs and crawlers (with long tail). The third reef also has had a strong walleye and small mouth bass bite. The east shore near Pipe was very quiet this week for all species of fish; however there were a couple reports of a walleye night bite happening in the 4-8 ft range. Trolling (slow death, crawler harness and cranks) for walleyes proved to be fruitless this week. Crappies can be found in Asylum Bay just off of the weed lines.

The big hole (FDL harbor) is producing many types of pan fish along with walleyes. Crawlers are the preferred meat choice. Lakeside Park is producing Crappies, Blue gills, Large Mouth, White Bass and Sheep heads.

Feeder creeks also have been producing pan fish, bass and northern. The Fond Du Lac River has had a solid white bass bite happening, along with strong activity from bullheads.

The Wolf River has been “white hot” for white bass. Daily bags of 50+ fish are not uncommon. Orange is the key color either on jigs or flies. Fat head minnows or gulp are good choices for scent. Walleyes are scarce, possibly due to the highly aggressive white bass snatching the bait before getting into the walleyes feeding zones. The Winneconne Bridge probably has the best bite for walleyes (evening) on the system currently. Wolf River rig with leeches seems to be the most popular method to produce fish. Water levels are starting to lower, which could be a trigger for a massive migration downstream for walleyes.

The Fox River is giving up walleyes at the Hwy 41 Bridge on a constant basis. White bass are all over the river, along with some catfish starting to move into the area.

Tournament this weekend:
May 17 City Slickers Walleye tournament Fond du Lac
May 17 Terry's Bar Walleye Tournament Menomonie Park Oshkosh

If you wish to contribute to this report please contact mark@myfishingpartner.com

For more information similar to this or to find a partner check out our site at www.myfishingpartner.com

[Eric Haataja]

Thanks for the report!

[schram]

Winnebago Weekly
May 19
A fairly stable week of temperatures has begun to drive the walleyes into their post spawn rituals. The main lake had water temps in the mid 50’s for most of the week. A large lake fly hatch greeted angler’s late in the week also, which resulted in a slower weekend of fishing.

In the main lake, Asylum Bay is still producing pan fish near the weed lines. Stockbridge Harbor, High Cliff Park and feeder creeks are producing large numbers of pan fish including crappie, bluegills and perch. The Stockbridge area has had a walleye bite on the reefs and tight to the shoreline in the evenings. Little Cleo’s has been the most productive method in one to five feet of water. Stinky Point in FDL has a white bass run on currently, and are being caught in moderate numbers; however the FDL river remains slow to date. Walleyes can also being taken on a regular basis if your timing is correct. Trolling cranks on the north shore of the lake has been ineffective, and very few reports of solid activity were noted on the north shore. Overall a fairly slow week of fishing for walleyes, with no location out producing any other.

The Fox River’s white bass run is drawing to an end, and activity quieted as the week went on. White bass are still being caught with regularity using Wolf River jigs with flies or fat head minnows. Catfish have become more active and are being caught with increased rates from last week. Carp are thick in the river also. Walleyes are present and generally are in the 13-20 inch range. Jig with a leech was the best combination. Black, blue and orange reported as the hottest colors.

The Wolf River has the white bass run going full steam. Walleyes seem to be tight to the shore lines in the morning. Small mouths are being taken on small sized crank baits.

Lake Poygan and Winneconne are producing walleyes in the 15-20 inch range trolling crawler harness between 0.8 mph and 1.3 mph. Purple or orange Colorado blades have been the best choice. Gills and Crappies are being taken near Winneconne.

Have a Safe Memorial Day weekend.

Tournaments this weekend
May 24 Walleye Houge's 13th Annual Walleye Warm-up Miller's Bay, Oshkosh

May 24 Walleye Trip's Walleye Tournament Calumet Harbor, Pipe

May 24 Walleye Brothertown Open Walleye Tournament Brothertown Harbor, Brothertown

For more information similar to this, please check out www.myfishingpartner.com. We have just loaded an updated site we know you'll love.
Mark
Thanks Eric!

[schram]

May 26
Winnebago Weekly

After a series of small cold fronts moved through the region at the start of the week, warm air moved into the area providing a decent Memorial Day Weekend. Water conditions were clearing up just before the weekend; however the winds stirred things up again for the end of the weekend. Water temps moved into the very low 60 degree range.

The trolling bite on the main lake has started to kick up. Cranks and crawler harness were hit and miss by location, but the area from south of Long Point to just north of the mouth of the Fox River had the best activity reported. The mud bite has not started as of yet in most locations. Most west side reefs are producing walleyes in the 13-21 inch range on slip bobber rigs tipped with a leech or crawler. Limits are occasionally being taken, but most boats are reporting just a couple of fish per trip. Stevens Reef on the north shore was also producing small ‘eyes on jigs and crawlers. The 3rd reef saw action with walleyes, white bass and perch on slip bobbers. The predicted warmer weather should start to turn these fish on soon.

Stinky Point (mouth of FDL River) was producing a good number of walleyes in the evenings from shore on flies, leeches and crawlers early in the week. White bass are still very active in this area, especially on cranks or swim baits. Catfish and bullhead activity has heated up in the river.

The channels at Lakeside Park have had solid panfish/bass action on bobbers and worms or crappie jigs. Tube jigs and in line spinners are working well for Largemouth bass. The big hole is also producing small walleyes, bass, pike, sheep head as well as a ton of pan fish. The old Chapperal Supper club on Hwy 45 was loaded with largemouth, crappies and gills in the evenings over the weekend. Standard bobber rigs or floating/shallow running baits were the ticket for the Largemouth.

The Wolf River still remains hot for White Bass. Orange and red were the best colors this week. This run has been going for almost a month. Water levels have dropped significantly, which typically indicates fish will move out of the area into the upper lakes and Lake Winnebago. Catfish are starting to move into spawning mode.

The Fox River white bass bite has slowed. Catfish continue to be the most active bite in the river. Walleyes are present but limits are hard to come by. Sunset Point in Lake Buttes des Morts had a solid walleye bite occurring on slips and leeches. The mouth of the river had some nice white bass action on small inline spinners and flies.

Lake Poygan and Winneconne are producing walleyes on casted cranks to the shallow areas and shorelines. The trolling bite has picked up in the area using both cranks (#5’s) and crawler harness. Pike, White bass and sheep head are in the mix also.

As always, we encourage your reports at mark@myfishingpartner.com. It only makes this report better! www.myfishingpartner.com

[schram]

Winnebago Weekly
June 2

A very unstable week of weather greeted anglers this week. Weekend temperatures rose to seasonal norms for the first time in a long time. Fishing improved as the week went on. Sunday was a magnificent day, and results were much better than the rest of the week. Sunday’s water temp was 63 degrees.

On the main lake the North Shore is jammed packed full of White Bass. Bag limits of 50-100 fish were reported. It really didn’t matter what you tossed, it worked. Payne’s point was giving up walleyes on leeches. The west shore trolling bite has started to heat up in the 4-9 foot range. Targeting rocky shorelines and areas on or near reef systems was key. Natural colored baits have been working best (gold, silver, white or blue). The main lake mud bite is still slow and probably a week or two from being very productive based on water temps. The fish which are being taken are deep in the mud (80-100 feet behind the boards with reef runners). On Sunday some of those fish moved up higher in the water column, and flicker shads run at 25-35 feet behind the boards were getting fish. The southern portion of the lake was still quiet, with the third reef producing walleyes and perch on occasion. Slip bobbers with leeches or jigs pitched with a crawler are working system wide. Sheep head are showing up in larger numbers also. Lakeside Park and the Big Hole are still producing pan fish, bass (large, small and white) and a stray walleye.

The Wolf River white bass bite is still strong. Crappies and gills can be found in various bays, feeder creeks or other slow moving water. Walleye fishing continues to be slow, with occasional fish being taken in the shallow water areas on pitched jigs. Partridge Lake is producing some nice sized bluegills which are still pre-spawn.

Lake Winneconne and Poygan have the best walleye bite on the system currently. Pitching cranks to shoreline areas or trolling cranks seems to be best. Sunday’s trolling bite was phenomenal. The natural color combination of gold and black is the most productive color scheme. Rainbow trout or Hollywood (flicker shad) will always work with clear skies. The fish are relating to the bottom, so run those baits a tad deeper than normal. Trolling speeds varied by day, but 1.6 to 2.5 worked best. Sheephead, pike, and white bass are also very active in this area, so you’ll have to wade through those fish. Indian Point is also producing ‘eyes on crawler harnesses.

Good luck to all in Walleye Weekend. Say hi, as I plan to be around. Feel free to send your pre-fishing notes to me! mark@myfishingpartner.com

Tournaments this weekend
June 7, 2008 Bass FLW Bass League Wolf River Resort, Winneconne
June 7, 2008 Walleye Bobbers - Faro Springs Walleye Tournament Calumet Co. Park Landing, Hilbert
June 7 - 8, 2008 Walleye Mercury Marine National Lakeshore Park, Fond du Lac

[fish4life88]

Was up in the area for an extended weekend of walleye fishing. We focused our attention mainly on Lake Butte des Moris. Saturday was a very slow day with strong winds coming out of the north. We did get a couple white bass trolling. On Sunday morning we were granted a beautiful day with very little wind and a lot of sun. We fished sunset and oakwood points on Lake Butte des Moris. We started trolling and only picked up one eye on each point. We then set up on oakwood. We fished leaches under slips and caught several small eyes. Switched over to jigs and casted them and dragged them on the bottom tipped with leaches and got into the bigger eyes. On Monday we started with jigs and got a couple eyes and then switched over to trolling and got a couple small eyes. One of the eyes we got had a tag in on it witch was good to see. It seemed that the water temps are a little cold yet and the fish still seem to be sluggish but it will not be to long until they are more aggressive. They eyes that we got ranged from 12"-18".

[schram]

Winnebago Weekly
June 9, 2008

Weather! This has been the only word which mattered this week. Torrential rain (over 8 inches in some locations), hail, high winds and flooding affected the entire area all week long. Fishing Lake Winnebago this weekend was somewhat like the TV show “Deadliest Catch” minus the snow. Water clarity is very stained, except on the southeast shore which remained a little clearer. There are countless tree limbs, sticks and other debris in the lake and rivers so be very careful. Mother Nature owes us a couple of nice weekends!

The mud trolling bite on Lake Winnebago remains slow. Fish can be found in almost all areas of the mud as one here and one there. The area from Long Point to the Fox River in the mud had the best bite on crank baits. Trolling between Fahrney’s Point and Oakland Beech was much more productive. Fishing in 5-9 feet with crawler harness, or flicker shads produced fish. Walleyes were on the small size (11-15”) in general. Small mouths can also be found in this same area pitching to the rocky shore lines. The Third Reef is currently over run with spawning sheephead. The area south of Fisherman’s road is also full of sheephead, and can provide some good action for the kids. Slip bobbers with leeches were producing ‘eyes on Abrahams Reef and the Long Point complex. There are also perch, catfish, sheephead and bass present. Leeches for walleyes has out produced crawlers by a large margin this week. The bigger the leech - the better. Perch are showing up in larger numbers throughout Lake Winnebago. The north shore reefs have been quiet, and the trolling bite is still spotty at best. The Big Hole and Lakeside Park in FDL have a good largemouth bite working. Some of the big females are on the prowl. Pan fish fishing is still good. The big fish at Walleye Weekend was a walleye weighing in at just less than nine pounds!

The Fox River and Lake Buttes des Morts are producing larger walleyes. Sunset Point and Shangri La Point had a solid bite on slip bobbers and leeches. The Hwy 41 Bridge was also a solid choice for location. Vertical jigging was working well in deep holes or along the bridges. Catfish are very active here also. Lake Poygan and Lake Winneconne still has a very good trolling bite going. Bright colored lures like Hollywood or fire tiger were best.

The Wolf River is still pumping out the white bass in large numbers.

Overall, we need some warm stable weather to get the system going. Most guys who are on fish are very tight lipped as to location. This is partly due to the major tournaments happening in the next couple of weeks. Talking with the DNR this week, they indicated the walleyes had traveled much farther up river than normal this year. Many of these fish which would normally enter the marshes off of the Fox and Wolf Rivers continued upstream seeking other spawning locations (i.e...Shawano). The initial census numbers were very strong.

For more info, check out www.myfishingpartner.com

Tournament this week
June 10 Walleye Calument Co. LE Walleye Tour. Stockbridge Harbor, Stockbridge
June 14 Bass ABA Bassmaster Weekend Series Public boat launch, Winneconne
June 14 - 15 Walleye Otter Street Walleye Tournament Menominee Park, Oshkosh

[schram]

Winnebago Weekly 6-23-08
Mother Nature sent us some excellent fishing weather, and the fish on Lake Winnebago responded with an aggressive bite. Water temperatures reached into the upper 60’s to 70 degrees, and water clarity has improved greatly.

Lake Winnebago had an excellent perch bite happening this week. These fish have solid size (7-11”) and can be found on most reef tops on the west shore or in the transition areas from rock to mud south of Fisherman’s road. Dead sticks or slip bobbers were taking most of the perch with a small piece of crawler. Many of these perch are just inhaling the bait and the action can be fast and furious. The Third Reef was also holding perch and were best taken on red worms. The northern tip of Long Point had a huge school of fish all weekend.

Walleyes are also on the reef tops system wide, especially when there is a chop on the water. Pitching 1/16 or 1/8 oz. orange or black jigs worked well with a quarter of a crawler. Slip bobbers with large leeches came in a close second. Casting cranks produced no walleyes on the reef for us this week. All the reefs have a few walleyes on them, but it is still work to bring in a limit. Abrahams, Long Point and the reef 1.5 miles northwest of Fisherman’s Road (does anyone have a name for this reef?) had good walleye activity.

The mud bite continues to improve weekly. The southern half of the lake is very slow on the trolling bite. The northern half had much better action. Areas near Calumet County Park, Stockbridge, and just north of Pipe had good action using crank baits. The mouth of the Fox River had hit ‘n miss action. Black and gold flicker shads or purple reef runners out produced all other colors by a mile. Waverly Beach is giving up good sized walleyes in 17 feet of water. Florescent colors worked well for sheephead and white bass. Eyes were spread throughout the water column. Thursday they were 90-110 feet behind the board, and Friday at about 25 ft. My suggestion is to run baits staggered through the water column to determine where the active fish are located each day. As for speed, 2.0 to 2.6 mph was ideal. We had also noticed a change in the size of the baits this month. #7’s are getting much more action than the #5’s for larger walleyes. Minnow raps are starting to work well also. Harnesses were slow this week. Reports I received indicated gold was the best color blade again this week. I heard several strong reports of anglers picking off walleyes along the weed beds casting cranks.

The Wolf River still has dirty water. Only a few reports of pike, bass and pan fish taken in the shallow bays. Lake Poygan is doing well in Clark’s Bay and Horseshoe Hole. Cranks trolled 15-25 feet behind the boards are snatching walleye and pike. The colors of blue, rainbow and black are taking the most fish. Walleyes generally are in the 14-20 inch range. As always, we encourage your reports at mark@myfishingpartner.com www.myfishingpartner.com

Tournaments

June 28 - 29 Bass Wisconsin Bass Federation Waterfront Park, Winneconne

Thanks Eric!

[schram]

A beautiful, stable week of weather was met with open arms from area fishermen. The water temperatures moved into the low to mid 70’s and water clarity remained at about 2-3 feet of visibility over most of Lake Winnebago. The algae bloom has started, but moderate winds have not allowed it to become thick yet.


Lake Winnebago still has a solid trolling bite occurring in the mud. The southern third of the lake is relatively slow, and fishing improves the further north you travel on the lake. The area just west of Columbia park was giving up walleyes in the 13-17” range in 15 feet of water. The Brothertown area is hit and miss and fish size is in the 15-20” range. The Oshkosh area has similar conditions to those in Brothertown, but due to recreational boat traffic had more obstacles to maneuver through on the water. The most action occurred on speeds of 2.0-2.5 mph at 75-100 feet behind the boards. By far, blue hot tiger Reef Runner was the bait of choice (custom color found at Tews in Oshkosh). Black and gold Flicker shads and pearl white shad raps followed up next.


The reef bite for walleyes remains excellent. Crawlers are now the bait of choice, with leeches slowing drastically for activity. Slip bobbers and horizontally presented jigs had equal volume of walleyes. Dead sticking was slow for walleyes this week. Fish activity was not consistent and the “hot area” would change from day to day. I suggest giving a reef 30 minutes or so, and moving to a new location if no fish are found. Once found, the activity can be one fish after another. This weekend featured a large school of walleyes located a mile north of Fisherman’s Road in 7-8 feet of water. Fish in this school had good size and were hungry. Long Point was slow all week. Abraham’s Reef and the Third Reef were hit and miss. Steven’s Reef was consistent most of the week giving up eyes and perch.


Perch fishing was ok, but slower than week’s past. Like the walleye, these fish are moving around a lot which requires anglers to be willing to move often to locate a feeding school of perch. Reports of the perch being caught are typically in the 7-11 inch range. The perch are nibbling on the bait, so I encourage fisherman to use smaller hooks and smaller bait presentations until they become more aggressive.


The rivers were full of recreational boats (with the holiday weekend) which made fishing next to impossible. No reports were submitted this week to me. The water level of the Wolf River has started to drop and are back to seasonal norms. Catfish can be found in the deep holes.


Keep up the reports on both the forum section and at mark@myfishingpartner.com For more information please check out www.myfishingpartner.com. Thanks Eric!

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[schram]

Hot and muggy weather resulted in hit and miss thunderstorms all week. Water clarity has improved greatly from last week and water temperatures lingered in the mid 70’s. Evidence of an algae bloom can be seen in most areas, but is still insignificant.

The trolling bite has been excellent in most parts of the lake, especially in deep water which is near structure. The middle of the lake is not as productive as the walleyes are moving on and off the structure points frequently. I found a slower speed of 1.4-1.7 mphs with crank baits triggering the larger walleye this weekend. Other reports indicated speeds between 1.8 to 2.2 mphs working well for average sized eyes. The best bite I found was in the Long Point area. Blue hot fire tiger Reef Runners Ripshads took most of the larger fish in size #7. The trolling bite seems to be better in the morning. Crawler Harnesses have started producing more consistently this week.

A nice school of crappie can be found between Black Wolf Point and Point Comfort. Believe it or not all the fish were taken trolling flicker shads in black and gold at about 2.4 mphs. You may be able to target these fish with traditional crappie methods once the school is located.

Perch are being targeted heavily in the southern third of the lake. There is a lot of boat activity 1.25 miles out of the launch at Fisherman’s Road. Talk at the dock was there were more boats than fish. The red buoy out of Lakeside Park west is still giving up perch on a daily basis. The Point Comfort area is receiving a lot of attention also with some nice bags taken. Fishing tight to the bottom with dead sticks or slip bobbers on red worms or crawler bits was the best method.

The walleye reef bite has been sporadic. Fish are being caught mainly on slip bobbers with crawlers or on a horizontal jig and crawler presentation. Plan to move often until the fish are found. There has been no consistent reef this week reported anywhere on the lake. Target reefs with 7-10 foot tops. Orange was the dominant color.

There are many reports of nice sized cats being caught on the Fox River. The Upper Lakes still have a good walleye trolling bite working especially in Clark’s Bay. This is a Rapala shad rap bite, especially in clown colors. Solid sizes are reported, with most of the fish in the 15-20 inch range. Flicker shads are a close second in the Hollywood color. 1.7-2.0 mphs and about 40 feet behind the board.

As always, I welcome your reports in the forum section of the site or at mark@myfishingpartner.com.

[schram]

Winnebago Weekly 8-4-08
Anglers were provided with a good week of fishing -- granted by Mother Nature. Lake Winnebago’s waters have become very stained and the algae bloom continues to thicken. On Sunday, August 3 water temperatures were 78 degrees throughout most of the main lake.


Perch fishing is the main topic of conversation for most anglers on the lake currently. On Sunday, there were hundreds of boats on the lake working the perch in the transitional areas between the mud and rock, or in areas on top of the reefs. The majority of these boats were using dead sticking techniques along with slip bobbers tight to the bottom with red worms, hellgrammites, or crawler chunks. The southern end of the lake had more success stories than the north. Areas southwest of Fisherman’s Road, just north of the Third Reef, and the northern tip of Long Point had good catches of above averaged sized fish. These perch are scattered in small schools, so angler’s results are hit and miss overall.


The walleye trolling bite is very slow, especially south of the wind turbines. I worked from the turbines to Fond du Lac on three separate occasions this week without any walleye taken on any presentation. The trolling bite is still solid outside of Brothertown, near Garlic Island, and at High Cliff Park. The fish remain deep and 100+ feet behind the board with cranks was most consistent. Speed varied by day, but 1.8 was a good starting point. With the heavy stain of the water, vibration or noise coming from the lure is essential. This will allow the walleye to locate the lure a little easier in the murky water. Using metallic or florescent colored lures will also help.


The walleye reef bite has been solid. The active walleyes have been staged on the windward side of the reefs, rather than on the tops. I found drift fishing very effective this week with jigs and crawlers. The quality of the eyes caught was on the small size, with some bigger fish in the mix. The majority of eyes which have been taken system wide are perch anglers scoring bonus fish on traditional perch methods.

The Third Reef had the best action for walleyes in the 11-15 inch range.


There also was excellent bluegill action happening near Farney’s Point. These fish were near the bottom feeding on red worms in about 7-9 feet of water.


Currently there is a lot of feed within the system. The bug hatch was substantial last week; and the large spring hatch of fish has grown large enough to attract the attention of the predatory fish. It looks like we have graduated into “The Dog days of August.”


For more information please check out www.myfishingpartner.com or Mark@myfishingpartner.com.

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[muskie54956]

hey doors weve been struggling to get the eyes and gills as of late were u on the reefs on the west or rock in front of the golf course or where abouts just need a little help on what type of structure and how deep would gladly send ya reports when done!!! good fishing ps if ya troll the fox for muskies would be happy to share when the ball gets rolling in october:D!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[schram]

Lake Winnebago Fishing Report 9-28-08 PDF Print E-mail



A stable week of summer weather gave way to seasonal fall temperatures late in the week. The water temps continue to decline on the main lake and now are in the mid to upper sixty’s. Water clarity remains poor and lures loose visibility at about 18”.



Perch and walleye fishing had similar results this week. The best description would be “spotty”. Many anglers struggled with only a few fish found scattered over several locations. Moving often was the key to finding the schools. Walleyes have been tight to the bottom, but some suspended fish can be found in deeper water trolling the lower third of the water column on larger shad baits in a perch color scheme. The trolling is best on the east side between Pipe and Columbia Park.

I fished with John D. (a member from the site) on Saturday off of Abrahams Reef. We tried anchor fishing to start and then changed over to drift fishing. We found some active walleyes and then anchored on that school. As a result we picked up a nice limit of perch, 3 keeper walleyes, a nice small mouth and quite a few sheepheads. The key to the perch was to fish approximately 18-36” off the bottom on gold hooks. The perch were not active when the bait was tight to the bottom. Crawler’s tails (1/4 of a crawler) worked best, with hellgrammites, waxies, trout flies, and red worms all taking fish.

Locations of key spots changed daily. Gene’s Reef, Long Point, Abrahams, Haystack, Mansur’s, and just south of Subway road had solid action over the past week. Shallow water is also producing some walleyes recently, especially near weed beds. The side of the Reefs are also better than reef tops this week.

Some walleyes continue to move into the river system, and some large fish have been taken shore fishing in Oshkosh tight to the break walls. The Winneconne Bridge area and Lake Winneconne have seen better walleye action this week according to local bait shops. The Wolf River has some good crappie action. White bass and walleyes are being caught in very limited numbers, but the forecasted cooler nights this week may trigger more action.

Keep the reports coming! Thanks to those who help contribute at mark@myfishingpartner.com. For weekly reports similar to this log into www.myfishingpartner.com.

[NOBADDAYS]

ok fished tues 1/13/09 and moved around 3 times and just couldnt find the fish. did have active fish on sonar no takers. very warm out.. ice depth is DEEP with no power auger...lol..18-21inches and snow covered lake easy access did get one tiny wb as we were getting ready to pack her in fished 17-19fow and about 6 miles out from Oshkosh in mudflats. anyone have any good info here to find fish? 1st year trying to ice fish for real. fished 9a-4ish
Eric put me down for a 10lb walleye trip this SPRING...please!!! this fish was released...lmao

[deadeternity]

No Bad Days, my tiny crappie beats your whitebass,lol :p

http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee83/SephynnXx/IMG_0948.jpg

[Siebold]

Fished 2 miles off Brothertown and got the big skunk. Moved around a few times and only marked 1 fish.

[NOBADDAYS]

DUDE dont think I can beat that fish! lmao...sure will try though.

the bridge was ok getting over on Tuesday they had moved it from the stuck position. there are also several decent pathways over the crack on all sides that a car would have no problem going over without bridge. fishing report= fished Tuesday with only 1 perch to show all day moved about 10 times and marked fish most spots just no takers. used raps and blades and pimples and castmasters tipped and untipped and fished a tip up each at most spots.
lotsa movement out there has to screw up the fishing. gotta get there super early b4 light too get a good bite.

awesome day out no shanty needed just couldnt find the fish.

NO BAD DAYS

[NOBADDAYS]

ice depth = THICK (25+)...lol...ok fished out of Merrit st. today bout 2miles out over the crack and managed 6 jumbos and 5 eyes. pimples no meat for me. 2 ft off bottom. eyes swim in schools along with perch where are the whitebass? there are millions of them and there eluding me bigtime! moved 3 or 4 times and prob. shoulda stayed in 1st spot just sucks when guys go flying by fish scatter. water temp= COLD and man those eggs in the jumbos are good eating. all the eyes were nice and small.....so CPRed. maybe back tomm. ? or Low again. NO BAD DAYS

[schram]

The area has seen consistent temperature changes during the last week and this trend is predicted going into this weekend. One trend was very evident: as the temperature goes up, the bite gets better. As the temperature drops the fish become negative. Lake conditions remain unchanged with ice depths in the upper 20 inch range. There are a lot of guys on the pond and general consensus is that the lake is very hit-n-miss right now.

Fishing was solid off of Merritt Street in Oshkosh for a good chunk of the week, but has started to tail off during the week. Walleyes, Sauger, perch and eelpout are found in this area, especially to the north of the launch. The mouth of the Fox River has some walleyes beginning to stage for the spring run. There are some perch mixed in also. Limits of nice sized eyes are being reported. I do not suggest anyone ever fishing there on the ice due to the water flows from the river and inconsistent ice. Please use extreme caution if you do take the risk.

The North shore has had some perch action. Think pink for Perch. It has been working well all season. Quinney has been having very solid success on white bass. At times the action is fast and furious, but a lot of moving is required to get on top of a school. Walleyes and sauger are in the mix there also. An area just north of the old Chaparral in Fond du Lac was producing some good numbers of perch, but these fish were still running on the small size with an occasional jumbo thrown in the bag.

The walleyes are most active in low light periods like sun rise and sunset. Metallic spoons continue to dominate the presentation style tipped with meat (minnow or waxies). Make sure to stay close to the bottom. There really has been a trend toward small minnows this week for all fish types, especially the walleye.

Not much to report from Lake Poygan, except that the pike are still in the bays and can be taken on big shiners set in the upper quarter of the water column. Crappies are also being reported on small minnows and a gill pill.

The action on the lake is mixed and those walleye are waiting for a warm water signal that spring is coming. If we do get some melting and run off this weekend as predicted, it could make for a great weekend of fishing. It just might be a good idea to have a GPS handy in case of fog and be alert for quickly changing ice conditions.

Send your reports to mark@myfishingpartner.com. And don’t forget to enter into the sturgeon weight guess contest in the forums.

For weekly reports like this, log onto www.myfishingpartner.com

Thanks Eric!

[Siebold]

Went off of Quinney yesterday 2 miles out and a little south before the big heave. Marked quite a few fish but no takers. Another skunk for me on old lady bago. The landing coming back in was a mess. Lots and lots of water.

[Eric Haataja]

Thanks for the report it was a tough day for me as well!

Eric

[yatch]

Just thought I would share my experience up at the Wendt's on Sat. for the Sturgeon weigh in. Last year it was great, with many fish and the biggest at 162#. This year was a lot slower. I stayed until 1 pm with only about 6 fish checked in. with the biggest at 89#, sounds like the north east shore is the place to be this year. Up to the minute info available from our DNR on http://www.dnr.state.wi.us:80/fish/sturgeon/lakewinnebago/

[avid1010]

I understand Sturgeon spearing is a great tradition, but I struggle to understand this tradition every winter. The spearer's I have talked with say the fish taste average and can't be frozen. Obviously the caviar is worth something, but cannot be sold. I know the DNR monitors the process very carefully, but I do think there are some parallels to what the Native Americans do to walleyes up north, and we know how many people are bothered by that.

I am all for hunting and fishing, but I could never toss a spear into a fish twice as old as me. I'd much rather see a catch and release fishery for them on the Bago chain, if that's even possible. I guess I can respect tradition, and trust the DNR (at most only 4% of the population is harvested from what I can tell), but I could never see myself killing such a great fish. I've never kept the trophy walleyes, bass, northern or muskie that I've been fortunate enough to bring in my boat, and I have a problem understanding why someone would want to kill a 90 year old fish? Not trying to start a fight...just a respectful conversation.

[Eric Haataja]

Certainly understandable avid. I don't see myself spearing fish either, however it's legal and I know people who love it and to each there own. I know many gun hunters do not like bow hunters, and I myself could never kill a bear over a bait pile but it's legal and I know people that love to bear hunt as well.

I have no ill feelings toward spearing or bear hunting with dogs or bait I just have no desire to do it. I also would not vote against changing that tradition. Sturgeon is supposed to be great to eat??

I do see your point with walleye spearing and it seems a catch and release season would be a very cool concept!

My 2 cents....

[avid1010]

I don't believe I would vote against it either as I know many who do it as part of a great family tradition unless the population dwindled. I cringe when I see a 90 year old fish killed, but I understand the hunt. I have caught these fish in WI and out West, and the closest comparison I can make is to a tarpon as each fish has such a different personality...some jump, some make long runs, come just hug the bottom, etc. I would imagine a catch and release season would result in the death of many fish too.

I also understand the numbers of walleye speared up north are a much greater population percentage than the sturgeon in Bago. I did have a friend take a 65"+ sturgeon in his boat while running the mud flats on a ROUGH summer day. Broke six rods and few other things in his boat. I don't think he cares to ever see one again. I do hope those taking these fish appreciate the history and the food that the fish provide. They are amazing creatures. The guide I fished with out West compared the taste to a black tip shark...said they weren't bad smoked either.

[walleyewackr]

out on bago yesterday in 8 1/2ft of water off of the mouth, fishin was great in an hour and a half we had 7 eaters, missed a few and lost a couple more, would have been a great evening i bet. as we were sitting there an old guy and his lab were walking towards us, the same path we took on the way out, got about 100 yards away and his lab went threw the ice, having a dog myself and knowing this guy was to old to do anything about me and my buddy started running over there to try and help, got about 50 yds away my buddys leg went threw the ice, i didnt see so kept runnin all of a sudden down i go completely in, took a while but got out at the same time the dog kept fightin and got out which was good, anyways nobody was hurt and if you plan on fishin oshkosh STAY AWAY FROM THE MOUTH OF THE RIVER!, we started the day off fishin on 8" and by the time we left there was only 4, just tells you how much current is boiling under that ice right now, there was trucks around a half mile east of us, not worth a couple eater walleyes be carefull----please

[walleyewackr]

fishing continues to be great, buddy was out of brothertown the last few days still drivin out, bunches of white bass with walleyes and perch scattered in, siad yesterday a truck went threw near the landing, remember the shorline ice goes first so be very careful, honestly after goin threw on foot by the mouth im done goin ice fishin just use caution and some common sense and stay on top, also should almost be able to launch a boat in the river will check it out and let ya know

[walleyewackr]

fished the river saturday in oshkosh, tried to stay away from the major boat brigades in the usual spots, current is horribly slow right now, hopefully that changes after the rains, anyways we were pullin flies up and down the channel edges anywhere from 12-26ft. of water, ended up with 4 eyes, about 50 wihte bass and a couple of 6-7lb sheepdogs, whitebass are seriously stackin up for there annual run, walleyes are there to just have to get threw the bass, colors of streamers were white, and red/white/gold tinsel and chartreuse. ended up goin back that nite to do some shore fishn ended up with 3 more eyes, couple perch, and a couple of white bass, also hooked into 2 sturgeon and seen quite a few boilin on top of the water all in all decent day at least for weather anyways. one other thing to all the people with 50000 dollar boats, the wake zones still apply to u

[walleyewackr]

fished from one of my best shore spots on saturday night with my buddy george with lighted slip corks and leeches and crawlers, had one decent fish around 22-23" let go of course, had plenty of bites and plenty of fish. this time of year can be great for shore fishing oppurtunities if someone doesnt have a boat the whole month of may and into the first part of june can be great at times, in fact i caught two of my biggest five eyes out of my home lake in this particular spot on leeches, cranks and spoons can also be good at times-things to look for are rocks with some wind blowing in on them, the more days in a row with the same wind the better, here is a picture of my buddy george with his nice slot fish-think we ended up gettin around 15-20 bites a lot of short hits, had a few times we let them have it for over a minute and didnt hook up, also buddy rick fished a tourney saturday and did good trollin on the upper lakes

[walleyewackr]

fished with my buddy george sat and sunday and had some great acttion fishing rocks in 2-5ft of water with slip corks and leeches and crawlers, saturday fish would not even sniff a leech, had 6 fish between 15-22" and also missed quite a few and on sunday caught 6 on leeches and crawlers also missing quite a few again, would let them take for quite a while and still wouldnt have oh well thats fishin, ha 6 on sunday also between 14-16", fish wanted the baits movin really slow, casted cranks to no avail and some trollers we talked to werent really doin to good either, found 57 degree water temps on the rocks we were fishin, seemed to be key as there was mostly between 53-55 and the biggest snaggiest rocks were the best, we should have been limited out by 10 30 each day if we wouldnt have missed any, mornings were hot both days and then tapered out around 1030-1100 which is pretty typical in the shallows, gonna get out in the waders this week and will post how i do

[schram]

A fairly stable week of weather, featuring seasonally normal temperatures, created some good fishing conditions. Water temperatures in the area were in the mid 50 degree range for most rivers and lakes. Main lake water clarity remains stained. Overall, walleye fishing was very hit and missed. The fish remained scattered in area waters, and continue to be in post spawn mode.

On the main lake, action was strong on the west side reefs for a good chunk of the week. Stony Point, Horseshoe Bar, and Roe’s Point had walleye being caught with regularity on leeches or crawlers. There is a steady crowd in the area. We also found a nice largemouth and small mouth bite in the shallow areas of Stony Point on spinner jigs.

Long Point has also had some good action for walleyes. This bite is all over the board for live bait (including minnows, leeches and crawlers) and changes daily. If you are working this area-- better grab all three baits. Walleyes are in the average size range, with an occasional large fish in the mix. Slip bobbers are the preferred method currently. Abrahams Reef, Polish Reef, Third Reef and Gene’s Reef were very slow. The northern reefs outside of Neenah had limited action on both walleye and small mouths.

Shallow water trolling (8 feet of water or less) has had some success on small crank baits. This technique seems to be producing the larger fish this week. Lures run at 10-25 feet behind the boards was the ticket at standard trolling speeds of approximately 1.5-2.0 mphs. Garlic Island was also giving up walleyes on crawler harnesses.

The real story this week was the small mouth bite along the west shore. The wayside in Van Dyne was doing well along with the Jesuit area. Small rattle traps, live bait, and drift jigging were the best method. White seemed to produce the most fish. Most of the reports I received indicated the anglers were targeting walleyes, and caught smallies.

White Bass are showing up in the upper Wolf River, but not in huge numbers just yet. Flies seem to be the best method to catch these fish, and some of these fish have good size to them. A river rig tipped with a minnow or a floater with a leech was working well. We are still a week plus away from the major run, based on current water temps.

Lake Winneconne and Lake Poygan’s trolling bite is still steady, but was not as productive as a week ago. Shad raps in white perch, pearl, or rainbow trout are functioning well. In this area be sure to use white crank baits due to the high population of white bass moving through. Crawler harnesses are also taking fish in shallow bays.

In the Fox River (Oshkosh), white bass are also the most active fish. Similar methods to the Wolf River are being used. The area in front of Rainbow Park had the best action we saw this weekend, followed closely by the Hwy 41 Bridge. Walleyes are present and are mixed in with most bags on each trip. Perch fishing is very slow.

Lake Buttes des Morts was very sluggish for us this week. The trolling bite was poor here over the weekend, partly due to the heavy winds. Sunset Point was producing walleyes on slip bobbers with leeches or casting small cranks.

Pan fish continue to be in back water areas, feeder creeks, and local harbors of all waters.

Just a quick update on some other area waters around the state: Beaver Dam Lake had a tremendous bluegill and crappie bite going this week. Eagle River walleye fishing was a tough go on most lakes this past weekend. The Fox River in Depere was also producing walleyes, sheephead, musky (yes Musky!) and catfish from shore at Voyager Park. To read more reports similar to this check out www.myfishingpartner.com

Thanks Eric!

[schram]

Winnebago Weekly 5-12-09
Below normal temperatures and strong winds ended a very productive week of fishing on the Winnebago system. Water conditions became very stained after the measurable rain late on Friday. Water temperatures remained fairly stable all week, typically in the mid to upper 50 degree range. A large lake fly hatch engulfed many areas of the lake this week. Some long time lake residents called this the largest hatch in recent memory.

There were some very impressive reports of walleye activity on the main lake this week, especially prior to Friday. After the rains on Friday (followed by heavy winds on Saturday) the fishing slowed measurably to conclude the week.

The Third Reef was red hot for much of the week. Drift jigging with leeches or slip bobbers with leeches produced most of the walleyes. Sheephead, bass, panfish and bullheads were also reported in this area on various presentations. Long Point had some mixed reports of walleyes along with a few panfish mixed in. Leeches were the preferred meat choice, followed by night crawlers. Minnows are still a viable presentation, however not nearly as productive as several weeks ago.

Many parts of the lake are reporting solid shore action or shallow water action. Many of the better walleyes have been taken in the 3-7 foot ranges again this week. A good summary was this: Reefs associated with deep water were typically slow but Reefs near shallow water were active. The east shore night bite has started to heat up especially in the Calumet County Park area. At night, these fish are moving in very shallow, under 4 feet in many cases.

The trolling bite on Lake Winnebago has been a shallow/reef bite for the most part. Some areas on the northeast shore are reporting schools of walleyes in the 16 foot range, just off of the structure. A slower approach to trolling was critical to success. 1.5-1.8 mph’s seemed to be the best speed. Perch or fire tiger colored crank baits, trolled in the upper half of the water column had the best success.

Lakeside West (FDL) had several reports of both white bass and largemouth bass being taken with regularity. We also witnessed a couple of bullheads and a catfish being caught. The Fond du Lac River’s white bass run is just in it’s infancy, and could hit full stride by next weekend.

Area harbors, backwaters and feeder creeks still are producing pan fish. These fish are attracted by the warmer water and emerging weeds.

Lake Poygan had a solid trolling bite working. The most productive water was in the 3-6 foot range. Shallow running crankbaits trolled in the 1.6-2.1 mph range or crawler harnesses netted the most fish. White continues to be the best color for walleyes. There also have been several reports of plenty of white bass in the area.

White Bass: Here is a report from Louis Woods at Wolf River Outfitters in Fremont - The white bass are in and we are getting good numbers. The purple fly on a wolf river rig is working well. Right now we have found the fish in both the deep water and shallows. For the shallow bite - try using spinners. A group left with 560 fish in 3 days. Most of the groups are catching around 70 to 100 white bass per day.
We continue to grow each day, and that is because of your great support. Thank you. For more information please stop by www.myfishingpartner.com

Thanks Eric.

[JaCkOfF]

Fished the East side (CCP) Sunday and Monday.. Slips and Leeches.. Nothing much going.. We need the water temps to go up some...

[brewcityfishr]

Late report- trolled the east shoreline both Friday and Sunday. we managed to bring in 18 nice walleye's between 15-22 inches with 5 sauger's in the mix, 1 pike, whitebass and a few sheeps. we trolled flicker shads 35-65' behind boards in 7-14' of water. gps speed between 1.4-2.0. water temps around 61.8. time to chase some coho's! good fishin'

[fuzzyfishin]

Out on sun/ my brother and nephew. Picked up 4 good eaters (20-22) a few whites. sr8's and flickers were used, varied the lengths and speeds. Never found a reel pattern for color,speed and depth. We had best luck in the 9ft water range. Launch at calemut off at noon. Went to the west side to finish the day and maybe find more active fish. Found the wind had picked up so the day was called.

[schram]

Lake Winnebago endured another week of fisherman unfriendly weather. Rain and wind blew through the area most of the week until Sunday which gave us almost ideal fishing conditions in the morning. The water clarity is moderately stained, and the first small algae bloom of the season can be witnessed during calm conditions. Water temps were in the lower sixty degree range for most of the week. Another fly hatch has also occurred.



One of the great things about Lake Winnebago is it unique composition making fishing completely different from one area of the lake to another portion of the lake. This is very true currently. The southern half of the lake has had one of the best runs on walleyes in recent memory. The north shore has been spotty for walleye.



On the south shore, the western shore has had excellent trolling success, especially from the Hwy 45 wayside up to the Island. We worked this area multiple times this week with great results. The key for us was finding small depth changes, and working those contours. Our experiences indicated the active fish have moved into 9-12 foot depths, from the 5-9 foot depths from last week. This could partially be due to the weed cover thickness, making trolling more difficult in those shallower areas.



Presentations varied by day; however, one thing was consistent--- Shad style baits in black and gold dominated the fish taking. Flicker Shads, Walleye divers, Reef Runners, Hot n Tots and Shad raps all took excellent fish for us. Not just walleye – but small mouth bass, largemouth bass, white bass, pike, sheephead and crappie. Trolling depths varied by conditions but generally 50-60 feet behind the board was producing the best walleye. Other good colors included fire tiger, bubblegum and white.



The Third reef and Long Point were relatively slow. These areas seem to be overrun with sheephead currently. Occasional walleyes and a sporadic perch have been reported. The area off of Deadwood Point on the east shore has had a lot of boat traffic, with fisherman slip bobbering. No reports of what they were picking up in this region, but with that many boats something was popping. Typically this is a nice spot for perch and walleye.



The area around the Jesuit (Fahrney’s Point) is starting to produce some bass action. Both large and small mouths are present, and can be taken along the shore lines casting cranks, cleo’s or traditional plastics. Lakeside Park in Fond du Lac has also had excellent largemouth action on a bobber and meat or spinners. The 45 wayside was also producing small mouths by wading in the water casting. This method was also producing walleyes on cleo’s.



On the North shore many of the reefs have been fairly quiet. A couple walleyes per trip have been the norm, and this has not changed in weeks. The 7 foot ranges off of Davies Point was giving up some nice sized walleyes on a slip bobber and leech. There is a mud bite occurring in the 13-16 foot ranges along the north and northeast corner of the lake, especially in the general area of Otowana Launch in Neenah. This has been a crawler harness bite. Overall it has been inconsistent, but the fish size has been good once you locate them. The Outer Bar and Lighthouse Reef have been very slow.



On the Wolf River Louis Woods (Owner at Wolf River Outfitters) reports: The fishing conditions are still good for the white bass. The fish have dropped to the deep holes. We used Wolf River rigs and jigged off of the bottom to catch most of the fish. The trick to catching some nice fish was to use a light weight in the deep holes so you could barely feel bottom. When you could not feel the sinker hit the bottom the fish had it and it was time to set the hook. For the walleye: The mouth of the river by Lake Poygan is producing some nice fish. Flies are working well down there. We are casting the shores and catching the fish. Pink flies worked well for us. The bluegills are in the bays spawning. This is a great time for the kids to use some bobbers and red worms.



Several things to note in the coming weeks: 1. The carp should start to spawn in the next couple of weeks. (Waverley Park has already had some activity). Walleye love to eat carp spawn. Find the spawning areas, and you will find feeding walleyes. 2. Some of the biggest tournaments of the year will occur during the next three weeks. Check the My Fishing Partner calendar to see which launches will be filled early from tournament fisherman. This will save you a lot of frustration finding a place to launch your boat. 3. Fishing reports will become guarded. Many of the tourney guys will not give up their vital information. I will do my best to keep you informed. However, typically these reports get very short the next couple of week as information does not get shared easily. 4. We will attempt to hold the video shoot (3rd try) with Daryl Christiansen this Saturday, weather permitting.



Keep the reports coming to mark@myfishingpartner.comThis e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it If you left a report with me the last couple of weeks, check your Myfishingpartner messenger (by logging into your account) to see if you have “earned” a new hat. Thanks to all who have contributed to this report.

[Doors]

Fished on saturday on the east side of lake winnebago.
We started trolling at 10 am and the bite was good from the start in 12-14 fow.
The wind picked up and we moved to 6-8 fow and did well.

Harnesses with 1/2 to 1/4 ounce weights 20 to 40 feet behind the boards.
1.1 to 1.4 mph on the gps.

Average size 18 inches; one was 21.
Blue silver, gold and black worked best.

Good Luck

[Doors]

Fished the east side and fishing was slow; we did managed a few eyes.
Crankbaits and harnesses in 5 to 12 fow.

Water temps were 10 degrees cooler than last week.

[walleyewackr]

switched gears up a little bit from walleye fishin which has been phenomenal doing jus about any method to catch fish depending on what size your lookin for, anyways decided to go catfishn with one on my buddies and did pretty well from shore, caught 16 fish ranging in all different sizes, some caught on dip bait but most caught on"schmitty's secret crawlers" here is a pic of our biggest one

[flunker24]

trolled the east and north shore with a guy from work and we each got our bonus sauger on the north shore, and then 4 white bass, no walleyes though

[Justinm]

I fished a bass tournament on Winnebago today and took 1st place. It was extremely calm today and we looked for shad getting spooked by smallies and we threw spinner baits at them. That bite was good in the AM and then died off around 11:00 - at that time we went to slop and docks for a few short largies.

www.fightingthefish.com

[TJPike]

Nice ! CONGRATS JUSTINM !!:D

[NOBADDAYS]

found lotsa big gills stacked up in shallow water 2-4ft using waxies and red worms worked best with ice jigs and it was cold over the weekend. fished both friday and sunday we all did awesome. bobber set right off bottom with little twitches worked best. this should be good up until iced up then break out the augers.
here is a happy kid after fishing 2p - 545p:D

[schram]

Winnebago Weekly

12-31-09



Happy New Year!

Once the Christmas day rain and snow storm cleared the area, Winnebagoland had beautiful December weather. The rain from the storm made an initial mess of the ice, but it has refrozen. The positive to the rain was that many of the really bad surface ice obstructions have been shrunk, and nearly all of the snow pack has been eliminated from the ice surface. It is fairly easy to get around the ice currently. Ice depths range from 4-11 inches on the main lake and 7-12 inches on Lake Poygan, Buttes des Mortes and the back bays of the Wolf River. Open water still exists in the Fox and Wolf Rivers at select locations.



Lake Poygan is the definite ”Hot Spot” currently. The walleyes are starting to get going, especially off of Spruce Lane in six feet of water on the south end. In addition, Norwegian Bay has a lot of fishermen working the area for walleyes, white bass and pan fish. It seems as if the fish are staged on the first break where shallow water becomes deeper (5-7 feet). Gold and silver are working well based on sunlight conditions. There are small vehicles driving on the ice, however, I do not recommend this quite yet. Someone has to be the first to drive out, and someone has to break through the ice first also! I prefer to leave that to someone other than me.

On Lake Buttes Des Mortes, Skipper Bud’s has had some limited action on pan fish, but most days are slow. It is getting constant action, mainly due to ease of access. In the shallow water areas of Sunset Bay, pan fish are going strong on waxies.



Lake Winnebago is getting some attention currently, mostly in the Oshkosh Area. The south end and parts of the north end of the main lake seem to be void of fishermen most days. By location, here is how some of the main areas are doing:

FDL Lighthouse: A few perch on the main lake, with an occasional white bass. The harbor is dead.

BP In TAYCHEEDAH: Quiet

Fisherman’s Road: Quiet

Old Chaparral (North Fond du Lac): a few pan fish, but slow

Black Wolf: Limited action, but some perch being reported

Menomonie Park and Merritt Street: a few walleyes and white bass

Millers Bay: Lots of fishermen, lots of small pan fish.

South Asylum Bay: Lots of fishermen, but overall very hit n miss

Brother Town: Walleyes and White bass both active. There are some bad areas of ice around the heaves, so be careful.

From Louis at Wolf River Outfitters: The Wolf River in Fremont and the Weyauwega Mill Pond are giving up “bull” bluegills on Gill Pills. They are also getting some perch in front of the campground in Fremont also.

It should be a very busy week/weekend on the ice. Nice weather, good ice, and biting fish…..what more could an angler wish for? When you get home, drop me a line and tell me how you did. www.myfishingpartner.com I hope to get on the ice a few times this week also, so be sure to monitor the website and the Facebook fan page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Fond-Du-Lac-WI/My-Fishing-Partner/222624783318 for up to the minute reports. See Ya Next Week!

[RobL]

any new updates on lake poygan?

[walleyewackr]

once they start drivin trucks out there in my expierience you might as well go fish somewhere else, fish get real spooky. gettin perch and white bass on bago from what i was told. brothertown and calumetville as well as some fish off of oshkosh

[yatch]

Well, the bridges are in and 2010 travel on Bago is safe and underway. Went out of Oshkosh on Monday. We drove out to 17 ft. of water and started to fish near the villages of trucks and ice houses. When you don't live near there and it is the first trip I figure they must be on the fish ? Marked a few but unable to get them to go. Spikes, minnow heads, raps, spoons, jigs were all in the presentations. We made at least 5 moves within a mile or two of our starting point, ending the day on Oshkosh reef in 13ft. of water. (the boat GPS was with us.) Each stop showed a few lookers on the vex. we only iced 1- 9" perch and lost a 10" plus at the hole. That was it. Any help out there would be appreciated, would like to go again this week. :D

[walleyewackr]

i always have good success staying away form the groups, they are usually on some fish but they get spooky and they are constantly moving. go out on your own and cork some holes, dont set up shop but jig aggressivley with jiggin raps and see if you can draw any fish in, if not in 15 to 20 minutes move and keep movin till get on them. fish this lake a lot and some the very best days i have had threw the ice there hasnt been anyone within a mile of me. plus this year there its going to be a little tougher bite due to forage base. fish are fat and picky about what they eat

[BigMusky]

I went out there for first time last weekend with a buddy from work who fishes their regularly. Quite the site to say the least with hundreds of trucks on ice. Marked fish all day, but got nothing. My ice fishing skills get worse each time I go out.

[TJPike]

Has anyone driven from QUINNEY to MERRITT AVENUE lately ?

[blitzfish]

Was out on Bago this weekend. Fished near the mouth on Saturday and managed to put my foot through, but managed an eye and a sauger and missed several more. headed out Sunday morning again, spud bar in hand. Got about 60 yards farther southeast of our spot from Saturday and couldn't move any further because of the thin ice. Didn't even mark one fish. We decided to hop back in the car and head out from Merritt and headed south towards Ceape. The crack running North-South was really deteriorating. We parked a couple hundred yards away from it and walked towards it and there were a few spots that we put the spud bar through on one hit, as well we saw a wheeler put his back wheel through the ice twice in a short amount of time. still didn't mark anything and decided to head towards a semi-shantytown about a mile out from the mouth and marked a lot of fish, but just couldn't coax even one to bite. We threw everything at them and they would follow it up, but wouldn't bite. I tried seeing them on the camera too and they would spook away from it and not even come near it. Oh well, maybe time for some steel next weekend!

[jason miller]

Fished the eastside from Winni point to south of Pipe yesterday, was out 6 hours with 2 R-buckles (sheepshead) one 14" eye, water temps at 58 with dirty water should pick up this week with better weather on the way :)

[walleyewackr]

have one area on the west side that has been very productive for us. had 16 on satruday and 10 thursday on slip corks and leeches and jigs and leeches. some nicer slot fish in the 20-22 range but mostly eaters. good early until about 10 then it dies right off till evenign otherwise we have hit several areas without any fish.

[TJPike]

Since when does bago have a slot limit ? :confused:

[walleyewackr]

they dont, but if you ever fish tournaments that size fish are considered nice slot fish. tournament language is all that is

[TJPike]

Ah, i see..

[walleyewackr]

out today with buddy george and rick, ended up withi buddy george and rick. ended up with around 20 eyes and 3 huge black crappies as well as some sheeps. jigs and slip bobbers with leeches as well as crawlers were the ticket today but i did manage to get some nicer fish on jigs and leeches. not a lick of wind all day, made the bite very tough. 9 ft of water mud to rock transition was the ticket. one thing we discovered today is that we are not gooing to net fish unless they are 4 lbs plus, draw way to much attention to ourselves.

[TJPike]

A friend and i fished yesterday on near shore reef edges and mid lake reefs..Used assortment of live bait and gulp..Only came up with 2 walleye,3 whities..We could not get away from sheephead, caught over a 100 of them..They are spawning and gobble up everything in sight..:( The crystal clear water and high sky didnt help any..Low light and night bite would have been the way to go.

[walleyewackr]

buddy george and tony won a small tourney out of brothertown this past weekend out in the mud pullin harnesses. ended up with 24.2lbs, great job. went back out with him on monday to get ready for this weeks tourney and had 4 fish worth about 12lbs and lost a big fish straight down from the boat that was easlily 7-8lbs. speed was the ticket, then we had a school of sheephead move in our area that was at least a mile long and god knows how wide. had all 6 boards go i dont know how many times, half the time they would hit as we were letting our boards out. craziness was the only way to describe it, water is gin clear for sure. could see down 8-9 ft where we were.

[Doors]

Launched north of Brothertown this morning and tried for whatever was biting.
Jigged a few artificial reefs and fishing was poor.

Ended with 2 smallies; one just under 18.
Lots of sheeps and no eyes.

Fishing hasn't been the greatest out here this year.

Water temp was 76 with lots of weeds and green water.