This winter has been about the most consistent ice bite I’ve seen on Lake Wisconsin. Not every day has been good, but overall, the fishing has been much more consistent for walleyes and saugers than previous winters. In December the bite at Okee was hot for both walleyes and some very nice pike. In January the saugers and crappies were biting well with some occasional nice walleyes mixed in, and now in February, it seems that crappies, walleyes and saugers are all providing action at times. Moon Valley has been getting hit the hardest lately, but there are lots of fish in lots of other locations if you’re willing to go searching.
Where to look? The types of locations that seem to be holding fish consistently are points, holes, humps and channel edges. When viewing a map of the lake, look for deeper sections or “holes” in the main channel – typically 18’ to 20’ in depth on the East side of the trestle, and a bit deeper – 21’-27’ West of the trestle. Additionally, west of the trestle are a number of “humps” or small areas that are shallower than the surrounding areas. Main Lake points that jut out into the lake, often have somewhat more complex channel edges than the surrounding area. Identify these structural “irregularities” such as inside bends or hard to soft bottom transitions, and you’ll likely mark fish somewhere in the area. If you find cover such as wood in the form of trees in combination with one of these spots, all the better. If you mark a tree on your locator but not any fish, punch holes farther away from the tree in several directions. I’ve been finding that crappies will often “loosely” relate to cover, meaning their likely nearby.
We’ve gotten a few warm days this winter that’s produced some snow melt. When this happens, the runoff increases the flow in the lake. Holes, humps, points and channel irregularities all can act as a form of current break during these times. Fish will hunker down out of the increased flow or even push up into the bays to escape it.
So far the baits that have produced the best for crappies, saugers and walleyes have been as follows:
#2 & #3 Rapala Jigging Raps and Jigging Shads with Kick’n Walleye or Kick’n Crappie scent added. Cool water periods are when fishing scents shine -try it, they work. Also tip-downs baited with rosy red minnows have been very productive. Using a #4 or #5 Rapala Rippin’ Rap is very effective for attracting and drawing fish to the hole. I typically drill 3 holes 18” apart, set a tip down with a rosy red hooked under the dorsal on a #12 treble hook in each outside hole, and alternate fishing with a Jigging rap and Rippin’ Rap in the hole in between them. Even if they don’t hit the lure, they will often take one of the minnows on either side. For larger walleyes, saugers and pike, a tip-up with a medium shiner hooked under the dorsal on a #10 treble hook with a 10lb fluorocarbon leader has been good for a lot of folks. Try adding a 6mm colored bead above the treble for added visibility in the dark water.
Tight lines,
Gary Sanders
Lake Wisconsin Walleyes, LLC
