Lake Wisconsin locked up with ice in November 2013, and ice conditions have been consistently good through February, but open water fishing is just around the corner so be cautious if venturing out on late winter ice as increased current from snow melt rapidly erodes the ice. In anticipation of the spring walleye run, follow these tips to help you be prepared: 1) take time now to make sure those boat batteries are still charged, 2) begin sorting through and organizing your tackle, and 3) put new line on all of your reels. In addition, don’t forget to read the regulations for the waters you intend to fish, and remember that your fishing license expires on March 31st.

We are fortunate to have a continuous open season for walleyes and saugers on Lake Wisconsin and the Wisconsin River, so there is no need to wait for the inland waters opener which occurs annually on the first Saturday in May. For those who prefer to target trout in streams, the early catch and release season opened on March 2nd.

In March, you will typically find open water below the Prairie du Sac Dam where you can either fish from shore, wade in the shallows to cast, or put your boat in at the VFW launch. Open water can usually also be found in early March on the northeast end of Lake Wisconsin. There are three launches on Tipperary Road from which you can launch a boat to fish the Wisconsin River at the head of the lake and an additional launch on the Wisconsin River four miles to the North on County Road V by Hooker’s Resort. Additional fishing opportunities for pre-spawn walleyes and saugers from either shore or a boat can be had on the stretch of the Wisconsin River below the Kilbourn Dam at Wisconsin Dells. Access is on County Road A at either River’s Edge Resort or the new county boat launch right next to River’s Edge.

Gary Sanders

The Lake Wisconsin Steering Committee will be sponsoring another educational meeting for all citizens interested in learning more about the DNR “Shoreland Zoning Standards” and how they affect you as a lake frontage owner or as a user of the lake and how they protect water quality.  There will also be discussion regarding the future of these zoning regulations. 

The presentation will be led by Lynn Markham; UW-Extension, Center for Land Use Education located at the UW Stevens Point.  Her recent projects have included publications about protecting waterfront investments and lakes, and zoning board workshops.  We have invited the Columbia and Sauk County Planning and Zoning staff to help answer questions.

The meeting will be held on November 21, 2013 from 6:00-7:30PM at the Lodi Woman’s Club Public Library, 130 Lodi Street, Lodi WI.

All interested residents are encouraged to attend and participate.

Please contact Kirk Boehm at 608-635-8851 or kirk@tfmwisconsin.com if you have any questions.

The kids are back in school, football season is underway, and the nights are definitely getting cooler. Autumn begins on September 22 by the calendar, but from a fishing perspective, I view September as roughly the midway point of the transitional period between summer and fall. This process starts in August on Lake Wisconsin and progresses through October in most years.

Change – The days keep getting shorter and nights progressively cooler. These changes are significant as it affects how we attempt to locate and pattern fish on a given day during this period. It is common now to see day/night air temperature fluctuations from 20°-30° Fahrenheit which can cause water surface temperature swings of 5°-10°F.  Add to that the shorter days causing weeds to die and consume rather than create oxygen, and the abundance of forage, and fish can be downright difficult to pattern.

Where did they go? – The easy fishing and big numbers we put up on most days in May through July are only memories now. Pulling crank baits and Slow Death rigs along and off the edges of 15’-20’ break lines just doesn’t work as well now because walleyes are on the move. While you may still find some fish holding on these deeper locations on certain days, keying on 15’ or less will likely find you getting bit more often. Fishing the tops of structures such as humps and sand bars at the mouths of bays that drop off to deeper water can provide good fishing. Use your lake map to identify structural features such as humps, points that extend far out underwater, and sand or rock bars in close proximity to deeper water.  Walleyes will not be uniformly dispersed on these areas however, so look for some kind of subtle change like the presence of rocks, a rock to sand transition, or some other feature that is “different” from the surrounding area –“the spot on the spot”. Deep flats will also hold some fish but again, try to pinpoint areas where hard & soft bottom meet, or some other irregularity that might hold fish. Live bait is a good idea along with a slower presentation. Casting a jig & ½ crawler to the top of a hump and slowly dragging it down the side is often effective. Lindy Rigs dragged slowly along the tops of a break with wind or electric motor can be good as well.

Gary Sanders
Lake Wisconsin Walleyes, LLC
www.lakewisconsinwalleyes.com

Fishing on Lake Wisconsin for walleyes and saugers is still quite good. Trolling with crank baits with either planer boards, long-lining or lead core line, as well as pulling slow death rigs on break lines or in deeper holes by a break-line, continue to be the most consistent methods for numbers of fish.

We are still keying on the same areas as last month – the 8’ to 10’ flats and 12’ to 16’ break lines, but there are some significant changes occurring that are worthy of note as they will likely impact the fishing;

1. Water temps have jumped up significantly in the last two weeks. We are seeing 80 degree + surface temps.
2. The algae bloom is well underway.
3. The flow rate in the Wisconsin River has finally dropped significantly
4. We are starting to see some evidence of Mayfly hatches.

If you consider these four items together along with the calendar period, it tells me that it is likely that another pattern is developing. The pattern I’m referring to is fishing for suspended walleyes. With the slower flow of current, the algae bloom and some bug hatches occurring, we should start to mark fish suspended over deeper water (in 15’-25’ generally). These fish are most easily targeted during the week when there is less boat traffic by the trolling applications mentioned above. Slowly cruising in the main channel while watching your locator for good sized banana shaped “hooks” on your screen. Note the depth these are at, and set your gear to run baits both at the same level, and slightly above these fish. Berkley Flicker Shads, Rapala jointed Shad Raps and Storm Smash Shads in firetiger and chrome/blue patterns should work, along with other baits as well. Make plenty of turns to speed up and slow down baits to determine the best speed.

Tight lines,

Gary Sanders

Lake Wisconsin Walleyes, LLC

www.lakewisconsinwalleyes.com

We’ve just past the mid-point for the month of June and fishing on Lake Wisconsin for walleyes and saugers remains very good. The fish are widely dispersed from the mouth of the Wisconsin River to the Prairie du Sac dam. Trolling with crank baits with either planer boards, long-lining or lead core line has been the most efficient means of getting fish for the last three weeks; however I will say that long-lining and pulling lead core sets has out fished planer board sets 2 to 1 in my boat. I have not found any particular preference for color or brand of crank bait

which is unusual. On my scouting trips as well as guide trips, I have routinely been intentionally pulling a different color and brand of bait on each rod and have yet to determine a preference. #7 Storm Smash Shads, #7 Berkley Flicker Shads and #7 Rapala jointed Shad Raps have pretty much had equal success while long-lining and pulling lead core. #5’s have worked to but the #7’s have been the most consistent for me. Other brands of baits than

those mentioned above will work too.

Multiple locations and depths are producing fish regularly, but I have been concentrating on two main areas:  8’ to 10’ flats and 12’ to 16’ break lines. What I do, is to mark a GPS way point when I get a fish, and soon a line of way points will be established so that you can easily return and pull baits over the same productive locations at a later time.

When pulling lead core lines, one trick that I’ve been doing to get extra fish off of a break line once the bite seems to slow, is to change colors and styles of baits. I can run back and forth along a contour 8-10 times picking up one to three fish on every pass and then it will seem like the bite stops. For example, if you’re running Smash Shads and Flicker Shads and it seems like you’ve worn out the spot, changing out the baits from the straight models to jointed Shad Raps in different color patterns has worked like a charm to get a few more.

Another trick is to work the area over by slowing down and pulling Slow Death rigs on bottom bouncers in order to finesse a few more fish. Once you’ve fished area, look at your Lake map to identify areas with similar features elsewhere and go fish those. Pretty soon you will have a “milk run” of spots established allowing you to keep moving and maximize your time on the water.

Good fishing to you,

Gary Sanders

Lake Wisconsin Walleyes, LLC

www.lakewisconsinwalleyes.com