Local Highlights of the DNR's 2015 Fishing Report

As we approach the gamefish opener, I'll be posting a variety of useful resources. Keep checking in...or consider signing up to have reports emailed to you directly.

The DNR's 2015 fishing report is available here.

Local highlights from this year's report:

Pewaukee Stocking Effort:


In the Walleye Section:

1.) Fox Lake (Dodge County)

2.) Lac Labelle and Oconomowoc Lakes (Waukesha County)





In the Musky Section: Pewaukee and Oconomowoc

In the Largemouh Section: Okauchee, Eagle Spring and Big Muskego

Smallmouth Section: Oconomowoc and Lac Labelle






Panfish Section: Okauchee, Oconomowoc and Lower Genessee

Lunkers Garage Sale -Thursday

I'll be attending this event:

Fishing Report 4-17-15

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Some awesome weather has really turned on the spring fishing. Now is the time to hit the water.

On the Rock River, the walleye bite has slowed down but the whitebass run is getting started.  The water is warming up, and the better bite seems to be in the late afternoon in shallow water near rocks or shell beds. Controlled drifting with jig and plastic combinations, or anchoring just up stream from the hard bottom structure and running three ways with live bait seem to be the most consistent approaches. For whitebassL Jig and twister, jig and minnow, small inline spinners, small reflective minnow baits or small lipless crankbaits are all solid options for chasing whitebass. Look for shelves or areas with incoming water off the main channel. Fish will start heading for creeks with moving water, just work an area until you start getting bit, and adjust in or out as necessary. The mouths of the Bark and Crawfish River, the area just south of downtown Ft Atkinson, and the Jefferson Dam are starting to give up some earlier schoolers. White, white and pink or gold have been the best colors this season, although a blue and white combo is a long time favorite of mine.

Closer to home, the area lakes are all open. Water temps are still in the mid 40's to low 50's, and many anglers are reporting that the water is cloudy. Crappie are being caught in 2-4 and 6-8 feet of water in dark bottom areas. Look for them in shallow bays with a northern bank, boat channels or marshy areas. Areas with green weeds, wood laydowns or reeds will concentrate fish. Early on I like to use waxworms or spikes on a small red hook, tailed hooked fathead minnows and as the water warms, I'll start to use plastics, all suspended under a bobber. The bite will be light, so make sure your weight makes your bobber stand straight and gets and keeps your bait down. One trick with crappies is to keep your bait just above them, they like to feed "up."  Lower Nehmabin, Pine, Nagawicka, Fowler, Lac Labelle, Golden, Garvin and Stumpy, Ice House and Bay Five on Okauchee are all traditional hotspots for early spring crappies.




I'm always happy to help and provide some tips, shoot me an email or a call if you have questions.

Fishing Report 4-10-15

Well gang, it looks like I can finally pick up the torch and start giving out the info you have been craving...open water fishing is fuly upon us.

The local lakes are starting to turn on. The rain helped with the water levels, but did dirty up the water a fair amount.

Panfish, especially crappies, are starting to stage in shallow water. Look for these fish in dark bottom areas: small bays, boat channels or flooded marshy areas with standing reeds.

The fish will be spooky, but if you stay back and cast into them, you should have some success, especially with the warm afternoons ahead. The best fishing can be anywhere from 18 inches to 12 feet deep, but protected areas with dark bottoms are going to have the most active fish.

Kessus, Golden, Lower Nehmabin, Pine, Ashippun, Middle Genessee, Fowler, Garvin and Okauchee will all have active crappies. Tail hooked fatheads, waxworms or spikes on an icefishing jig, crappie sized tubes or marabou jigs will all produce. Remember to keep you bait just above them if possible, crappies feed up. Reeds, wood laydowns and submerged wood will all hold fish during the day.

Bluegills are starting to move shallow, but the on again, off again spring has slowed the transition somewhat. I'd look for them at the mouths of coves, or at the end of points adjacent to the shallow warm water areas holding crappies right now.

River fishing is still going strong on the Fox (Depere), Wisconsin (Dells) and Wolf Rivers. Closer to home, the Rock River is still giving up some quality bags of walleyes. White Bass are not yet running in strength, but another batch of rain will likely bring them in.

Good Luck out there...and be safe.

Kids Fishing Clinics: Saturday April 11

From the DNR

Contact RSS Print

Young anglers can receive free instruction at 31st Annual Kids' Fishing Clinics

By Southeast Region April 6, 2015

Contact(s): Matt Coffaro, statewide urban fisheries biologist, 414-263-8614

MILWAUKEE - Kids 15 years and younger can mark the arrival of spring by attending free fishing clinics on Saturday, April 11, at several lagoons and ponds in Milwaukee, Racine, Washington and Waukesha counties. Clinics will be held every hour beginning at 9 a.m. with the last clinic starting at 2 p.m. 

Members of local fishing clubs organize the clinics, and instruction includes fishing techniques, equipment use, knot tying, safety rules and fish identification. The clinics represent a cooperative effort by the Wisconsin Council of Sport Fishing Organizations, Milwaukee, Racine, Washington and Waukesha County Parks System, Hunger Task Force Fish Hatchery and the Department of Natural Resources.

"Sport fishing groups are the heart and muscle of this program," stated DNR Secretary Cathy Stepp. "They do an outstanding job of teaching kids the basics of fishing and that fishing is fun. None of this works without the dedication of the volunteers."

The Department of Natural Resources and the Hunger Task Force Fish Hatchery will stock fish in the urban waters before the kids' clinics are held. Fishing equipment is provided, but anglers are encouraged to bring their own rod and reel if possible.

Adult anglers are reminded that from March 7 through April 24, urban fishing waters are restricted to fishing by juveniles 15- years-old and younger and certain disabled anglers. The rule is designed to give young anglers and persons with disabilities an opportunity to fish close to home before competition from adults limits their chances to catch fish.

Urban fishing waters are small lakes and ponds under 25 acres that are intensively and cooperatively managed with a municipality. The 2015 - 2016 fishing regulations list urban waters with these special regulations. Locations for the kids' fishing clinics are as follows:

Milwaukee County

• Brown Deer Park, 7835 N. Green Bay Rd. (Hosted by Okauchee Fishing Club)
• Greenfield Park, 2028 S. 124th St. (Hosted by Great Lakes Sport Fishermen; Milwaukee Casting Club)
• Humboldt Park, 3000 S. Howell Ave. (Hosted by Lunkers Unlimited)
• McCarty Park, 8214 W. Cleveland Ave. (Wheelchair accessible) (Hosted by Southside Sportsmen's Club)
• McGovern Park, 5400 N. 51st Blvd. (Wheelchair accessible) (Hosted by Badger Fisherman's League)
• Mitchell Park, 2200 W. Pierce St. (Hosted by Bay View Rod & Gun Club)
• Oak Creek Parkway, Oak Creek Pkwy and Mill Road, South Milwaukee (Hosted by Friends of the Oak Creek Millpond)
• Scout Lake Park, 5902 W. Loomis Rd. (Wheelchair accessible) (Hosted by Walleyes Unlimited, USA)
• Sheridan Park, 4800 S. Lake Dr. (Hosted by South Milwaukee 1400 Fishing & Hunting Club)
• Washington Park, 1859 N. 40th St. (Wheelchair accessible) (Hosted by E.B. Garner's Fishing Club)
• Wilson Park, 1601 W. Howard Ave. (Hosted by Wisconsin Fishing Club)

Racine County

• Quarry Lake Park, 3800 Northwestern Ave. (Hosted by Salmon Unlimited)

Washington County

• Sandy Knoll Park, 2064 Wallace Lake Rd., West Bend (Hosted by Trout Unlimited Southeast Chapter; West Bend Kiwanis Early Risers)

Waukesha County

• Menomonee Park/Lannon Quarry, W220 N7844 Town Line Rd., Menomonee Falls, one-half mile north of Good Hope Rd.(Hosted by Wisconsin House Outdoorsmen)
• Fox Brook Park, 2925 N. Barker Rd. (Hosted by Wern Valley Sportsmen's Club)
• Muskego Park, S83 W20370 Janesville Rd., Muskego (Hosted by Women's Hunting and Sporting Association)

Okauchee Public Launch-Update

I spoke with the DNR today.

The Okauchee Public Launch will be closed at some point, but at this time, there is no firm date for the closure. Current estimate is that the launch will close May 1st, but all work has to be completed by July 1st, so the launch will be open for the mid-summer holiday.

For now, the launch remains open and the crappie are biting on the lake.

More as I get it.

Cheers,
CT

Article about fishing during the bass spawn.

I was asked to contribute to this article on bass fishing around the time of the spawn.

I didn't realize the company of pro-fisherman I would be in while doing so. Regardless it is an interesting collection of viewpoints on spring bass fishing, with some interesting techniques to consider.

Fishing Report 4-3-15

It is time to get your game face on. There's lots of fishing going on.

Regardless of where you're headed know this: water levels are very low for this time of year, so low that some places are less accessible than is typical for spring.

Panfish are biting on our local lakes. Look for warmer water and then find the green weeds, especially in the afternoon on the warmer sunny days. The key is the activity level of the fish. The cooler days reduce the distance the fish will swim to bite. Keep your presentation tight to cover/current breaks/green weeds, and you'll catch fish.

If you're heading out, look for panfish in shallow, dark-bottom areas, especially if there are reeds or weeds left over from last season. Water temperatures are lower than they had been in the mainlake areas, but the shallow bays and boat channels are still in the mid to high 40's in many of the protected areas.

If the bite is tough, go small/downsize: waxworms and spikes on a very small hook or icefishing jig will catch as many fish as minnows most days. Mix it up, and be ready for anything. Plastics have been catching better fish than live bait.

Okauchee, Moose, Golden, Ashippun, Lower Nemahbin, and Middle Genessee have been the best, but Forest, Kessus, North and Oconomowoc are also producing.

The big news of course is the spring runs on the rivers. The Wisconsin River in the Dells has been active for a couple of weeks, and the fishing is steady there. Walleyes are biting in the deeper holes, and in current breaks, but like most places, the water is very low.

The Rock River between Jefferson and the lake has been active. Water levels and current flow are lower than they have been in about 10 years, but with the full moon phase, the bite is on. Most of the fish are being caught from Ft Atkinson to the mouth, but shorefisherman at the dam are already reporting catching keeper walleyes. Streamer flies on three way rigs are always a classic presentation for shore fisherman along the Rock River, but vertical jigging seems to be the ticket for boaters. Keepers are mixed with the usual assortment of short fish. No word on whitebass yet, but a solid rain will bring them in for sure.

Pinks, oranges and purples are solid spring colors for walleyes, as are greens and chartrueses.

Good luck out there.
CT

Local Tournaments 2015

US Angler SE Wisconsin Division

May 17 Okauchee
May 31 Pewaukee
June 28 Rock
July 12 Madison
August 23 Pewaukee
September 13 Nagawicka
September 27 Whitewater

WABTA

Entry Division

May 9- Okauchee

June 13- Pewaukee  (Wounded War Event)

July 19-Winnebago (Oshkosh)

August 8- Madison Chain

Elite Division
May 30 -Madison
June 20 -Okauchee
July 18 - Winnebago (Oshkosh)
August 2 - Pewaukee

Leagues:

Musky Mikes Tuesday Big Bass League (Scheduled for Okauchee) Information Here

Milwaukee Chapter of Muskie's Inc
May 9 Pewaukee
June 13 Pewaukee
September 26 Pewaukee

Walleye:
Rock River Gold
April 25th
May 30

More as I get it.