Report for week of 3/04/2010
GENERAL - The early catch-and-release trout season opens Saturday with much of Wisconsin still
covered with snow. That can make for tough sledding, but new online resources on the Early Trout
Season page of the DNR Web site will help anglers meet the challenge. A new video features DNR
stream ecologist and avid trout angler Mike Miller, showing anglers where to find fish and how to
change their tactics to suit the conditions. And a new feature shares the secrets of success with a
spinning rod, honed over the years by a foursome of DNR fish biologists and technicians. The early
trout season is catch and release only, with artificial baits, but starting this year, anglers are no
longer required to use barbless hooks. Streams in southern Wisconsin should be in good to
excellent condition for the opening, with snow melt having water levels up and water running clear
and cold. Most northern trout streams remain locked in ice and snow.
While the early trout season opens this weekend, the inland game fish season closes at the end of
the day Sunday, March 7. That is also the last day permanent ice fishing shelters are allowed on
waters south of Highway 64. The panfish season remains open year-round on inland lakes, and the
current Guide to Hook and Line Fishing Regulations lists specific lakes where the gamefish season
remains open year round.
In the south, access areas to major lakes are starting to weaken and some shoreland ice is eroding.
Access remains good to many northern lakes, but with the warm weather this week, some spots are
getting slushy and rutted. In general, ice anglers have reported fishing is slower, with the best
action for panfish. Northern pike fishing also picked up some. Green Bay anglers reported perch
fishing slowed this week, but whitefish and pike action has been good. More open water anglers
have been seen at the Fox River, and on open water below dams on the Wisconsin River.
NORTHERN REGION - Polk County - Visit our store in Centuria, Wi. for up to date reports on all the
local lakes.
Upper Chippewa Basin fisheries report (Price, Rusk, Sawyer Taylor and inland Ashland and Iron
counties) - The recent mild weather has really settled the snow pack on area lakes and the depth is
down to 2 to 3 inches of grainy snow cover. Ice thickness is holding in the 20- to 22-inch range and
travel conditions have been very good. However, with the warm & sunny conditions, some access
areas have been getting slushy and rutted up, so anglers should be a bit cautious when getting on
and off of the lakes. In addition, anglers are reminded that the gamefish harvest season closes at
the end of the day on Sunday, March 7. Variable weather conditions made for another erratic week
of fishing in the Northwoods. Panfish have provided the most consistent success in the past week
as some decent catches of crappie and perch have been reported. Anglers have had to move
around quite a bit to find the fish, but success has been good when a school of active fish are
found. The best action has been over the deeper mud flats, with perch being found just off the
bottom and crappie suspended a few feet up. Small minnows, spikes, and wax worms have all
worked good for bait. Walleye success has been especially slow lately, with many anglers having a
hard time finding any active fish. On most trips, anglers have been lucky to catch just a single fish,
and only a few anglers have reported getting a two or three-fish limit. With the bright sunny days,
northern pike action has picked up and tip-up anglers have been seeing some decent action on
area pike waters. Large golden shiners or sucker minnows fished over the top of any old weed beds
have been producing the best action. On many pike lakes in the north, anglers have had to move
their baits up a couple feet off the bottom. This is to get above the low oxygen levels that are
starting to show up on these generally shallow and weedy lakes.
NORTHEAST REGION - Sunny days and warm temperatures have been taking a toll on the ice and
the landings. Care should be taken when venturing out.
Marinette County - The ice at 6th street slip is fast becoming untenable. Some walleye were being
caught, but caution must be observed. Trout during the day and a few walleye in the evening is
what the Hattie street area brings to the table. The trout were biting on stick baits fished from the
walkway in open water. Walleye were being caught through the ice as well as the walkway.
Oconto County - Pike anglers are dominating the bay from Geano Beach to the Peshtigo Harbor.
Golden shiners fished a foot or two off the bottom depending on the water depth as well as fishing
on bottom with dead smelt works if the pike are hungry.
Governor Thompson State Park - Quite a few ice fishers have been spotted on Woods Lake and
Caldron Falls Flowage.
Brown County - People are still fishing through the ice at Voyageur Park; what ice is left is small.
Perch were being caught along with a few small walleye using jigs and minnows; take care when
fishing the ice in front of Voyageur. Open water fishing for walleye is attracting more people, stick
baits and jig heads are the baits of choice. Sunset Beach was giving up some perch if anglers could
hit them at the right time; jigs and minnow heads in 10 feet of water worked well.
Door County - The perch fishing has slowed over the last week at Sturgeon Bay. Most anglers that
were finding any perch have been fishing in front of the state park. Anglers have been targeting
northern pike by the yacht club with some success. Larger suckers or golden shiners have been
working the best. Smelt were still being caught off Stone Quarry; most anglers have been walking
off the landing and setting up 50-100 yards from shore. Sand Bay anglers have been doing well on
whitefish over the last week. Most anglers have been targeting whitefish in water 20 to 40 feet deep.
A few walleyes were being caught off Larson Reef. Perch fishing also slowed over the last week at
Little Sturgeon Bay. Most anglers have been moving a lot to find the few perch that were being
caught. Whitefish have also slowed over the last week; successful anglers have been moving away
from the large groups of people to find any fish. Red River anglers are finding some respectable
numbers of perch in 20 to 30 feet of water out in front of Red River. Most have been using minnows
or waxworms to target their catch. Also anglers have been catching good numbers of whitefish as
well, mostly fishing north of the park. Anglers have been targeting mainly whitefish at Volks Reef.
Successful anglers have been finding most of the whitefish in 8 to 15 feet of water. Anglers are also
reporting a few perch and walleye being caught as well.
SOUTHEAST REGION - Ozaukee County - In Port Washington open water anglers have been
catching a few browns near the power plant discharge. Both spawn and skein have produced fish.
Milwaukee County - In Milwaukee the river under the Hoan bridge is open, and the boat launch at
Riverfront is usable. Boaters jigging in the harbor near the main gap have been catching good
numbers of browns and lake trout. Fast moving portions of Oak Creek are open, but water levels
are low. The Bender Park launch is open, and shore anglers there have been catching fair numbers
of browns.
Racine County - In Racine the Root River is open from the Horlick dam into Lincoln Park, but flows
are fairly low. The water is clear and fishing has been relatively slow, although there are both
browns and steelhead in the river. Downstream portions of the Root are still iced over, but the ice is
not safe to walk on. Fishing in the Racine harbor has been slow.
SOUTH CENTRAL REGION - No Report
WEST CENTRAL REGION - Willow River State Park - Trout anglers do not have much to pick from
with the Willow River still holding a lot of ice. There is water open below the dam but it will be
running under 40 degrees in temperature. Access down or up a snow covered bank anywhere will
be a challenge.
Crawford County - The Mississippi River remained steady this week and was at 7.9 feet Monday. Ice
conditions in most backwater areas are pretty good. Most of the popular ice fishing spots have
anywhere between 12 to 28 inches of ice. Even so, ice fishers are urged to use caution when
traveling out onto the frozen waters. Many stretches of the main channel are starting to open up,
but it remains ice covered in many areas. Open water exists at the confluence of Mill Coulee Creek
and the Ambro Slough just upstream from the USFWS boat landing. Also, the East Channel in the
Prairie du Chien is showing some open water areas. Ice fishing action this week was spotty. Prairie
du Chien Area and Lower bottoms: Garnet Lake has decent ice but access to it is tricky and action
there has been slow. Pickerel Slough was slow also. Fishing pressure in these two areas was light.
White bass action is slow in Dillman’s pit. In the past stripers were caught on jigging rapalas or
sweedish pimples near the bottom of 40 feet of water. Ice conditions are pretty good there with over
20 inches of ice. Rotten Slough, St. Feriole Slough and Hunter’s Slough which are located near the
sewer treatment plant is becoming unsafe. Caution in these areas is advised. Anglers have been
fishing between the Blackhawk and Washington Street bridges. On some days the bluegill action
was pretty good, but the average size was small. St. Feriole Slough has open water areas near the
bridges and in the center of the channel so use caution there. Prairie du Chien Ambro Slough
Complex: Gremore Lake’s northern end has very low oxygen so fishing action there is very bad.
The lower end of Gremore Lake was very spotty. A few crappie, bluegill and perch along with some
bass have been taken from time to time. For the most part Gremore has about 24 or so inches of
ice. Tilmont Lake and Mud Slough have been very slow. Good ice conditions exist on Tilmont Lake
and Mud Slough. Anglers are urged to use caution crossing over the Black Slough to get to Tilmont
Lake as warm temperatures might cause the Black Slough to become unsafe. The Lower Doubles
and Fish Lake have been pretty slow recently. Ice conditions there are good with around 24 inches
of ice. Little Missouri has been spotty with some smaller bluegill and a few decent crappie being
taken. Good ice exists on Little Missouri. Big Missouri on the other hand has been very slow for
some reason. The Upper Doubles has slowed too. Even so some decent bass and crappie are still
being taken. Upwards of 24 inches of ice exist on the Upper Doubles and Big Missouri. The
Fennimore Cut has produced some perch, crappie and bluegill. The bluegills have been small and
overall action was spotty. Spring Lake has been very slow even though good ice conditions exist.
Spring Lake has produced a few bluegill and crappie just under the ice. Access to the Doubles, Big
and Little Missouri, the Fenimore Cut, and Spring Lake can be tricky. Poor ice conditions exist
where Mill Coulee Creek enters the Ambro Slough. Anglers traveling on the Ambro Slough must
monitor ice conditions as current is slowing in it and ice conditions can change rapidly. Sturgeon
Slough Area: Sturgeon Slough remains very quiet. Some anglers have ventured down to Sturgeon
(aka McGregor or Horseshoe) Lake but success there has been very spotty, especially on the
northern ¾ of the lake. Recent oxygen level testing on Sturgeon Lake shows very low oxygen
levels. Some crappie and bass action was reported on Sturgeon Lake closer to the East Channel.
Sturgeon Slough and Sturgeon Lake have good ice, however travel to Sturgeon Lake can be tricky.
Stay on established paths. Cold Spring: Fishing here remains very slow. Reports of a few small
bluegill and an occasional crappie and a fair amount of small bass have been reported. Ice
conditions on the southern lobe are still good except when you get near the boat landing/stream
where open water and very thin ice exists. Mississippi River: Walleye and sauger anglers had been
venturing out onto the ice below the Lynxville dam earlier in the week. Ice conditions there have
deteriorated a lot. Travel in this area is not advisable.
A three-minute audio version of this report can be heard by calling (608) 266 2277.
Copyright© 2006 - 2010 BobberStop.com
GENERAL - The early catch-and-release trout season opens Saturday with much of Wisconsin still
covered with snow. That can make for tough sledding, but new online resources on the Early Trout
Season page of the DNR Web site will help anglers meet the challenge. A new video features DNR
stream ecologist and avid trout angler Mike Miller, showing anglers where to find fish and how to
change their tactics to suit the conditions. And a new feature shares the secrets of success with a
spinning rod, honed over the years by a foursome of DNR fish biologists and technicians. The early
trout season is catch and release only, with artificial baits, but starting this year, anglers are no
longer required to use barbless hooks. Streams in southern Wisconsin should be in good to
excellent condition for the opening, with snow melt having water levels up and water running clear
and cold. Most northern trout streams remain locked in ice and snow.
While the early trout season opens this weekend, the inland game fish season closes at the end of
the day Sunday, March 7. That is also the last day permanent ice fishing shelters are allowed on
waters south of Highway 64. The panfish season remains open year-round on inland lakes, and the
current Guide to Hook and Line Fishing Regulations lists specific lakes where the gamefish season
remains open year round.
In the south, access areas to major lakes are starting to weaken and some shoreland ice is eroding.
Access remains good to many northern lakes, but with the warm weather this week, some spots are
getting slushy and rutted. In general, ice anglers have reported fishing is slower, with the best
action for panfish. Northern pike fishing also picked up some. Green Bay anglers reported perch
fishing slowed this week, but whitefish and pike action has been good. More open water anglers
have been seen at the Fox River, and on open water below dams on the Wisconsin River.
NORTHERN REGION - Polk County - Visit our store in Centuria, Wi. for up to date reports on all the
local lakes.
Upper Chippewa Basin fisheries report (Price, Rusk, Sawyer Taylor and inland Ashland and Iron
counties) - The recent mild weather has really settled the snow pack on area lakes and the depth is
down to 2 to 3 inches of grainy snow cover. Ice thickness is holding in the 20- to 22-inch range and
travel conditions have been very good. However, with the warm & sunny conditions, some access
areas have been getting slushy and rutted up, so anglers should be a bit cautious when getting on
and off of the lakes. In addition, anglers are reminded that the gamefish harvest season closes at
the end of the day on Sunday, March 7. Variable weather conditions made for another erratic week
of fishing in the Northwoods. Panfish have provided the most consistent success in the past week
as some decent catches of crappie and perch have been reported. Anglers have had to move
around quite a bit to find the fish, but success has been good when a school of active fish are
found. The best action has been over the deeper mud flats, with perch being found just off the
bottom and crappie suspended a few feet up. Small minnows, spikes, and wax worms have all
worked good for bait. Walleye success has been especially slow lately, with many anglers having a
hard time finding any active fish. On most trips, anglers have been lucky to catch just a single fish,
and only a few anglers have reported getting a two or three-fish limit. With the bright sunny days,
northern pike action has picked up and tip-up anglers have been seeing some decent action on
area pike waters. Large golden shiners or sucker minnows fished over the top of any old weed beds
have been producing the best action. On many pike lakes in the north, anglers have had to move
their baits up a couple feet off the bottom. This is to get above the low oxygen levels that are
starting to show up on these generally shallow and weedy lakes.
NORTHEAST REGION - Sunny days and warm temperatures have been taking a toll on the ice and
the landings. Care should be taken when venturing out.
Marinette County - The ice at 6th street slip is fast becoming untenable. Some walleye were being
caught, but caution must be observed. Trout during the day and a few walleye in the evening is
what the Hattie street area brings to the table. The trout were biting on stick baits fished from the
walkway in open water. Walleye were being caught through the ice as well as the walkway.
Oconto County - Pike anglers are dominating the bay from Geano Beach to the Peshtigo Harbor.
Golden shiners fished a foot or two off the bottom depending on the water depth as well as fishing
on bottom with dead smelt works if the pike are hungry.
Governor Thompson State Park - Quite a few ice fishers have been spotted on Woods Lake and
Caldron Falls Flowage.
Brown County - People are still fishing through the ice at Voyageur Park; what ice is left is small.
Perch were being caught along with a few small walleye using jigs and minnows; take care when
fishing the ice in front of Voyageur. Open water fishing for walleye is attracting more people, stick
baits and jig heads are the baits of choice. Sunset Beach was giving up some perch if anglers could
hit them at the right time; jigs and minnow heads in 10 feet of water worked well.
Door County - The perch fishing has slowed over the last week at Sturgeon Bay. Most anglers that
were finding any perch have been fishing in front of the state park. Anglers have been targeting
northern pike by the yacht club with some success. Larger suckers or golden shiners have been
working the best. Smelt were still being caught off Stone Quarry; most anglers have been walking
off the landing and setting up 50-100 yards from shore. Sand Bay anglers have been doing well on
whitefish over the last week. Most anglers have been targeting whitefish in water 20 to 40 feet deep.
A few walleyes were being caught off Larson Reef. Perch fishing also slowed over the last week at
Little Sturgeon Bay. Most anglers have been moving a lot to find the few perch that were being
caught. Whitefish have also slowed over the last week; successful anglers have been moving away
from the large groups of people to find any fish. Red River anglers are finding some respectable
numbers of perch in 20 to 30 feet of water out in front of Red River. Most have been using minnows
or waxworms to target their catch. Also anglers have been catching good numbers of whitefish as
well, mostly fishing north of the park. Anglers have been targeting mainly whitefish at Volks Reef.
Successful anglers have been finding most of the whitefish in 8 to 15 feet of water. Anglers are also
reporting a few perch and walleye being caught as well.
SOUTHEAST REGION - Ozaukee County - In Port Washington open water anglers have been
catching a few browns near the power plant discharge. Both spawn and skein have produced fish.
Milwaukee County - In Milwaukee the river under the Hoan bridge is open, and the boat launch at
Riverfront is usable. Boaters jigging in the harbor near the main gap have been catching good
numbers of browns and lake trout. Fast moving portions of Oak Creek are open, but water levels
are low. The Bender Park launch is open, and shore anglers there have been catching fair numbers
of browns.
Racine County - In Racine the Root River is open from the Horlick dam into Lincoln Park, but flows
are fairly low. The water is clear and fishing has been relatively slow, although there are both
browns and steelhead in the river. Downstream portions of the Root are still iced over, but the ice is
not safe to walk on. Fishing in the Racine harbor has been slow.
SOUTH CENTRAL REGION - No Report
WEST CENTRAL REGION - Willow River State Park - Trout anglers do not have much to pick from
with the Willow River still holding a lot of ice. There is water open below the dam but it will be
running under 40 degrees in temperature. Access down or up a snow covered bank anywhere will
be a challenge.
Crawford County - The Mississippi River remained steady this week and was at 7.9 feet Monday. Ice
conditions in most backwater areas are pretty good. Most of the popular ice fishing spots have
anywhere between 12 to 28 inches of ice. Even so, ice fishers are urged to use caution when
traveling out onto the frozen waters. Many stretches of the main channel are starting to open up,
but it remains ice covered in many areas. Open water exists at the confluence of Mill Coulee Creek
and the Ambro Slough just upstream from the USFWS boat landing. Also, the East Channel in the
Prairie du Chien is showing some open water areas. Ice fishing action this week was spotty. Prairie
du Chien Area and Lower bottoms: Garnet Lake has decent ice but access to it is tricky and action
there has been slow. Pickerel Slough was slow also. Fishing pressure in these two areas was light.
White bass action is slow in Dillman’s pit. In the past stripers were caught on jigging rapalas or
sweedish pimples near the bottom of 40 feet of water. Ice conditions are pretty good there with over
20 inches of ice. Rotten Slough, St. Feriole Slough and Hunter’s Slough which are located near the
sewer treatment plant is becoming unsafe. Caution in these areas is advised. Anglers have been
fishing between the Blackhawk and Washington Street bridges. On some days the bluegill action
was pretty good, but the average size was small. St. Feriole Slough has open water areas near the
bridges and in the center of the channel so use caution there. Prairie du Chien Ambro Slough
Complex: Gremore Lake’s northern end has very low oxygen so fishing action there is very bad.
The lower end of Gremore Lake was very spotty. A few crappie, bluegill and perch along with some
bass have been taken from time to time. For the most part Gremore has about 24 or so inches of
ice. Tilmont Lake and Mud Slough have been very slow. Good ice conditions exist on Tilmont Lake
and Mud Slough. Anglers are urged to use caution crossing over the Black Slough to get to Tilmont
Lake as warm temperatures might cause the Black Slough to become unsafe. The Lower Doubles
and Fish Lake have been pretty slow recently. Ice conditions there are good with around 24 inches
of ice. Little Missouri has been spotty with some smaller bluegill and a few decent crappie being
taken. Good ice exists on Little Missouri. Big Missouri on the other hand has been very slow for
some reason. The Upper Doubles has slowed too. Even so some decent bass and crappie are still
being taken. Upwards of 24 inches of ice exist on the Upper Doubles and Big Missouri. The
Fennimore Cut has produced some perch, crappie and bluegill. The bluegills have been small and
overall action was spotty. Spring Lake has been very slow even though good ice conditions exist.
Spring Lake has produced a few bluegill and crappie just under the ice. Access to the Doubles, Big
and Little Missouri, the Fenimore Cut, and Spring Lake can be tricky. Poor ice conditions exist
where Mill Coulee Creek enters the Ambro Slough. Anglers traveling on the Ambro Slough must
monitor ice conditions as current is slowing in it and ice conditions can change rapidly. Sturgeon
Slough Area: Sturgeon Slough remains very quiet. Some anglers have ventured down to Sturgeon
(aka McGregor or Horseshoe) Lake but success there has been very spotty, especially on the
northern ¾ of the lake. Recent oxygen level testing on Sturgeon Lake shows very low oxygen
levels. Some crappie and bass action was reported on Sturgeon Lake closer to the East Channel.
Sturgeon Slough and Sturgeon Lake have good ice, however travel to Sturgeon Lake can be tricky.
Stay on established paths. Cold Spring: Fishing here remains very slow. Reports of a few small
bluegill and an occasional crappie and a fair amount of small bass have been reported. Ice
conditions on the southern lobe are still good except when you get near the boat landing/stream
where open water and very thin ice exists. Mississippi River: Walleye and sauger anglers had been
venturing out onto the ice below the Lynxville dam earlier in the week. Ice conditions there have
deteriorated a lot. Travel in this area is not advisable.
A three-minute audio version of this report can be heard by calling (608) 266 2277.
Copyright© 2006 - 2010 BobberStop.com
| WDNR Weekly Fishing Report |
| "All the romance of trout fishing exists in the mind of the angler and is in no way shared by the fish." Harold F. Blaisdell |
| "There is certainly something in angling that tends to produce a serenity of the mind." Washington Irving |
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