Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Lake Winnebago Bluegills


Looking over  a body of water the size of lake winnebago can seem overwhelming if your looking to find bluegills.Don't let the size of the lake scare you into thinking its a needle in the haystack approach to finding fish. Weeds...weeds...weeds..... The much cursed  zebra muscle has cleared the water on lake Winnebago. The result was sun penetration which gave our lake some beautiful weed beds . I'm looking for weed beds in front of feeder creeks,man made channels and bays. I fish directly outside any place that typically holds fish in early spring. After the bluegill spawn and are done feeding  they move out to the weeded flats directly adjacent to theses creeks and channels. Now of course not all weeds are created equally. . You will find floating weed masses and if you can motor to the middle of these  often you will find pockets .  I anchor in these pockets and fish a small ice jig under a  float.Typically it takes a while for a area to settle down after you approach it with a motor. Big gills area very spooky in these weed flats so a stealth approach is needed.Give a spot at least 15 minutes and move on. On calm days I will just use a trolling motor and 14 foot cane pole and flip weed pockets or weed edges in 3 to 5 feet of water .  Staying mobile is also advantageous on days . It seems you'll catch a few big ones and the school breaks up a bit and moves.   Other days the fish will hold tight and the same spot will produce all day. When the bite dies don't just assume the fish quit feeding ,move until you find some additional active fish. 

Saturday, August 6, 2011

Summer Time Trout


So what makes a guy leave the comfort of home and all the fishing on Lake Winnebago and trade it for 8 foot tall nettle plants, biting flies and mosquitos? The love of trout I guess. My son and I had a couple days before his fall football begins so we took a trip over to the southwest corner on the state to get some last minute trout fishing done. We had the pleasure to camp at Kick
apoo Stump Dodger Campgrounds in Gays Mills, Wisconsin . This place is really nice and quiet, very clean and out of the way. They are equipped with RV sites and tent sites. They all include a fire pit and picnic table and firewood, water and electrical hookups are also available The rates were 10.00 for a tent and 18.00 for a camper which are super cheap . Jim Showen is the owner and a great guy. They even have a swimming pool and nice hot showers. I really recommend this campground as its one of the the cleanest around. . Be sure to check out their web page at http://www.ksdcampground.com/.




The trout fishing this time of year is all what you make it. You need to be prepared to fight the bugs and itch weed and super tall grass. Gnats are a big problem but a 50/50 mixture of vanilla extract and water in a spray bottle does the trick. Be sure to have mosquito spray along too as there is no lack of those biting devils either. The fish are still there and are plenty hungry but early fishing is a must. The cool temps of the morning are easier on the fisherman and the fish. Fish were feeding on top in almost every pool we fished early. By 9:00to 10:00 AM you could feel the heat of the day set in and the fish drifted to their day time hiding spots deep under grass covered under cuts.Towards fall the evenings will cool fast also and you can get some evening fishing done as well. Several apple orchards, wineries, and great scenery are just a few of the other things a person can enjoy if you’re not on the trout stream .We never caught any monster trout the last few days but we learned, laughed and had a nice shore lunch .



Wednesday, August 3, 2011

NOAA Radar picks up fly hatch in Wisconsin

Is this crazy or what?
Mayfly hatches have been showing up on NWS La Crosse's radar over the past few weeks, with one of the strongest returns showing up on Friday evening. Below is an image from 9:17pm with the high reflectivity being a Mayfly hatch along the Mississippi River.Man, the fish are eating good.





http://www.crh.noaa.gov/images/arx/mayflyhatchjuly292011.png