Saturday, December 28, 2013

Pipe: 12-28- 2013,

Pipe: 12-28- 2013,

After much deliberation on where to fish last night, I decided to give the south end of the lake a try and ventured out of Pipe on the East shore.  I entered the lake right at Jim and Linda’s and took the tree line out three miles and a little south where I gave my new Jiffy Pro 4 lite a work out.  I knocked out a good dozen holes and proceeded to drop the flasher down each hole, looking for signs of life. I knew there were some big schools of white bass in the area from a late fall scouting trip so I was hoping it wouldn't take long to narrow things down.  On my fifth hole, I caught a glimpse of some marks and decided to drop my favorite Rapala down the hole.  I had immediate chasers so I set up shop. It took about 6 hours to fill a 5 gallon bucket with white bass so all in all, it wasn't a bad day. Also caught 7-8 little walleyes that where riding high in the water column. Most of the high fish were running at the 10 foot mark in 16 foot of water. Travel was great with a four wheel drive and after today’s sun, the snow pack was knocked down a bit. I had to cross a bridge at about the one  mile mark and then picked my way through some ice chunks to get to the main basin.  When I crossed the bridge on the way back home, it had a lot of water standing around, so look for things to change in the morning. We are going to have some windy conditions tonight and some bitter cold on the way so hopefully by next weekend the west shore will be able to be bridged as well. Till next time ……… ~Tight Lines~

Thursday, December 26, 2013

East Side/ Calumetville Report 12- 26-13

 Today we fished between  Calumetville and Brothertown  and  bounced around in and between the 5 groups or so that where spread  from 1 and 4 miles off shore.  I checked ice at all the stops and 14.5 inches was max and 13.5 was the least amount of ice I measured . Travel is getting interesting with some major drifts in most areas we traveled.  No roads are plowed  so finding a path to get around was fairly important.  . At Gladwater Beach, the ice  is very  rough near the 1 mile mark with big ice shards sticking up in the air. Many are covered by snow, waiting to take a muffler or oil pan out so use extreme caution when traveling out there. We caught fish at every stop, White bass ,perch and walleyes.  Each school of fish seemed to be reacting a little bit different to the baits. Jigging Raps were the bait of choice fished with nothing on it or a waxie hung off the treble hook. I will be out all weekend so I will keep you up dated!

Friday, December 20, 2013

Christmas Report

Lake Winnebago bays are still kickin out panfish while the south end seems to be null and void of fish and fisherman. On a brief tour of the south end yesterday only a handful on shacks were visible on the ice. “Just a few marks and not much on the camera and I drilled 50 holes”, one fisherman noted. I’m holding out on hope as I’ve seen this in the past. Guys will slip in there after a while and just smoke um!
The bays from the wayside on Hwy 45 all the way to Blackwolf have been consistent for gills and perch action. Many I have talked with have mentioned it has slowed with all the lake traffic. The East side is reporting spotty activity for white bass and perch. There is a wide open hole off of Brothertown that is stacked with ducks and that is keeping the ice from forming. Extreme caution is advised on the east shore with reports of ice variations from 6 to 12 inches.
This will be the first time in many years that we will be navigating the lake with vehicles by Christmas. Parents, please have a 5 minute conversation on ice safety with your kids. Just because we have a foot of ice doesn't mean the safety rules go out the window. Travel in pairs, tell someone where you’re going and have a throwable and rope in the vehicle are just a few rules that will save a life. The ice is never 100 % safe and a little caution and knowledge goes a long way.

Better yet, Take your Kids Fishing.

Best Fishes on a safe and enjoyable Holiday Season!