Following on the heels of a couple northern Minnesota ice fishing trips to “hurry” the early ice season prior to Christmas, I’ve been on the ice a lot in northwestern Wisconsin, mainly around the Hayward area where I reside. Ice conditions are great; average ice thickness currently being about 18 inches. We have very little snow on the ice. While I’m certainly not suggesting ignoring safety concerns - there is very little slush and ice is generally “easy to read” for potential unsafe areas.
The action has been good, and much fun, with the great conditions, yet, really whacking ‘em hasn’t been the case; that being said, no skunks either.
Personally, I haven’t fished the same lake twice. It’s not exactly the perfect plan for patterning fish but have had success with panfish, walleye, pike and lately perch have picked up.
One thing I love about northern Wisconsin is all the options; lakes of all shapes, sizes, structures and water clarities. Bring a crew it’s fun and effective. We’ve been covering water (lots of holes), using a combination of Beaver Dam tip-ups with live bait (use 100 % fluorocarbon leads like Spiderwire UltraCast) and mobile jigging. [Areas that allow deep water access and edges are best. Cover all the options, with extra holes drilled to move sets quickly should patterns develop. In the middle - a Clam BigFoot shack - headquarters and warm-up.
Bluegill have been best in weeds, with some crappies included. Suspended crappie in deep water on stained lakes have been good too.
Walleyes have been consistent, though few cases of volume. Most of the action has been deeper this year. The base of breaks on shallower structures or mud adjacent or the tops and edges of deeper structures seem to work the better. Live bait has overall been the best. Even perch have been picky at times and preferred minnows so definitely come armed with a variety of presentations and good live bait. Pike action has mainly been shallower and on edges.
Of the larger lakes in the area, Grindstone, Couderay and Chippewa Flowage have good reports. Hayward Bait and Tackle says “Nelson Lake has also been good for a variety of species and likely the most consistent for walleye action, mainly in river channel areas.”
Hayward Bait and Tackle is a great place to check for current reports – get that live bait and any other ice fishing needs.
Pete Maina is an Ice Team pro. The Ice Team was at the beginning of the Ice Fishing Revolution . . . because they started it. Find out more about the Ice Team at IceTeam.com
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