Fishing Report

The fishing continues to be pretty good even with the increased pressure we are seeing this year.  If you are fishing on the weekends you will definitely have some neighbors while you are on the ice.  Weekdays have significantly less people, if you want to bounce around a bit it might be worth it to take some vacation during the week.  The fish have moved out from in front of the shop as they normally do when they get pressured.  Guys are catching quite a few bluegills by Marge’s Island as well as some perch and crappies.  The lights have been boom or bust for perch.  If they are firing and you use tip downs expect to have a fun day.  The northern and bass fishing has picked up by the lights as well.  I haven’t heard of any 40″ fish yet but I know multiple mid 30s have been caught, with some guys reporting days where they have a lot of flags.  Stop in for the latest report and to get your bait and tackle!

I have been getting a lot of calls lately about ice conditions. The good news is the ice is holding up very well. Even if we get rain as forecasted we should have plenty left over with the lake averaging 7-8 inches. As far as fishing goes the bluegills have been biting well, check out my facebook page for a picture of a 10.25 in gill caught this week. The crappie bite has remained better than expected, and guys have found perch over by the lights. The only question mark has been the northern pike. We are off to a slower than usual start to tip up fishing, but I haven’t seen as many people setting flags either. Stop in for the latest report!

It looks like we are finally going to get some fishable ice! I took a measurement over at the landing and we are at about 2 1/2 inches. I would not be surprised to see 4 inches by the end of the day tomorrow, but we will have to wait and see. Most of the ice has 1/2 inch of melted snow (cloudy ice), but there is also areas of only clear ice that froze up after the snow stopped. Those areas should be as good or better then the gray areas, but I have not been out that far to check it yet. Use a spud and go with a buddy, the water is too cold to swim in!

Well there is good news and bad news. The bad news is the river is coming up. The latest forecast shows 11.8 feet in La Crosse by Wednesday which means it will be almost over the bank here at the shop. It may push the fish into the lake more we will just have to see. The good news is that the fishing in the last week has improved. The bluegills continue to bite well, move around to find a school of big ones. The perch have really come on in the last few days. There are people catching some jumbos over by the lights. The minnow bite has really turned on for them. The crappies still have yet to move onto the lake in force, but I expect them anytime now. Swing in for the latest report!

It looks as though we are slowly creeping towards better fishing. We didn’t get the cool weather that was originally forecasted for this past week, however this coming week looks promising. My latest thought is that the fall migration of fish to the east side of the lake is going to happen in a shorter time than usual which would mean a window where there will be some phenomenal fishing. We are over a month behind schedule and not catching up so something has to give here at some point. That being said you can still go out and catch some nice bluegills along the tracks and out by the lights. A few reports of perch and crappies but no large schools yet. Next week with highs in the 60’s might be the time to get out.

My report for this week is not that much different from last week. The bluegills continue to bite pretty well. We did have a couple of slow days this week. The perch have picked up quite a bit. I went out and was able to catch quite a few nice ones. The crappies remain spotty. I think that this next week with cooler temperatures will really get things back on track.

We have continued to run behind schedule with the fall bite, which has been the pattern since spring. The bluegill bite continues to be decent but not what you normally see by this time. The perch are slowly picking up, I think it really correlates to the vegetation. As their cover falls down they move out and start schooling. Crappies are around on the lake and you can catch them, but again not to the extent you would expect by this time. You might want to think about keeping the boat out, either the season is going to run late, or their is going to be a compressed window that will be phenomenal.

Alright I have finished my vacation from this and you can expect weekly updates from here on out. The warm water fishing as a whole on Pool 7 has been way below average mostly due to the extended high water. The way I look at it though is the fish are still out there getting fatter, and it was also ideal spawning conditions for most species. We should see an overall improved fishery for the next several years because of it.

In regards to the fishing right now we are running a few weeks behind the normal cycle for Lake Onalaska, usually the bluegills are in and feeding heavily. You can still go out and have a good day, however you will have to work to find them. A few guys have been able to find the crappies and perch, take a look at my facebook page to see a picture from last week. If you have been waiting to go out on the main channel we are now close to 6 feet, and the water conditions are probably the best they have this summer and last.

Stop in and get the latest report!

I apologize for the lack of updates, the water levels made fishing very difficult this spring. Just wanted to let everyone know who has been waiting the bluegills are up in the shallows and getting ready to spawn. I have not heard of any being spawned out yet, but the forecast is warm so I imagine they will soon. Bass and northern fishing has been good, crappies were and have been really tough, and perch have been so so. Hopefully the water keeps dropping!

The high water continues and with the rain we are getting today it looks like we are going to go back up a few tenths. Fishing is starting to pick up a bit with crappies and northern being caught. The water has come down enough to make the landing pretty easy to launch on. Hopefully the water gets back to normal soon!