Fishing Report

Ice conditions are the talk after a car went through here on the lake.  You need to be extra careful this year due to the fact that guys have been driving in normally questionable areas that became accessible due to good ice conditions.  If you stick to the normal travel corridors there is still around 20″ of ice, and guys are still driving around to the lights from Schafers.  Please stop and check if you are unsure of conditions and do not drive anywhere where you are not familiar with conditions.  This next week we are going to continue to lose ice so the driving on the lake days are numbered.  As far as fishing goes we continue to have wide swings in temperature which slows down the fish for 2-3 days after each swing.  The extended forecast looks promising however with steady highs in the low 30’s and lows in the 20’s.  Lately the northern have come back down to earth but guys are still doing well.  I expect that bite to pick back up as we get warmer.  The perch bite has been steady with big fish still being caught, but not in the quantity that we saw earlier this year.  The crappies have become more active as well as the bluegills and this coming week should continue that pattern.  Stop in and get the latest fish and ice report!

With the exception of a few days in the 20’s the forecast is looking good with lots of highs in the 30’s and lows in the 20’s.  This should pick up the bite, there is definitely no shortage of fish!  As far as the latest information that I have the northern bite remains excellent, and I expect it to keep up through spring.  The perch schools over by the lights have been scattered, if you can find where they are you are going to do well.  The bluegill bite is steady in the shallows, and when the big schools hanging deep decide to get active it will be a blast to fish them.  Be careful driving guys are pushing the limits in areas that are traditionally bad spots, there is going to be lots of ice for a while but certain areas thin up quicker then others.  Stop in for the latest report!

I hope everyone who fished in the BPCA derby had a good time, the fish board was impressive.  I looked back through the results they had posted on their website and this year was the biggest group of northern that I could find.  On that note the northern bite is continuing, go over by the lights and you will tie into some nice fish.  The crappie bite remains fair, with the biggest challenge being finding out their active times.  Early and late are always a good bet, but lately there has been an early afternoon bite as well.  Bluegills remain most active in the shallows, but you are able to pick a few up in the dredge lines.  Perch continue to move, and if you get in front of them they are a ton of fun to catch.  The key is being willing to pack up and move multiple times in a day.  Ralph came home with 18 nice perch last night, and here are two 13′ monsters that made it into his bucket!

Northerns continue their run as the hot bite with a 44 inch 25 lb monster leading the pack.  There is a video floating around on facebook of the catch, and the gentleman that caught it was nice enough to release it back into the water.  That may be the biggest fish but there have been plenty measuring around that 40″ mark being caught.  If you are into northerns now is the time.  The perch bite continues much the same.  Some guys are getting out in front of the schools and catching a lot of nice perch, and others report not catching a single fish all day.  The key is finding where the schools are moving through that day.  You can also pick up some in the dredge lines but not in any significant numbers.  The bluegills are shallow and deep, but they seem to be more active in the shallower water.  The crappie bite has not changed much you need to fish early and late with very few guys catching many during the day.

The Atomic Derby was interesting this year.  It seemed like there were less people fishing on the lake then the previous Saturday.  I think people who were not in the derby stayed away from the lake, and people in the derby were drawn to pool 8 with the prize tent being at Moxie’s this year.  I have heard from people what the big fish were, but not from any official sources so I would rather not post them.  Bottom line is no need to worry about post derby fishing being any worse than any other day.

On a side note there is going to be a fish crib building day on Saturday February 24th.  If you are willing to volunteer your help is most welcome.  Stop down and sign up when you get the chance, they won’t build themselves.

Weather continues to be the hot topic for the lake.  Luckily we cooled down after the rain and all of the slop has pretty much frozen up.  From what I can tell we didn’t lose any measurable amount of ice, but I would be a bit more cautious in the areas that can be trouble.  The water has become a bit more stained but adjusting colors should take care of that problem.  I went out fishing yesterday afternoon and managed to catch some nice crappies and perch.  The sunset bite is definitely worth sticking around for and I caught my biggest crappie after dark.  The northern bite has continued to be excellent with both good sized fish as well as numbers coming out of the airport lights area.  The perch have also become more active over there but there are still days where they just don’t move through that area.  If you have been out and aren’t having much luck try moving to new areas.  Almost every day I talk to guys who are doing really well, and usually it is because they were flexible with location and presentation.  This weekend is the Atomic Ice Derby and we will be open until 8 PM Friday night and open at 4 AM Saturday morning.

The big swings in the weather are making it really difficult to give an accurate fishing report.  With the warm up that is forecasted I expect the fish patterns to change from what they are now with the cold weather.  The bite did slow down with the temps dropping, but not as much as I expected.  I think a lot of fisherman who got frustrated were just not able to adjust to the new patterns.  With the 6″ of snow we just got that will lower the light under the ice significantly.  That may bring the crappies off of the bottom during the day.  The crappie bite has improved significantly in the last few days, I have gotten multiple reports of guys catching keepers during the day.  Your best bet is still early and late.  Over by the lights the northern and bass continue to hit well, but the perch bite has been sporadic with more days last week being a bust then good.  That bite really varies day to day so if you are after jumbo perch your best bet is to go check by the lights and move on if you’re not seeing any activity.  Surprisingly there has been a good bluegill bite when the perch are not moving through.  I expect all fishing to improve with the weather this week. Below is a picture of a big perch that an employee of Schafer’s caught yesterday afternoon!

This warm spell is good news for the fishing!  I think if we would have stayed as cold as we were the fish would have slowed way down.  If you have been waiting for the tip ups to get going it’s time.  Over by the lights the bass are very active, and nicer northerns have been caught.  The biggest so far that I have heard of is 38″.  The perch bite by the landing lights has continued to be feast or famine, however as a bonus guys have been pulling up some nice gills as well.  The crappies are active morning and evening with good size if you find the right area.  Since Tony retired he has been out and doing pretty well.  Here are some pictures of the bigger fish from the last time he was out.

We now have enough ice that people are driving out just about everywhere.  If you stick to the main travel routes you should have no issues.  The perch bite has continued to be good, and I have also heard that jumbos are being caught over by the lights.  Just hope that you get out there on the right day, some days the schools seem to go elsewhere.  The crappies and bluegill bite has picked up in the dredge lines and guys are pulling in more numbers.  Don’t be afraid to fish away from the crowds I know of several areas where guys are catching fish and there are only one or two shanties.

This cold weather has been exactly what the ice needed.  We are approaching or at 10″ for most of the lake, I heard that a car was out by the lights yesterday.  The perch bite has been really good as the picture below shows.  Those fish were caught yesterday with a minnow head on a swedish pimple.  Overall the bite is good as long as you can stay warm!  Stop in and I can get you setup with the gear you need to catch fish!

I hope everyone enjoyed their Christmas!  Since my last post the ice has thickened considerably, we are averaging 6″ and increasing quickly with this cold weather.  There has been four wheelers out here and by the lights and I expect to start seeing the permanent shanties on the ice.  As far as fishing goes the perch have been biting well out in front of the shop as well as the bluegills.  The crappies have been shutting down in the morning when the sun comes up, but guys are picking up a few during the day also.  Over by the lights the perch fishing has been decent, and some really nice northerns have been pulled up on tip ups.  Stop in for the hot colors and the latest report!