Fishing Report

It has been an interesting few weeks on the lake. I am starting to get a feel for what the patterns are with the fish, at least for now. Overall it has been a steady bite, we didn’t see the usual early ice frenzy that some years bring. The perch seem to be following the same pattern as last year, roaming in smaller schools and feeding on shrimp and mayfly larva. I have heard that there are some schools chasing shad on different parts of the river, and we may see that trend as the season moves along depending on the shrimp population this year. It’s hard to know long term what the population of shrimp will be but if we continue to see high numbers it will only make the perch fishery better once the population catches up to the food source.

Northern have been a bit elusive so far. I expect as the winter progresses and the ice thickens we will see the flags pop.

The only other trend that I have noticed is the bluegill population and size structure seems to be very good. The bite has been off and on depending on the day, but there are plenty of nice sized fish.

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We made it through the warm spell! The forecast is looking excellent for ice conditions and I think we will be seeing cars and trucks by mid month. The shorelines are a bit beat up, however it shouldn’t take long for them to repair themselves. The only thing to remember is to be cautious for the next few days in areas that were thinner and give them time for some ice to form. That being said there were ATVs out today.

As far as the fishing is concerned it continues to be a good bite. The Bluegills and Crappies are biting well by the shop, with some perch being caught with them. In the shallow areas that traditionally hold perch guys are getting on nice fish, but the bite has been different so far this year. What I am seeing up to this point is the perch are not schooled up in large groups, but instead are spread out more than usual. The running theory in the bait shop think tank is the perch are feeding on a larger than normal population of freshwater shrimp, coupled with lower shad numbers then the past few years. It will be interesting to see if this pattern continues for the entire season.

That being said you can still catch the jumbos that everyone is looking for, you just might need to adjust your tactics. Hole hopping and or spreading out your tip downs seem to be the most effective as of now. As the season continues I am sure that we will get new tactics to try along with new jig/color combinations that are more effective for this year.

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The ice continues to grow! We are up to 8″ of ice on the lake with ATVs and UTVs traveling to most areas. The sheet in general is pretty even which is nice, and the ice is good quality. The weather has been varying quite a bit with the temps swinging up and down but we have been maintaining thickness through the warm spells so far. Overall the fishing has been good to excellent depending on the day. The crappie bite has been on fire with nice fish being caught. The bluegills bite most days with plenty of eater size fish being caught. Perch are also being caught, although we are not seeing the big schools yet. That means that instead of a fast and furious flurry of bites it is more even and steady as they move through your area.

Looking ahead the rest of this week is cooler and we should add a few more inches of ice. After that we have a warm stretch for a few days that will make for comfortable fishing. We will have to see what it does to the ice, but luckily we have a good base built up.

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The bite was good yesterday from the reports I got. The fish seem to be settling in to their winter routine. Most guys are reporting a mixed bag out of the deeper water, but I haven’t heard anything from the lights yet. The ice seemed to do just fine yesterday with the warm weather, and refroze overnight. We are averaging between 4-5 inches.

This rollercoaster of a year continues! It stayed cold long enough to get a good sheet of ice, however it warmed right back up. As of today they are still driving atvs, however those days are numbered until we get some cold again. The ice sheet overall is in good shape if you want to walk, but again the warm is going to knock it down so be careful.

The fishing has picked up with the temperatures. Bluegills, crappies, and perch are all firing. There are guys catching perch over by the lights, as well as in the dredge lines. The bluegills and crappies are spread out in the 10-12 feet and were hitting well yesterday on waxies and plastics. Stop in for the latest!