Fishing Report

Fishing is really starting to pick up with the water warming quickly due to multiple days above 80 degrees.  The bass and the northern pike are very aggressive and this is the time of the year to be throwing spoons and mepps spinners.  Finally the bluegills are starting to bite, and guys are catching good sized ones in numbers.  The perch have finished spawning and the schools are starting to loosen up, if you can find where they are feeding its a lot of fun.  The crappie bite has been frustrating so far with some days being decent and other days they just shut down.  As far as I can tell they have not spawned yet, they should go anytime now.  Water clarity is excellent for being at flood stage and it should remain that way as the river continues to draw down.  Good luck, and stop in at the shop to get the latest report!

We got the warm temps that everyone was looking for, and high water with it!  Thankfully the water clarity has stayed good throughout the rise in the river, and guys are still catching fish.  Very few boats going out, but the ones that do most are getting on some crappies.  I know that the bass clubs have been doing pretty well on their outings on the lake this week as well.  If you decide to go out in the next week or two you will need rubber boots or something along that line to launch here at the landing.  It looks like we will be above flood stage until at least Tuesday, hopefully it clears out quickly.  The magic line for the lake is 10′.  If we can get below that the lake returns close to normal.  I am finishing up on a remodel of the shop, stop in and see the changes!

It’s nice to see some warm weather head our way, although the quick warm up is dumping a lot of snowmelt in the river.  So far the lake is fine, once the river hits 10′ in La Crosse you start to see more dramatic changes on the lake.  I am cautiously optimistic that fishing will keep on improving through the high water, with water clarity being the big question.  I have heard upstream that they are keeping decent water clarity instead of chocolate milk that you can get with high water so cross your fingers.  As soon as it warmed up last week the crappies turned on.  I have been getting good reports from the few guys who have been out.  The pressure has been really light for whatever reason, which has been nice for the guys who are fishing.  The northern bite has been ok, it seems like they are really thrown off with this weird weather.  The bass have started picking up especially in Brice Prairie Channel.  Another interesting tidbit that I heard is that some guys who were floating for crappies last weekend were dragging crawlers on the bottom and picking up some nice perch.  I don’t think there was a ton in the way of numbers but there was size there.  Stop in and get the hot colors and the latest report!

Sorry for the lack of posts recently I am currently doing some remodeling in the shop, and adding three more minnow tanks!  The lake has been slow with the exception of Blackdeer’s channel where guys have been catching perch when the temps cooperate.  Out on the river the story has been much of the same with good days coming when we get consistent warm for a few days.  Next week is looking better with temps steadying out in the fifties so we should see the lake starting to wake up a bit.

It seems like we are really turning the corner into a “late ice” bite.  The perch bite in front of my shop is good, and guys are going East toward Marge’s Island and catching a nice mixed bag.  I have not heard about the airport lights, but the last few days there have been a lot of guys over there which usually indicates a good perch bite there.  The ice out on the lake is great, we are still around 14-16″ average.  The shorelines are bad, guys are still able to access off of the dock at the landing, but in the not to distant future that is going to go away.  I have talked to a few guys who are going out on the river.  Walleyes have been off and on depending on the day at both Dresbach and Trempealeau.   Good luck and stop in for the latest 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!