Central Wisconsin Outdoor Report 2-15-2013
This past week has been very good for all species of panfish.
The crappies have been very aggressive. They are suspended in 10 to 16 feet of water about 2 to 4 feet off the bottom. Use your electronics to find them and then run plastics on tiny jigs like the Northland IMPULS mayfly and tapeworm in red and orange to pick up the aggressive feeders.
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| Eric Marone with a couple of Slab Crappies | Heath Handrick with a nice pike | Eric with a nice pike |
The bluegills have also been on a tear and have been feeding rather heavily on small tear-drop ice jigs that have been tipped with wax worm. Most of the fish that we are finding are associated with deep wood or weeds. Find the structure and you will find the fish.
Perch have also been showing up and have been a nice addition to our catches. Most of the perch are in 14 to 18 feet of water holding tight to the bottom. We are running small forage minnows that have been tipped with a small minnow head on the treble hook and banging them right off the bottom.
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| James with a nice walleye | Stephanie with a nice walleye | Another couple of good slabs |
If you are after BIG fish the northern pike have been very aggressive this past week with lots of action from fish in the 25 to 34 inch range with a few upper 30 to 40 inch fish as well. These fish provide a great fight and are a lot of fun to catch. Most of the pike we are catching are in 4 to 10 feet of water associated with the outside weed edges and sharp break lines. The thicker the weeds or the sharper the break the more fish you will find.
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| Another big slab crappie | Hooksetters guide Phil Schweik with a couple of big slab crappies. |
If it is walleyes that you are after the night bite has been very good but we are now seeing some daytime action as well. Tip-ups set in 4 to 8 feet of water and baited up with a large golden shiner or medium sized sucker minnow have been working well for us.
Have a great week,
Phil Schweik
Licensed Wisconsin Hunting & Fishing Guide
Hooksetters Guide Service www.hooksetters.biz
Ruttnut Guide Service www.ruttnut.com
Reed & Hoppe Wildlife Food Plots www.foodplotting.com