Central Wisconsin Outdoor Report
As we head into March we still have plenty of ice on most central Wisconsin lakes which is allowing anglers a lot of opportunities at great fishing. In addition to having plenty of ice on the lakes a few savvy anglers are taking to the open water below area dams and targeting walleyes. The walleye season remains open on the Wisconsin River system year round, despite the fact that the gamefish season has closed on most inland bodies of water as of March 4th.
A lot of bear hunters in the state recently received their 2018 Kill tags and if you are looking for a guide we here at Hooksetters have plenty of openings on private land in both zones “B” and “C”. You can contact us at 715-693-5843 for more information.
With the gamefish season closing ice anglers are now concentrating their efforts on panfish, and with the amount of ice we have it looks like we are going to have several weeks of great ice fishing left. At this point in the season anglers that are headed out should concentrate their efforts on shallow to mid-range depths for most of these species. While bluegills will remain pretty consistent, crappies and perch are going to start migrating towards traditional spawning grounds at this time of the year.
Bluegills can be easily found in shallow weeds in water ranging from 4 to 8 feet deep right now, but don’t be afraid to look for crappie’s and perch to move towards even much shallower water. We have seen both crappie’s and perch in water that is less than 2 feet deep at this time of the year. They are looking for both spawning grounds and areas with higher concentrations of oxygen and have no problem moving up extremely shallow under the ice.
As always and especially at this time of the year please use extreme caution when heading out onto the ice. As we move into the later part of the ice fishing season ice can and will deteriorate at a fast rate especially around weeds, shorelines, and rock bars.
Have a great week,
Phil Schweik
Hooksetters Guide Service
Web: www.hooksetters.biz
Phone; 715-693-5843