Fishing report for April 9 to April 23 Wisconsin river, Castle Rock and Petenwell lakes
Over the last two weeks we have had many changes, cool nights, over four inches of rain and snow along with all the dams opening and closing. Talking about some not so good walleye fishing is an understatement. With the upcoming warmer weather over the next two weeks the spawning should come to an end. As of today we have had water temperatures in the low 40 degree range and getting as high as 42 degrees. I have been fishing from the Nekoosa dam area to the Castle Rock dam. Baits this time of the year for the most part stay the same. Live bait such as large minnows, large tuffy minnows and mud minnows are my baits of choice and the staple bait of every walleye fisherman. Standard jigs that we use are the ¼ ounce lead jigs. Do not overlook smaller or even larger jigs as big as ¾ ounce depending on the current in your river system. Now in our lakes and river systems soft plastic are some of the deadliest baits when you pair them up with jigs. When I say soft baits I am talking about ringworms, mister twisters and from time to time I go with a wacky worm. Trolling at this time of year for me is a no brainer, as a good number of my friends know. At this time of year I like to use big crank baits. The reason for using large baits is I am simulating last summers minnow spawn in that 4 to 5 inch range. Some of my favorite spring crankbaits are the #8 or 9 Rapala, the large Berkley Flicker shad and the magnum Hot N Tots. There is a wide variety of cranks baits on the market today, so picking out the baits you would use should be no problem. Some tips you should always practice weather using jigs, plain hooks or crankbaits is keeping your hooks sharpened. This practice will up your odds no matter what fish species you are after. I started using Baitmate fish attractant a number of years ago and it does work for me. I will be trying a new Baitmate product this year Baitmate roll on stick and with any luck I can up my own odds this upcoming summer trolling season. I hope some of my techniques that I use will benefit you this season and remember to take a kid fishing. Local bait shops in the Petewell. And Castle Rock area, Adams Co. side J.B. sales Hwy. 21 and Co. hwy z 608-564-7400 and on the Juneau Co. side Papa”s Bait and Tackle in Necedah 608-565-2174 For more information e-mail Bob at bobgonefishingagain@yahoo.com or Tyler at tylergonefishingagain@yahoo.com. 608-403-1239 or 608-403-6403.
