Richland area fishing report for Nov 18
By Wayne Morgenthaler
Water temperatures are dropping fast but so far no snow yet. If you are fishing the backwaters, fishing is slow right now. Cloudy days with little wind are preferred and live bait is the best. If you are fishing for pan fish use wax worms on a small ice fishing jig with a bobber set at about a foot from the bottom. Bass and northerns are hard to find but try along the weed lines with plastics in orange or yellow colors.
I fished Redstone Lake the past couple of weeks and the bite is light. Wax worms and crappie minnows worked the best. Try to fish in about 12 to 15 feet of water. I used my ice fishing poles and had the best luck. The perch are biting now and represented half of our 26 fish. One day the fish like wax worms and the next time they prefer minnows. I have the best luck with minnows fished one to two feet off the bottom.
It won’t be long before ice fishing will be here as the water temperature is now in the 40’s. Right after deer season conditions should get better. Fishing the backwaters is great from Arena to Boscobel. Take a look at Google Earth and zoom in for where these small lakes are located along the Wisconsin River. If you know how to use a GPS on your phone, you can use the coordinates from Google Earth to help pinpoint where those lakes are at.
Crappie Shop located on the edge of Arena on Highway 14 is a great place for all your summer and ice fishing needs. Their address is 300 Dalogasa Drive, Arena, WI or you can call 608-753-2727 or email crappieshop@yahoo.com. They offer a wonderful assortment of live bait, catfish bait, and fishing lures for pan fish, bass, pike, trout, and catfish. They have the largest display of liquor, beer and wines in the River Valley area. They also carry groceries, apparel and pet supplies. If you want food while out on the river or backwaters, they offer an excellent take out menu, including a Friday all day fish fry. Give them a try, and I am sure you will make it one of your regular stops.