Central Wisconsin Outdoor Report 2-25-2013
Recent snows have hampered travel on area lakes but if you can get out the fishing has been outstanding.
The crappie bite remains the bet I have seen in years. We are catching not only numbers of fish but really nice big slab crappies as well. Most of the fish we are finding are suspended 2 to 6 feet off the bottom over 20 feet of water. Tip downs with small crappie sized minnows are working well but jigging with a heavy tungsten jig is quicker to get down and working better.
The bluegill bite continues to be good especially in some deeper water. We are finding most of our bluegills scattered in 10 to 12 feet of water staying tight to cover, so use your electronics to find structure and the fish will be there.
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| Luke with a nice crappie | Luke with a nice pile of crappies |
The northern pike have been keeping us very busy. This past week we caught several very nice fish in the upper 30 inch range along with quite a few mid 20 to mid 30 inch fish. Most of the pike are coming on tip-ups baited up with large golden shiners. We are fishing in 4 to 10 feet of water along sharp break lines and open pockets along dense weed beds. The big key to connecting with these toothy fish is to keep your bait suspended well off the bottom and in some instances right below the ice.
The walleye bite has been very good for us this past week. Most of the walleyes have been coming during low light periods in shallow water 3 to 6 feet deep. We are running tip-downs baited with golden shiners or small sucker minnows and setting them so our baits are about one foot off the bottom.
Luke and his dad Paul with some nice crappies
It has been another great week for catching catfish and it looks like this bite is going to continue until we run out of ice. We are catching some really nice catfish in very deep water (20 to 30 feet) by running heavy jigging spoons tipped with waxies or a small minnow and banging them right off the bottom. The strikes are fierce and the fight is unforgettable.
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