Rice Lake Fishing Report 7-16-2012
By Frank Zumpf
Well, we started to fish some of the smaller lakes in the area this week. At some of the landings there were no other vehicles with boat trailers. I see this as a good sign as the only fishing pressure is from the people that live on the lake.
To find these lakes, get a county map, such as a plat book or a trail map sponsored by local businesses. Most will have the boat landings marked. Then spend a little time checking them out. There is a book put out by the Wisconsin DNR called “Wisconsin Lakes” that lists every lake in every county, its depth, acreage and what fish are in the lake. This information is also available on the Wisconsin DNR website.
Armed with this information, you should get some ideas on new places to fish. We like to add a few lakes every year. We usually come up with some new favorites to mix in with our old ones.
This week the bass are the most active fish. They are done spawning and are ready to put on some weight. We found that they would hit a half-ounce spinner pulled off the tops of the weeds. That spinner will also work for northerns and the occasional musky. We’ve had some reports of good northern and musky activity.
The panfish bite remains good. Try the deeper water and use a line baited with a small piece of night crawler. Work around the cribs or on the deep side of the weeds.
For lodging, dining, entertainment and more outdoor information in the Rice Lake area, connect with Rice Lake Tourism at www.ricelaketourism.com or 715-234-8888. Contact Director Nicky Repka at nicky@ricelaketourism.com.