Minocqua Area Fishing Report 1/5/15
Arctic air has moved into the Lakeland area, dropping temperatures and anglers enthusiasm rather quickly. Not wanting to push their luck against temps 20deg+ below zero, there is little to report over the past couple of days.
Crappie: Fair / Poor. A few brave anglers found crappies relating to wood on the flowages. Bite was fairly decent on crappie minnows. Elsewhere, little to report as temps make some of the best crappie catching techniques (tip-downs, slow dropping) all but impossible. Seems some fish will bite, but getting to them is the issue.
Walleye: Fair / Poor. Nights are best. Hole covers needed to keep tip-ups from freezing in. As ice builds, walleyes (and all species for that matter) will start to move out a little deeper.
Yellow Perch: Poor. High Pressure is keeping perch tight to the bottom and not very active. Those enticing bites are doing so in deep (20-30') depth, banging the bottom with a heavy spoon, then raising it 6" off the bottom. Tip spoon hook with minnow head, red spike.
Northern Pike: Good/ Poor. Action shut down, as has participation. Prior to the cold, flags flying on tip-ups baited with shiners.
Bluegills: Good/Poor. Little to report, gills not being fished, until the weather warms.
Largemouth Bass: Good/Poor. When the temps were over 20deg... the action was great. But now with the cold temps very little action.
We got hit with a similar (yet colder) front on the first Sun/Mon of 2014 last year. Just have to ride it out. Check your maps well before heading out, it's not the kind of weather you want to be drilling a lot of holes in. Forecast towards the end of the week has temps in the single digits... not great but it beats 20 below!
Kurt
Island Sportshop
Minocqua, WI 54548