Rice Lake Area Fishing Report
Rice Lake Area Fishing Report 04-30-12
By Frank Zumpf
Well, are you ready for the fishing opener? I’ve been getting ready since the ice went out. In fact, with the early crappie fishing I have put a couple of tanks of gas through the boat motor already this spring. I was out scouting several local lakes to see where the game fish were this week. I think that the walleyes are going to be in relatively shallow 8-12 foot water, hanging around emerging weed growth. We are planning to use a combination of slip bobbers and lindy rigs to start with.
One thing that was quite evident is that we are still in a drought. All the lakes that have a dam on them are in good shape. They have a source of water coming in that can be controlled. It’s the smaller lakes that have to rely on rain and snowfall to fill them back up that are in trouble. One lake that I checked is still almost ten feet down from the high-water mark. It’s still relatively deep, but the shallows where the fish used to spawn now have 5-year-old trees on them. This concerns me about the little gems that are in the Rice Lake area.
I hope everyone has seen the revised limits for ceded territory lakes. A limit of two has been put on Bear, Long, Big Chetac, Silver and Red Cedar. The daily bag limit is still five, but you will have to fish several lakes to get it. Remember that the limit caught on a restricted lake has to be removed from the boat before fishing another lake. Please be sure to check the boat and trailer for invasive species and remove any aquatic plants. I hope you have a safe opener and good luck.
For information on Rice Lake Area dining, lodging, entertainment and more outdoors, connect with Rice Lake Tourism at www.ricelaketourism.com, 715-234-8888, or nicky@ricelaketourism.com.