Winnebago System Fishing Update

Walleye fishing throughout the Winnebago System seems to be at or near its annual peak, as limits of fish are being caught from Shiocton to Menasha, and everywhere in between.  Now is the time to get out with your family and friends to get in on the action!

The Wolf River is still holding good numbers of male Walleyes as well as some larger females that have stayed put after spawning in locations with an ample food supply.  Casting crankbaits and dragging jigs along the bottom tipped with crawlers have been the most productive tactics here.

Lakes Poygan, Winneconne, and Butte des Morts have also had a solid Walleye bite happening recently.  There are fish in the bays, deep main lake basins, and even fish residing in the shallow cane beds and weeds.  Trolling with Salmos, Shad Raps, and Flicker Shads will yield Walleyes right now, as will trolling spinners.  As for fishing the cane beds, jig and leech or crawler combinations have been working best, but slip bobbers will also yield fish, especially on those windy days.

The Fox River in Oshkosh has been holding Walleyes recently, with guys pulling flies having the best success.  There are lots of rough fish in this river, so live bait has been tough to get in front of the Walleyes before it is grabbed by something else.

Lake Winnebago is currently in transition, as the Lake Fly has is winding down and the fish continue to leave the shallow shoreline areas for the mud flats.  During windy conditions Walleyes have been moving shallow onto the reefs to feed, but during calm conditions the water is too clear for the Walleyes in shallow.  There is also an algae blooms that is beginning on the lake, which has brought those pesky little gnats out also.  Be prepared for these buggers if you plan to troll the mud during flat calm conditions as they will drive you nuts!  Overall the water clarity on the lake is still really clear, but finding areas of dirty water in shallow will almost always lead you to Walleyes! 

Crappies continue to be caught in great numbers around the lake, many of them even being caught by trollers pulling #4 Salmos and #5 Flicker Shads!  Crappies have completed their spawn and will continue to spread back out which will slow the bite some.

There are also several big tournaments on Lake Winnebago over the next few weekends, so remember to be safe and courteous to one another out there as we are all out there to enjoy a day on the lake!

Walleyes in Spawn Mode Along the Wolf River

Since the ice started to break up and depart the Wolf River around April 3rd, the above average temperatures since then steadily warmed the waters of the Wolf River and the marshes adjacent to it up to prime spawning temperatures for Walleyes.  It is pretty hard to believe that in only a little over a weeks time the river went from ice covered to having Walleye spawning activity. 

Due to the quickly rising water temperatures, anglers only had a very short fishing window for the "Up Run" as it is referred to in the area.  This is the time period where Walleyes are heading upriver towards their spawning locations and usually lasts a couple weeks on a normal spring.  As water temperatures climb into the low 40's in the river, water temperatures begin climbing into that mid 40° range that Walleyes favor to spawn in.  The closer the water temperatures get to this, the tougher the fishing becomes as the fish become focused on getting to their spawning locations to carry out their annual duties.

The interesting part of the Winnebago System Walleyes is their tendency to spawn in marshes rather than in the actual river.  Each year that water levels allow it, male Walleyes enter the marshes right after the ice leaves them, where they will stay for several weeks waiting for the females to show up and carry out the spawn.  Females play a much different role, only entering the marshes when they are ready to spawn, which takes one night.  Once they finish spawning, the females return to the river and begin their journey downriver towards the lakes.

This year, I expect there to be a very strong "Down Run" of primarily females to begin by Tuesday of this upcoming week and last around a week.  Soon after this, the males will begin to exit the marshes and make for some great fishing in the following couple weeks as they also make their way back to the lakes.

Each year there seems to be a 3-5 day lull in the fishing action, as the main spawn is in progress and the majority of the fish are in the marshes rather than the river.  We are in the midst of this lull as we speak, which means by the middle of this upcoming week the fishing should greatly improve as long as the rains don't dirty the river to badly.

I hope to make it out on the Wolf River this upcoming week to partake in the action, check back often for future reports and updates!