What month is it? I think that is what the fish are thinking. With an unbelievably warm March, water temperatures on the Wolf River in Winneconne rose up to almost 60 degrees pushing the fish into a spawning frenzy. The full out walleye run was on in the middle of March, making this year one of the earliest and intense runs on record. The walleye bite was extremely good with the average fish around 18 inches. Then the white bass appeared out of nowhere making it impossible to get your line past these fierce little fighters and down to the sneaky “eye” below. With the white bass run exploding in front of our eyes and the calendar month still in March, Mother nature finally put a dampner on all this excitement with a “coldfront” or a typical Wisconsin April.
Now that the weather conditions are back to normal fishing has been rather consistent with a couple of walleyes and some white bass being the average catch. This quick change in weather slowed the fish down but it was probably the best thing that could have happened for those of us that couldn’t drop everything in March and enjoy it. In the upper lakes of Lake Winnebago the water temperature as of late April was still in the lower 50’s and it appears that our normal routine of following the fish has spread them out through-out the system. From the rafts in New London long lining a floating Rapala, to casting a Berkley Flickershad on the bend of the wolf in the Rat, to dragging a jig and leech at the mouth of the Wolf River and Lake Poygan, to trolling Lakes Poygan and Winneconne with Rapala Shad Raps or Salmo Hornets, to pulling fly rigs in the river, to standing on the Winneconne bridge with a Wolf River Rig with a Northland gum drop floater tipped with a leech , all these methods have been and should be very productive for the next month
For those looking for a little less work and a little more action, the Crappies and Bluegills are starting to appear again in the channels around the area. Minnows, nightcrawlers, and plastics all seem to have their days and once you figure out what they want, it can produce a great meal and they are just fun to catch. With an occasional rain and consistent weather the next month is looking good for any fisherman to attack their favorite spot with that special lure or tactic. This is the time a year when it’s fun to catch your fish but it is also an excellent time to try some new tactics that may pay off when fishing becomes a little tougher.
Good Luck Fishing,
Chris “Critter” Boucher
Critter’s Wolf River Sports
(920) 582-0471
What month is it? I think that is what the fish are thinking. With an unbelievably warm March, water temperatures on the Wolf River in Winneconne rose up to almost 60 degrees pushing the fish into a spawning frenzy. The full out walleye run was on in the middle of March, making this year one of the earliest and intense runs on record. The walleye bite was extremely good with the average fish around 18 inches. Then the white bass appeared out of nowhere making it impossible to get your line past these fierce little fighters and down to the sneaky “eye” below. With the white bass run exploding in front of our eyes and the calendar month still in March, Mother nature finally put a dampner on all this excitement with a “coldfront” or a typical Wisconsin April.
Now that the weather conditions are back to normal fishing has been rather consistent with a couple of walleyes and some white bass being the average catch. This quick change in weather slowed the fish down but it was probably the best thing that could have happened for those of us that couldn’t drop everything in March and enjoy it. In the upper lakes of Lake Winnebago the water temperature as of late April was still in the lower 50’s and it appears that our normal routine of following the fish has spread them out through-out the system. From the rafts in New London long lining a floating Rapala, to casting a Berkley Flickershad on the bend of the wolf in the Rat, to dragging a jig and leech at the mouth of the Wolf River and Lake Poygan, to trolling Lakes Poygan and Winneconne with Rapala Shad Raps or Salmo Hornets, to pulling fly rigs in the river, to standing on the Winneconne bridge with a Wolf River Rig with a Northland gum drop floater tipped with a leech , all these methods have been and should be very productive for the next month
For those looking for a little less work and a little more action, the Crappies and Bluegills are starting to appear again in the channels around the area. Minnows, nightcrawlers, and plastics all seem to have their days and once you figure out what they want, it can produce a great meal and they are just fun to catch. With an occasional rain and consistent weather the next month is looking good for any fisherman to attack their favorite spot with that special lure or tactic. This is the time a year when it’s fun to catch your fish but it is also an excellent time to try some new tactics that may pay off when fishing becomes a little tougher.
Good Luck Fishing,
Chris “Critter” Boucher
Critter’s Wolf River Sports
(920) 582-0471