Wisconsin may be known for great Cheese and Beer, but we also have a State covered with amazing lakes.  Most of our great lakes are located in Northern Wisconsin, which features the Minocqua Lakes, Hayward Lakes, Bayfield County Lakes and Door County Lakes.  Wisconsin Lakes are prime for Walleye Fishing, Northern Pike Fishing and Bass Fishing.  With incredible fishing lakes like: Lake Geneva, Castle Rock Lake, Lake Winnebago, Green Lake and the Great Lake Michigan, you are sure to catch your limit on these and most Wisconsin Lakes.  If you enjoy your stay at one of our fine Wisconsin Resorts, you may be interested in searching for Wisconsin Lake Homes and Lake Property for sale on one of your favorite WI Lakes.  There is also the opportunity to take a Wisconsin boat safety course to safely navigate the WI Lakes.  The Wisconsin Dells is also one of the most popular tourist and vacation destinations in the Midwest.  You can come to Wisconsin for the Cheese and Beer, but you will stay for the Beautiful Wisconsin Lakes.

Wisconsin Ice Fishing Report

Bayfield County WI Ice Fishing - Bag limits of panfish were being seen on the Eau Claire Chain this past week, as well as several nice limits seen on the Potawatomi Lakes, Cable Lake and Lake Namekagon. Though bluegill seems to be making up the majority of each limit, some very nice perch and crappie were also being caught on minnows.

Marathon County WI Ice Fishing -  Ice on most lakes and flowages has been around 10 to 12 inches, with less than that in the river channels. Fishing has slowed with people still catching some small panfish and a northern here and there. Those willing to work hard are finding some success. Anglers on the Big Eau Pleine Reservoir report 11 to 13 inches of ice depending on how close they are to the channel. Caution should still be used under and around bridges. Small perch and 13 to 14 inch walleye have been reported to be fairly consistent. Some crappies are showing up, with the biggest being caught with tip downs and minnows. Lake Wausau anglers report 11 to 12 inches of ice. Everyone reports marking lots of fish with their sonar's and underwater cameras, but getting them to bite is proving to be rather difficult. Ten to 11 inch crappies are reported as biting in the early morning on tip downs with minnows, but the bite seems to be short lived. Lake Dubay anglers report a good 12 inches of ice in the bays and backwaters, but say that the ice is very dangerous near the main river channel. Jigging spoons tipped with wax worms seem to be doing the best job of catching walleyes. Ice fishing action has been slow on Lake Wausau.

Sawyer County WI Ice Fishing - Panfish action has been okay on Big Chetak. Perch seem to be back in abundance this winter with size being a little bigger than last year. Most perch being caught in the 18 to 20 foot depth and near bottom to about 2 feet off at the most. The bluegill and crappie are mixing in with the catches as well. Individuals fishing with plastics seem to be getting the larger more aggressive fish. Otherwise, crappie minnows or wax worms will do the trick for the more finicky biters. The north end and island areas seem to be producing most of the mix bag of fish. Individuals fishing with tip-ups getting an occasional walleye and northern pike, most of which decent sizes, on suckers or shiners. Some people using the very large golden shiners getting a little more activity for larger northern. Also, the larger fish seem to be on the deeper weed edges. Individuals need to remember that Lake Chetak has a 10 bag limit on bluegill. A person is allowed a total of 25 panfish for a daily bag limit, but only 10 of those 25 may be bluegill. Panfish and northern pike action on the Chippewa Flowage okay as well. Angles have had to work for fish, though and are not planting themselves in one place by putting out tip-ups. The ones that are, were getting some northern but were restricting their ability to find active panfish unless they were willing to move tip-ups as well. The most consistent panfish bite was for crappie, with crappie minnows the choice of bait, although some were using plastics to cover more water faster. The northern being caught were mostly in the 18 to 24-inch range.

Vilas County WI Ice Fishing - Anglers have been getting out on local lakes and finding a few panfish and northern pike. Walleyes were also being taken during late evening hours. Ice conditions are improving and many anglers are now venturing out in vehicles to their favorite fishing locations.

Wisconsin Walleye Fishing Tips

1. Back trolling with a slip-sinker rig is the best means of locating Walleye on Wisconsin Lakes. Begin your fishing trip by using bait-fish, but always carry a few night crawlers or leeches. Sometimes when the fish are using heavy cover such as weeds, stumps, or boulders, it may be necessary to use a slip-bobber rig, which is most effective when fished with natural bait in snag-infested locations. Specialized jig heads which stand at a 45 degree angle when on the bottom and tipped with a large minnow, can produce fish when others fail.

2. When walleye are associated with aquatic vegetation, one of the best techniques for night-time fishing is long-lining with a minnow shaped floater-diver plug or a night crawler-leech on a harness. Let out 120 to 150 feet of line and troll the bait just above the weed line so it occasionally touches the plants. After dark cast crank-baits over shallow bars, land points and rock reefs for walleye.

3. When you get into mid-summer, one of the best places to focus on is the deepest part of the lake and the adjacent deep weedlines. This is by far the premium part of the lake where the food chain is most active this time of year. Walleyes use these areas to push bait into the bank and feed on them at the base of the weeds.

4. The deeper you are fishing, the longer a fishing rod you want for a good hookset. A longer rod is more flexible and provides better leverage. Walleyes are finicky in mid-summer, so use a 7-footer for bobber-fishing and deep rigging. If you are long-line trolling, running boards or lead-core fishing, you want a longer rod in the 8-foot range.

5. When the summer heat warms the water to its peak temperatures, usually in the high 70s, baitfish move from their preferred weedy locations into the cooler waters of the lake, making them easier to target. One of the best techniques is to troll the outside of these weeds, which is usually 15 to 20 feet deep.

Wisconsin Lakes State Parks

Big Bay State Park

Big Bay State Park is a 2,350 acre park located on Madeline Island on Lake Superior

Big Foot Beach State Park

Big Foot Beach State Park features 100 campsites on Lake Geneva

Buckhorn State Park

Buckhorn State Park features over 5,900 acres along the Castle Rock Flowage

Governor Nelson State Park

Governor Nelson State Park features great boating and fishing on Lake Mendota

Harrington Beach State Park

Harrington Beach State Park is known for beautiful views and a huge beach along Lake Michigan

High Cliff State Park

High Cliff State Park is the only state owned recreational area on Lake Winnebago

Kohler-Andrae State Park

Kohler-Andrae State Park features one of the last natural preserves along Lake Michigan

Lake Kegonsa State Park

Lake Kegonsa State Park is a 342 acre park located on Lake Kegonsa

Lake Wissota State Park

Lake Wissota State Park features campsites, hiking trails, and swimming beach on Lake Wissota

Lakeshore State Park

Lakeshore State Park is located in downtown Milwaukee along Lake Michigan

Newport State Park

Newport State Park is Wisconsin’s only formally designated wilderness park on Lake Michigan

Potawatomi State Park

Potawatomi State Park is located on the shore of Sturgeon Bay in southern Door County

Whitefish Dunes State Park

Whitefish Dunes State Park is an 865 acre day use park located along Lake Michigan

Experience amazing Canada Fishing for Trophy Walleye, Northern Pike, and Muskie at the Best Canada Fishing Lodges.   Canada features many of the greatest fishing lakes in the world including; Lac Seul, Lake of the Woods, and Lake Nipigon.