Widespread ice fishing: Chicago fishing, Midwest Fishing Report

Hey Dale, Ice thickness on area lakes vary depending on the lake. Most have 4-5 inches along the shorelines. Middle basin drops down to only 3 inches. Next few days will build those areas up. Bass were good mid day on tip ups using medium roaches in shallow weedy areas. Right were they should be at first ice. Things are shaping up for an excellent ice fishing season. TTYL— Ken Husker O’Malley Huskeroutdoors Waterworks fishing team

– BANNER MARSH – Will CLOSE TO BOAT FISHING on Oct. 12th with last day to boat fish being Oct. 11th AND BANK FISHING ONLY ALLOWED AFTER 1PM but NO FISHING ALLOWED in EAST POINT ACCESS AREA, which is CLOSED TO ALL FISHING to provide a GOOSE REFUGE AREA during season till Feb. 1st– DOUBLE T STATE FISH and WILDLIFE AREA – . . . remains Closed till Feb. 1st– EMIQUON PRESERVE – No boating, fishing or ice skating access before 12:00 pm during waterfowl season.– EVERGREEN LAKE – the SOUTHERN PART OF LAKE, AROUND DEER ISLAND and ALL OF SIX-MILE CREEK BAY IS CLOSED TO GAS MOTORS from Oct. 15th through JAN. 1st to allow resting areas for migratory waterfowl. YOU ARE ALLOWED TO STILL RUN A TROLLING MOTOR IN THESE AREAS ONLY.– SNAKEDEN HOLLOW & McMASTER LAKE – closed– SPRING LAKE (South & North) – WILL BE CLOSED TO BOAT FISHING in Waterfowl Hunting Area ON OCT. 15th with Last Day to Boat Fish being Oct. 14th with BANK FISHING ALLOWED ONLY AFTER 1pm– & AREAS THAT REMAIN OPEN TO BOATS ARE NORTH OF MAPLE ISLAND with ramp at north end at the Sky Ranch Road launch and IN PIKE HOLE with carry in boats – and Shore Fishing is allowed in entire lake after 1pm in Hunting areas or at boat ramps all day.– SANGCHRIS LAKE – THE WEST and EAST ARMS OF LAKE and Small AREA NEAR DAM ARE CLOSED DURING WATERFOWL SEASON to boat traffic effective Oct. 12th (last day to boat fish will be Oct. 11th) through Jan. 31, 2016 (during this time fishing boat traffic is permitted in the center hot arm only).– PRAIRIE LAKE in Jim Edgar/ Panther Creek State F&W Area – Lake is CLOSED from Nov. 1st to Jan. 15th to Fishing until after 12:01 PM on Wednesday & Saturday.– ANDERSON LAKE – THIS AREA Will be CLOSED TO BOAT FISHING in Main Lake from Oct. 15th (with last day to boat fish Oct. 14th) through Dec. 20th during waterfowl season with bank fishing Only allowed.– CLINTON LAKE – an easterly area of Clinton Lake (The Waterfowl Refuge Area) between the DeWitt Bridge East (CH14) and the Rt. 48 Bridge will CLOSE be on October 10th and will re-open on MARCH 31st…

Good morning fellas….here is an update/forecast on the fishing We are now in that transition phase of the fishing season. Too cold to put the boat in and not enough ice to safely fish. Our temperatures are going to drop significantly here this week and if the wind can stay down a bit, we will make some ice especially in and around some of the protected bays. I anticipate some diehard fishermen will be venturing out on the bays of Little Sturgeon, Riley’s Bay, Sawyer Harbor, the inner bay of Sturgeon Bay along with some of the inland lakes like Clarks Lake and Kangaroo Lake. And like I said, it all depends on the winds. Generally, the areas I mentioned are the first areas that get ice covered and are usually the safest earlier in the season. Early in the ice season fishermen will concentrate their efforts obviously in shallower water searching for schools of Perch and Northern Pike which should be good since the both species were very active and quite plentiful late fall all the way up to our recent arctic blast. Brown Trout will also be getting targeted especially in the Northern Door County harbors from Egg Harbor north to Sister Bay…those bays generally freeze a bit later as they are not as protected, but like I said earlier, if the winds cooperate just a little, there will be some fair ice cover For the Perch, fishermen will generally spread out a few tip ups with fatheads and or shiner minnows and jig with and assortment of jigs tipped with wax worms, spikes and minnows or minnow pieces. One of the main keys to shallow water fishing is to be as quiet as you can as those fish will spoke easily in that shallow water And for the Pike, fishermen will run a spread of tip ups and automatic fishermen over a large area and suspend sucker minnows and Golden shiners. The Pike fishing is usually very good during first ice so there is lots of anxious fishermen out there right now. And the same goes for the Brown Trout fishing…fishermen will run a tip up or auto fishermen spread around a certain area, but don’t forget your jig rod. Many times, trout will hit a tip up and drop the bait and if you throw a minnow head on a jigging spoon and drop it down the hole you can get that fish to hit right away And as the bay of Green Bay continues to freeze and hopefully freeze well and quickly, fishermen will gradually venture out to some of those deep water Honey Holes and or steeper shoreline drop offs and reefs chasing Perch, Walleye, Brown Trout, Pike and of course the very sought after and delicious Whitefish Walleye fishermen will set up on and around reefs, shoals, steep shoreline drop offs that have rock to mud or sand transitions and generally fish for a couple hours in the morning and in the evening. The best jigs to have in the box are Odd’ball jigs, Rapala jigs, Shiver minnows and Rippin Raps just to name a few And the Whitefish, well you can catch them all day long. The better areas and the most popular areas are generally from the Henderson’s Point area north past Egg Harbor. And again, the ice is the key. If there is good, stable and thick ice, the options are endless. You can catch Whitefish as shallow as 5 feet of water out to 100 plus feet of water. We always tell fishermen to stay away from the large groups of people and there success will be much greater. Unfortunately, fishermen attract other fishermen and then you end up with lots of people in one area which in turn usually turns off the fish because of the noise. So spread out and if you think you are far enough away from a group of fishermen, go even farther away and your success will greatly increase There are too many options when it comes to types of jigs to use for the Whitefish to mention….it mainly comes down to technique and equipment. A decent flasher like a Vexilar or Marcum is one of the keys along with the right rod and real and especially line is the key. You have to know if you are fishing for fish 1st and foremost and if there are fish down there especially in that deep water like 50 to 100 feet, you need a good rod and reel and especially line to get those fish hooked and up to the hole. No stretch and thin Power Pro line tipped with a good fluorocarbon leader will greatly increase your odds. Tipping whatever jig you use including your slider hook which 90 percent of the Whitefish fishermen run with minnow pieces, wax worms, spikes and or gulp. Thanks; Lance LaVine Howie’s Tackle 1309 Green Bay Rd Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 Ph: 920-746-9916

We didn’t get all the snow forecasted for our area over the weekend. The forecast called for 6-10 inches, got more like 4-6 inches and it was cold and light. Night-time and morning temps in the negative teens have helped ice production. Most popular early ice fishing areas are supporting 6, to as much as 9 of ice. Big lakes should still be traveled with caution.Walleye: Very Good. Evenings are best as anglers targeting shallow walleyes with tip-ups baited with medium shiners or jigging with Raps, Slap Raps and the new Hyper Glide. On flowages, bites good early mornings and late afternoons ‘til dusk.Northern Pike: Very Good. Tip-ups with bladed rigs and set with large shiners or suckers are best. Good #’s of fish plus a few low 30’s over the weekend.Bluegills: Good – Very Good. On some of the higher pressured lakes this is the time to target nicer fish as they get picked off early. Moussees are getting top nod, but spikes, waxies and plastics producing nice catches of 7-8 1/2 fish.Yellow Perch: Good-Very Good. Nice sized perch (10-12) being caught in shallows of 4-6’. Waxies balled up on #8 Forage Spoons and medium fatheads below set bobbers producing best. Fish scattered, but roaming these shallow weed flats.Crappies: Good. There have been a few reports of anglers finding nice crappies of 10-12 in amongst their bluegills in 4-7’ of water. Flowage anglers doing better over channels using rosie reds.Weather and concern of ice conditions have been the biggest drawbacks to participation this week. Trail checking on Lake Minocqua yesterday showed ice of 5-6 across the midst of the lake. More sub-zero temps and no snow ‘til next Sunday should help add an inch or two by the weekend.

Fishing Report The Polar Vortex is here and will have lasting impacts on the immediate fishing future. Barring extensive snow from winter systems coming through, the area will end up with great ice. Currently, 99% of the lakes are frozen over, with ice constantly mounting. Only a few anglers have tested the ice out so far. While early ice season can be good, it takes a while to trust the ice thickness. This week’s cold will really set the rest of the season and the area should welcome a significant increase in the number of anglers out by next weekend. Don’t forget to double check ice thickness as you go deeper, and remember that on lakes that have current, such as the Chain of 28 Lakes, you’ll have some serious differences in ice thickness in specific areas. Walleye: This fish was residing deeper before the ice came, but will now start making daily runs into the weeds or shallower water each evening to feed. Look to intercept them as they come in, setting tip-ups at the deeper weed edges in the evening. The most common tip-up bait is golden shiners, with walleye suckers a distant second. Move shallower if fishing late, as the balance of those fish are cruising the weeds. Panfish: Look for action in a few weeks as all fish become more active. Bluegills: Typically slow starters each ice season. Perch: They are a little easier to find, usually in the deeper weeds. Crappies: Settling in deeper water in the winter, and will be found over deep mud flats or in the holes on the Chain of 28 Lakes.

Shabbona Lakeside Bait and Tackle is planning on opening Friday Dec. 23 and will be open 7 days a week 8AM to 2PM after that except for Christmas Day. We will have a full line of bait and ice fishing tackle as well as ice fishing rentals (vexilars, marcum color cameras, propane power auger, hand auger, ice tents, and sleds).