Fishing

Anglers Welcome Early Ice Anglers across Northeast Central Wisconsin, especially in Waupaca and Portage Counties, are celebrating an early, solid freeze-up. A strong early hard water season means better access and a longer overall fishing window. As one local angler put it, “The more ice the merrier.” Key Fishing Forecast: Low Water Outlook Anglers fishing...

Publisher Note: The 2026 Lake Winnebago system sturgeon season begins February 14th and will run for a maximum of 16 days or until harvest caps are met. 4:30 a.m.: Opening morning. Heading north on Highway 45 toward Winnebago with just the stars as my companions. Mentally sharp. Ready. Enthusiastic. I haven’t seen a sturgeon in...

With the setting sun splashing his growing shadow on the Lake Superior ice, Chris Beeksma abandons the portable shanty to feel an almost balmy February breeze, and sends the heavy beetle jig through the augured hole to seduce another lake trout. The journey down is a long one. Line screams off the reel for more...

Growing up in the seventies, my best memories were kindled annually in mid-July. That’s when my brother and I headed north to Hayward from central Illinois with our aunt and uncle for two weeks of Northwoods fishing. The worst memory, plainly stated, was leaving. We fished Nelson Lake and the river that exited the lake...

The dead of winter. What do we do? Let’s go look at some new lakes for ice fishing. Tracking down and targeting a new lake is not as hard as you may think, but most people don’t like the idea of trudging out on foreign hardwater without any idea of where to start or where...

When you’re targeting fish during low-light conditions, adjusting your presentation can make a big difference. Fish tend to become more active and less cautious as the light fades, but their feeding behavior also shifts, meaning your lure choice and technique should shift with it. Ice anglers have long known that the most productive times of...

Ice fishing for sunfish, bluegills, pumpkinseeds and related members of the panfish clan is fun, packed with action, and can produce some of the best fish meals of the year. Hitting the ice with an organized plan, and taking care of details, makes the difference between going home empty handed or hauling in a mess...

Late fall transition from open water fishing to early ice action is one of my favorite times of the year. Any given day could offer one or the other. That is until everything finally freezes over completely, and we are on to full blown ice fishing. With that said, I do my best to take...

I love perch. My parents also loved perch and made frequent trips to Pelican Lake to find them. At the age of three, I had a cane pole thrust into my hands and was taught to watch a bobber. About 10 years later, I had a knife handed to me and taught how to fillet...

Anglers in fall on many Wisconsin waterways, including the Wolf River system, will eventually witness large schools of baitfish gathering near inlets, landings and bayous. Schools so thick, in fact, they seemingly cannot even be fished. Most anglers will never forget a phenomenon quite like it. Watching the schooling ball of baitfish and the walleye...