Fishing Reports

Strong bite for walleyes, northern, crappies and bluegills, along with great coyote hunting and beaver trapping in and amidst the lakes and the Wisconsin River of Wisconsin's Marathon and Lincoln Counties (near Mosinee and Wausau).

Watch the ice!! Caution is a must, as there are plenty of currents and thin spots all over the Central Wisconsin area.

Walleye and northern ice anglers are finding plenty of fish in shallow weedy areas of local backwaters and impoundments in the Central Wisconsin area.

Follow up:

Look for remaining "green" weeds in 3 to 5 feet of water and set tip ups baited with golden shiners or medium suckers along the edges or in open pockets of weeds. For the walleyes, run your bait about a foot to 18 inches off the bottom. For the northerns run your bait about 6 inches to a foot below the ice. You'll catch northerns all day, and walleyes during the low light and after dark periods.

Panfish anglers are having the time of their lives on the Wisconsin River system in the Central Wisconsin area. Crappies and bluegills, along with a few perch are showing up. Look for water in the 12 to 16 foot range and run tip downs baited with small minnows set anywhere from 1 to 3 feet off the bottom for crappies and perch. Try different depths initially to find out what level the majority of the fish are hanging at. The gills, on the other hand, are on the bottom, so jig with a small ice jig like a Rat Finkie or rocker style jigs right on the bottom or a max of 6 inches off the bottom. Tip your jigs with waxies or spikes, and feeding gills will hammer your bait.

Coyote hunters running dogs are having a great winter in the Central Wisconsin area. With very little snow on the ground, the dogs are able to easily track and pursue these wary coyotes with very little effort and push them towards waiting hunters. In about another two weeks or so, the Central Wisconsin area will be into a full moon phase, and with the bright, nighttime conditions, coyote hunters without dogs will be able to take advantage of silent stalking, or stand and call hunting during the evening hours.

Fur trappers in the Central Wisconsin area are also having a great winter. Beaver trappers especially are having a bountiful season with underwater bait, and run sets that are placed in beaver travel routes. Conibear style traps and leg hold traps that are placed underwater in and around these types of areas will be productive all winter long. Just a word of caution: As the season progresses, watch the ice conditions, as most trappers are setting up on moving bodies of water, like creeks and streams, and these areas with flowing water will be the first to open, as the weather starts to warm.

(This report based on interview with licensed guide and trapper Phil Schweik of Hooksetters Fishing & Hunting Guide Service, Mosinee. Wisconsin).