WINTER FISHING: AN UNTAPPED RESOURCE

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It is absolutely amazing to me that with all of the lakes in Northern Wisconsin, that they are not crowded with winter fishermen. This is the easiest family sport in the wintertime. Equipment for an ice-fishing outing is minimal compared to other winter sports. Access to the fishing locations is easy and cost effective. The lakes in Northern Wisconsin are full of fish and with the small size of the lakes, walking to the fishing location can be done in minutes. Our neighbors to the West have discovered their secret years ago and on any winter day there are thousands of fishermen on the lakes enjoying the outdoor sport. Perhaps Minnesota did a very good job of advertising their resources and we have kept it a secret.

BASIC EQUIPMENT
Basic equipment needed to start ice fishing would be first off warm clothes, very warm water proof boots, a sled, either a hand drill or power drill, an ice scoop and for cold days some type of shelter with a heater. The last item is not a must if you have the flexibility to fish on days when the weather is warm; the previous are the basic starter items. We will talk about the fishing equipment needed later in the article when we talk about the various fish species.

FISH SPECIES IN THE AREA

PANFISH
The easiest and most reasonable species to fish are the panfish, bluegill, crappie, and perch. A short jig rod and reel equipped with four or six-pound line, a flasher spoon is the equipment to get started. Any sport shop will offer suggestions for your first purchase. Bait for bluegills are wax worms, spikes, mousies and wigglers, all produce fish. Locations to find fish are in the shallow weeds in two to eight feet of water. Make sure that the weeds are green and fish from two feet off the bottom right down to the bottom. Crappies can be caught with the same rod and flasher spoon but the bait and location can be different. Minnows, wax worms and wigglers will fool crappie. Fish them from two to four feet off the bottom as they suspend and look for them in eight to twenty-five feet of water. Perch are also fun to catch and they can be caught with the same rig. For bait use minnows, wax worms and wigglers and look for them in green weeds in eight to twelve feet of water. Perch will also be found in deep water in fifteen to forty feet of water. At these depths there are no weeds but the fish swim in schools and with a locator they sometimes can be detected. All of the panfish can be caught all day long.

GAMEFISH
Walleyes and northern are the two most sought after game fish during the winter period. Northern are excellent table fare and for the fishermen who know how to filet out the y-bones, they compare to walleye in taste. The key to good northern is removing the skin as soon as possible and soaking the filets in refrigerated salt water for a couple of hours. Then rinse them well in fresh water and cover the filets with water and put them back in the refrigerator until you cook or freeze them. To fish for northern the equipment is a little different. Tip-ups are needed and the spool should contain at least twenty-pound test line. For northern a steel leader is needed as the northern has a very toothy mouth. Attach a one quarter ounce split shot and a single or treble number four or two hook on the leader. Golden shiners in medium or large size on the hook will complete the rig. I always fish for northern when fishing panfish, as they are both in the shallow green weeds. This combination offers constant action. Northern can be caught all day long. The other game fish is the walleye and this is the preferred table fare by all fishermen. Walleyes can be caught with the same tip-up as northern with a slight modification on the terminal end of the line. Walleye do not have the same tooth structure as northern so it is not necessary to use a steel leader; in fact if you use a steel leader you will not be as successful. Walleyes are finicky biters and the leader is a detractor. Instead, at the end of your heavy line tie on about two to four feet of six or eight pound monofiliment line. Add a one-quarter ounce split shot and a number six straight or treble hook and your rig is complete. The best bait for walleye is large fathead minnows or red-tail chubs. Look for walleye on deep weed edges, on mid-lake humps or shallow points surrounded by deep water. The best time to fish for walleye is starting before sunrise until about ten in the morning and from three in the afternoon until about an hour or two after sunset. For the die-hard fishermen, walleye can be caught all night.

LAKES TO FISH
With over two thousand lakes within a sixty-mile radius of Eagle River there is a huge selection of lakes to suit your wants. These lakes have excellent access to the fishing areas and the area has a wide variety of accommodations. There is also an excellent group of guides for those who want to learn, need equipment and want someone to do the work. If you are looking for bluegill action try South Twin, Kentuck, Black Oak, Pickerel off Cth J, Three lakes Chain, Lake of the Hills, Lac Vieux Desert, and Little St. Germain to name a few. Crappies can be caught on Lake of the Hills, Eagle River Chain, Lost, Found, Thunder, Lac Vieux Desert and Little St. Germain. North and South Twin, Kentuck, Butternut, Rainbow Flowage, Eagle River Chain, Three Lakes Chain, Big Portage, Lac Vieux Desert and Anvil offer some nice sized perch.

Northern can also be caught on Deerskin, Anvil, Butternut, Franklin, Tamarack Flowage, Eagle River Chain, and Thunder Lake. There is no size limit on Northern except for Butternut and Franklin. Check your regulations for size limits on these lakes. Walleyes are found on almost all bodies of water such as Lac Vieux Desert, North and South Twin, Big Portage, Eagle River Chain, Three Lakes Chain Anvil, Snipe and the Rainbow Flowage.

TIPS
Some things to keep in mind: check locally for ice conditions before venturing on the ice, for shallow water use bobbers or spring bobbers and in deep water use the spring bobber. When panfishing move the bait slowly up and down if you do not have action. When tip-up fishing periodically check the minnows to make sure they did not tangle in the weeds. Many times when moving the tip-up lines up to check the minnow, it will trigger a strike.

This is a broad brush to help the novice get started and will also offer some things for the avid angler. Winter ice fishing is truly a family sport and it is an underutilized resource in the Eagle River area. Enjoy our winter outdoors and keep a tight line.

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