Fall is in the air around Northeast Wisconsin. Most outdoorsmen and women struggle to balance time between sitting in a tree, shooting some ducks or chasing fish. There is no wrong choice here. For the fishermen though, the fall runs of walleyes and whitebass can be as good if not better than the spring run. The system experienced a healthy shiner hatch that has kept the gamefish in the system well fed all summer making for some challenging days on the water. However as the water cools, the walleyes and whitebass head up the Fox and Wolf Rivers to actively feed and put some fat on their bones in preparation for winter. Look for some of the same spots the fish inhabited in spring; deep holes in the river with good amounts of brush seem to be holding a lot of fish right now. Watching the Side Vision and Down Vision on your locator will help locate fish. Once you find them, dragging jigs with a full crawler along the bottom is very effective. Other methods are casting crankbaits up to shorelines with brush or rocks where large schools of shiners hang out. There again, either watch the Side Vision or watch the surface of the water for boils and cast in to them. Lead-head jigs with plastic swimbaits like the Lunkerhunt Buentos or Berkley Rippleshads are also great baits this time of year. Take advantage of the great whitebass bite while the weather is still beautiful. As the weather deteriorates the water temps will continue to fall and the walleyes will replace the whitebass making for some excellent fishing all the way until ice up. Manage your time and try to enjoy all the beauty fall has to offer! I will be out of commission for a couple of weeks as I will be undergoing back surgery to repair a ruptured disk. I look at it as a break for the deer and fish.
Lake Winnebago System Fishing Report – October 6, 2016