I am going to start this week’s report off with a warning. Stay of the ice with your vehicles!!!
 

We have seen several vehicles plunge through the ice in the past few weeks and the ice is just not that safe this year. Not our vehicles but other anglers that took chances that they shouldn’t have! Average ice thicknesses range from 10 to 16 inches at best in Central Wisconsin and that is just not good enough. Recent warm weather and rain have created areas of soft or honeycombed ice and some lakes may be good, but is it really worth risking your life by driving on the ice with your truck or car? NO
 

Take a sled, a 4-wheeler or walk, at least you know you will be coming home at the end of the day. By now on most normal winters you can drive all over the place, but this year in Central Wisconsin the ice has not properly formed and warm weather has created a lot of thin areas that are not safe for vehicle travel.
 

Now that’s out of the way…. Fishing has been very good with nice catches of panfish (crappies, perch, and bluegills) along with keeper walleyes and some very nice pike.
 

For you panfish guys the best action has been by finding strategic locations along breaklines in deeper water. We have been targeting 15 to 18 feet of water this past week for most of our crappies and perch and 10 to 14 feet for the bluegills. A lot of our action is coming on tip-downs but we are catching a fair amount by jigging. Having a good flasher unit has by far been a great advantage to helping find suspended fish and locating not only structure but bottom hugging fish as well.
 

For walleyes and pike we have been setting tip-ups baited up with large golden shiners and sucker minnows. The tip-ups are then place strategically along shelf areas to intercept cruising predator fish that are on the hunt. Once set these baits present an easy meal for a hungry fish. One huge advantage that we have found when finding appropriate tip-up locations is by rigging up our Humminbird locator to a power source and using the mapping to help find specific points or pockets along breaklines for setting out tip-ups.
 

Have a great week,
 

Phil Schweik
Hooksetters Guide Service
Phone: 715-693-5843