As we come to the end of another great year of hunting and fishing I would like to express my gratitude towards everyone that has helped me along the way. Without your support I wouldn’t be able to do what I do. We have had an extremely good year on and off the water with some outstanding catches and great hunts. We had anglers beat their personal best and some real trophy hunts.
 

As we move into 2018 we are looking forward to another successful year, starting with a great ice fishing season. With the recent cold snap we have plenty of ice for anglers to get out on area lakes, and fishing has been very good. Just remember that no ice is always perfectly safe, especially with the river system and flowages.
 

With that said the action has been very good for walleyes and pike as well as panfish. Most of the action is taking place during early morning hours and then again later in the day, and for walleyes even after dark.
 

Walleye anglers have been targeting shallow water locations early and late in the day and after dark, with shiner minnows or small suckers suspended below a tip-up. During the mid-day hours the walleyes can be found roaming out over 18 to 23 feet of water associated with the river channel in the flowages and impoundments. In the deeper water a jigging presentation works best. We are running Northland Buckshot spoons that have been tipped with just the head of a fathead minnow on the treble hook.
 

The panfish have been a staple all winter long and will continue to be the bread and butter of most anglers. We are finding them in a variety of locations from shallow weeds to deep water flats. Depending on what species you are targeting there are quite a few different presentations that have been working.
 

For most of the bluegills and crappies that are in the shallow weeds we are running small tear-drop jigs that are tipped with a waxie or a spike or two. Look for open pockets in the weeds and work those areas thoroughly.
 

If we are out over deeper water targeting perch and crappies we rely a lot on our electronics. We look for submerged structure or channel breaks and set up with either tip-downs or we jig. When we are jiggin we run tungsten type jigs so they fall faster in the deep water and they are tipped with a waxie or a spike or two. On the tip-downs we are running either Rosie red minnows or small crappie minnows set at various depths until we determine where the majority of the fish are coming through.
 

Have a great week,
 

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