Wisconsin guide Jeff Evans gives his latest Buzz Bite Report on the ice conditions and fishing in Northern Wisconsin on December 20th, 2023.
Northern Wisconsin: 12-20-2023
Over the past few weeks we have gained a little bit of ice on our smaller bodies of water in Northern Wisconsin. Most of our small lakes that are less than five-hundred acres have anywhere between four and seven inches of ice.
The big lakes are still open and will be unaccessible for at least another couple weeks. Chequamegon Bay is wide open as well and it will be awhile before we are able to head out onto Lake Superior.
The ice conditions really vary from lake to lake so please use extreme caution when heading out and make sure to have the proper safety equipment.
Overall the fishing has been pretty good in Northern Wisconsin.
Walleyes are biting well and can be caught early in the morning and late in the evening on spoons tipped with minnow heads and on set lines paired with sucker minnows, shiners, and large fathead minnows.
Look for walleyes on the first break line and around the weed beds.
During the day bluegills and crappies can be caught in the weed beds and in the mid-depth basins. Small spoons and tungsten jigs paired with plastics or livebait are working great.
Look for perch and bluegills in the shallow weed beds. You can also expect to find pike, bass and a few walleyes there as well.
Focus on depths between ten and fifteen feet of water. You’ll also want to look for green weeds that are still vertical. If you can find standing green weeds there should be fish close by. Utilize set lines paired with minnows for the northern pike and largemouth bass.
- Jeff Evans
715-292-1424
