Lake Monona

Low-Tech, shoot me the coordinates via messenger and I'll look at my data and see if you're close to any of my known "lure stealers". I remember many years ago a good buddy of mine and another guy trolled over the top of the MG&E intake and lost two musky lures. Recovered both plus some other ones for them. Always mean to dive on it again to see what's stuck on it now, but just haven't taken the time to do it! Rick

Was out on Monona one last time today to try and get a fall muskie. Beautiful day but I could not find them today casting cranks, jerkbaits, and jigs.  Was on the desired spot at sunset and fully expected to see a big brown shadow cruising behind my Pounder but no bueno.  

Looks like I get the fall skunk despite some near misses.  RK...I can give you GPS coordinates that will lead you to the vicinity of a snapped off Husky Medusa, LOL.  

Went back to Monona this morning since it's depths are clearer than Mendota. Still had some ice at Olbrich but since I didn't feel like driving over to Olin again I threw on the chest waders and used my fiberglass recovery pole (like the extend out to someone having trouble in a pool) to bust up and push the ice away from the pier. Only found a couple tires and a log today so nothing exciting. But I shot a decent video of something I've seen a few times now on the lakes. Can't tell if it's metal (originally I thought it was, like some sort of tub) or some PVC type of material, but it looks like an ice fishing sled. Think I've found three or four of them. Water temp still at 37.7°F. I used the trolling motor to get out to deeper water today, level on the breakwater looks pretty low. Trip #97 today, may be able to hit my goal of 100 times out next week. Fingers crossed!

Enjoying this December weather so far! On Monona again today, water temp same as yesterday (37.7°F). Found what looks like part of a wood stove(?), otherwise was just checking earlier targets. Like yesterday again large schools of fish on sonar out deep. This time though when I dropped the camera down on a canoe it was full of Sheepshead. Kind of hard to see in the video grab but below the two just off the bottom, in the depression (caused by the canoe) there's a bunch of them close to the bottom. Tomorrow looks decent again, may hit Mendota and try to work of some of the shallower targets (identify and video). 

Thanks for the water clarity update, RK (Monona and Waubesa).  I also saw those schools out deep (45 ft) last week off steep breaks and suspected they were sheephead based on the size of the arcs and being suspended somewhat.  I am really beginning to wonder if these lakes will freeze up this winter, especially Mendota, which is probably a 50/50 proposition at this point. 

Went to put in at Olbrich this morning, creek was froze up so I went to Babcock instead. Landing was open but there was a sheet of ice running parallel to shore. So I went to Olin and it was fine (except for no pier). Water temp was 37.7°F. Was on Mendota two days ago and clarity sucked after you went below 40'. Monona however was decent all the way down to 60+ FOW. I marked HUGE schools of fish in that depth range, but they were on the move just off the bottom. I assumed they were Sheepshead because the bottom wasn't all stirred up like it would be if they were carp. Finally saw one Sheepshead move by the camera. This tracks with what I've seen other years this late in the year, visually verified large schools of Sheepshead out deep. 

Low-Tech, I responded to your clarity question on the Waubesa page so people wouldn't get confused looking at the Waubesa underwater photos thinking the were from Monona. Rick

How is water clarity on Waubesa? Its usually terrible this time of year but might try it this week.

Checked out Monona this morning but went to Waubesa instead because of the wind direction. Creek is all open now, the one pier at the main launch was still in, as were the two across the road by the ball diamonds. 

Most of the ice is off the creek this afternoon. Still some ice around the piers by the softball diamonds.