Living on Lake Winnebago

Living on Lake Winnebago I will be relocating to the Fox Valley due to a new job and have been debating buying a house on Lake Winnebago and don’t know much about the pro’s and con’s and hoping a few lake-link folks might be able to tell me the honest truth versus what I am being told by realtors. I figure I will get more honest, candid feedback here than anywhere else I know. So this is what I have so far. I am looking at possibly purchasing a house on the north side of the lake. I would say the area we are looking is from Stockbridge north to the very north part of Oshkosh. The values of homes differ depending on the city/township greatly. But my bigger question is the fishing, fly hatches, boating, rough water, and other aspects I might be missing. Some people have stated the fly hatch is so bad you will miss 3 weeks out of the summer and can’t be outside. Seem like a long time to me. And what about the east shore – is it so rough most days I won’t be able to get a boat off a lift? How about overall fishing? Mostly chase walleye, but don't mind perch, gills and bass either. I have spent very little time fishing ‘bago, and mostly the west shore and the humps. Can the east shore be good both open water and hard water seasons? Appreciate all your help! Let me know if I have missed any obvious questions.

Gee, after reading the posts it seems like the perfect lake to not live on. I couldn't agree more as this lake sucks as much as the towns surrounding it.

having to spell IQ would keep a 1/3 of the folks off this site...

IQ test would be too advanced...

There should be an IQ test before people can post..........

If ya wanna come by me you could probably get a house near the lake for $18,000 dollars. cut me in on it on, Ill show the best deer/bear/hog hunting in the area if youd like. fox valley is for millionaires.

I live 10 miles from the in-laws who live on west side Bago'. When the lake flies come, they have to come to my house. Couple weeks later Im power washing everything they have outside. I have a place up north 2 hrs away in Gods country, can catch a limit every time out, and wouldnt trade it for lake Winnebago.

This last summer toward the middle and end of summer the blue-green algae was an issue. The north end of the lake was a mess, it stunk, and the water was not safe for pets and kids to swim in. The last time I was out there when I got my boat home it took over an hour of scrubbing it to get the green stains off, and my boat is half black and half gray.

The lakeflies can make a mess of windshieds and grills too!

Budman - thanks for your $.02. I will keep that in mind when I look at properties, and the potential damage that could occur.

Another thing to be concerned about on the north shore is when the ice starts to break up in the spring and winds from the south push the ice up into your yard. i don't think its been a problem for the last several years, but I remember seeing newscasts of ice heaves the size of houses in peoples yards.

Hatches vary, but the main hatch is usually right around if not ON Mother's Day. There have been some years recently where the hatch was very small and people were worried because the worm stage of the lake fly is a part of a sturgeon's diet. Then there are other years when there are 2 or 3 smaller hatches. The hatch is nothing like they used to be 20 years ago when you had to shovel them off your driveway; it was hard to be outside without breathing them in; radiators would get clogged; you had to clean your house siding with a broom; etc. Typically the bite will be good until the first hatch. Then the walleyes are filling their bellies with flies. Then fishing picks up again thru June, unless you get another hatch that would slow things down a little. Of course I am only speaking from my experience fishing the west shore reefs for over 20 years. Not sure how it goes in the more northern basin. You can have good west winds and that will help keep the flies to the east. But if you are on the north shore, maybe the wind does not make as much difference; you may get the flies regardless of the wind and someone who lives there would be better to comment on that.

Dano - that was another thought for us as well. We could save a lot of money and not live on the lake in the fox valley, and then at some point buy a cabin up north. My fear is that I will have 2 places to take care of, and don't know if I will get up there often enough to justify the usage. On the pro side of having your primary house on a lake, I find myself able to fish many more days per week. Often, I can make it out right at prime time for an hour or so, yet take care of the kids and chores around the house. If I am up north, it will take a lot more planning and with two young kids (7&3), I have many weekends in the future burned up with kids sports. Already feeling that attempting to make it up north to go snowmobiling this year! Also, can you, or someone else elaborate on the lake flies? How bad are they, how many days per year are ruined and do you need to clean up after them? Thanks for your help!

Now I wouldn't turn down a winnebago home but if I were u and were in a position to buy a medium priced home near the lake then take the extra and invest in a nice lake home north further up north. That is what we did. Winnebago although handy gets too rough for boating way to green,smelly and dirty for swimming and depending on the year the lake flies can be unbearable. Over the years it seemed like any time I had time to get out the lake was rolling with 3 ft rollers. My thoughts only..

I am much more of a rural person than a city boy, that is for sure. The area I will be working is near Little Chute. Any commute within 30-45 mintues is acceptable.