Oneida County

Worth the risk taking machine out this late in the year? I always check ice & drive slow, planned on hitting the sand/dam chain of lakes this weekend.

Anybody have any info on lake Oneida? Was hoping to get out this weekend. TIA

First lake I went to this morning had 4.5 inches of ice. It looked good, but my auger zipped through it real fast. It was partially honeycombed. Didn't stay there to fish.
Second lake had 8 inches when I started fishing. Packed up at 130pm, measured 7 inches when I left. Someone must have broke through by the landing on the second lake.

I have been out on several lakes in the oneida county area and there is plenty of good ice out there. Later in the week when the temperatures are in the mid 50s and sunny it might warm the ground causing the shore lines to soften, however with the predicted high temperature tomorrow being 17 and the low of 4 and also the low of 7 tonight this should help the ice stay a bit longer. If you still want to fish I would take advantage of the up coming last ice season. Last ice is always been the best for me. So those of you that have lost ice in the southern part of the state. Travel north to Oneida county and take advantage of the good ice fishing in the north woods. Make sure you do your own checking of the ice, don't go by what you here. Take a spud when the season is drawing to a close. I fished a few days ago and the bite was very much on for me. Caught some nice gills and crappies. Stay safe

ICE IS BECOMING UNSAFE

Don't risk it. Honeycombed ice is very dangerous and not enough people understand how easy it is to break through. Tried to fish a 280 acre lake today and the shoreline was rotted out about 10 yards and the ice past that looked sketchy. This was a moderately clear lake as well. With the upcoming weather,I'm hanging it up for the year. Just not worth dying. 

Just one week left to the inland gamefish season here in the Northwoods.  Lines out of the water at 11:59 PM on Sunday, March 3rd! 
 
Thanks to a couple more single digit mornings last week, we may have some of the best ice we’ve had all season, reports and personal measurements are ranging from 10-15” with 11-13” the most common.  Even had a report of 11” on South Trout!  Last week at bat for gamefish so we will start there…
 
Walleye:  Fair-Good – Tough with high pressure, but evenings picked up by Sunday night (2/25).   Jigging Raps, Tikka Minnows and Slab Raps produced fish in the upper teen to mid-20” range.  Tip-ups with suckers seemed best after dark.  Most reports from off shore humps and sand bars, though weed edges in 9-14’ also picking up evening traffic.
 
Northern Pike:  Fair-Good – Following a slow down of action, Pike activity also improved as of 2/25.   Big baits to deter smaller Bass and Pike preferred.  Pike suckers and large shiners.  Mornings still slower (could be single digit temps) but improve as things warm.
 
Largemouth Bass:  Fair – Action best on warmer days.  Medium shiners on tip-ups, but a #3 pimple loaded with waxies will also work.   Anglers using tip-downs with small minnows also reporting catching Bass – try small golden shiners if Bass are your target on tip-downs.
 
Bluegill:  Fair-Good – Like everything else, action came late in the weekend.  Anglers reported hardest part keeping lines in the water.   Nice Gills (7 ½+”) in weeds of 5-9’.   Others finding Gills over basins of smaller lakes (less than 500 acres) using tungsten to get (and keep) waxies, spikes or mousses down to the fish.
 
Yellow Perch:  Fair – Most reports from anglers fishing weeds of 5-12’ for other panfish scoring on nice “eaters” of
 8– 9 ½” on jigs with waxies or deadsticks and minnows.  Get just outside of the weeds into mud and lots of little ones.  Deeper mud flats (20-30’) providing some nice fish on spoons with wigglers.
 
Crappie:  Fair – Best over basins of 22-34’.  Be patient as schools seem to be on the move.  Small, flashy lures to attract – Tikka Flash, Jointed Pin Heads and small Kastmasters, then a more subtle approach at times to trigger shy fish.
 
A few Burbot being caught by night time Walleye anglers.   Not much on Whitefish.  Nothing on Bullheads.
 
Forecast:  I had down 58 hours of temps above freezing and 72 hours below through Saturday.   Aboves in 50’s at times, lows in single digits (one 17-hour stretch) bracketed by temps in teens mid-week to firm things up.  Dare I say ice should hold through the weekend, but if we don’t get more cold snaps in March, it may not last long.
 
Upcoming Events
Mar 2nd – KISS Annual High School Ice Fishing Tournament – Lake Minocqua

Friday 2/23/24

Some of this will seem like I'm copying previous reports but sometimes the report doesn't change.  The ice is still great, 5-12".  Today we are making ice.  After today we will be making and melting every day depending on the amount of sunlight.  We are gonna have the largest hockey rinks in the world up here! And as long as the sun is not out the fishing is great, too.  It's been a tough year for precipitation for sure but the cold temps have left us a fantastic blanket of clear, strong ice.  Days now will become normal with temps ranging from 50 to 25.  

The only thing that has hurt the fishing this year is the negativity surrounding the general perceived economics in the northwoods.  Yes, it's true.  Any activity that is snow based is non-existent.  But in their place is fantastic ice conditions for fishing, ice skating, ice sailing and so forth.  Also, a lot of the snowmobile routes have been opened up to the UTVs and ATVs.  Check with you local club for details.  There is plenty to do in the northwoods thus many reasons to support the local economy.  Com'on up and join the fun!

Fishing has picked up some.  With the warmer weather spells the snow on top of the ice is melting and going down the holes which means more oxygen is hitting the water.  This always turns the little varmints on.  (and the big varmints too.)  It's still a light condition related bite and the windows are small.  We had one guy the other day who caught 10 crappie in about 20 minutes and then that was it.  I told him maybe he caught them all but he said he had a Livescope and was still seeing fish.  Sounds like crappie.

You know there's many MOs for catching crappie, perch and bluegill.  But my go to MO is they head to the deep water, suspended or not, during the day and then head to the shallower weeds as evening approaches.  There they find minnows and bugs hiding and will feed on them sometimes until mid-night.  Set up three tip-downs per person and relax and wait for the action.

Walleyes are kind of the same way but I don't think they head as far into the weed beds as the panfish do.  Set up three tip-ups per person and relax and wait for the action.  Of course with every lake having it's own personality this may not be the case.  Any piece of advice you get from any fisherperson might not work on a particular lake.  But it's always worth a try.

Enjoy the conditions while you can.  One thing about warm weather is it makes for nice conditions to fish in.  Don't worry about the ice melting, it's gonna be there a long time, even with 50 degree weather.  We should have good ice thru next weekend for the close of the gamefish season.  That's my guess and I'm sticking to it!  We've got a great clear strong base.  Get your spikes back out cuz it's slippery.  Where your ice skates if you got them!

Hmmm, wonder if we need to look at getting the boats ready for March and chasing crappie early for a change?  I, personally, hope so.  I've started taking a few reservations for guiding this summer.  That always warms my bones.  Give a call (715-892-2751) and we'll have some fun.  All the info is on the website at https://deweycatchemandhow.com/pages/northwoods-fishing-guide-service
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We are in the End of Season Sale NOW.  Come on in the store to check it out.  They are also on the website. While you're on the site make sure to sign up for our newsletters so you will be the first to know when we add more items. Our most popular discount is buy 2 of the same thing and get one 50% off!  This does not apply to items that are already specially priced.  But tons of items in the store is discounted.

Right now for live bait we have Crawlers, Wax worms, White, Red, Blue, Green, Orange, Yellow, Pink & Multi-colored Spikes, Crappie Minnows, Regular Fatheads, XL Fatheads, Blacktails, Rosie Reds, Walleye Suckers, Northern bait, Medium and Large River Shiners and Medium and Large Golden Shiners, Wigglers and Mousees.  This weekend might be the last for wigglers though.  Time will tell.

Our hours are:
Monday thru Thursday - 6am to 6pm
Friday - 6am to 7pm
Saturday & Sunday - 6am to 5pm

We have to continue to squelch a few rumors.  The shop is still for sale.  Business is great but Linda and I are ready to ease into retirement.  WE ARE NOT GOING OUT OF BUSINESS!  If you have an interest in owning and operating the largest non-franchised bait shop in Wisconsin, call Jim Cheshire, Realtor, at 715-892-4223.

Jeff Bolander, owner of Dewey, Catchem and How Bait Shop and Guide Post
715-892-2751 cell 
715-358-5130 shop
www.DeweyCatchemAndHow.com

What happened on White sand lake?

Some of the worst ice fishing of the season comes with the good ol' February lull, for myself at least. Tip ups can be out all day and night, and the only bites come right at dusk and dawn. Really tough to get anything on shiners or suckers right now. Jigging seems to really be no different. What I am catching is small walleye and northern. Soon the bite should turn on, but until then I'd temper expectations if you are traveling up to ice fish. Obviously this varies by lake, but I'm having next to no results. The shoreline is softening up during the day, exercise caution near shore and at launches. 

Unfortunately, a cold and windy holiday (President’s Day) weekend greeted anglers who had the time off.  Lows in the single digits with winds in the upper teens to upper 20’s made things feel worse.  Lots of anglers still gave it their best (considering we are not accustomed to such “brutally” cold weather this winter).  Action overall dipped, still some fish being caught, just a bit slower and harder to do over the past week.
 
Crappie:  Good-Fair – Weed bite (8-13’) tougher as ability to move about in wind and detect light bites a chore.  Crappies held tight to bottom, use tungsten jigs to get bait to hold – plastics in pink, yellow, silver or waxies best.  Deadstick inside shacks with Crappie minnows picking up some fish.   Basin Crappies over 22-32’ responding to Kastmasters, Tikka Flashes and #5 or #6 mm tungsten in glow tipped with waxies.  Fish on the move, with wind it was reported to sit and wait for them to return rather than chase.  Use a flashy spoon to draw attention, then have second rod ready with a subtle offering if fish seem spooky.
 
Northern Pike:  Good-Fair – A noticeable slow down from the past few weeks.  Mornings not as good as afternoons (watch for moonrise times, thanks Shelly)!  Not much for signs of heavy feeding but that will come.  Some nice fish of 31-34” this weekend with most on large shiners and suckers on tip-ups.
 
Bluegill:  Good-Fair – Surprisingly better Gills in deep water (28-34’) with a number of fish in the 9-10+” range (measured w/ photos).  Heavy tungsten jigs (4,5 & 6 mm) to get down baited with red spikes or red, motor oil or black plastic.  Weed Bluegills tougher to pin point.  Should improve with warm up, but over the weekend tighter lipped.  Taking jigs tipped with waxies, the smallest you could fish with in the wind.
 
Yellow Perch:  Good-Fair – Mud, deeper sandgrass Perch in 18-30’.  Wigglers on #2 Pimples, Halis or Z-Rips.  Best very early AM or late afternoon.  Some reports of Perch relating to sandgrass flats in 16-22’ being caught on jigs tipped with small minnows.  Still some nicer Perch in weeds taking waxies on small sunfish shaped jigs (T-Rips, Tikka Flash).  Anglers haunted by “ghost” flags reporting bigger Perch (10-12”) on smaller shiners on their tip-ups.
 
Walleye:  Fair – Despite some nicer fish reported (up to 27”) this weekend, bite for the most part (some exceptions) from 4:30 PM – 7:30 PM.  Suckers along the deepest weed edges (8-12’) and over humps supporting sandgrass or rock.  Little jigging action (cold?).
 
Largemouth Bass:  Fair-Poor – Cold likely culprit for reduced reports.  Watch for spike mid-week as temps climb into 40’s.  Medium golden shiners best.
 
Bullheads:  Poor – Second weekend without a Bullhead report – step it up people!
 
With cold and little snow on ice, conditions getting better as most reports have 8-15” of ice on most lakes.  Caution still advised especially on spots on the Rainbow and Willow Flowages as well as North Trout and an incident that raises some concern on White Sand Lake on the Lac Du Flambeau Reservation.
 
Now to the guessing portion of our report…If we can believe the forecast (pause for laughter to subside) we will only have one night in the next 15 above freezing (good for making or not losing ice).  Fourteen of the next 15 days our highs will be above freezing (2/21 to 48 degrees), not great, but not enough to get worried.  But seven of those 15 days will be above 40 degrees.  With that said, we should still have safe, fishable ice as the last two weeks of the Inland gamefish season ends at Midnight, March 3rd.  Shanty’s (North of Hwy 64) off by March 17th.
 
Upcoming Events
Feb 24th – 3rd Annual Newbold Fire Dept Ice Fishing Tournament – Muskellunge Lake
Feb 24th – Kids Ice Fishing Day – Lake Minocqua – Sponsored by Northwoods Chapter of Muskies, Inc
Mar 2nd – KISS Annual High School Ice Fishing Tournament – Lake Minocqua