try these waters.

by Ted Peck

Another season of hardwater fishing is at hand, with anglers in Wisconsin wondering if this winter will be like the last - coming on early and sticking around almost forever. Pundits say the winter of 2000-01 was a return to "average" Wisconsin weather after several years when the ice-fishing season was counted in weeks instead of months.

We won't know until spring what winter in the Land of Cheese will be like. But getting there is more than half the fun - especially if you have a snowmobile to negotiate new territory off of the beaten path.

Following is a look at some of our best ice-fishing opportunities. With any luck we'll still be out there on buckets when tax day rolls around.

Although Mendota still has a fair perch population, this species has been targeted so hard the past couple of years that most folks are going to look pretty silly while sallying. Perch jerkers last summer caught some nice fish, but limits were the exception most days rather than the rule - with few smaller fish filling out the bag.

Fortunately, Mendota and the rest of this downstate chain are quite diverse. Anglers willing to adapt on Mendota can have a ball by fishing the weedline in University Bay for whopper bluegills that have had a chance to rebound with all of the focus on perch lately.

Another virtually untapped resource is northern pike, with many fish at or near trophy status. A 40-inch one-per-day limit on this species has done a good job of keeping the fishhawk hounds at bay in this regard. Check out the deeper weedlines off of Maple Bluff and around Governor's Island. And don't overlook the long run of weeds on the west end.

Piking is also a good diversion on Lake Waubesa, which was the chain's most consistent multi-species producer last winter. The south end off of Goodland Park is usually pretty consistent for bluegills, but the center of activity lies between Rockford Heights and the Bible Camp.

A steep break that lies straight out from Rockford Heights holds good crappie potential on the deep side, with excellent tip-up action for pike up on the flats. The area directly out from the Babcock Park boat launch is also good for chasing pike.

Keep walking out to the 30-foot soft-bottomed midlake basin and you can find great action on perch. Although "hanger rigs" have some popularity because of those who would rather be fishing the deep water of Mendota, it's really hard to beat a gold Genz Worm or a little No. 2 perch-pattern Jigging Rapala on a little ice-fishing spinning outfit. These two baits worked so well last winter that there was no point in changing lures. And the fishing was consistent, too, which is more than can be said for the run-and-gun operation required to fill a bucket on Mendota.

Anglers pretty much overlooked the hot bluegill bite in Squaw Bay and out from Wildwood on Lake Monona last winter, with tip-up fishing for pike being another option. Lake Kegonsa, at the south end of the chain, looked a lot like the Dead Sea last winter, but fishing was sure good here this past summer.

Ice-fishing action seems to go in a great circle on the Madison Chain. This may be Kegonsa's year to shine. Nobody knows the Madison ice better than guide Ron Barefield. His phone number is (608) 838-8756.

If you can find and pattern the fish, icing a limit of 24- to 26-inchers is a real possibility. And that's the scary part. About 15 years ago there was one winter when icing a 28-inch or larger 'eye was something you could almost plan on accomplishing every evening. Every angler was catching - and keeping - huge walleyes. It's taken this long to bring Kosh back. How about establishing a harvest guideline with just one fish over, say, 25 inches allowed? The spring DNR hearings are right around the corner. Trophy fishing could be, too. Or maybe not.

Meanwhile, the key is targeting water over 5 feet deep - away from the crowds - using tip-ups baited with shiners and fathead minnows set about a foot off the bottom. Mobility is important. Tap a bunch of holes before you start fishing, then keep moving the "boards" to stay over active fish.

Time of day isn't as important as natural presentation. Since this is shallow water, it's important to cover the hole. One of those Frabill Igloo Tip-Ups does an excellent job in this capacity.

Ice-angler Steve Glass knows the bounty that swims herein. Stevie says the shortest route to a flag is keeping your eyes open, snowmobile warmed up and mouth shut. And he's absolutely right. We shouldn't even mention nearby Hope Lake as a "Plan B" for bluegills. So we won't.

Riverfront Resort, located on Blackhawk Island at Koshkonong's east end, is a great place to get the skinny on fishing Koshkonong. And Rose's chili is good enough to keep you off the ice just long enough for one more bowl. The phone number at Riverfront Resort is (920) 563-2757.

Catching fish here when the bite is on is not rocket science. For the most part, all you need are a couple of basic jigging sticks, a few Rat Finkees, some Demons, some Genz Worms, and a Candy Stripe or two - and a good assortment of No. 2 Rembrandt Willow Spoons.

Little bluegills can be a nuisance over on the Mississippi. One way to ensure larger fish is to keep the bait moving, or just tie two different colored Rembrandts with a loop knot on two lines and do the "marionette" thing, alternately raising each arm and allowing the Rembrandt to flutter down below a tiny ice float.

Elizabeth Murray's crew can put you on the fish downstream around Guttenberg. The phone number at Murray's Outdoor Store is (319) 252-1838. Get up around La Crosse and the folks at Bob's Bait Shop on French Island have the fish pretty much dialed in. You can call them at (608) 782-5552

Your best bet at tangling with a good northern lies in setting tip-ups baited with roaches or a big oily smelt at the lake's southwest end.

As for those slab bluegills, probably the best place to target is weeds over the long bar out from Lake Lawn Lodge - once the bluegills get going. Last winter, bluegill fishing slowed considerably after a flurry at first ice and didn't resume until March.

Night-bite crappies - with a few walleyes thrown in - were the stock in trade here, with a good chance that the pattern will repeat again this winter. The papermouths seem to mill around over 45 to 50 feet of water out between the Yacht Club and Willow Point, where they are willing to take small minnows and Hali Jigs tipped with a spike or wax worm.

Lake Geneva freezes over later than Delavan, with some spots like The Narrows considered treacherous even during hard winters.

At first ice, target suspended bluegills off of Library Park in 6 to 8 feet of water and in a little deeper water off the edge of Trinkie's Estate flat. The deep weed edge of the flat itself is a good place to set up for pike, which will provide a lot of action but probably no keepers due to DNR regulations in place on these waters. Williams Bay and Geneva Bay weedlines are also good locations to go through a lot of golden shiners and smelt for pike. But if you're looking for pike to keep, target Lake Como, where a two-daily 26-inch limit is in effect.

Crappies seem to disappear until late in the ice-fishing season. At late ice try Covenant Harbor, off the Geneva Bay shoreline on the west side and deeper breaklines near Big Foot Beach and Fontana.

Brian Gates always has a good handle on fishing prospects in this neck of the woods. He can be reached at Geneva Lake Bait & Tackle in Williams Bay. The phone number is (262) 245-6150.

But Winnebago is still a huge and imposing body of water. Pressure cracks and similar anomalies make this lake too large to figure out on a day-trip basis, making lakes Winneconne and Poygan, a little farther up the chain, better bets for those unfamiliar with the area.

First ice generally offers the best action up in the shallow waters of several sloughs. Page's Slough, at the confluence of the Rat and Wolf rivers, is probably the most consistent spot, yielding pike and panfish throughout the winter.

Another high-percentage location is Boom Bay, with the best fishing here being over just 1 to 4 feet of water for pike and panfish. These waters are best attacked with sleds or ATVs towing portable shanties by a crew of several anglers who can maintain communications via portable radios. A lot of local anglers follow the crowds, setting up more permanent shacks once active fish are located.

By the time a shanty town is established, the good fishing is already history. Start by working the edges of one of the tent cities - and work your way out even farther. Perch are a major draw in the upper lakes. They are always on the move looking for food - especially with an armada tap-dancing just overhead. Running and gunning takes a lot of effort, but most days it's the shortest route to a full bucket.

For more information, contact Lang's Resort, (920) 582-7501.

A GPS unit with coordinates of some of the midlake humps already plugged in help anglers locate these early-ice hotspots quickly. When fishing the humps, most "hooks" set up two tip-ups and jig a third line.

By January the walleyes here slide out into deeper water and flats in the main-lake basin, where the secret is vertical jigging with a Lindy Ratl'r Spoon or Swedish Pimple tipped with a piece of minnow.

Probably the best angling action in Pioneer is in the weedy bay directly out from the public access point on the south side of the lake, just off of Chicago Avenue west of Highway 17. Although the pike aren't big, they're usually pretty active on tip-ups baited with smelt and golden shiners.

Thunder Lake south of Eagle River offers similar anonymity and good fishing for northerns and crappies. Crappies are pretty much nomadic in these waters, moving around in weed pockets chasing minnows. A small minnow under a tiny ice float is a good bet while watching for a tip-up flag.

There are two public accesses to this cranberry bog lake. The best one is located off of County A on the south side, but the fishing is usually better around the island or in the weeds out from the access point on the lake's north end.

For more information on waters around Eagle River, contact Eagle Sports (715) 479-8804.

These waters are for the most part shallow and very weedy - especially at the south end. But fish move out of the Beaver Creek sanctuary and other backwater areas as oxygen levels decrease, taking up residence along the old creek channels where they can be found almost all winter long.

A number of cribs have been placed to enhance fishing, along with an aerator that is a veritable fish magnet, near the Bear Creek access point near the intersection of county roads G and M. Use caution around this device due to weak ice.

The Bear Creek flats are probably the best early-ice spot for chasing pike with boards on the entire system. Later, fishing around the deeper water near Miller Dam is productive, as is fishing the waters near the access off of Beaver Creek Road.

Miller Dam Flowage also has a well-deserved reputation for producing slab crappies, with several healthy year-classes present in the system. Target deeper water near stumps and fish cribs with "hot" colors. Orange and chartreuse are both good. The big No. 2 Rembrandt (so popular over on the lower Mississippi) will also work quite well here once you find the fish.

Besides Miller Dam Flowage, Rib Lake and Spirit Lake, in the north part of the county, are virtually untapped resources. Some even smaller waters are definitely worth a look and are easy to fish effectively in just a few hours on the ice. Most notable are Richter Lake (south of Perkinstown) and both Sackett and Esadore lakes (near the intersection of county roads E and M northwest of Medford).

Esadore has a few huge walleyes and good panfishing in an undiscovered night bite within sight of the High View Inn, which offers a phenomenal fish boil and probably the best prime rib on this planet.

Fuzzy's General Store, located one mile south of County M on County E, is Taylor County's clearinghouse for angling information and live bait. Their number is (715) 785-7977.

Key on edges like weedlines and steep dropoffs where soft- and hard-bottomed areas meet, fish cribs and in weedy shallows bays like Chicago and Musky - especially at first and last ice.

At low light check out some of this big lake's numerous bars for walleyes, using both jigging and tip-up presentations. Especially good ones to target are Blue Goose Bar, Deep Center Bar and Kentucky Bar.

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