5-30-2010 Sun

5-30-2010 Sun
8:00 AM-10:45 AM (Derek and Mark)
6:00 PM-12:00AM (Jake and Mark)

Weather: S9, partly sunny, 76°, 29.88 falling (9:05AM)
NW21, cloudy, 73°, 29.85 rising (10:05PM)

H2O: 64.15 falling, 36.6 kcfs, clear - Lake Onalaska
5.88 steady, 34.3 kcfs, clear - Winona

Caught : 1) Bluegills (6) 5-8", kept for flat head bait
2) Flatheads 10 lb - live bluegills
3) Channel Cat 6 lb, cut bait
4) Soft Shell Turtle - cut bait

Location: Mississippi R. Pool 7
Mississippi R. Pool 6

partners:

Derek and Mark C.
Jake and Mark T.

Comments

The day started out with me taking my nephews Derek and Mark out bluegill fishing. And we were very successful at it! The bluegills were in full spawn and very easy to locate and catch. I hope both boys had a good time. I really enjoy taking kids out and showing them what the river has to offer.
Later that day I went out cat fishing with co-worker Jake and his son Mark. The fishing was not fantastic but it was okay. It is a good thing I have started using a couple poles baited with cut bait instead of live bluegills, because all our fish came on cut bait. Also, tonight was the first time I have caught a feisty turtle.

5-28-2010 Fri

5-28-2010 Fri
6:30PM-1:30 AM

Weather: SE3, partly cloudy, 65°, 29.99 rising (close to full moon)

H2O: 3.54 falling, .768kcfs (Black R.) - it is too low for my big boat
640.44 falling, 41.2 kcfs, clear

Caught : 1) Bluegills (6) 5-8", kept for flat head bait
2) Flatheads (3), 5,8 & 24 lbs., live bluegills

Location: Lower stretches of Black R., and Mississippi R. - Pool 7

partners:

Jake T.

Comments

I was out to get Tupper a flathead tonight, and I succeeded. We started out fishing the lower stretches of the Black River. We caught a couple of fish on the black, but it was a mistake taking my boat up the river with it being so low. On the way out of the Black I got my boat hung-up on a stump and it took a half hour and the use of a lever to get us off. We also beached at another spot on the way out.
Jake caught flatheads, but he also had an unusual catch: a soft shell turtle, and it was in no mood to play!

5-27-2010 Thr

5-27-2010 THr
7:00PM-11:30PM

Weather: N3, clear, 62°, 30.08 rising

H2O: 640.65 falling, 44.4kcfs 74°, lake is very murky

Caught : 1) Bluegills (7) 5-8", kept for flat head bait
2) Channel Cat, 4 lbs., cut bait

Location: Mississippi R pool 7

partners:

Troy and Kurt

Comments

Tonight I was out cattin with Troy and Kurt. The fishing was not great, but we each did manage to catch one. I caught one channel cat and they each caught a smallish flathead.

5-26-2010 Wed

5-26-2010 Wed
6:15PM-7:40PM

Weather: N9, partley cloudy, 78°, 30.06 steady

H2O: 640.82 rising, 47kcfs 74°, lake is very murky

Caught : 1) LMB (2) 14,16", spinner bait

Location: Mississippi R pool 7 - Lake Onalaska

partners:

None

Comments

I fished for about an hour tonight on the lake and I was disgusted with the water quality. The mill foil is thick and everywhere and the water clarity is very poor.

5-20-2010 Thr

5-20-2010 Thr
7:00PM-10:00PM

Weather: ESE5, mostly cloudy, 70°, 29.92 steady

H2O: 641.45 falling, 55.7kcfs 67°, clear

Caught : 1) Bluegills (7) 5-7", --flat head bait

Location: Mississippi R pool 7 (south end)

partners:

None

Comments

I had heard rumors that the bluegills were spawning and I would be able to catch a lot of them for bait. Well it was not true. I found very little spawning activity, and they were very hard to catch. I believe the water temperature needs to rise another six degrees.
I caught no flat heads tonight; never even had a bite. The wind really came up and was whipping the water quite hard when I called it a night. I was very thankful that I had a large boat to take on the waves. Also the GPS sure helped me make it back to the landing in the rough turbulent night.

5-19-2010 Wed

5-19-2010 Wed
6:00PM-10:45PM

Weather: Calm, clear, 69°, 30.00 steady

H2O: 641.38 rising, 54.8kcfs ?°, lots of floating weeds

Caught : 1) LMB (2) 10 & 15", swim jig, in-line spinner

Location: Mississippi R pool 7

partners:

Troy

Comments

Tonight Troy picked me up at the boat landing with an ample supply of bait for flathead fishing. Troy had already been out for the past six hours pike and bluegill fishing. Since we had enough bluegills for bait, we tried our hand at some more pike fishing.
We did catch a couple of pike and bass, but they came sparingly. The flat heads also proved to be rather elusive. We fished two different spots and only caught one flat head.

5-16-2010 Sun

5-16-2010 Sun
7:30PM-11:30PM

Weather: E3, mostly cloudy, 62°, 30.14 steady

H2O: 4.82 falling, 1.88kcfs // 640.55 rising, 42.9 kcfs, 63°

Caught : 1) Bluegills (6) 6-7" - used for bait
2) Channel Cat 11 lb 5oz - blue gill
3) Flat Head (2) 30 lb 4oz, 8 lb 10 oz - blue gill


Location: Mississippi R and tributaries - pool 7

partners:

None

Comments

Tonight was my first night of catting for the season. I was hopping to catch at least one cat, but I was surprised to catch three. I had planned to use suckers for bait, but the chain sporting goods store had none and the local shop was charging three bucks apiece for the rubber lipped cat magnets. I felt like I was being gouged, but I reluctantly bought three. I rounded out my weapons stockpile by catching a half dozen bluegills that were a little bigger than I prefer.
The first spot produced almost immediate action, with a very healthy channel cat. An hour later I had my second fish; a beauty of a flat head in the thirty pound class. After a couple of hours I moved to another location and was rewarded with an eight pounder.
My maiden cat outing was very successful and I did not even forget any important gear!

5-14-2-10 Fri

5-14-2010 Fri
5:15AM-7:00AM

Weather: SW3, mostly cloudy, 45°, 30.06 rising

H2O: N/A

bagged : Nothing


Location: Black River bottoms near Galesville

partners:

None

Comments

I was hoping to break the turkey hunting jinx before work this morning. Well I am still sitting without a bird in the freezer. We heard about four gobbles right away at first light, then it was like silent night. We did see one bird, but it was one we busted off the roost.

5-13-2-10 Thr

5-13-2010 Thr
6:00PM-7:15PM

Weather: W9, cloudy, 55°, 29.91 rising

H2O: 639.89 rising, 31.8 kcfs, 52°, clear

Caught :
1) Northern 26", swim jig

Location: Mississippi River - Pool 7 Lake Onalaska

partners:

None

Comments

It has been cold for the past week and today was no exception. I was thinking I might be able to find some active pike or walleyes, but that was not he case. I am looking forward to some consistently warm weather.

5-9-2-10 Sun

5-9-2010 Sun
5:00PM-8:05PM

Weather: W5, clear, 58°, 30.26 steady

H2O: 639.91 steady, 32.2 kcfs, 55-59°, clear

Caught :
1) Northern 15", spinner bait
2) perch 9", spinner bait
3) LMB 12", spinner bait
4) LMB 19", crank bait
5) SMB 12", crank bait
6) Walleye 15", crank bait


Location: Mississippi River - Pool 7, back waters and main lake

partners:

None

Comments

The water temperatures are dropping and so are the fish's appetite. I started out looking for pike and bass with very limited success. I did have an unusual catch of a perch on a spinner bait. I then went back to the spot where I had such good success on walleyes the other day and only caught one.
We definitely need temperatures to get back into the seventies to get the fish snapping again.

5-8-2-10 Sat

5-8-2010 Sat
5:30AM-8:00AM

Weather: N14/G23, overcast, 36°, 29.98 rising

H2O: N/A

Bagged : Nothing


Location: Strum, WI

partners:

Jeremy and Eon

Comments

The weather was not ideal for turkey hunting. It was cold, windy and very wet. We never even heard a single gobble or any hen talk. Later in the morning we took a drive into town to get some breakfast and only saw a couple of lone birds and they were both hens.
Ten minutes after leaving Jeremy's I got a call from him on my cell phone asking me if I had seen the truck parked right across from his driveway. I told him I had seen the truck and a hunter standing beside his truck looking like he was getting ready to do a little locator calling. Jeremy told me he just came out of the woods carrying a turkey. The lesson to be learned is you never know when game or fish are going to show up or become active.

5-6-2010 Thr

5-6-2010 Thr
5:30PM-8:30PM

Weather: N6, a few clouds, 58°, 29.95 rising

H2O: 639.92 steady, 32.5 kcfs, 62°, lake dirty, main channel clear

Caught

1) LMB 12" - spinner bait
2) LMB (3) 16", 12", 15.5" - crank bait
3) W. Bass 16" - crank bait
4) Walleye (9) 16"(kept), 12", 15.5" (kept), 16" (kept), 17", 17", 18", 20", 13.5" - crank bait

Location: Mississippi R. Pool 7, Lake Onalaska, Main channel, and back sloughs

partners:

none

Comments

The last couple of days have been extremely windy, consequently the lake is quite dirty. I should have known better that to try for pike on the big water. When the water is dirty and muddy I have almost not luck catching pike. I casted spinnerbaits and buzzbaits for about a half hour on the lake and all I caught was a small bass. I moved out to the rock islands and quickly caught two walleyes on crank baits. This clued me in on the walleye bite.
Next, I headed out to the main channel and some rock structure looking for those bug eyed fish. The water clarity on the main channel was very good, but I caught no fish. My next stop was some back water sand drops. A few spots produced nothing, but it was not too long before I hit the jack pot. I had found the walleyes and they were very aggressive!

5-3-2010 Mon

5-3-2010 Mon
6:30PM-7:50PM

Weather: WNW6, cloudy, 59°, 29.76 steady

H2O: 640.15 falling, 36.6 kcfs, 62°, dirty

Caught

LMB 18" - spinner bait

Location: Mississippi R. Pool 7, Lake Onalaska - main lake

partners:

none

Comments

Since the wind was not quite so strong tonight I made my move to the main lake. The first stop was the stump fields on the west side. I have done well here during previous springs, but this year I have yet to catch a fish from this area. Tonight was no different, I had one bump but failed to connect.
I did catch one bass tonight and I suspect it was a male guarding its nest. An instant before it bit, my spinnerbait caused an explosion of fry on the surface. Also, the tail on this fish was very beat up and raw on the bottom side.

Seasonal indicators: Lilacs are in full bloom, apple trees are about done, strawberries are still blooming, trees are rapidly expanding their leaves, sumacs are starting to show some leaves and the lawn is rapidly growing and causing me to mow too often! The west stump fields are pretty much choked with submergent vegetation and some emergent vegetation is springing above the surface.

4-30-2010 Fri

4-30-2010 Fri
5:50PM-7:00PM

Weather: S13, mostly cloudy, 66°, 29.28 steady

H2O: 640.31 rising, 39.1 kcfs, 62°, dirty

Caught

LMB 14" - spinner bait
Northern 30.5" - spinner bait

Location: Mississippi R. Pool 7, Lake Onalaska - back channel and channel opening

partners:

none

Comments

When is the wind going to let up? It has been windy for several days now and this has really affected the bite. The water has been stirred and mixed and is very muddy. The bass spinnerbait bite is pretty much non-existent. This is leading me to believe the bass are bedded.

4-28-2010 Wed

4-28-2010 Wed
5:30PM-7:00PM

Weather: S14 / G21, clear, 65°, 29.79 falling

H2O: 5.8 falling, 40 kcfs, 59°, clear

Caught

White bass (2) 13", 14" - jig
Northern (1) 25" - rattle trap
Crappie (2) 9", 9" - jig


Location: Mississippi R. Pool 8 - Dresbach Dam

partners:

Jake and Ben

Comments

Tonight I had a request to go out fishing with Jake and his co-worker Ben. How could I refuse, we were taking Ben's boat!
With the strong south wind we could not have picked a worse location. The dam area is totally exposed to a south wind so we got bounced around quite a bit, which made fishing very difficult. We all caught fish, so I think we were all happy with the outcome.
I was really hoping and expecting to get into the stripers, but it did not happen. From the dimensions of the two I caught they have not spawned yet, so hopefully good time are yet to come.

4-27-2010 Tue

4-27-2010 Tue
5:30PM-8:00PM

Weather: W5, clear, 57°, 29.89 steady

H2O: 640.6 falling, 40 kcfs, 60°, clear

Caught

LMB (2) 18", 13" - spinner bait
Northern (2) 22.5", 23" - in line spinner
Northern (4) 16", 28", 24", 27" - spinner bait

Location: Mississippi R. Pool 7 - Lake Onalaska

partners:

None

Comments

Tonight it was a one fish here one fish there type of evening. Which, is a good indication that the fish were inactive. When the sun went down it got very cold fast. The weatherman is predicting some frost around the area tonight. The trip back to the boat landing was made with me wearing my winter coat.

4-25-10 Sun

4-25-2010 Sun
6:30PM-8:05PM

Weather: E14 / G22, overcast, 58°, 29.58 rising

H2O: 640.8 falling, 39 kcfs, 55°, clear

Caught

LMB (4) 20, 19, 13.5, 20 - spinner bait
Northern (2) 27, 24 - spinner bait

Location: Mississippi R. Pool 7 - Lake Onalaska

partners:

None

Comments

Gigantic! That is how I would describe ther size of the bass I caught tonight. The two pictures are of two different fish, and I did not even get a pic of the biggest bass. The first bass I caught which I did not take a picture of was twenty inches long and weighed 5lbs 1oz.
I was not very optimistic at the start of the evening. The water temperature had dropped five degrees since yesterday and the wind was out of the east. I could not buy a bite from where I had caught fish on the last couple of outings. I tried both a spinner bait and a swim jig and only got one bump. After a half hour and no fish it was time to do some exploring on the big body of water. It did pay off in a big way. The fish were not stacked on top of each other, but I did find some very nice ones. who says you cannot catch fish when the water temperature takes a dive and the wind is out of the east.
Seasonal note - Apple trees are in full bloom, lilacs are beginning to bloom and I have heard reports of morels being found.

4-24-2010 Sat

4-24-2010 Sat
2:30PM-4:10PM

Weather: E9, cloudy, 58°, 29.58 falling

H2O: 640.94 steady, 41.1 kcfs, 60°, semi-clear

Caught

LMB 19.5 - spinner bait
Northern 27 - spinner bait

Location: Mississippi R. Pool 7 - Lake Onalaska & protected areas

partners:

None

Comments

I did not have much time this evening so I decided to explore. I am a firm believer of always trying something different, whether it be a new location or a new bait. I concentrated on main lake areas, but I never caught a fish or had a strike. I ended up catching both fish in an area that has been producing the past couple of days.

4-23-2010 Thr
6:00PM-7:30PM

Weather: S14, cloudy / light rain, 56°, 29.79 steady

H2O: 640.93 steady, 40.9 kcfs, 60°, semi-clear

Caught

LMB (6) 15, 17, 15, 18, 14, 16 - spinner bait

Location: Mississippi R. Pool 7 - Lake Onalaska - protected areas

partners:

Jake V.

Comments

Tonight Jake was fishing with me. Jake does not have a lot of fishing experience, but he did catch a couple of nice bass. Since the weather was so nasty out on the main lake we stayed in the areas that were sheltered from the wind.
Fishing was pretty good, and the fish were staying extremely shallow again. I had heard rumors that the bass had spawned or were in the process of spawning, but I believe that is false. We did keep a couple of smaller fish for supper and they still had spawn in them.
Contrary to popular belief, if cooked on the grill bass are one of the best eating fish around. Cook bass or any other white flaky fish on the grill in this manner and I think you will agree.
1. Make an open pan out of foil.
2. Melt an ample amount of butter and cover the bottom of you pan with it.
3. Put your fillets in the pan and turn to coat both sides.
4. Sprinkle the top side of the fillets with seasoned salt and dill weed if you have it.
5. Put pan and fish on the grill and put cover on grill, cook till almost done.
6. Poke holes in foil to allow butter to drip onto coals and produce smoke.
7. Cover grill (to prevent a fire) **note: this only works with charcoal, if you were to do this on a gas grill you would have an inferno
8. Cook / butter smoke fish several more minutes until fish flakes easily
9. Enjoy!

I am not an advocate of harvesting large amounts of fish of any species, but if a person enjoys eating fish, harvest in a responsible manner. What I mean by this is selective harvest; keep a limited amount of fish and return the larger fish of all species so someone else can enjoy catching them.

4-21-10 Wed

4-21-2010 Wed
1:30PM-7:00PM

Weather: NNE7, partly cloudy, 68°, 29.80 falling (5:05 PM)

H2O: 641.09 falling, 43.2 kcfs, 60°, clear

Caught

Dogfish 31" - spinner bait
LMB (15) 16, 10, 20, 10, 17, 15, 16.5, 11, 13.5, 14, 11, 14, 16, 18, 14.5(kept) - spinner bait
LMB (1) 16.5 - in-line spinner
Northern (3) 23, 27, 27 - spinner bait
Northern 27 - buzz bait

Location: Mississippi R. Pool 7 - Lake Onalaska - Boat club, north east shoreline

partners:

None

Comments

I took a half day off work today to take advantage of the awesome weather. I fished very hard and caught fish, but they were not jumping in the boat. The dogfish I caught was the biggest I have ever seen, it is to bad that the picture did not turn out very well.
I missed / lost several pike that were in that mid thirties to around forty inch size. I am really struggling with hooking and keeping these larger size fish on. The majority of the fish I caught were in extremely shallow water.

day 366 4-19-2010 Mon

Day 366
4-19-2010 Mon
6:00PM-7:35PM

Weather: calm, clear, 63°, 30.09 rising

H2O: 641.43 falling, 47.7 kcfs, 63°, clear but muddy in areas infested with carp

Caught

LMB (3) 14.5", 17.5", 16" - spinner bait
LMB (2) 17", 17" - in-line spinner
Northern (2) 34", 27" - spinner bait

Location: Mississippi R. Pool 7 - Lake Onalaska

partners:

None

Comments

I have my year in, but with weather like this and me knowing the fish are biting how could I stay off the water. I have not gotten out on the lake during decent weather for some time so I figured tonight was going to be a good night. I wanted to hit some of the spots that were productive for me last year during this stage of the season.
The first spot produced a quick bass and a decent pike in the first ten minutes. I was searching for fish, so I moved onto spot two.
This spot was not holding anything except carp, and I believe that was the problem. The carp had really stirred the sediment up and made the visibility very poor. I believe water clarity is a major factor in catching or not catching fish. It did not take long for me to come to my senses and get the heck out of this loser spot. I zipped back to my original starting point and dissected it further. I fished this area for about twenty-five minutes and did real well. I also lost one giant pike after a very brief hook-up!

day 365 4-18-2010 Sun 0 to go

Day 365-NO MORE TO GO (don't tell Karen that)
4-18-2010 Sun
3:20PM-7:30PM

Weather: W6, clear, 65°, 30.15 falling (5:53PM)

H2O: 8.83 steady, 48.7 kcfs, 62°, semi-clear

Caught

LMB (2) 12", 13" - spinner bait
LMB 15.5" - in-line spinner
Northern (5) 18", 35", 20", 18", 26" - spinner bait
Norhtern (2) 27", 17" - in-line spinner


Location: Mississippi R. Pool 4 - Big Lake

partners:

Jake and Mark T.

Comments

Today the plan was to get back up to pool four and find the pike that Terry and I had gotten into last week. My partners were Jake and his son Mark. Mark was excited to get into some pike and I hoped I would not let him down. We did quite a bit of searching and caught a fish here and there, but the numbers were not fantastic. There did seem to be fish just about everywhere though.
The size structure started out rather small and I was beginning to wonder if this area had any quality size pike. We did end up catching some nice fish with Jake catching the beauty of the day ( 38"). I have to take my hat off to Mark (poor kid). The kid is only ten and he fished hard all day and never hooked and caught a fish completely on his own, while Jake and I combined for over twenty between the two of us.
My strawberries have started to bloom; this spring sure seems advanced.

day 364 4-17-2010 Sat 1 to go

Day 364-1 to go
4-17-2010 Sat
5:30AM-8:30AM
5:45PM-6:30PM

Weather: N12, clear, 41°, 30.25 rising (5:35AM)
N14, clear, 64°, 30.13 steady (5:53PM)

H2O: 641.77 falling, 51.9kcfs, 59°, clear

Bagged/caught

LMB 14", - spinner bait


Location: Strum, Wisconsin - turkey hunting

partners:

Jeremy P.

Comments

I started the day out turkey hunting with Jeremy on his land by Strum. We found the turkeys to be not very active. I did manage to call one in, but it hung up at about sixty yards. This distance was just a little beyond Jeremy's range.
Late in the afternoon I got out for a little fishing on the lake. It was still very windy, and I only managed one bass.
A couple of seasonal observations: The dandelions and plums are blooming profusely, and the milfoil has really shot up towards the water surface. These nasty aquatic weeds are really stating to choke the open water areas out.

day 363 4-16-2010 Fri 2 to go

Day 363-2 to go
4-16-2010 Fri
5:45AM-1:30PM

Weather: NW18, clear, 51°, 30.10 rising

H2O: NA

Bagged

nothing


Location: Ft McCoy, WI

partners:

none

Comments

Today was my last day of turkey hunting and the conditions just happened to be very windy. I started out in the same area that I had hunted the past two days. At first light it became apparent that the turkeys were not roosted in their usual spot. I quickly made a half-mile hike to the area where I could hear some toms gobbling. I got within about one-hundred yards of one tom and set up. I called and tried to entice him in for a half hour, but he would not budge from his strutting zone. I did not see any hens with him, so he was just playing hard to get.
I moved onto another tom that I had been hearing sounding off in the distance. I got too close to this one and we spotted each other at the same instance. I guess I should know by now to keep a reasonable distance between yourself and the tom, and if he does no close the distance then try to move in on him.
That was it for my last day. The wind really played a role in my lack of success this season.

day 362 4-15-2010 Thr 3 to go

Day 362-3 to go
4-15-2010 Thr
5:45AM-12:00PM, 5:00PM-6:00PM

Weather: S13/G23, clear, 76°, 30.05 falling

H2O: 6.49' falling, 53.3 kcfs, 66°, clear and muddy in some spots from wind

Bagged/caught

nothing


Location: Ft McCoy, WI / Mississippi R. - pool 7 upper stump fields

partners:

none

Comments

The turkeys were not as active this morning and it was quite windy. It did not help that I had some other hunters move into my area about fifteen minutes after first light. I did manage to call two different toms in throughout the course of the morning, but they came in silent. I did not realize they were there until I got up to leave and I saw them and they saw me and I was busted.
I did get out fishing this evening for an hour. It was extremely windy, but I was curious as to what the water temperature was and if the fish were biting. I was astounded at the sixty-six degree water temperature. It was very difficult fishing and the fish were not biting.

day 361 4-14-2010 Wed 4 to go

Day 361-4 to go
4-14-2010 Wed
5:30AM-12:00PM

Weather: S15, clear, 63°, 30.22 steady

H2O: N/A

Bagged

nothing


Location: Ft McCoy, WI

partners:

none

Comments

Today was my first of three days of turkey hunting on Ft. McCoy. The birds were quite active up until about 11:00AM. I had a group of hens with three gobblers come out on the trail about seventy yards from me. With some persistent calling and patience I eventually called all three toms within about twenty yards of me.
I had the gun up and the scope on the closest one, but decided to pass it up. After all I still had the rest of the day and two full days left to hunt, and I wanted to make the most of this season.
Later in the morning I did call in another tom to about ten yards from my location, but it was so brushy that I only got one glimpse of that bird. This bird came in how they should: constantly gobbling and coming straight at me on a steady pace.

day 360 4-13-2010 Tue 5 to go

Day 360-5 to go
4-13-2010 Tue
6:45AM-7:30AM

Weather: calm, partly cloudy, 40°, 30.33, falling

H2O: 7.66' falling, 69.7 kcfs, ?°, clear

Caught

nothing


Location: Mississippi R. Pool 7

partners:

none

Comments

This morning I got up early and went fishing before work. I was fishing from shore below the Information Center in Minnesota. I wanted to get my fishing done, so I could possibly put some turkeys to bed this evening. I did not catch a fish or even get a strike, which is very unusual for this time of year below the dam. Putting the turkeys to bed did not go any easy. I did not even hear any gobbles at sunset.

Day 359-6 to go
4-12-2010 Mon
5:50PM-6:50PM

Weather: SE6, partly cloudy, 67°, 30.30, steady

H2O: milky

Caught

1. Brook trout 7" - spinner


Location: Ft. McCoy, WI - East Silver creek

partners:

none

Comments

I headed to Ft. McCoy this evening with the primary mission of turkey scouting. Of course I had to get my fishing in also. About the only option was catch and release trout fishing on the streams. The fish were not hitting very hard. I probably missed six fish and only caught one small brook trout.
I did see some turkeys, so at least now I know there will be some turkeys around when my season opens on Wednesday.

Day 358-7 to go
4-11-2010 Sun
8:30AM-2:45PM

Weather: NW6, sunny, 64°, 30.34, steady (12:05 pm)

H2O: 9.83' falling, 62.6 kcfs, 49-52°, clear

Caught

1. SMB 14” – spinner bait
2. Northern (8) 28", 24.5", 24.5", 28", 25.5", 28", 18", 27.5" – spinner bait


Location: Mississippi R. Pool 4 – Big Lake and
Robinson Lake

partners:

Terry C.

Comments

Today I was teaming up with Terry C. and we were headed to Alma, WI. We both had fished here together several years ago, but neither one of us had been back during the open water season. We primarily concentrated on the Big Lake area, but we did try a few other spots. Navigation was the hardest part of the whole trip. Motoring in the back water areas always calls for caution, especially in unfamiliar waters.
The bass bite was very non-existent, but we did manage some pike. The key to the pike was stumps in two to three feet of water. I believe the fish were on stumps because there is no vegetation yet. We did not catch any monsters, but the common size was around twenty-eight inches.

day 357 4-10-2010 Sat 8 to go

Day 357-8 to go
4-10-2010 Sat
5:00PM-7:15PM

Weather: NW8, clear, 57°, 30.15, rising

H2O: 643.16' falling, 68.2 kcfs, 53°, clear – except sailboat club was muddy

Caught

1. LMB (5) 12”, 15”, 15”, 16”, 14” – spinner bait
2. Northern (2) 18”, 18” – spinner bait


Location: Mississippi R. Pool 7 – middle and lower Lake Onalaska

partners:

None

Comments

I really needed to get out turkey scouting tonight but the water was persuading me otherwise. After two hours I was fishless and thinking I had chosen the wrong activity.
Not wanting to go fishless two nights in a row I motored to one of the most consistent fish catching spots I knew of. After just a couple of casts it was fish on. I was very surprised at how many fish I did catch here, after all I was hitless at all the other spots I had tried. It just goes to show; do not give up and somewhere fish are waiting to be caught.

day 356 4-9-2010 Fri 9 to go

Day 356-9 to go
4-9-2010 Fri
6:00PM-7:45PM

Weather: SE8, clear, 61°, 29.97, rising

H2O: 643.27' falling, 69.6 kcfs, 52°, clear

Caught

Nothing

Location: Mississippi R. Pool 7 – upper end of Lake Onalaska

partners:

None

Comments

Tonight was one of those nights where not only was the fishing bad, but lots of other things went wrong. I did have about a thirty inch northern come un-buttoned at boat side. I also had another hit my spinner-bait immediately after it hit the water. I set the hook but missed and that same fish kept on nipping at my bait on that retrieve and after missing it six times I finally connected on it. The fight did not last long because the fish cut my line. About thirty seconds after cutting my line the fish jumped out of the water in an attempt to dislodge the strange meal it had engulfed.
When it was time to leave my trolling motor would not release from the deployed position and my front light was as dark as a starless night in the north woods. When I got back to the landing I had to take the trolling motor bracket apart in order to lift it out of the water and into the boat. This is the part that got painful. The dam thing smacked me in the head as I was trying to stow it. I am hoping tonight is as bad as it gets for the season.

day 355 4-8-2010 Thr 10 to go

Day 355-10 to go
4-8-2010 Thr
6:15PM-7:30PM

Weather: NE9, overcast, 50°, 29.77, steady

H2O: 9.01' falling, 80.3 kcfs, ?°, fairly dirty

Caught

1. Sauger 6" - jig
2. White Bass 12", - jig
3. Walleye 16", - jig

Location: Mississippi R. Pool 8 - Dresbach Dam (from shore)

partners:

None

Comments

Yesterday while fishing below the dam by boat I had seen a shore angler doing quite well on the saugers. Seeing that fisherman catching fish inspired me to fish form shore tonight. I did catch a couple fish, but it was very slow. That is one thing about walleye fishing, nothing is consistent. The night time temperatures have been very cold, and I think this has had a negative impact on the bite.

day 354 4-7-2010 Wed 11 to go

Day 354-11 to go
4-7-2010 Wed
6:00PM-7:30PM

Weather: NE13, mist, 49°, 29.60, rising

H2O: 9.23' falling, 82.9 kcfs, 49°, fairly dirty

Caught

1. Sauger (4) 11", 11", 11", 11" - Ripple Shad
2. White Bass 12.5", - Ripple Shad

Location: Mississippi R. Pool 8 - Dresbach Dam

partners:

None

Comments

I had not been walleye fishing for awhile and I had heard they were biting, so it was time to give them a try. You may ask why give up the bass and pike bite; well sometimes walleye fishing can be fun and addicting.
It was quite cold and the fish were not snapping. I did see a few other fish caught but it was not fantastic.

day 353 4-6-2010 Tue 12 to go

Day 353-12 to go
4-6-2010 Tue
5:30PM-7:10PM

Weather: NE10/G20, rain, 50°, 29.58, falling

H2O: 643.85' falling, 77.8 kcfs, 51°, clear but muddy in open windy areas

Caught

1. LMB (7) 16", 14", 11.5", 13", 15.5", 19", 12" - spinner bait
2. Northern 28", - spinner

Location: Mississippi R. Pool 7 - Lake Onalaska (back waters and the channel)

partners:

None

Comments

Miserable, that is how I would describe the weather tonight. The wind was blowing, it was raining and the water temperature had dropped five degrees since yesterday.
No too bad is how I would describe the fishing. It did take me awhile to figure out where to go to find active fish. I always use the saying "I bet someone is catching fish somewhere and I just need to find that somewhere". I had been getting fish in the open areas of the lake, but not tonight.
I had come back to the landing in defeat and that is when I noticed the water temperature in the channel was two to three degrees warmer. I had a few more casts left in me so I gave it a whirl. I was rewarded with a pretty decent bite. Apparently the few degree difference in water temperature made the bass come out of hiding.

day 352 4-5-2010 Mon 13 to go

Day 352-13 to go
4-5-2010 Mon
6:30PM-7:45PM

Weather: calm, light rain, 63°, 29.88, falling

H2O: 644.22' falling, 83.1 kcfs, 56°, clear

Caught

1. LMB (7) 13', 16", 12", 13.5", 16", 18", 14" - spinner bait
2. Northern 31", - spinner bait

Location: Mississippi R. Pool 7 - Lake Onalaska (back waters)

partners:

None

Comments

Work delayed my fishing starting time by one and one half hours tonight. I was really disappointed to, because with the approaching storm front I had a feeling the fish would be quite active. The fish were in the same haunts where I had left them yesterday. The biggest surprise of the night came just at dark. I was ready to call it an evening and I told myself after three more casts I would be done (you would think I would be sick of fishing after a year and be ready to quit at the end of the night, but oh no, it is very hard for me to stop most days). I knew it was possible to put a bass in the boat, but I figured it was way too dark for a pike. But on my third and final cast my spinnerbait just got hammered by a nice healthy pike. I was rewarded with a great battle and a nice picture for my persistence.
Spring this year seems advanced by about two weeks. Some of the natural indicators of spring I am seeing early are: the lilac bushes started to develop leaves about a week ago, periwinkles and some of the bulb plants have started blooming, and the hard maples are showing their red buds.

day 351 4-4-2010 Sun 14 to go

Day 351-14 to go
4-4-2010 Sun
4:30PM-7:30PM

Weather: SW10, clear, 65°, 29.75, rising

H2O: 644.4' falling, 85.7 kcfs, 56°, clear in back waters, muddy in dredge areas

Caught

1. LMB (5) 15", 12", 14.5", 17", 9" - spinner bait
LMB 14" - smoke/glitter grub
2. Northern (4) 30", 20", 34.5", 20"

Location: Mississippi R. Pool 7 - Lake Onalaska

partners: None

None

Comments

Today I got out after the Easter gathering at the in-laws. I was targeting bass and pike, although I did not expect much in the way of pike. But, I was quite surprised by the pike bite, they were very aggressive. The fishing was very good in the shallow back water areas, but of course I wanted to see what was around the next corner.
I moved to the dredge areas on the lake, which caused me to struggle with the bass bite. I think the biggest reason for my lack of fish here was the dingy water. Heavy winds the last couple of days had really stirred up the water and consequently reduced its clarity.

day 350 4-3-2010 Thr 15 to go

Day 350-15 to go
4-3-2010 Sat
7:30AM-10:30AM

Weather: W15/G20, a few clouds, 45°, 29.70, rising

H2O: 644.8' falling, 91.4 kcfs, 54°, clear

Caught

1. Bluegills (5) 6-7" - worms
2. Perch 9" - worms
3. Painted Turtle 10" - minnow

Location: Mississippi R. Pool 7 - Lake Onalaska (Black Deer's)

partners

Brandon and Dwayne

Comments

I was fishing with my brother in law Dwayne and my nephew Brandon. We were after panfish in the channel behind my house. The morning started out rather cold and blustery, and the fish thought so too. Each one of us caught some fish but it was rather dismal.
I did have one rather interesting moment when my bobber slowly sank out of sight below the waters surface. This is typical in the way a crappie will take a minnow and that is what I thought was on the other end. A hook set and a few cranks of the reel handle revealed otherwise. To my surprise was a very agitated painted turtle being pulled through the water against its will. To my relief it came unbuttoned as I attempted to pull it into the boat. I do believe this is the first turtle ever for me.

Day 349-16 to go
4-2-2010 Fri
7:00AM-10:30AM

Weather: S17, clear, 66°, 29.53, steady

H2O: 645.1' falling, 95.7 kcfs, 59°, clear

Caught

1. LMB (4) 12-15", grub-smoke/glitter

Location: Mississippi R. Pool 7 - Lake Onalaska

partners

Terry C.

Comments

A day off, fishing with a friend, and catching bass, it just does not get much better. The fishing was not fantastic, but it was not bad either considering we had just turned the calendar to April the day before.
All my fish came on a grub and Terry caught all his on a spinnerbait. I do have to admit Terry did up me be one bass and one northern (I knew we should have fished the only spot that I caught fish at longer) just kidding. We did have a little competitiveness going.

day 348 4-1-2010 Thr 17 to go

Day 348-17 to go
4-1-2010 Thr
6:30PM-7:20PM

Weather: S12, sunny, 78°, 29.47, steady

H2O: 4.35' steady, 1.5 kcfs, ?°, clear

Caught

1. Rock Bass 7" - worm
2. Perch 8" - worm

Location: Black R - Lytles

partners

none

Comments

I was out to catch about four perch for supper, but the bite was not there. I did get bit by more mosquitoes than I had fish bite my bait. I was totally dismayed that I am already having to deal with these skeets.
Although the fishing was not good the bird watching was just amazing. It is just awesome to hear air ripping over the feathers of ducks and looking up and catching a glimpse of them streaking by. I am always impressed by the amount of waterfowl and other birds I see here in the spring. About the only time their wingbeats are absent is when they are drowned out by the rumbling of the many passing trains.

day 347 3-31-2010 Wed 18 to go

Day 347-18 to go
3-31-2010 Wed
4:30PM-7:00PM

Weather: S9, sunny, 77°, 29.61, rising

H2O: 645.6' falling, 103 kcfs, 56°, clear

Caught

1. LMB 15.5", jerk bait

Location: Mississippi R, pool 7 - Back waters

partners

none

Comments

Tonight was my first attempt of the year fishing the more open water areas for bass. The air temperature was telling me the bass should be on, but the calendar was telling me it was too early. The calendar won out!
I did manage one decent bass after a couple of hundred casts. I thought would have been able to at least pick up a few northerns. They must still be in the process of doing the wild thing! The weather is unbelievable for this time of year: 77°, sunny and totally flat water (it's calm out).

day 346 3-30-2010 Tue 19 to go

Day 346-19 to go
3-30-2010 Tue
5:30PM-6:00PM

Weather: S19, mostly clougy, 69°, 29.57, rising

H2O: 646.03' falling, 110 kcfs, ?°, clear

Location: Mississippi R - back bay behind house

Caught

1. nothing

partners

none

Comments

I have seen other fisherman catch bluegills behind the house this year, so I surely should be able to. But, I could not even get a bite. Usually this bay is filled with bluegills for about a couple of weeks early in the spring. I guess this year is not normal and the fish are probably randomly moving in and out of here.

day 345 3-29-2010 mon 20 to go

Day 345-20 to go
3-29-2010 Mon
6:25PM-7:30PM

Weather: S10, clear, 55°, 29.90, falling

H2O: 4.52' falling, 1.66 kcfs, ?°, clear

Location: Black R. - lower stretch

Caught

1. Perch (4) 8-12", night crawler

partners

none

Comments

I wanted to check out an early season perch spot this evening. I did catch a few, but it was pretty slow.
It was a very nice evening for fishing and the numerous species of waterfowl made for some great scenery.

day 344 3-28-2010 Sun 21 to go

Day 344-21 to go
3-28-2010 Sun
4:00PM-7:30PM

Weather: NNW13, partly cloudy, 54°, 29.90, steady

H2O: 4.66' falling, 1.8 kcfs, 44°, clear

Location: Black R. upstream from Hwy. 93 landing

Caught

1. Perch (4) 10-12", night crawler

partners

Jake, Mark and Cole

Comments

I was on a sucker mission with Jake and his sons Mark and Cole. Yes we were after suckers, Jake was looking to make canned sucker.
We all caught some perch, but Jake and Mark each caught five or so pound suckers. The river was full of bird life, we saw many: eagles, mergansers, wood ducks and a couple of groups of roosted turkeys.

day 343 3-27-2010 Sat 22 to go

Day 343-22 to go
3-27-2010 Sat
3:30PM-7:00PM

Weather: ESE5, mostly cloudy, 46°, 29.92, steady

H2O: 11.13' rising, 113 kcfs, 39°, muddy/debris

Location: Mississippi R. Pool 8 – Dresbach Dam slack water areas

Caught

1. Walleyes (3) 8-13", jig and berkley ripple shad

partners

Jake and Mark

Comments

I partnered with Jake and his son Mark this evening. We were hoping the walleyes had finally turned active, but they had not. We got a few smaller walleyes, with Jake catching one legal fish. About the only thing that was consistent was feeling consistently cold!

day 342 3-26-2010 Fri 23 to go

Day 342-23 to go
3-26-2010 Fri
5:00PM-5:30PM

Weather: S12, sunny, 47°, 30.01, falling

H2O: 646.05' rising, 111 kcfs, ?°, clear

Location: Mississippi R. Pool 7 – Upper Brice Prairie landing bay

Caught

Nothing

partners

None

Comments

I did not catch any fish tonight, but I did see lots of crappies caught. Two guys were fishing from shore and doing very well on crappies. They pretty much had the spot sewed up and they were not going to let a stray stitch get into their little fish seam!

day 341 3-25-2010 Thr 24 to go

Day 341-24 to go
3-25-2010 Thr
6:30PM-7:30PM

Weather: N8, sunny, 39°, 30.07, rising

H2O: 10.67' rising, 104 kcfs, ?°, muddy

Location: Mississippi R. Pool 8 – Dresbach Dam - fishing wall

Caught

Nothing

partners

None

Comments

Fish were non-existent off the wall tonight, I saw to small walleyes caught in one hour. Besides catching no fish, it was very, very cold.
I had one young fella fishing next to me that was several cards short of a full deck, but he was pretty entertaining. That is one thing I like about fishing off the wall; there is a sense of competitiveness and secrecy, but everyone is still friendly.

day 340 3-24-2010 Wed 25 to go

Day 340-25 to go
3-24-2010 Wed
6:30PM-7:30PM

Weather: W5, partly cloudy, 47°, 30.00, rising

H2O: 645.32' rising, 98.8 kcfs, 49°, clear, some slop

Location: Mississippi R. Pool 7 – Black Deers

Caught

1. Bluegills (4) 5-6", worm
2. Pumpkin Seed 6", worm
3. Shiner 8", worm

partners

None

Comments

Tonight I wanted to catch some of the bluegills I had seen last night. Unfortunately, the water temperature had dropped five degrees and they were not very active. I did not even see close to the numbers I had seen last night. I did try the fly rod and a popper, but they showed no interest in that combo. However I was able to catch a few fish on the old fashioned hook, worm and bobber. I did have an odd catch tonight; one of the biggest shiners I had ever seen.

day 339 3-23-2010 Mon 26 to go

Day 339-26 to go
3-23-2010 Tue
5:30PM-7:30PM

Weather: NNE 5, sunny, 55°, 29.91, rising

H2O: 645.02' rising, 94.5 kcfs, 54°, clear, some slop

Location: Mississippi R. Pool 7 – Black Deers

Caught

1. LMB 13.5", grub-texas rigged/smoke glitter

partners

None

Comments

First off, I know I saw my last ice-fisherman of the year this afternoon. I could no believe it, I thought that was over with a week ago. They were fishing off Fisherman's road in the dredge area.
Fishing tonight was very poor. I was targeting bass and only managed one. I also talked to some other bass fisherman and they were doing worse. The water temperature back there was a surprising 54 degrees. The area was full of bluegills. They were all over the area on the surface sunning themselves.

day 338 3-22-2010 27 to go

Day 338-27 to go
3-22-2010 Mon
5:10PM-6:10PM

Weather: SW9, sunny, 56°, 29.85, rising

H2O: 644.63' rising, 89 kcfs, dirty/debris, ?°, all gates open

Location: Mississippi R. Pool 7 – Trempealeau dam (east fishing wall)

Caught

1. nothing

partners

None

Comments

This evening I tried the fishing wall at the Trempealeau Dam. I wanted to fish for walleyes and I wanted to be out of the current and this spot fit the bill.
I did not catch any fish and I only saw one little walleye caught. The other fisherman I talked to said fishing was terrible!

day 337 3-21-2010 28 to go

Day 337-28 to go
3-21-2010 Sun
4:30PM-7:30PM

Weather: WNW6, sunny, 45°, 30.05, falling

H2O: 9.8' rising, 89.8 kcfs, dirty/debris, 38°, small gates open

Location: Mississippi R. Pool 8 – Dresbach Dam, (slack water areas)

Caught

1. Sauger (5) 10-11”, jig and minnow

partners

None

Comments

This evening I fished by boat below the dam. I was able to use the lower landing where the rising water had just removed the grip of the winter ice.
The water is very high and dirty, and this influenced the areas that I fished. I targeted areas that were out of the reach of the angry torrents of the main channel. The fish seemed very inactive and lethargic. I only felt one bite, otherwise I just felt the sensation of the fish’s weight alerting me to its presence.

day 336 3-20-2010 Sat, 29 to go

Day 336-29 to go
3-20-2010 Sat
4:40PM-5:40PM

Weather: NW13, sunny, 44°, 30.20, falling

H2O: 9.8' rising, 89.8 kcfs, dirty/debris, ?°

Location: Mississippi R. Pool 8 – Dresbach Dam, west wall

Caught

1. Perch 11”, jig

partners

None

Comments

I was somewhat hopeful I could pull a repeat of yesterday, but of course it did not happen. I believe I was lucky to have caught the fish I did, for I saw no other fish caught.

day 335 3-19-2010 30 to go

Day 335-30 to go
3-19-2010 Fri
8:00AM-8:45AM

Weather: NW13, cloudy, 43°, 29.88, rising

H2O: 9.66' rising, 87.8 kcfs, dirty/debris, ?°

Location: Mississippi R. Pool 8 – Dresbach Dam, west wall

Caught

1. Walleyes (14, 22 & 23”) jig, ringworm

partners

None

Comments

This morning I got out fishing before I started my late shift at work. The fishing wall was quite popular early this morning. From what I saw and from the info I gathered from other fishermen walleyes were biting but they were running under fifteen inches.
It took a few bait changes before I connected on my first fish. It was a rather fat undersized male. After several more casts and no action I changed things up again. This time I went with a quarter ounce jig and a six-inch chartreuse ringworm. I missed several fish before connecting on a beautiful egg laden twenty three inch female walleye. A close by fisherman was kind enough to net and measure the fish for me. It was not a cast or two later and I was bothering him again for his netting services. This fish was an exact duplicate of the one I had just released only about one inch shorter. The three fish I caught today were released to fight another day.
After I caught the second large fish it was time to pick up my gear and head for work. It was quite funny watching the reactions of my fishing neighbors after I caught the second large walleye: some looked on in awe, some congratulated me and others just ignored the whole thing. It really did not matter for I felt like the fishing king as I walked off that wall this morning!

day 334 3-18-2010 Thr 31 to go

Day 334-31 to go
3-18-2010 Thr
9:00AM-1:00PM

Weather: WNW6, sunny, 58°, 29.88, falling

H2O: 628.3' rising, 82.2 kcfs, dirty/debris 38°

Location: Mississippi R. Pool 9 - mouth of DeSoto Bay and Minnesota Slough

Caught

1. Carp 22", ring worm

partners

Norm

Comments

Today we fished south of the Genoa Dam. We were hoping to get out of the current and onto some fish. We were able to get out of the current but we did not connect with any walleyes.
It was not a good day for catching fish, but is was a beautiful day for fishing. Geese and ducks filled the skies . We were also treated to a large concentration of eagles (approximately 100) loafing on the ice in a bay off Minnesota Slough.
DeSoto Bay was still heavily iced over. Speaking of ice, I do believe I saw my last ice fisherman of the season tonight on Lake Onalaska along fisherman's road. Ice is still prevalent in sheltered areas, but where there is current or large open areas it has retreated for another season.

day 333 3-17-2010 Wed 32 to go

Day 333-32 to go
3-17-2010 Wed
5:30PM-7:30PM

Weather: WNW6, partly cloudy, 54°, 30.06, falling

H2O: 627.83' rising, 77.7 kcfs, dirty/debris 38°

Location: Mississippi R. Pool 9 - Genoa Dam

Caught

1. Sucker 20", ring worm

partners

Norm

Comments

I was glad to be out fishing after work tonight with Norm, but my expectations were not high. The river is rapidly rising, is very dirty and has a ton of debris floating downstream.
The bite was definitely not there tonight. The current was not bad as I had thought it would be, but the water was very muddy. I did see a few small walleyes caught by fishermen that were fishing off the wall on the Wisconsin side. I do not think this was a coincidence, maybe with the fast high water areas with no current correlates to fish!

day 332 3-16-2010 Tue 33 to go

Day 332-33 to go
3-16-2010 Tue
5:15PM-6:30M

Weather: NNW8, partly cloudy, 58°, 30.15, steady

H2O: 642.5' rising, 60 kcfs, 10", cloudy h20

Location: Mississippi R. Pool 7 - Fisherman's Road

Caught

1. Bluegills (18) 4-7" orange rocker with red worm

partners

None

Comments

I do believe I am done ice fishing for the season. In order to reach the ice today I had to employ the aid of waders and walk about twenty feet through knee deep water. Then once I did get to the ice a delicate step was necessary to avoid going through soft spots.
The water was cloudy here but the current was absent. The bite was not too bad, except for the small size of the fish it was a good evening. Most remnants of snow are all but gone except for a disintegrating pile here or there. Ducks and geese are once again populating open water areas on the river. When I stand outside after dark I can hear the migrating waterfowls wingbeats in the still, crisp night.

day 331 3-15-2010 Mon 34 to go

Day 331-34 to go
3-15-2010 Mon
7:15AM-8:15AM

Weather: N3, partly cloudy, 35°, 30.18, rising

H2O: 641.58' rising, 49.7 kcfs, 15", cloudy h20, current

Location: Mississippi R. Pool 7 - In front of Schaffer's

Caught

Nothing

partners

None

Comments

This morning was an early adventure before work. I was not sure if the ice would be strong enough to support me, but a walk to the end of the dock and a step onto the ice confirmed safe ice.
My hopes of catching any fish faded very quickly after drilling a series of holes. What I discovered was cloudy water and a substantial amount of current. Today was not a day for catching fish, but a day for an ice fishing education. I guess I confirmed that panfish do not like current when the ice is covering the water.

day 330 3-14-2010 Sun 35 to go

Day 330-35 to go
3-114-10 Sun
1:30PM-5:30PM

Weather: N3, partly cloudy, 63°, 29.96, rising

H2O: 5.94' rising, 41.3 kcfs, 15", clear

Location: Mississippi R. Pool 4 and 5 - Pontoon Slough and Monson's

Caught

1. Perch 7", orange rocker
2. Bluegills (15) 6-9", orange rocker (kept 7)
3. LMB 12 & 13", orange rocker

partners

Jake T.

Comments

We left the north country at mid morning and headed for my home waters: the mississippi River. We were taking a chance on there being enough ice to support our slight weight. It did not take too long to determine Pontoon slough had no fish, so we packed our gear and headed south.
The next spot was Monson's. I had heard good things about this location all year, so now I was about to prove or disprove everything I had heard. It started out very slow, but steadily improved as the sun faded towards those western hills. The numbers were not fantastic, but the size was. I was disappointed I had not ventured this way north earlier in the season. I know for certain this and Robinson's Lake in Wabasha will be on my list next year.

day 329 3-13-2010 Sat 36 to go

Day 329-36 to go
3-13-10 Sat
10:00AM-6:30PM

Weather: NNE14, cloudy, 41°, 29.88, steady

H2O: N/A

Location: Gordon Flow-age and Cranberry Lake - Douglas County, WI

Caught

1. Bluegills (25) 5-7.5", rat finke (kept 3)
2. Crappie 8", rat finke
partners

Jake T., Denny, Larry, Jeremy, Brian and Ron

Comments

We had quite the gang fishing today. This was only the second time I had ice fished out of the cabin. Our first stop was Charlie Brown's Resort on the Gordon Flow-age. The camera and poles revealed lots of small fish.
An hour later we moved to Cranberry Lake. We were looking for those elusive bull bluegills we could not find. Larry and Jake were the top fisherman today. I got frustrated and lost interest rather quickly, after all I cannot catch fish on those dam lakes. The fish were very tight lipped and when one was caught it was usually very small.

day 328 3-12-2010 Fri 37 to go

Day 328-37 to go
3-12-10 Fri
4:30PM-6:00PM

Weather: NE5, drizzle, 42°, 29.79, rising

H2O: N/A

Location: Warner Lake - Douglas County, WI

Caught

1. Nothing

partners

Jake T.

Comments

This evening I got back to a remote northern Wisconsin lake I have not fished in at least ten years. The last time I was here I got to fish it about ten minutes before it got dark. I caught a nine inch bluegill and the seed was planted in my mind.
Here I am with Jake ten years later looking for what I thought would be jumbo bluegills looking for a fast ride to the surface. It took about one hour and ten holes to determine the lake was not teeming with gills of any size. Although we did not catch any fish it was refreshing to be fishing in such a beautiful remote lake.

day 327 3-11-2010 Thr 38 to go

Day 327-38 to go
3-11-10 Thr
5:00PM-6:00PM

Weather: ESE6, cloudy, 50°, 29.49, rising

H2O: 5.3' rising, 35.3 kcfs, 12", clear

Location: Mississippi R. Pool 8 - South of Clinton Landing

Caught

1. Perch (2) 8&10", minnow, jigging rap

partners

None

Comments

The spot I fished at tonight was the first time ever fishing here for me. I was fishing in ten to fifteen feet of water and marking lots of fish. They showed some interest in my offerings, but would not commit to dining. Of course that is pretty much on par with how this ice season has gone. I did see a couple of fish caught by other fisherman, but it was in no way a major feeding frenzy.
There is still plenty of ice, but the water is on the rise and it is necessary to wade through water to get to good ice.

day 326 3-10-2010 Wed 39 to go

Day 326-39 to go
3-10-10 Wed
5:15PM-6:15PM

Weather: SW6, fog, 47°, 29.61, rising

H2O: 5.15' rising, 28.8 kcfs, 20", clear

Location: Mississippi R. Pool 8 - French Slough

Caught

1. Bluegill 5", Ratso
2. Crappie 10", Ratso

partners

None

Comments

I was torn between fishing here or Half-Way creek, of course I picked the loser. Last year this spot was very good for crappies, but this year it has been dead. Some fisherman were catching dog fish and largemouth bass, but other than that there was not much action.
The ice is still holding up, but we have had some rain and more is forecasted. With the rain and the extended warmer temperatures I suspect most of the ice will be gone by next week.

day 325 3-9-2010 Tue 40 to go

Day 325-40 to go
3-9-10 Tue
5:30PM-6:15PM

Weather: Calm, partly cloudy, 44°, 29.66, rising

H2O: 4.95' rising, 18.3 kcfs, 20", cloudy

Location: Mississippi R. Pool 8 - South Dresbach Bay

Caught

1. Perch (2) 4-6", minnows

partners

None

Comments

I was hoping to tie into so good crappies tonight, but that did not happen. Last year this spot was relatively good for crappies during the last of the ice season.
There definitely is perch here, but I think they are mostly small.
I heard my first sound of spring this evening: I heard a Harley Davidson motorcycle rumbling down the interstate. Dam things!

day 324 3-8-2010 Mon 41 to go

Day 324-41 to go
3-8-10 Mon
5:15PM-6:15PM

Weather: Calm, fog/mist, 40°, 29.98, steady

H2O: 4.84' falling, 14.6 kcfs, 18", cloudy

Location: Mississippi R. Pool 8 - Camp 22

Caught

1. Crappies 4", Ratso
2. Perch (4) 6-8", Ratso

partners

None

Comments

I am not sure if this is the second or third time I have fished this spot. Either way it has not produced anything for me. One hole had lots of perch that were small, and that was about it. I have talked to other fisherman that come here quite often and it sounds as if this spot has been the dead sea all winter long. I also talked to some fisherman that had been tip-up fishing here all day and they did not catch any northerns.
I may or may not give it a try here again the next ice season.

Day 323-42 to go
3-7-10 Sun
2:00PM-6:00PM

Weather: NNE4, mostly cloudy, 47°, 30.07 steady

H2O: 639.56' falling, 16.7 kcfs, 22", clear

Location: Mississippi R. Pool 7 - Half-Way Creek and
the areas south of

Caught

1. Crappies (15) 7-13", Lil Cecil, minnows (kept 7)
2. Bluegill (7) 5-7", Rat Finkee
3. Perch (5) 8-11", Minnows (kept 2)

partners

Ty and Chris

Comments

I met Ty and his friend Chris out on the lake this afternoon. for some late season hard-water fishing. The fishing was not fantastic, but we did catch some fish. I did have much better action before Ty and Chris showed up and started drilling holes all around me. I am convinced that this definitely scares the fish off.
The most and best action came off my tip-downs baited with a minnow. I really enjoy this type of fishing. The fish I caught and kept were sent home with Ty so he and his family could have a good meal of panfish.

day 322 3-6-2010 Sat 43 to go

Day 322-43 to go
3-6-10 Sat
8:00AM-11:00AM

Weather: Calm, sunny, 31°, 30.08 steady

H2O: 639.66' falling, 19 kcfs, 18", cloudy

Location: Mississippi R. Pool 7 - Fox Beach

Caught

1. Crappies (2) 8-10", Rat Finkee, Rembrandt
2. Bluegill 6", Rembrandt

partners

None

Comments

I got out early this morning to hit a spot only accessible this time of the season with an airboat. The fishing was terrible. I marked plenty of fish on the locator, but I could not coax a bite out of them. The use of the camera was not a very good option, because the water was pretty cloudy. Even with the cloudy water I did manage to see a few crappies and bluegills. The last time I fished here I caught perch, bluegills and crappies. Now, I think the only fish that are present are bluegills and crappies. The perch seemed to have vanished.

day 321 3-5-2010 Fri 44 to go

Day 321-44 to go
3-5-10 Fri
5:00PM-6:45PM

Weather: W3, clear, 40°, 30.32 steady

H2O: 4.92' falling, 17.3 kcfs, 10", clear

Location: Mississippi R. Pool 8 - Dresbach Dam 30' +

Caught

1. Walleye 10" Jigging Rap
2. Sauger (6) 10-12" Jigging Rap (kept 2)

partners

None

Comments

Tonight I went directly to the deep water spots. The ice is still holding up rather well; I was able to park on the ice and I still felt safe while fishing. The fish were definitely in the deep water and when they showed up on the locator they would usually bite.
It was a bit of a trick using the locator in the deep water in addition to having my lure swept downstream with the current. I had to drill a series of two holes with one three feet downstream from the other. I would then place the locator in the downstream hole where it was able to pick up my bait directly below it.