fishin' report 3-9-12

Looks like the bite on the big lake is heating up with the weather. Wednesday, (the 7th) Roy boated 3, and hooked 5. The other two were boatside releases that also parted with two of his Luckycrafts. Ouch! Today he re-lined. Last weekend the bite was good for our friends from Europe. They were, and have been using medium roaches. Tubes are, of course, also working. This weekend is suppoosed to be in the 60's. I'm sure it will bring lots of fishermen to town whether or not the bite is good. Have been hearing reports of Cohos biting South of here. Guys are setting up their powerlines in Chicago to reach out and touch some. Very few people are trolling, but those that are are getting fish. All reports of fish from boats are again South. Hopefully after this weekend we will have new reports of hot action to pass along. Later-Bob

fishin' report 2-20-12

More people are fishing the harbor because of the good weather lately. More fish are being caught. I'm not sure if the fishing has actually gotten better or not because of both sides of the equation increasing. People who are connecting with fish are getting some real beauts. Several Browns over 2o have been caught, and today Randy told me he had one on that he never got a chance to see. Many Browns were caught over the weekend along with a few Rainbows.
Roy is out again today, and was also out Friday. He had to break the ice both getting into and out of the water Friday. Some people might call that strange. In reality, he just loves to be out there that much and when he can get away, he does. Roy was fish-less Fri. although he did see people from shore catching fish. It will be interesting to see how he does today. The water was quite a bit dirtier over the weekend than it is today. Some nice Northerns have been caught and released in the new marina lately. Several fish were over the 36" mark. It's nice to see that people are geared to catch and release. Personally I like the taste of Northern so much that I would have a hard time releasing legal ones. A couple of old timers that stop in every weekend from Chicago got 3 fish right away Saturday morning. They generally use medium roaches.
Predominantly the best baits have been: Luckycrafts, medium tubes jigged w/waxies, small tubes under a bobber w/waxies, and spawn in that order.
The sun is out a little more every day. It gets a little warmer everyday. Hang in there real fishing will be here soon.

fishin' report 2-7-12

Most people I know have written off ice fishing for the year. No one wants to take a chance on marginal ice. I hear the county lakes are still safe, and so is Delavan, but having driven out to the county several times, I have not seen anyone fishing. Here in the harbor the ice is gone and the fishing has been sporadic. Over the weekend there was quite a bit of Brown action. Even a few Rainbows were caught. The ice in the marina is not good either, and I'm glad to see that most people fishing there have been smart enough to stay on the docks when drilling their holes. The #1 bait by far has been tube jigs either fished under a bobber, or jigged above the weeds. Small spoons, and crankbaits have also been producing. Spawn has been a slow contender. Minnows, like roaches, have been on and off depending on the day. Wish I could say more, but that pretty much sums it up. This weekend is Stoneface's Derby. Don't really know what will happen as far as fishing. Knowing that bunch -if nothing else -the party will still go on at the bar. I think most people would have to agree that when it comes to derbies, fishing is the smallest part of them. Later- Bob

fishin' report 1-20-12

As of today, the ice in the harbor is not safe enough to walk on. If you think about it, one week ago it was 55 and sunny. Tues. and Wed. the 10th and 11th found Max and Jerry trolling out by the hill. They started looking for baitfish in about 70ft. of water, didn't find any, but did mark larger fish. They dropped a couple of spoons down to the bottom- what kind I will not disclose- and wound up with several nice Lakers which they released, and a couple of nice Browns. The second day they got more Browns than Lakers. Jerry told me the Lakers were really pale with not much color which started us wondering whether they just lay on the bottom this time of year- basically dormant until something swims past their face. I'm merely illustrating two things with this tale, first- not everybody is brave enough to troll in January and I think this is a great accomplishment, (especially for guys their age) and second- the ice isn't that old. This weekend it may be safe enough, but I'm not recommending it to anyone who calls here. The marina is solid enough for traffic if you want to mess with Northerns. I'm afraid the days of trout being caught in there with any regularity are behind us. Inland lake ice is safe for pedestrians according to all my reports. Be careful- no fish is worth dying for- Bob

fishin' report 1-9-12

Holidays are over and there is still no ice to speak of in SE Wisconsin. Last weekend, (Jan 7th &8th) saw boaters still fishing the harbor. These die-hards have been doing quite well with Browns and Rainbows all winter. They usually average 3-5 fish per outing, sometimes more. That may not sound like a lot, but compared to how the shore fishermen have been doing it's a bonanza.
Nothing to tell about the inland lakes. Did hear on the news about a Pleasant Prairie resident who had to be rescued from the pond at Big Oakes Golf Course. Stay off the ice please. This week's temps will average around 30 with Thurs. being the first actual cold day (23). Personally I don't miss the nasty weather, but I'm sure there are those of you who are dying to get out on the ice. Let's wait a while so this statement doesn't become literal. Later, Bob.

fishin' report 12-27-11

Boaters are still picking up fish in the Kenosha Harbor. Crankbaits such as Luckycrafts, or Rapalas, or knock offs of same have been the ticket. Some fish are coming on tube jigs, and also the gulp minnows (jigged). Not huge numbers, but enough to keep it interesting. There is no safe ice inland, and as far north as Oshkosh. So this is a way to fish without ice. Racine is doing about the same. A few fish here and there. You don't have to be out there at the crack of dawn, so give it a shot.--Bob

fishin' report 12-19-11

When the weather isn't terrible, and the water isn't too dirty, people are catching fish with some regularity in the harbor. Windy miserable days keep fishermen in. As of yesterday there were still boaters willing to brave the weather for a shot at a nice Brown or Rainbow. None of these guys in boats have been getting skunked. They may not be getting limits of fish, but they are happy to catch a few. The best bait from shore has been the small white tube under a bobber. The best one from boats has been Luckycraft Pointers in both the 78 & 100 size. Some guys like Billy have been doing well with the Bass Pro knock-off version of the Luckycraft. This makes losing a bait to a dock, rock, or cable a lot easier to swallow than losing the full price version.
Today is in the 40's with not much wind. Seems perfect weather for die-hards to me. Get out there and give it hell. -Bob