LAKE KEGONSA
This shallow, fertile basin lake is a perpetual producer of crappies, bluegills and perch along the deepwater weedline that essentially rings the entire shoreline all summer long.

Anglers also target the weed edge out from Quam Point and over by the state park when winter comes, starting their quest in the shallows of Barber's Bay. In recent years, the arrival of ice has been like flipping an "off" switch here, with Kegonsa turning into an instant "dead sea." However, the biomass is changing here. There are still plenty of panfish, but throughout last summer, this lake gave up some impressive stringers of walleyes, as in a lot of mid-20-inch fish.

It's a long walk out to the lone rocky hump at midlake on Kegonsa. But rest assured, many anglers will make the trek out there to set tip-ups when a front is on the way, and during periods of low light.

Will the walleye bite here continue? Will Kegonsa just be a good place to chill this winter? There is only one way to find out!

LAKE WAUBESA
Chances for success are certainly better on Lake Waubesa just a couple miles farther north up U.S. Highway 51. This Madison lake has a well-earned reputation for consistency, in both producing winter catches and giving up smaller fish than other Dane County destinations.

The whole show starts out from Goodland Park on the lake's south end, with bluegills being the primary draw. This bite usually continues throughout the winter, with mobility being a major key to success. Moving just a few yards and poking a new hole between the weeds can spell the difference between fish and no fish -- or little 'gills and real respectable slabbers.

Springs near the Yahara River outlet point at Babcock Park on the lake's east side make it a little tougher to get out on the ice here. But once you get beyond the perpetual patch of open water, setting tip-ups for northerns can be very productive, with a real shot at icing pike in the mid- to upper-30-inch range.

Just north of here is a steep breakline off Rockford Heights that holds the potential for eater-sized walleyes at low light, and for a mess of respectable crappies just about anytime.

Get out over 30 feet of water in the main-lake basin between Babcock Park and the slide at the Bible Camp where you can usually find a mess of perch by using Genz Fat Boy jigs, especially gold ones, tipped with a red Lindy Mini-Munchie plastic tail. Once you locate the fish that are feeding on little bloodworms emerging from the soft bottom, your rod will be in a state of nearly constant bendage. Filling a 25-fish limit is usually not that difficult, and if you are adept in using an X-Acto knife to fillet with, a limit is usually a big enough mess for supper -- if you have plenty of potatoes.