Early-Ice Perch Jerkin' Sometimes we get safe ice in November, while other years it takes a little longer to form. But when the lakes finally do freeze, these tactics will help you catch perch right from the get go! ... [+] Full Article
LAKE KOSHKONONG
The vaudeville performer with plates spinning atop sticks has nothing on DNR biologist Don Bush, who has managed to tweak 10,400-acre Lake Koshkonong into a state of nearly perfect balance.
The vast Rock River wetland that became this shallow lake straddling the Rock/Jefferson county line with construction of the Indianford Dam in the late 1800s has a maximum depth of 5 to 6 feet, depending on how much water is moving down Rock River.
Walleyes are the main draw here, with six adult year-classes now swimming in Kosh. Since this is essentially a shallow, amorphous basin with little more than a couple of shale flats and rock humps to relate to during winter months, fish in this lake are always on the move.
The key to consistent success lies in targeting "deeper" flats with fathead or rosy red minnows suspended just off the bottom on No. 8 treble hooks below tip-ups. Wisconsin law allows three lines per angler. You can also cover more ice by fishing with several buddies. After selecting a couple acres of promising ice, drill holes in a triangle pattern 50 to 75 feet apart. Set your boards while taking care to cover the holes by using either round tip-ups or employing hole covers made from a section of dark fiberboard to keep your presentation natural. Back off a few yards from the nearest tip-ups, toss the brats on a gas grill, and wait. One flag doesn't mean a pattern, but when the same tip-up or boards in close proximity pop up twice, it is a good idea to move other tip-ups to open holes close to where the action is. You can eat the brats later after they soak in beer, onions and butter for a while, which of course is the Sheboygan way of doing brats right.
Conventional wisdom says this will be the first winter since 1987 to see 10-pound walleyes coming through the ice on Koshkonong. Back in the winter of 1987, I took home several fish of substantial proportions, just like everybody else. This was stupid. It has taken Don Bush 20 years to put things back together again. By keeping only smaller 15- to 20-inch walleyes, the double-dorsaled, marble-eyed goose that lays those golden eggs can keep us grinning for a long, long time.
Contact: Patten's Marine, Fort Atkinson, (920) 563-5350.
MISSISSIPPI RIVER
After more than 30 years of bouncing all over Wisconsin, I finally set up a semi-permanent base camp over on Pool 9 of the Mississippi River. Why? Because Old Man River is the most dynamic multi-species fishery ever to see my hook.
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