Lake Wingra is the baby of the chain, covering a mere 345 acres. Wingra holds more muskies per acre than the other Madison lakes, but they run small. This is a good lake to take a neophyte looking for his or her first muskie. Throw topwaters and bucktails along weed edges or troll the open water. Some anglers speed troll, with one bait right in the prop wash. I’ve yet to fish this lake without at least seeing one muskie.

All the Madison lakes have good, well-marked public launches. For more information, contact D&S Bait, Tackle & Archery at (608) 241-4225 or www.dsbait.com .

GREEN BAY AND LOWER FOX RIVER
Thanks to DNR stocking efforts, Green Bay, Sturgeon Bay and the Lower Fox River are now home to a fair number of Great Lakes spotted muskies -- some that grow to awesome proportions. Problem is, they have a vast amount of water to roam and finding them can be like looking for that proverbial needle.

In spring and fall, however, these spotted muskies hang out near river mouths and in bays up and down the shoreline. You’ll also find them in the Lower Fox River to the DePere dam, throughout Sturgeon Bay and Little Sturgeon Bay, and over Larson’s Reef.

Because of the acreage you’ll need to cover, trolling is the most popular method used to catch them. Some anglers also cast jerkbaits and crankbaits wherever perch, walleyes and other muskie food hang out.

Walleye anglers occasionally tangle with a big muskie, so most carry a big landing net and needle-nose pliers. Guide Eric Haataja and Ryan Dempsey of Green Bay caught and released a fish they measured at 56 inches while trolling for walleyes in April a few years back. No one has reported catching that fish during the open season, so she may still be out there waiting for you.

For more information, contact DePere Sportsman’s Warehouse at (920) 336-7000, or visit the Web site at www.sportsmanswarehouse.com ; or the Door County Chamber of Commerce at (800) 52-RELAX or www.doorcounty.com .

ELKHART AND RANDOM LAKES
Located at opposite ends of Sheboygan County, these two lakes offer a good chance to see a muskie or two in a half-day of fishing. Elkhart is the bigger of the two, spanning 286 acres, with a maximum depth of 119 feet. The lake is stocked annually with Leech Lake-strain muskies by a local Muskies Inc. chapter.

The lake is crystal clear, and follows are common, while hookups are not. The lake holds some big muskies, according to DNR fisheries biologist John Nelson. He suggests fishing the shallows during low-light periods or probing the depths with diving crankbaits. Ciscoes are a common forage here, so white and silver are good bait colors. Several rocky points, a few weedy bays and one good offshore bar provide structure. The public landing is located along the west shore off Highway P.

Random Lake is mostly shallow and weedy, with one 20-foot hole. Topwaters, Bulldawgs and shallow-running crankbaits produce fish. In spring, you’ll find muskies in the new weeds at the north end of this 200-acre lake. Later in the season, work the deep weed edge along the east and west shores of the main basin or soak a sucker in the deep hole.