Photo by Ron Sinfelt

To all you muskie nuts out there, here's a little question from the gang at the Snowshoe Bar: How's the fishin'? Oh, sorry. They forgot you can chase the Esox king only about half the year! Maybe you should count your blessings. There are six months when you can return home without needing to make excuses for not catching any fish. Further, you should be happy the folks from Illinois don't want the yellowfin tuna as our state fish -- you can't catch them either! The only reason Esox masquinongy has the state-fish designation is for the profound tourism impact those big "toothers" bring to Wisconsin.

Walleye anglers can chase our favorite fish year-round. Nor do we have any qualms about dropping the smaller ones in hot grease when we get in from the lake. And there's a beautiful transition zone right out in front of the Snowshoe Bar. We can see our tip-ups through the window. Every evening about dark outside the saloon, the flags will start poppin' right down the line. An hour later, we'll take time out from euchre and shakin' dice to have some light-battered walleye filets right out of the fryer.

What do you suppose a guy wearing a "Muskies: Everything Else Is Just Bait" hat will dine on if he feels like eatin' fish tonight? That's right-- tuna fish sandwiches! We serious walleye chasers realize the importance of catch-and-release. Bigger 'eyes are always gently returned to the water. A couple of old boys at the Snowshoe argue hard for smallmouth bass as our state fish. We're all on the same page regarding release of muskies, smallmouths and bigger walleyes. It's funny how the smallmouth fanatics don't bring up the state-fish issue when the nightly news comes on at the Snowshoe. We know they aren't pondering the war, gas prices or the economy. The first basket of fresh walleye filets is cooling on a paper towel. Smells like winter in Wisconsin!

Here's a look at some of the best places in our state to get your head straightened out over the next couple of months.

LAKE KOSHKONONG
There haven't been this many big walleyes swimming in this shallow 10,400-acre southern Wisconsin lake since the winter of 1987. The concept of catch-and-release for walleyes hadn't caught on back then. A lot of big female 'eyes never got returned to the lake. My, how things have changed for the better!

Hopefully, anglers who fish this Jefferson-Rock County border water on a regular basis will remember how long it took to get good numbers of 24- to 28-inch marble-eyes back in the lake. Maybe the positive trend that is seeing geometric progression over the past couple of years will continue.

Department of Natural Resources fisheries biologist Don Bush said Koshkonong is in a better state of ecological balance than he can ever remember. At least five adult year-classes of walleyes will be popping flags here this winter.

Going after these fish is almost too easy. Time of day isn't real important. The lake has a maximum depth of just 6 feet. All you need to do is find at least 5 feet of water and set rosy reds or fatheads under your boards about 3 feet down. Two major keys to success are getting away from the crowds and taking care to cover the hole in an attempt to keep out un-natural light. With little structure to relate to, Koshkonong walleyes are always on the move.

Anglers are permitted three lines apiece. Set your tip-ups in a triangular pattern about 50 feet apart. Before actually fishing, punch a bunch of holes in all directions so you can move boards stealthily in the same direction the walleyes appear to be moving.

The statewide five-fish/15-inch limit is in place. Releasing fish over 20 inches is the only way to ensure we can have this much fun next year!

Contact: U-Catch-em Bait, (608) 754-7976.