Ice fishing on Asylum Bay on Lake Winnebago in Oshkosh, January 13, 2023 PC: Fox 11 Online
LAKE WINNEBAGO (WTAQ-WLUK) — Taking to the lakes and doing a little ice fishing is part of how we live in Northeast Wisconsin, and on Lake Winnebago, many anglers are doing just that.
At nearly 132,000 acres, the lake stretches for miles in each direction. The owner of Fish Tales Bait and Tackle the ice fishing season got off to a very promising start.
“Before deer hunting, there were guys on the bays fishing already, getting panfish. Then what happened after that? The weather just kind of got warm. We got rain, so now we probably got six to eight-ish. And the lake’s still good. The ice is still good. It’s just the shorelines with all the runoff. When you get rain and stuff, that takes a toll on that. The big part is just getting out there,” said Cory Van Vonderen, Fish Tales Bait and Tackle Owner.
On Friday morning, about a dozen anglers tested their luck on about six inches of ice covering Asylum Bay on the western shoreline in Oshkosh.
“Jumbo bluegills, and dandy perch, are supposed to be here,” said Ray Demichei, Kewaskum.
“The report was that they’re getting them, but that was when there was a south wind. Now, there’s a north wind, so we’ll see what happens,” he said.
His fishing friend says the bite has been off and on.
“They come in, and sometimes they take it, and sometimes they won’t. You got to be here the right day, when they’re biting. Today, I got two bluegill,” said Harry Sanders, Fond du Lac.
Back on the big part of the lake, Cory Van Vonderen says warmer temperatures are expected in the coming days, and that could impact conditions there.
“It’s plenty walkable. I wouldn’t recommend taking any machines out right now. Take advantage of the fish that are in the bays, and just walk out and fish. Wait a week or two, and we’ll be able to get back at it out on the lake,” he said.
Experts warn people no ice is ever considered to be 100 percent safe.
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