It’s officially first ice in northern Wisconsin! We finally got on good 4”-5” of solid clear ice on a couple of our smaller lakes on November 28 this year. Fishing was solid but we definitely had to keep moving to stay on the fish. Both panfish and game fish were spread out. Panfish were scattered along remaining green weeds with no fish found in the basins yet. Crappies and bluegills should start to transition to the basin in the next couple weeks although you can always find some in the weeds as well.
Bass and pike were hitting large minnows on set lines and were quite aggressive. The best spots were near the highest concentrations of panfish and not necessarily cover-related. Many more large lakes need a lot more cold to freeze up, but for now, at least we are ice fishing!
Caleb Wistad
Hooked Up Wisconsin