Fishing Information

Ice Fishing in the Wisconsin Winter


It's late December... temperatures are racing towards 0 degrees. Ice is covering most of the lakes in Wisconsin and getting thick on the lakes in the Northern half of the state.

This is the time of the year when the die-hards come out to take on the bitter cold to do what they love... fish!

But ice fishing doesn't have to be just for those fishing fanatics. If you usually put fishing into the back of your mind during the cold winter, you might want to think about reaching back and pulling it to the front a few months early. Ice fishing is definitely different than fishing in the middle of a muggy Wisconsin summer, but it may be more fun than you might be thinking it is.

Ice fishing isn't just about staring down into a dark hole in the middle of a big cold lake freezing your butt off... if you put your line in the water and do nothing but sit and stare at the hole and never get a bite, that could end up being a long boring day, but you can make it fun (but if the fish are active and biting, then it will be fun regardless!)...

Go with friends! Unless you need some "alone time," ice fishing with friends or family always makes for a better experience. Since ice fishing is more of a waiting game than fast-action summer fishing is, if you don't have somebody to talk to, you might start talking to yourself! If you do go along, at least bring a radio.

Got snowmobiles or ATVs? Do you know somebody who does? Take them out on the lake with you. Set your tip-ups up, and then go for a ride around the lake... as long as you don't get to far away from your tip-ups, you may be able to do a little exploring or have a little fun while your waiting for that 8 pound walleye to take your bait.

Don't forget that hot chocolate or coffee! If it's cold, nothing helps keep you warm like a hot drink... and to me, no other hot drink beats hot chocolate. Soup is always good too... and if you plan on making a lunch on the lake from all the fish your catching, be sure to bring cooking supplies, including something to actually cook the fish with.

If you're going with friends, bring something to toss around... a football, frisbee, hacky-sack, whatever... just don't kill yourself diving for a catch on the ice! These things will at least keep you busy while you wait for that tip-up flag to spring up.

Just remember, to make sure that you stay close enough to the tip-ups at all times so that you can respond within a reasonable time of the flag going up.

So, if you've always stuck to summer fishing and never wanted to venture out fishing during the winter months, you ought to give it a try this winter... you might just find out what a great rewarding experience it can be...

And just remember, unlike Wisconsin's muggy summers, there are absolutely no bugs biting you while you are ice fishing, so you can keep that mosquito spray at home!

--- Scott Pinkert runs a great Wisconsin fishing resource site called Go Wisconsin Fishing. The website is an excellent resource for everything you want or need to know about fishing in Wisconsin. You can check out the site by visiting http://www.go-wisconsin-fishing.com. For more articles like this, sign up for his monthly newsletter at http://www.go-wisconsin-fishing.com/newsletter.html ---


MORE RESOURCES:


MSN News UK

Mother bear rescues cub from a fishing net in Alaska
BBC News
Amateur video has captured footage of a mother bear saving her cub from a fishing net in Anchorage, Alaska. The mother desperately struggled to save her cub ...
Neighbors help bear cub trapped in fishing netKTVB

all 20 news articles »


Northern California fishing report
San Jose Mercury News
Bass fishing is slow. Catfish will be planted weekly. (925) 284-9669. LOS VAQUEROS: Striped-bass bite is back on. Frozen shad or anchovies work best. ...
OUTDOORS: Weekly fishing report, July 29North County Times

all 4 news articles »


Taylor Lake offers anglers good opportunity for bass and blue gill
Bend Bulletin
BIG LAVA LAKE: No recent report but fishing for rainbow trout has been good throughout spring and early summer. The fish have been in great condition ...
Fishing reportDetroit Free Press
fishing reportLas Vegas Review-Journal
Fishing Line: 07/29/10Sacramento Bee
ConnectMidMichigan.com -MLive.com
all 15 news articles »


DE Spears likes Louisiana fishing
Fort Worth Star Telegram
But back to fishing, here are five thoughts from Spears: 1"I'm from Louisiana. I like to fish in pits. They are off the bayou of the Mississippi River. ...

and more »


Action remains fine as fishing effort down
Seattle Times
Heading into the heart of summer the wide variety of fishing opportunities continue to offer decent action. By Mark Yuasa Seattle native and lifelong angler ...

and more »


Final two Overnight Fishing Opportunities of the summer are Aug. 21 and 28
Kansas City Star
7/28/10 - The second of two overnight fishing opportunities planned this summer at Kill Creek Park Lake and the fourth of four at Shawnee Mission Park Lake ...

and more »


The Hindu

Iceland tells EU: "We keep control of fishing"
Fish Update
ICELAND has told the European Union that its fishing grounds are not open to negotiation and must remain under the control of the Reykjavik Government. ...
Iceland defies EU fishing rulesBBC News
Iceland wants to stay out of EU fishing policyBusinessWeek
Iceland seeks EU membership benefits, but fishing and Icesave remain thorny issuesInternational Business Times
Winnipeg Free Press -UPI.com -BusinessWeek
all 149 news articles »


msnbc.com

BP Oil Spill: Fisherman Say It's Time to Reopen Some Fishing Grounds
ABC News
Bobby Jindal and Gulf Residents Want to Begin Fishing Again By JEFFREY KOFMAN On day 99 of BP's oil spill crisis, almost a quarter of the Gulf of Mexico ...
NBC's Anne Thompson Reflects On 100 Days In The GulfHuffington Post (blog)
100 Days After Spill Gulf Still at RiskFOXNews (blog)
100 days of oil: Gulf life will never be the sameThe Associated Press
Natural Resources Defense Council (blog) -Voice of America -Albany Times Union
all 4,441 news articles »


Fishing Forecast: Week of July 29 to Aug. 4
The Virginian-Pilot
The 21 boats fishing in the 14th annual Virginia Beach Invitational Marlin Tournament out of Rudee Inlet released 70, along with two sailfish and one blue ...
SALTWATER REVIEW First slam tourney targets three popular fishDelmarva Daily Times

all 2 news articles »

Google News

home | site map
© 2006