Minocqua Area Fishing Report - 2/10/25

Wind (and lots of it, not needed) and snow (about 5”, much needed), slowed participation on the ice for anglers.  Add cold and it looks like a lot of anglers took a pass on heading out on the ice this past week.  Those that fished (when they could) had mixed results.  Still, fish were caught and time on the ice enjoyed.

Crappie:  Good-Very Good – Deep basin and wood along river channels (Flowages) produced very well for anglers using Rattlin Kastmasters.  Most tipped with waxies or minnow heads.  Conditions for tip-down use not the best with snow and wind.  Weed Crappies (8-12’) held tight to bottom.  Slow dropping thin, fluttering jig/spoons tipped with waxies or plastics (white, silver, yellow) best.

Northern Pike:  Good – Nice thing about Pike fishing in the winter, most done with tip-ups…set it and forget it (except to keep holes from freezing up).  Enough action on shiners and suckers to make effort worth it.

Yellow Perch:  Good-Fair – Lots of #’s, but light on the keepers was the word from most anglers.  Mud flats of 16-22’ using heavy, yet small fast dropping spoons (Pimples, Hali, Bull spoons) to get back down quickly when pods of Perch moved through.  Wigglers and red spikes for the most part.  Some larger Perch on minnows on dead sticks.

Walleye:  Good-Fair – Bite window still best one hour before and after sunset.  A few early risers catching fish before dawn.  Jigging Raps and Slab Raps accounting for some nice fish (17-23”) but majority on tip-ups baited with suckers or river shiners.  Depths of 14-18’ weed edges or along breaks of 18-25’ gravel best.

Bluegill:  Fair – Not the best conditions for chasing Bluegills.  Those that did found Gills holding within a foot off the bottom and being tight lipped.  Due to wind, tungsten jigs #4 to combat line bow.  Tipped with waxies or spikes best.

Largemouth Bass:  Fair – Came to on warmer days, yet overall waiting for warmer weather.

Forecasted cold week with daytime temps single digit to teens and night time chills of -8 to -13.  Should ease up for the Holiday weekend (Fri/Sat) breaking into 20’s before dropping down into single digits for Sun/Mon.

Ice thickness good, averaging 22-28”+.  New snow may be a bit of a hindrance, but overall travel conditions very good.  Cold and high pressure more of a hindrance on the bite than anything else.

Only three weekends left of the 24/25 gamefish season.  Closes March 2nd at midnight, so don’t wait much longer to catch that Walleye dinner.

Ice Fishing Tournaments

February 15th – 24th Annual Plum Lake – Plum Lake

February 15th – 19th Annual Lake Tomahawk Family Fishery – Lake Tomahawk

March 1st – KISS - WIFA Highschool – Minocqua Chain