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| Hello guys,
My father-in-law, his son, my wife and I are coming up to PineCrest Cottages, on Lake Winneconne, June 7th and 8th for our very first time. My hopes are that we can catch a few walleye and maybe some white bass.
I have debated what our best move should be, fishing Winneconne or trailering over to Winnebago with my 17ft Tracker dual console with 115hp Mercury. We'll make that decision as the time draws nearer.
I'm in the process of doing my research, and here are my initial thoughts and here is where I need some help......I'm bringing up 6 line counter rods and reel combos spooled with 10lb test and trolling some smaller plugs on Church mini boards. I think I can handle the trolling aspect but should we opt to cast small jigs or drift, what might be the best technique to employ?
Winneconne is shallow so with four anglers on the boat I am concerned that simply drifting with 1 /16 oz jigs tipped with bait may not produce since the shaddow of the boat will be readily seen by those shallow fish and most likely will spook them. Casting away from the boat is an option but I have no idea about weed growth which might present another problem with fouling the jigs.
Trolling with boards will get the small plugs away from the boat but what about other options? I suppose we could use slip bobber rigs but that will not allow us to cover much water. So....what technique other than trolling can I effective use to cover water in these pretty shallow lakes?
Thanks all |
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Member
Posts: 2300
Location: Berlin | 4 people in the boat is tough. I would rather dump salt in my eyes than troll but that might be your best option. There are lots of pattern going that time of year but 4 people in the boat will be brutal. My only other suggestion is vertical jigging the mouth around Paiges slough. Good luck! |
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Member
Posts: 1314
Location: Menasha, WI | Although I'd rather pour salt in my eyes than anchor up, slip-bobbers might be an option. Work the cane beds or certain shoreline areas on Winneconne/Poygan or the reefs on Bago. At that time of the year casting and drifting jigs on the reefs can be fairly productive if the water doesn't stay too clear this summer. One of my favorite ways to fish the reefs is to long line a 1/8oz jig and drift over the reef tops.
Edited by Viking 1/22/2011 1:14 PM
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Member
Posts: 921
Location: Manitowoc, WI | I personnaly would rather pour salt in my eyes before I fished the Winnebago chain on vacation. I would go to Green Bay and have some real fun.
Edited by Horshak 1/22/2011 2:31 PM
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Member
Posts: 141
Location: Oshkosh, WI | You will have a lot of reports around that time to help you make your decision. If you are going to troll, I would recommend getting at least 4 full size boards so you can pull crankbaits effectively. The trolling bite may be on on winnebago and winneconne. Personally, I tend to only drift jigs on and around reefs when conditions are perfect, otherwise I have a hard time controlling my presentation well enough to catch fish. I prefer to anchor and slip bobber and cast jigs - and move move move. I like the idea of vertical jigging in the mouth of the Wolf. You might also consider pulling flies or anchoring in the river in winneconne for w-bass and walleyes. I get a big kick out of pulling flies. You use heavy weight to keep y'all from getting tangled up. For me, I will dump the salt on my driveway as soon as it gets above 20 degrees. That will be a good time to be here - enjoy! |
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Member
Posts: 1406
| Use that salt for your margaritas as that 17' with 4 guys will be on the trailer in the parking lot if theres a wind over 5 mph out of the west or north!. Although if thats the ONLY option. Your time will be best spent pulling flies in the Fox right in town there and panfishing in the channels. Forget the trolling and 2 of you call me and I'll hook you up with a guide to show you the best bite!
Good Luck
Tyee |
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Member
Posts: 18
| If it's very windy when you're here, boat control is always a must. You can always anchor near the reefs closer to the upwind sides of the lakes; very tough but fish weeds on the up wind side of the lakes, anchor or vertical jig all the rivers, and pull flies only in Winneconne/Oshkosh river areas.
If it's windy, boat control is always a must. You can anchor, drift, or troll the reefs, tough but fish weeds on the up wind side of the lakes, anchor or vertical jig all the rivers, pull flies only in Winneconne/Oshkosh river areas, and if very brave fish the down wind sides of the lakes/troll the mud areas.
If it's a nice surface chop to flat calm when you're here, the boat control is still always a must; but now you can cover more acreage on this system. Feel free to do all of the above and some. By some I mean you can run to new areas miles away without the misery of wave pounding with 4 guys in the boat. Keeping the jigs on a dime and pitching them to target areas is now easy. Feel free to cover as much of the Winnebago system effectively and efficiently as possible.
Everybody can now keep that salt to themselves while you enjoy that trip this coming summer. Good luck and have fun!
Edited by Tigerfish 1/23/2011 11:34 AM
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