ICE FISHING REPORT - WEEK ENDING JANUARY 18TH

LET’S START OFF WITH THE ICE CONDITIONS. THE ICE CONDITIONS REALLY VARY DEPENDING OF WHERE YOU ARE AT, SO YOU DEFINITELY HAVE TO DO YOUR HOMEWORK BEFORE JUST BLINDLY HEADING OUT THERE. CURRENTLY THE SAFEST ICE IS IN THE PROTECTED BAYS OF LITTLE STURGEON, RILEY’S BAY, AND SAWYER HARBOR. THERE IS ALSO SOME OK ICE ALONG THE STURGEON BAY FLATS, THE POTAWATOMI PARK SHORELINE, ALONG WITH HENDERSON'S POINT ON SOUTH TO THE BAY SHORE PARK AREA. ALL OF THESE AREAS NEED TO BE NAVIGATED WITH EXTREME CAUTION AS THERE IS STILL SHIPPING TRAFFIC AND THE ICE CAN AND WILL MOVE, ESPECIALLY ON THE BAY OF GREEN BAY. AS FOR THE FISHING REPORT, THIS IS WHAT WE'VE GOT.

PERCH - THE PERCH FISHING REPORTS CAN BE CLASSED AS GOOD OVERALL DEPENDING ON THE DAY OF COURSE. THE INITIAL TRUE “1ST ICE” ACTION WAS PHENOMENAL LIKE IT ALWAYS IS, THEN IT TAPERS OFF AS THE NOISE AND THE PRESSURE GROWS. NO MATTER WHERE YOU DECIDE TO GO, WHETHER IT’S IN ONE OF THE SHALLOWER BAYS LIKE LITTLE STURGEON, RILEY'S BAY, OR SAWYER HARBOR, YOU REALLY NEED TO STAY RELATIVELY QUIET OR THOSE FISH WILL SPOOK. ONCE YOU CAN SAFELY GET OUT TO SOME DEEPER WATER AREAS IT TENDS NOT TO BE AS CRUCIAL, BUT WHEN YOU ARE SHALLOW, IF YOU ARE NOT QUIET YOU WILL JUST BE FISHING AND NOT CATCHING. THE KEY IS TO TRY TO STAY AWAY FROM OTHER ANGLERS THE BEST YOU CAN AND STAY AWAY FROM MAJOR TRAVEL ROUTES FOR THE OBVIOUS REASON. FATHEADS, LAKE SHINERS AND ROSIES UNDER TIP- UPS OR ON JIGS WILL WORK, ALONG WITH AN ASSORTMENT OF JIGS TIPPED WITH WAX WORMS, SPIKES OR MINNOW HEADS.

PIKE - THE PIKE FISHING HAS ALSO BEEN GOING QUITE WELL OVERALL. GOOD NUMBERS OF FISH ARE BEING REPORTED AND THERE HAVE BEEN SOME REALLY BIG ONES GETTING CAUGHT, UP UNTIL THIS POINT. SOME AREAS TO TARGET PIKE INCLUDE AROUND THE MARINAS IN DOWNTOWN STURGEON BAY, THE POTAWATOMI PARK SHORELINE, THE FLATS ALONG WITH THE BAYS OF SAWYER, RILEY'S AND LITTLE STURGEON. MEDIUM AND LARGE GOLDEN SHINERS, SUCKER MINNOWS ALONG WITH FROZEN SMELT UNDER TIP UPS AND AUTO FISHERMEN THE TICKET THERE.

WHITEFISH - WE ARE STARTING TO GET SOME WHITEFISH REPORTS TRICKLING IN FROM FOLKS THAT ARE FISHING SOME SHORELINE STUFF FROM THE HENDERSON’S POINT AND RITE'S COVE AREA SOUTH TOWARDS DYKESVILLE. OBVIOUSLY ANGLERS ARE CHOMPING AT THE BIT TO GET OUT TO SOME OF THAT OFF-SHORE STRUCTURE, BUT FOR NOW YOU HAVE TO TAKE WHAT YOU CAN GET. IT LOOKS LIKE SOME COLDER WEATHER IS IN THE FORECAST SO LET’S CROSS OUR FINGERS THAT THE WIND GIVES US A LITTLE BREAK AND ALLOWS THE ICE TO LOCK IN AND THICKEN UP. BECAUSE AS OF RIGHT NOW THE WAY THE BAY IS SETTING UP IT LOOKS BETTER THAN IT HAS IN YEARS! NO MATTER IF YOU ARE CLOSE TO SHORE OR POKING AROUND OUT IN THAT DEEPER WATER, BE EXTREMELY CAUTIOUS WHEN VENTURING OUT. FISH WITH A FRIEND AND CONTINUOUSLY CHECK THE ICE AHEAD OF YOU, BE AWARE OF ANY CRACKS THAT YOU WALK OVER, AND KEEP A CLOSE EYE ON THE WIND. LEAD HEAD JIGS TIPPED WITH SOFT PLASTICS WORK EXTREMELY WELL FOR THE WHITEFISH AND SOME FOLKS WILL RUN SOME TYPE OF SLIDER HOOK ABOVE THEIR MAIN JIG, LIKE A FLY OR PLAIN HOOK TIPPED WITH A WAXY, SPIKE OR A PLASTIC BAIT OF SOME KIND.

WALLEYE - THE EARLY SEASON WALLEYE FISHING HAS BEEN EXCELLENT UP UNTIL THIS POINT. IT’S ACTUALLY SOME OF THE BEST EARLY WALLEYE FISHING THAT WE HAVE SEEN IN MANY YEARS. WE ARE NOT SURE WHY, BUT WE ARE NOT COMPLAINING, THAT’S FOR SURE. AS OF RIGHT NOW, AREAS LIKE HENDERSON’S POINT SOUTH TOWARDS CHAUDOIR'S DOCK WILL HOLD A FAIR NUMBER OF WALLEYES, ALONG WITH SOME AREAS IN AND AROUND LITTLE STURGEON AND RILEYS BAY. IF OUR ICE STICKS AROUND DURING THE WIND THIS WEEK AND IS NOT OVERLY AFFECTED, THERE WILL BE MORE OPPORTUNITIES THROUGHOUT THE COUNTY TO CHASE WALLEYES AROUND LIKE SHERWOOD POINT, LARSEN'S REEF, ALONG WITH SOME OF THAT STRUCTURE TO THE NORTH OF STURGEON BAY. RAPALA JIGS, MOONSHINES, ODD BALLS, SHIVER SPOONS AND BINKS SPOONS TIPPED WITH MINNOWS AND MINNOW HEADS CAN ALL BE EFFECTIVE FOR THE WALLEYES AT TIMES. ALSO SUSPENDING MINNOWS ON TIP-UPS HAS BEEN TAKING SOME FISH UP UNTIL THIS POINT, WHICH IS PRETTY COOL TO SEE.

ONCE AGAIN FOLKS, BEFORE YOU HEAD OUT ON THE ICE STOP IN AT HOWIE'S TACKLE & ARCHERY OR CALL US FOR UP-TO-DATE FISHING INFORMATION ALONG WITH ICE CONDITIONS BECAUSE THEY CAN AND WILL CHANGE QUICKLY, ESPECIALLY ON THOSE WINDY DAYS. WE WANT EVERYONE TO GET ALONG OUT ON THE ICE, SO BE KIND AND CURTIOUS AND GIVE ONE ANOTHER ENOUGH SPACE, THERE IS A LOT OF ICE FOR EVERYONE TO ENJOY. BE SAFE, HAVE FUN, AND GOOD LUCK ICE FISHING!