Northwoods Wisconsin Fishing/Outdoor Report 1-1-2012

As of January 2, 2012.Outdoor and Fishing Reports for:
– Eagle River, Wisconsin;
– Central Wisconsin Lakes AND the Wisconsin River in Wisconsin’s Marathon
and Lincoln Counties (near Mosinee and Wausau).
THIS WEEK’S HEADLINES:- - Excellent northern action, with a very good, sporadic walleye bite, and
panfish hitting well in the Eagle River, Wisconsin area.- -Non-stop bluegill bite, with very good northern action, and walleye and
crappie hitting; all in and amidst the lakes and the Wisconsin River of
Wisconsin’s Marathon and Lincoln Counties (near Mosinee and Wausau).WEEKLY OUTDOOR AND FISHING REPORTS, and calendar highlights:***Eagle River, Wis. (VILAS COUNTY) — as of January 2, 2012:Eagle River, Wisconsin: Snowmobile Capital of the World®, Hockey Capital of
Wisconsin, World’s Largest Chain of 28 Lakes (Eagle River Chain O’Lakes
named one of the “7 Natural Wonders of Wisconsin” by Travel
Wisconsin.com/Wisconsin Department of Tourism). “The Best Up-North Town -
-Eagle River, Wisconsin” , as voted on by readers of Wisconsin Trails
Magazine. Eagle River Chamber of Commerce: 800-359-6315; 715-479-6400;
e-mail: info@eagleriver.org; web: www.eagleriver.org
   Excellent northern action, with a very good, sporadic walleye bite,
and panfish hitting well in the Eagle River, Wisconsin area.

***(Report on Central Wisconsin Lakes AND the Wisconsin River in Wisconsin’s
Marathon and Lincoln Counties near Mosinee and Wausau), — as of January 2,
2012.Editor’s note: The daily bag limit for walleyes on many lakes and the
Wisconsin River in Central Wisconsin (always check the regulations on the
particular water, first) is five (5) fish per day throughout the year while
the daily bag limit for walleye in many areas north of Mosinee and Wausau
may only be two to three fish because of Native American spearing
initiatives and the resulting DNR “quota limits”. Non-stop bluegill bite, with very good northern action, and walleye
and crappie hitting; all in and amidst the lakes and the Wisconsin River of
Wisconsin’s Marathon and Lincoln Counties (near Mosinee and Wausau).The New Year means you’ve got to use old tricks to be successful on the ice.Now that we are entering January the early or first ice bite of the year in
the central Wisconsin area is starting to diminish. Some anglers are
wondering where the fish went that they had been targeting for the previous
month. With added angler pressure and local community hot spots having been
pounded for nearly 30 days it is time to start moving out and heading in
different directions to be successful.Walleyes in the central Wisconsin area are still present in the shallow
backwater areas but with added pressure and now 4-wheeler and snowmobile
traffic they are becoming more lethargic and harder to catch. After dark and
very early morning hours have been the best time to catch walleyes. We have
been running tip-ups baited with golden shiners or small sucker minnows in 2
to 5 feet of water with the bait very close to the bottom.Northern activity in the central Wisconsin area has been very good and some
real big northerns have been caught in the past week. Large golden shiners
and suckers are doing the trick when it comes to targeting these fresh water
alligators. We are setting our tip-ups along shallow weed edges in 2 to 6
feet of water. The key here is keeping your bait suspended right below the
ice. Northern are always looking up, and a minnow suspended above them is
usually more than they can resist!Crappie action in the central Wisconsin area has been very good but now that
we have good ice we are starting to get out to some of our deeper water hot
spots. Most of our action is taking place in 15 to 25 feet of water with the
crappies holding 4 to 10 feet off the bottom. We have been running tip-downs
baited with rosie red minnows or small crappie minnows suspended at
appropriate depths. A flasher unit can come in very handy here when
determining the proper depth at which the fish are staging.If you are looking for great action the bluegill bite in the central
Wisconsin area has been non-stop! There are plenty of bull nosed gills out
there to make young or old alike smile with delight. These feisty scrappers
have been the main target the past two weeks as we have had very good luck
working weeds and wood in 4 to 8 feet of water. We have been running small
ice jigs like the Gill Pill and the Mooska in orange and yellow and tipping
them with waxies or spikes. Occasionally we will tip the jigs with plastics
to target the larger gills and crappies.(This report based on interview with licensed guide and trapper Phil Schweik
and licensed guide Glenn Moberg, of Hooksetters Fishing & Hunting Guide
Service, Mosinee. Wisconsin).
For more information about fishing and hunting in the Central Wisconsin
area:
* Phil Schweik, Hooksetters Fishing & Hunting Guide Services: phone:
715-693-5843; e-mail: pschweik@dwave.net; web: www.hooksetters.biz
 
Reports compiled, written & distributed by Creative Brilliance. ©2012.
Naomi K. Shapiro or Ray Smith, Creative Brilliance.
e-mail: cre8vnaomi@gmail.com; cre8vRay@charter.net