Minocqua Area Fishing Report

With less than a week of the inland lake gamefish season left (closes at midnight, March 3rd), there is little for anglers to get excited about at this time.

Record snows for the month of February in our area (50”+ so far in the Lakeland area) has caused a near shut down to anglers, as access has gone from bad to almost unattainable!

Largemouth Bass and Perch reports have been decent for anglers that have gotten out, with tip-ups for Bass using shiners and anglers jigging spikes for Perch.

A few areas of high traffic (without long walks) such as Schoolhouse Bay and Stacks Bay on Lake Minocqua, parts of Carroll Lake, and the southern end of Big Arbor Vitae had anglers getting out by foot or snowmobile. Anglers fishing Monday (2/25) did get some Crappies, Gills and Perch.

This deep snow will likely hurt the shallower, weedy lakes. Keep an eye on your minnows. If fished close to bottom and dying quickly, raise your bait up higher in the water column for better oxygen levels. Fish will move up, sometimes to within a foot or two of the ice if necessary, to survive.