Largemouth bass overlooked on Winnebago’s south end

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Largemouth bass overlooked on Winnebago’s south end
By Dean Bortz
Editor



Lake Winnebago means walleyes, no matter where a person fishes the big lake. And that holds true on the south end, as well. However, on the south end, the walleye fishing is primarily concentrated around Black Wolf Point on the west side and from Gladstone Beach to Calumetville on the east side.

The southern-most end of the lake, at Fond du Lac, does not attract a lot of walleye anglers, according to Rick Fero, manager of Dutch’s Trading Post in Fond du Lac.

“We have good walleye fishing in the spring on the far south end, but the lake averages only 7 to 8 feet down here, so as the water warms, the fish move up the lake,” Fero said.

Walleye fishing picks up again near Fond du Lac in the fall as water temps drop.

The structure found in the Black Wolf Point area is what attracts walleyes and the anglers who fish for them. Long Point Reef may be the most popular walleye spot on Lake Winnebago. This huge bar holds walleyes and perch all year long. Anglers can cast crankbaits, or soak live bait around the reef. Trollers run crankbaits and live bait rigs along the 7- to 10-foot breaks. The same patterns will work on all of the other reefs, as well.

West of Long Point and Fraction Island are some cane beds and weedbeds that hold walleyes. Most anglers use a light jig and live bait to fish the cane. Use a push pole to reduce noise and damage to the weeds.

Walleye fishermen also work the east shore. There are shallow rock reefs west of Fisherman’s Road that hold walleyes in the spring, fall and winter. Also try trolling crankbaits along the breakline from Deadwood Point south to Luco Creek.

The south end of Lake Winnebago offers good perch and white bass fishing. Fero said largemouth bass fishing is also good and may be the most overlooked aspect of that section of the lake.

“There are just a ton of black bass in the lake,” Fero said. “They’re there, but no one fishes for them. It’s an untapped resource. All you have to do is fish the shorelines — close to cover and in weeds.”
While Fero is referring to the shoreline on either side of Fond du Lac, some anglers do fish bass, northern pike and bluegills in the weedy bays at Little Point and Black Wolf Point.

Fero said catfish, perch and white bass action is often pretty good on the south end.

“This year, perch fishing has been pretty good and it’s very good right now. With the cooler water this year, the perch seem to be hanging around hard bottom in shallower water where they feed on snails,” Fero said. “Usually, they move out of those areas as the lake warms up — they move out to deeper water where they feed on red worms over the soft bottom. That didn’t happen this year.”

Anglers also find good white bass fishing, and a few perch, in the Fond du Lac River in spring and fall.

There are four larger landings on the south end of the lake — at Wendt’s near Black Wolf Point, on the Fond du Lac River and on the east side on Fisherman’s Road and at Calumetville. Most winter fishing is concentrated near those access points. Sturgeon spearers spread out more than winter walleye and perch anglers. Sturgeon spearers like the south end because the shallower water makes it easier for them to see and spear fish.

For more information on fishing the south end of Lake Winnebago, call Dutch’s Trading Post at (920) 922-0311.

This article originally published in [url wisconsinoutdoornews.com]Wisconsin Outdoor News[/url]
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