Got a day off of work yesterday (12/19) and decided to make a day of it and took a fishing trip with a good buddy of mine. I had never fished any Wisconsin lake before and my buddy had yet to get out on the ice as of this season, but we were up for the challenge. We got to the first lake (Big Round) and setup up an underwater point that tops out at 5 feet and dropped off into 14-16 ft on either side. We drilled 15-20 holes in a star configuration and setup four tip ups around the mid-lake point in depths varying from 5-13 FOW, and then set the house up off the tip of the point in 15 FOW. The targeted species were walleyes and northern pike, but the only fish we could muster up were a school of small crappies and one small walleye. We decided that the spot was not panning out and we both agreed that it was time to make a move.
We got word of a hot bite for jumbo perch going on Bone Lake and since we were so close, we hopped in the truck and headed across the road. We started popping holes on a break (15-23 FOW) that we thought would hold fish. No Luck. Moved to the main lake basin where a shallow rock bar tapers off to the edge in 33 FOW, marked fish, but again, No Luck. We continued moving across the lake in search of fish. We hit everything from shallow weed flats that were adjacent to saddle’s, mid lake humps that dropped off into deep water in a short distance, and mid lake points, but after 50-60 holes we struggled to put a fish on the ice and again we decided to make a move.
Frustrated with the way our day of fishing was turning out, we decided to make one last stop on a lake we knew held some very good sized walleyes and crappies (Cedar). We drove up to the spot that was marked on our Navionics app and found a shallow 13 foot underwater crib tucked into a small bay. We drilled 10-15 holes around the structure and we were immediately on fish. As my buddy was still drilling holes, I dropped a jig and plastic combo down to see the mood of the fish and what species we were marking on the Vexilars. As soon as I got the bait down to the fish, three of the marks came flying up off the bottom, but as aggressive as they were, they bit so subtle that if I had not had my TUC Precision Noodle with me, I would have never known to have set the hook. First fish to hit the ice was a fat 8.5″ bull gill and I told my buddy to stop punching holes and grab a rod. We fished the crib for a total of 2 hours and ended up icing a nice two man limit of 8-9″ bluegills.
Had it not been for the Precision Noodle, we would have struggled to catch those fish because I was out fishing my friend almost 4 fish to 1 while he was using his St. Croix Legend Spring Bobber rod. After a very slow, frustrating start, we were able to put a nice pattern together and caught plenty of fish for a nice fish fry last night. As much as I loved icing each one of those bluegills, I was just glad to get out on the ice and fish with a great friend who shares such a passion and love for outdoors as I do. The bond is unbreakable.
Rods Used: Tuned Up Custom Precision Noodle 28″ Split Grip and St. Croix Legend 24″ Spring Bobber Rod
Baits Used: CJ&S Chekai 5mm Tungsten Jig paired with a Clam Maki Plastic
Depths Fished: 10-14 FOW
Conditions: Overcast skies, 14-17 inches of ice with 2-5 inches of snow pack
