Ice bite in Madison

There is a pretty decent bite going in Madison right now. Lake Waubesa has been on fire. Lots of walleyes being caught at first and last light in shallow next to weed edges in 7 feet of water. Perch have been aggressive and running larger than normal. On blue bird days it is an early morning and late afternoon bite. Clouds and fog have been all day long. Find 28-30 feet of water the it seems the perch are everywhere with a nice crappie here and there and white bass to 15 inches. Jiggin spoons are producing and also ratsos on dropper rigs. Bring red, black, and purple plastics and tip with a red spike or 3. wheelers are running all over the lake. Good luck and tight lines.

Thanks for the update.

From Jeff

Not doubting you kev, but here is a post from a different site:

Went out sunday all day. Slow doesnt even start to describe it. Fished in about 30′ of water. 2 guys 10 hours of fishing and 5 fish. Couple small perch and 2 bigger perch. Thankfully we brought food and a heater.

You are obviously a much better fisherman.

I’d bet they showed up around 10:00 or are simply hiding their catch… That said, I am a better fisherman than most. Perch fishing here can change by the hour. If you are not patient and confident in your spots or your rigs doubt can play tricks on you.

Kevin is probably one of the most consistent perch catchers you will find on the Madison chain. The vast majority of the people that fish this chain lack the patience and persistence it takes to get perch day in and day out. That being said, just because he’s getting them, don’t expect to go out and pound them. He gave all the pieces to the puzzle in his post, but you still have to put the pieces together.

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Kevin is probably one of the most consistent perch catchers you will find on the Madison chain. The vast majority of the people that fish this chain lack the patience and persistence it takes to get perch day in and day out. That being said, just because he’s getting them, don’t expect to go out and pound them. He gave all the pieces to the puzzle in his post, but you still have to put the pieces together.

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I don’t know Kev, but I have witnessed that hundreds of times on the entire Madison chain. 20 guys piled together like sardines and all marking fish…and only a couple guys consistently getting them. My opinion is Mendota/Madison chain can be one of the most challenging bodies of water to consistently do well on. Especially if your not quick to adapt to alternate presentations or able to understand the fishs’ mood by what you see on a locator. And that has been true all the way back into the early 80’s when I started fishing Mendota on a regular basis. I never judge “the bite” by a single report (unless I personally know them), rather take into account a larger sampling and filter through the details. Guys that know their stuff and doing well to ok will give plenty enough information to be able to duplicate their bite if you see what your reading.