Lake Onalaska Update

Hey guys…took a half day today and went out on the lake looking for some hot pan action (back on fisherman’s road)….didn’t really find it though ..lol. Good 5-7″ of ice. Water was kinda murky yet. Could only see about a foot or 2 down. Caught half a dozen ‘gills…..one really nice one. Tried a few different presentations….white and green ice jig w/waxie was what i caught mine on….seemed to be holding a bit deeper, as most of my bites came after i lost site of my lure. Water depth range 3-5.5 feet. Also tried jig and minnows, but nothing came on those.

Jigging pattern that seemed to be working was:

jig-jig-jig—pause—-slow drop—-raise back up and repeat…the fish seemed to be hitting on the pause/slow drop.

Good luck if anyone goes out this weekend….i have to work

The bite was very tough on the other side of the lake as well on Fri. But, today was just the opposite. I went out of Schaefer’s at 1:00 this afternoon until just about dark. Was on fish with the first hole. The water depth was 3 ft. and clear. Best luck came from small marmooska’s in green/yellow, tipped with waxie or red spike. Also pink rat finky tipped with a red spike. I also had hits on various other jigs, but those two were the most consistent. The water was so clear here I could sight fish. That is a blast and a very good learning experience. You could watch and see how the fish reacted to different jigs and actions. The small gills would bust in there and inhale any jigs. The bigger gills would rush in then sit and stare at the jigs they didn’t like, then slowly swim backwards out of sight. Most of the bigger fish for me were actually 6-10 inches under the ice. But alot of fish were also on the bottom. Tomorrow should also be a good day to be out.

fished blackdeer channel sat. lots of shad swimming around its another place where you can see down and watch the fish very easy if your in a shake. In fact there was so many shad they are auctually keeping some spots open and not letting it freeze. But any way the fishing was not bad catching fish constantly and ended up keeping a limit. there is about 2 inches of ice because there is currrent flow on this channel off lake Onalaska ont he North West end.

Welcome to the site Predator….

Thanks for the info….but Blackdeer still scares me especially w/it being 40 degrees out right now….i’d still give that place a few weeks before it’s 100% safe.

I definitely agree with Slop Bass. No way will I go to Black Deer just yet, LOL. The water is way to cold for swimming this time of year. I fish there pretty heavy in the spring for bass. But the friggin pike keep getting in the way. I love to fish tip-ups on BD, but will wait till after X-mas this year I think.

I’ll be going out on the Ice on fisherman’s Road again this weekend….If anyone is out that way…stop by and say hey…Look for me in my blue Clam 2000…..Ice auger is usually drilled into the ice next to my shack.

Despite some of the warmer weather lately..fisherman’s road has a solid 6-8″ of ice …Yesterday was decent. The action wasn’t as fast as I’d like it to be, but the fish we were catching were huge . We had our typical size and smaller one’s as well…but the monsters were hitting finally..Took several that were 8-10″…They seemed to be hitting better when i would double or triple up waxies on my jig.

I’m having a fish fry in my new deep fryer tonight!!!

We hit the crappies big time today ! I have never had so much fun catching this frustrating fish, LOL. They were in 12 fow and suspended between 5-7 fow. We used small glo jigs tipped with waxies. We started fishing around 8 until 1, and were on fish the whole time. They were very aggressive early and then slowed down a little. The bigger fish came around 10:00, this morning. Sure was nice after almost a week with very little activity and smaller fish. I sure hope this is a turn for the better. The ice was a good 8-10 inches and solid. By next weekend, I think the lake will be navigable by vehicle, if the cold weather stays. We went out of Schaefer’s side of the lake. I heard some guys saying that Fisherman’s Road has been good lately also.

Watson….let me know next time you’re out and about on the Lake….If i’m in the area…i’ll stop over and say hi!!

Hey Guys….. I’m a Lake Onalaska virgin and am looking to get into some crappie this weekend. I’m familar with Fishermans road and should be hitting the ice around 8 AM on Saturday. If you have any suggestions on where to setup I’d appreciate any guidance you’re willing to provide. I recently moved to La Crescent, can anyone bring me up to speed on what the Boundary Water laws are on the Mississippi? THANKS!

Tried Fisherman’s Road today and got….skunked . But, I have only been to that side of the lake one other time so it does not surprise me. It took me a long time to figure out the other side of the lake. Anyway, wow was it cold today out there . I fished in 5-6 fow that was very clear. I did see some small gills and a few perch. Also watched a couple nice bass swim by the hole. The fish would come by, take a nibble or stare and swim off into the decaying weeds. There were only two other people when I got there. The other side of the lake was quiet also. I also found out that my Otter does not pull across snow very well . I will probably be out again this weekend, I hope. It would really be good if we can drive by then.

Welcome aboard Matth . Lake Onalaska is a huge body of water for sure, with lots of places to try. You said you were familiar w/Fisherman’s road area…That back bay at the end of the road is always an area favorite and definately one of m own . It averages 3-5 feet throughout that bay w/a deep channel off towards the other side of the bay…That channel runs all the way down towards the spillway. If you ever been back their during the summer….it’s VERY easy to see the layout of that bay area…both weed wise and depth wise. So if you’re gonna setup back there…try any where off the West bank…I saw some crappie their last week, but couldn’t get any takers however, i was taking some monster ‘gills …..if that isn’t working, go ahead and try that deeper channel…as they could be suspended out that way. I’m not sure what kind of gear you have (vexilar/Aqua-Vue), but that always helps as well..(i don’t have any of it either )

You can also travel up by Brice Praire area and try all the way through there. In my opinion, your best bet there is to get a Map of lake Onalaksa that shows the depths of that area because that entire region for the most part has all been dredged out…So the depth can range anywhere from 2ft to about 30ft or so. On any given day, you’ll see a plethera of people fishing the shallower surrounding bay/weedy areas, and you can also see them fishing the dredges..Once again..i’d stop and go until you found crappies …Once you’re onto them, as Watson will tell you–the bite will be good.

As for bait…If you read further up, i think Watson has a update on the lake from this weekend, but jigs/waxies work….and since you’re looking for crappie, obviously minnows will be an option.

If you’re out and about..Look for me…I’m usually in my Clam2000…but come outside to stretch and see how everyone else is outdoing me ….

Watson…i’ve noticed that the fish over there are real finicky….What i’ve been doing is jigging to attract them over…and then when i see them come near..i’ve been holding my jig completely still…..they normally sneak up to investigate then…and you can usually get some…
my .02

Guys, went to blackdeer this past weekend. Sounds the same as you, fish come to look then back away. Did manage a few for the table tho. I did find that most of my big fish hit right below the ice, pull jig up in hole and let if falll to 6 inches below ice and they just smacked it. It is fun to see all the fish , even if they don’t always bite. John

Slop Bass- That is close to the technique I have been using on gills and perch. If they are not in the area, I put a forage minnow down to get their attention. Once I mark some fish, I then will throw a smaller jig and slowly work it down to them. A little jigging lately goes a long way. The fish have been real finicky lately . Except for the crappie, most of the fish have only mouthed the jig with no real strike. The crappie were a little more aggressive, but not much. Most of the craps we got were by watching the line. They were definitely “biting up”. The line would be tight and then it would go slack. A steady up lift, not a jerk, would allow us to get them to the hole.
John R- It is fun to be able to see the fish down the hole. When the small ones show up, I take the bait away from them . A friend of mine fished Black Deer today. He said it was pretty frustrating watching all the fish look at the jig and then swim off . I have not been over there yet this year. Now that the ice is somewhat safe, I will be heading overthere with the tipups.

Where is this blackdeer that everyone is talking about? can someone give me a good description thanks John

Take 35 north to highway Z. Turn left on Z follow Z until you turn left onto ZB Follow that until you see the North Brice Prairie Landing. Park at the landing and walk north.

If you see a trail on the ice, stay on it. If you see a trail on the ice with a large hole in it, get off it. The area is full of springs and the ice can get bad at times.

There is a public access up the road a few miles but most of the better fishing has been on the lower end.

Good Luck if you get out after ’em!

Here is a map to refer to against a road map:

Here’s the upper part of that map:

Thanks for the suggestions guys. JohnL and I are going to give Lake Onalaska a try on Saturday. If you see two guys who look lost towing a two man Cabelas shanty around stop by and say Hi. Has anyone fished back in Pettibone park? A coworker went out for an hour yesterday and caught about 30 over his lunch hour, mostly crappie and gills.

I am slowly learning there are things you never tell a bait shop. Never, never tell them you are on fish and where . My buddies wife’s grandpa owns the bait shop on the lake. When we go out, he watches to see where we go. Then when we get back and say how we did, he tells everybody in the country they are biting over in our spot . Beleive me, I will share fishing spots, but let me choose who to tell, know waht I mean? Went out today to my crappie hole only to find a permanent shanty parked right over the spot on the spot. There is so little structure on the lake, and people have to be so selfish. When I leave a spot that is hot, I gladly give it up to someone nearby that is not having the best luck. I do beleive in sharing. Sorry to go off, but where is the decency? But, we did still catch a few crappie, but all but 1 were little 5-6 inch fellas. The weather sure felt good today after the last couple days. We also drove the truck out to the spot. My buddy was puckered pretty good with all the popping . He was ready to jump at a moments notice. After we got unloaded and drilled a few holes, I checked the ice depth , not as thick as I thought. Who says you need 12-15 inches to drive on? It was only about, oh, say….10 inches . Well at least we made it back dry. There were people doing about 40 mph across the ice already. I went at an idle, my reaction time could be a little slower, so if I had to jump, I wanted to be going slow so as not to hurt myself . Well that is my report and rant for the rest of the week. Work is calling me

Watson, there is always somebody willing to pounce on a hot spot, with no regards to others …Remember..”Fisherman never tell the truth” lol…so you might have to start reporting back to the baitshop to head out towards the middle of nowhere ..lol…I’m pretty sure you’ll be able to bounce back and find another honey hole of fish

I’m taking ReelGuy out on the Lake this Saturday (he’s never been ice fishing-or prefers not to go)…..Maybe i’ll drive the truck out and see how long before he jumps

Hey guys, I have been reading the form for about a week now and decided to join in the conversations. I went fishing Wednesday night and Thursday morning at 22, there were a lot of small crappies suspended 3-5 in 9 fow only a few keepers Eealy in the year I was catchign some good gills and perch at Nelson, I’m going to try 22 again Saturday to see if I cant find some slab crappies. Good luck.

FishinAddict….

WELCOME ABOARD!!! … REEL GUY and I will be arriving on 22 a little after 9:30 a.m…..What are you fishing in/out of?

22?

Fisherman’s road is often referred to as 22. That’s the road that takes you out to that back part/bay of Lake Onalaska/Onalaska Spillway/Black River Beach area.

Ah, I got ya. Know it well, just didn’t know that name. thanks.

I have an older black tent, one that you can stand up in. I went there about 7 AM but noticed that everyone started comming around 9, the bigger ones were bighting after that i assumed, but i had to go so didnt get to check it out. Thursday morning I went more twards the open water off the steeper shoreline. I’m going with my dad saturday he has a new blue gander mt. tent good luck!

Has Matth mentioned earlier he and I will be heading to onalaska Saturday, it wont be until 12:00 or so. We are not looking for the secret spots, but if anyone has some info or tips for us. Not sure if we are going to enter on 22 or off of Z. Dont want to get skunck on the first time fishing the lake

thanks
john

I went out on Saturday and it seemed like no one was catching anything. I took a couple of days off and am going to hit it hard for the rest of the week….any good reports? Good luck all