After a bust Friday night on Lake Onalaska, Mike C, and myself were ready for a change. We discussed fishing a bay on pool 8 we had some luck in last year, then decided to make it a go for Sunday morning. The first thing I noticed was no tracks in the snow. No pressure on the ice is normally a good sign. We hit the ice at 7:00am and found a mixed bag of fish. The best bite was from 7:00am – 12:00pm.
5 FOW with a sand bottom produced fish today. The deeper water, at 16 feet held some white Bass. The early bite produce some nice perch tight to the bottom. Lel Cecils tipped with a waxie was working best. I also had a 14.5 inch eye iced and released at first light. After we had some nice perch, Mike being the stick to beat, things died off just as fast as they started. Just about when I thought things were going to get tough, Mike is into crappies.
Mike must have landed himself on top of a log. He had crappies hanging thick around him. It took me a while, but I soon moved in tight too him. It was a steady bite till 12:00pm with fewer fish still hitting till 1:00am. Every time the sun hit the ice my LX-5 would light up like a Christmas tree with biting crappies. The perch and crappies were averaging 10 inches. Mike had a couple nicer perch. They were just right for a couple of guy’s that wanted to fire up there fryers.
Around 1:00 when things started to get slow, Mike heard an Oh, Oh from my trap. Mike and I have a way of communicating, Oh, Oh means nice fish. I had hooked (what I would say was a 20” eye) just in the front lip. The first time I had him to an 8 inch hole I couldn’t get him to turn. I had Mike open my tent and get the transducer out of the hole. That was the wrong move, the fish spooked and took darg at a clip I had it to the hole again for Mike to see and that was the end of it. Yep you guessed it, time for me to go, Bummer. Thanks for the lessons today Mike!
Nice fish guys
I knew I should have come down this morning 
Nice. had a great day myself on pool 8. Im going to fix a post myself. Bret, you got PM!
I’ll verify Bret’s lost 20″ eye, that sure
him up.
It’s always a pleasure to be out there with Buddy Bret catching fish
The fish are cleaned, the race is on and it’s time for
Thanks for the report and pics Bud. Sounds like a very fun day on the ice. How thick is the ice down your way? Which Lil Cecil colors seem to be producing the best for you right now?
Thanks, Bill
Now those will look great in a fry pan
,Great report and fish.
Great report Bret!!
We were on a good 7 inches of ice Bill. White/Purple have been my favorite this year for LiL C’s. They were hitting other colors Sunday also. Just needed to keep changing things up on them.
Just a follow up,
A group of us thought we would give the crappies and eyes a try at dark. We were on the ice by 4:30pm and set up in 5FOW. We were in the same area Mike C and I fished Sunday. The crappies were hitting as soon as we were set up. Most crappies were on the small side with a few nicer fish in the mix. George (pictured with the crappie) found a good bite using a Red Pierce. As it grew darker the bite slowed down.
As the sun disappeared I had my first flag. It was a short run and dropped. A little later, I had another flag and iced a 14” eye. This of course made us all think the bite was going to happen, it didn’t. We fished until 9:00pm with Mike C catching an 8” eye and a lost keeper at the hole. That was all she wrote. It was still a fun night to be out with Dodge Boy, AmWatson, Mike C, Steve and George. Sooner or later, we will find a good night bite!
Until next time, good luck fishing people
It was a fun evening
Sorry I brought the bad karma as the bite shut down as soon as I arrived 
We will hammer them the next time 
NO Mike I don’t think you brought the bad Karma, I think I did by having to work late
. We’ll get em next time. It was a blast. 
having similar luck on pool 9. Catching some nice crappies on Green Lake at Blackhawk park just under the ice…and nice perch and white bass in DeSoto Bay..until the wind came out of the northeast and the deep freeze hit. Methinks maybe Wednesday they’ll be ready to go again.
Hot bait for the perch has been a #2 perch pattern jigging Rapala with a red Lindy munchie spade tail on either end, over 10-12 fow.
Once that big snow hit and the wind started to blow I changed ice tactics….landed a seven pound bag of cubes and “cleaned” my catch with a sizable flask of Korbel, ending up with my limit just minutes before a little nap.