Icefishing 12-30 w/Muskie Matt

[Muskie Matt]

We have 6-8in of good ice topped in some areas with frozen slush other areas are still unfrozen slush making foot travel tough and four-wheeler/snowmobile travel very messy. We don't recommend car or trucks on the ice quite yet, still a lot of thin spots on our area lakes. Current warm weather trend will make a mess of the ice surface but in the long run will benefit ice conditions overall. Snow cover will melt down and refreeze into a good surface with the next cold snap, which is predicted by the weekend.

Northern Pike hitting very good on shiners under tip-ups. Tip: Set your bait high, they "hunt" by looking up. In a weedy area this may mean setting your bait just under the ice, in an are with fewer weeds set your bait high off bottom, like 5-6ft off bottom.
Largemouth Bass are also hitting very good, the bonus being... You take them in the same manner as described above! Fish in large weed flat areas of 8-10ft depths or along edges of weeds where water depths drop off into deep water.

Be safe, good fishing, and HAPPY NEW YEAR from RFRG Outdoors!

[Jeremy Hopland]

Aren't LMB considered gamefish? Do you have to throw them back this time of year, or is the gamefish season still open? If you do have to throw them back, what kind of mortality rate do you think you see when it's so cold out? I would think they would freeze rather rapidly on the really cold days...

Stupid question from a stupid southerner...

[Jim L]

Gamefish season closes in early March in Wisconsin,that includes bass,walleye and northern pike. Muskie season closes the end of November.

As long as the fish's eyes don't freeze it is actually easier to release fish in cooler water than warmer water. Probably due to the higher oxygen content in the water

[Jeremy Hopland]

Gamefish season closes in early March in Wisconsin,that includes bass,walleye and northern pike. Muskie season closes the end of November.

As long as the fish's eyes don't freeze it is actually easier to release fish in cooler water than warmer water. Probably due to the higher oxygen content in the water

Thanks Jim! I knew there was a closure of the gamefish season, I just didn't know when. It appears it's really only for a very short time (except for Muskies), I'm assuming it's to protect the gamefish during the spawn...

[Muskie Matt]

Hey Jeremy, remember:
NO QUESTION IS STUPID, NOT ASKING ONE IS.
You're an RFRG guy just like the multitudes of other RFRG guys/gals.
My personal RFRG mantra... "if it's stupid, I've probably already done it".