Mendota, Monona & Wingra reports

I've been out running the side scan looking for more "treasures" a few times so far. I've marked some good sized schools of fish in 30 to 45 FOW roughly between Picnic Point and the rowing club building. There were also some larger fish at various depths (both Sunday morning and Sunday afternoon). Water clarity is pathetic, can't see anything with the camera at any depth. I did put the camera down into one of the schools and bumped into one, but it was so fast I couldn't tell what it was. Was going to do a dive but since I wanted to look at a couple things it wasn't worth it since you'd basically be blind. Water temp is in the upper 40's. Also went a couple of times to look at the Walleyes at the locks. The only place you could really see anything was a shallow rock area in from of the locks themselves. Interesting this year they're dumping the water from the other gate, and the current comes back towards the first gate, and the fish are facing into it.

Was also on Monona looking for treasures before the rain. Didn't see any large schools of panfish yet and was able to find hard bottom with my prop off Yahara Place Park. Always enjoy that!

Went out on Wingra Sunday morning with the plan of trying to count carp using the side scan sonar. The plan was thwarted by high weeds in the shallows. The attached snapshot is from Mendota north of the rockpile a couple years ago. I threw it on here so non-believers could see it is possible to actually count fish with the side scan. Granted one has to assume what they are and trying to count large schools would be tedious. But the goal was to see what sort of quantities are still in there. There were some firmer, sandy areas in deeper water where there were some larger fish here and there. Water clarity isn't good enough to try and see what they are. The piers weren't in yet and I hit bottom just off the ramp when I started to head out. Stopped to look at the muskies at the dam on the way home. Perfect day to be out on the water! Rick