March 2020
Episode 10
Kids Tip-Up Fishing Day
Show Date: March 7th & 8th, 2020
Location: Muskego Lake, Waukesha Co., Wisconsin
This week we’ve got a great group of kids and their parents out on the ice to chase some Beaver Dam flags. It’s so much fun to see kids excited about being outdoors, and fishing.
We are fishing Big Muskego Lake in Waukesha County, a 2,260 acre lake that is mostly shallow wetland. We are out amongst the reed islands, spreading our Beaver Dam’s everywhere, particularly setting them within just a few feet of the cattails. Matty B, our guide for this excursion, tells us that in between the cattails are travel corridors for these pike, so right along the edge are where they feed.
Episode 11
Apostle Island Trout
Show Date: March 14th & 15th, 2020
Location: The Apostle Islands, Lake Superior, Wisconsin
Guide: Josh Teigen [715-813-0575 | joshteigen.com ]
The week we’re out early in the morning with Captain Josh Teigen jigging and setting our Beaver Dams on Lake Superior, looking to catch all different kinds of trout. We are set up near the Apostle Islands, on a steep break, fishing depths from 4 to 50 feet. The depth change is pretty steep, so you don’t need to move very far to change up what we’re fishing. Spots like this are great for the tip-ups, because there is such variety in depts, so adjustments can be made if we start to see more flags in a certain depth.
Episode 12
Back in the Boat for Brown Trout
Show Date: March 21st & 22nd, 2020
Location: Lake Michigan, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Guide: Captain Caleb Zorn [262-515-7944]
We are back in the boat this week, chasing brown trout. Captain Caleb Zorn says that this is the time to catch fish, while the lake water is still cold. We’re fishing around a power plant, using the MInn Kota Spot Lock to keep use just outside of where the warm water is being expelled from the plant. These trout are here filling up on baitfish, which are attracted to the warmer water.
Using a Kalin’s Jerk Minnow and darter-head jig, casting into the current from the water discharge, and ripping it - making sure to keep your line as tight as possible, so follow your jig as it moves through the current. When the bite slowed down, Caleb tried another tried and true method, spawn sacks. Spawn sacks are actual fish eggs, taken from a fish when harvested, and tied with a small mesh net. Hook onto a line with a bobber, and cast into the current. “Killing” eggs that aren’t theirs is the instinct of these fish, so spawn sacks is usually a good bet.
Episode 13
Early Spring Walleyes
Show Date: March 28th & 29th, 2020
Location: Bay of Green Bay; Oconto County, Wisconsin
Guide: Brett Jolly [715-581-5678 | captainjollycharters.com]
During this time where the whole country is seemingly at a standstill, getting outdoors is a vital avenue for both mind and body. As we learned from our interview with the Wisconsin DNR, outdoor activity is considered an essential activity. So if you’re smart about it, and stay close to home, getting in the boat is a great way to get outside while practice social distancing.
The day we fished the Bay of Green Bay with Captain Brett Jolly, was the last day before Governor Tony Evers enacted the “Wisconsin Safer At Home Order.” Under this order, Wisconsinites are told to stay at home, and only leave when it is necessary.
Here are some key points as it pertains to fishermen:
Outdoor activity is recognized as an essential activity
State Parks, Trails & Forests are open - all fees waived
All current regulations still apply for hunting, trapping, and fishing seasons
Stay within your community - the closer you can stay to home, the better