These cooler water temps and full moon this weekend should have the musky action in high gear here in the Tomahawk area this weekend. Was out las night and landed a small musky burning a bucktails over weeds. The fish was caught right on the edge in about five feet of water right before dark.
Buddy was pitching lures under a local dam and said the walleye action was awfully good as well.
Looks like tomorrow might be a rainy one, so don't forget to pack the rain coat!
Good luck to everyone heading out this week and weekend. Be safe, have fun and enjoy your Northwoods water time!

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Gone Fishin'

Boat motor problems kept me off the water over this past week, but it didn't keep me from experiencing some of my best fishing of the summer here in the Tomahawk area.
That's a really nice thing about fishing Tomahawk. To experience some of the best fishing around you don't need to be on the water. You also don't need a lot of knowledge of where to fish on the lake, as a number of area dams provide a great place to try almost year round. I often use just a simple presentation like a hook and sinker tipped with a worm, leech or minnow, while others prefer a jig and twister or crankbait. Whatever your preference, the key to successful dam fishing often involves moving from one dam to another until you find active fish.
I really like fishing below dams when I have youngsters with me. You can run from one to another, which really helps keep them from getting board. Often I'll start out by Bradley Dam below Nokomis, work down to the Jersey and Kings Dam below Alice, Pride Dam on Mohawksin and the Spirit close by, and there's also the Grandmother and Grandmother dams on Hwy. 107 that can produce nice smallies and walleyes.
I've been picking up eyes, gills and perch fishing below dams as of late. I've also been hearing of some really nice smallmouths (20+) being caught.
Give it try below one of Tomahawk's area dams sometime. If you are like me and experience some of the best fishing the area has to offer, you might just want to leave the boat in the driveway the next time.
Good luck to everyone heading out this week and weekend. Be safe, have fun and enjoy your Northwoods water time!

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Gone Fishin'

How do you access Grandmother dam from 107? Is there a path or something?

I've never fished that side of the river at the dam. I've seen the huge exposed boulders there. Do you fish close to the dam in the calm water or do you walk/wade down a bit to get into the faster moving water?

It has been a few years since I fished Grandmother and Grandfather, so forgive me if I get them a little mixed up. If I don't recall, Grandmother, the one closest to Tomahawk, has a small fishing pier you can fish off. You can also walk down below and fish it from there. I believe there's a walking path down to Grandfather from Hwy. 107, and when I fished it last, I waded out on a rock point and casted from there into the moving water. Got some nice smallies from what I remember. It was a rocky walk out to the point and I was wearing waders. Good luck and good fishing.

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Gone Fishin'

The recent seemingly endless rains might have made for less than ideal fishing conditions, but it did produce some action for those brave enough to venture out.
Been hearing of some real good walleye reports coming on jigs tipped with fatheads on the Wisconsin River impoundments in the Tomahawk area. The railroad trestles have been real hot of late on Mohawksin for everything from walleyes to bluegills. These areas have also been producing muskies attracted by all the bait fish.
Was able to put one musky in the boat while out dodging raindrops this past weekend. That fish was caught in the middle of a cloudy day on a clear lake off a weed edge. This fish hit a bucktail I was casting. The Tomahawk flowages produced some good action and a couple shots at big fish. On Friday a buddy brought a very nice fish to the boat on a topwater but was unable to entice a strike. A couple casts later I had a hit and miss on a Bulldawg of what I believe might have been the same fish. Lures like the Bulldawg, Reef Hawg and Phantom that can be paused to entice strikes become productive baits this time of year.
Most the action over the past few days has come off points and weed flats with the fish in relatively shallow water. The water temp might be a bit too warm for sucker action yet, as we dragged on most the weekend without any action. Shouldn't be long and they should start to produce.
Hopefully everyone gets a chance to get out and enjoy the great fall fishing opportunity that exists here in the Tomahawk area. The fall colors are just splendid right now and should continue to get even better over the coming days.
Good luck to everyone heading out. Have fun and enjoy your Northwoods water time.

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Gone Fishin'

What a cruel fall it has been. After waiting all summer for the fall musky bite to arrive I got sick a month ago and have hardly been out on the water since.
Been hearing of some nice muskies being caught lately here in the Tomahawk area. Last Friday the lowest barometric measurement since this time last year was registered at the Tomahawk Water Station, which means the musky should really be turning on. I would think they would still be up shallow yet, so points and edges of bays would be good places to target. The feeding window starts to shrink this time of year, and often the middle of the day can be the best time to be out on the water. I would suspect the sucker bite has turned on as of late, so dragging a 14 incher behind the boat can pay off. As the fall moves on and the water temps drop look for the fish to move deeper, where deep running Depth Raiders worked slow can be productive.
I've heard of some nice walleye being caught below area dams. Fatheads with a jig or hook and sinker presentation work fine this time of year. Last fall this time of the year the action was almost nonstop. A strong perch bite also can be had in the fall in the shallow wood and in muddy bays. Slip bobber rigs or a hook and a sinker rigged with a crappie minnow can be killer. In year's past I've seen this action almost nonstop with some jumbos mixed in with 9 inches.
Come cold weather or strong wind, like the past several days, I plan to be out on the water come this weekend. Forecasters are actually calling for some nicer weather with highs in the mid 50s. Hopefully everyone gets the opportunity to get out and enjoy what should be a beautiful weekend in the Northwoods.
Good luck to everyone heading out. Be safe, have fun and enjoy your Northwoods water time.

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Gone Fishin'

We're bracing for the first big snowfall of the season here in the Tomahawk area with 5 to 9 inches forecasted to fall tonight and into tomorrow. Time to dig out those shovels and start getting the ice fishing gear ready!
While many have put the boats away for the winter, a few diehard anglers are still hitting the open water in pursuit of some pretty good walleye and musky action. I was fortunate to get out a couple days this past weekend and had a few shots at boating a fish. One of those was what appeared to be a very big musky that grabbed a 16-inch sucker I was dragging behind the boat on Lake Mohawksin. This fish let go before I could set the hook, but from what I saw, it would've made the cold hands and dealing with the strong winds well worth it. It would've easily been a personal best. With a big fish on my mind and a full moon cycle getting underway later this week, I still have the boat parked in the driveway hoping for one last weekend. They're forecasting mid 40s for Sunday, which would help melt away some of this white stuff forecasted to fall and make for some great fishing weather.
This past weekend I targeted deeper water (8 feet to 14 feet) with a Depth Raider while dragging a sucker set five feet down. I missed one on a figure eight and three more on the sucker. Kind of reminded me of when they follow a topwater. Hopefully this coming weekend the bite will be a bit more aggressive and those nips will result in fish in the boat. The key seemed to be working the lure slow and targeting drop offs. I also worked shallower with a Reef Hawg but didn't have any action.
The last I heard the walleye bite has remained pretty good. A real nice thing about Tomahawk is these walleyes can be caught from shore, so there's no need to pull the boat out of storage. Fishing below area dams with a hook, sinker or jig hooked with a fathead is all that it takes.
It won't be long now and I'll be providing ice updates on your favorite fishing holes here in the Tomahawk area. For those of you getting the itch, there's already been ice on the Spirit a couple times now when I've driven by on my way to work in the morning! If the extended forecast holds, my guess is we could be out on the hard stuff by Thanksgiving this year.
Good luck to everyone heading out on the water and into the woods this upcoming weekend. The bucks are in rut and the big muskies have been pretty active. What a great time to get out and enjoy the beauty of the Northwoods in the Tomahawk area.

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Gone Fishin'

Well it doesn't appear we'll be ice fishing by Thanksgiving weekend this year. I've been keeping a close eye on what ice is out there, and from what I've seen, it has been ranging between a half inch to one and a half inches on bays and other areas not exposed to wind or current. Yesterday I was actually able to walk out on the Spirit a little ways but didn't want to get a wet butt, so I didn't try to fish. Warm weather forecasted for the next few days should just about take care of what little snow and ice we have. Will be trying for walleyes below some area dams over the coming days. Good luck to everyone heading out into the woods for the final days of the gun deer season. I'll be posting ice updates when it finally does come. Happy Thanksgiving and Go Pack!

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Gone Fishin'

As expected the warmer weather and rain of the past few days pretty much got rid of what little ice we had, so ice fishing will have to wait a bit longer here in the Tomahawk area. Hopefully the extended forecast holds, as it only takes a few days with little wind and highs in the 20s and teens at night to make good ice. Brave anglers might start venturing out this weekend, but I'm thinking next week for sure for first ice, which is by far the best time of the year for a shot at big walleyes.
Spent a little time below some area dams the past few days and had little to show for efforts. Other than a few hefty pike and some crappies, the warm southerly wind seemed to give the walleyes lock jaw, which makes it difficult to catch them this time of year, unless you don't mind cold hands.
Time to get the ice fishing gear ready for the upcoming season. Won't be long now and those orange flags will be flying. Hopefully everyone had a great Thanksgiving and productive gun deer season. I'll be posting ice updates on area lakes and bays leading up to this weekend.

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Gone Fishin'

Ice fishing by this weekend, it certainly looks like it will be the case if temps drop into the single digits as forecasted for tonight. There's now about 2 inches of snow on the ice, which will make it difficult to tell where the "safe" ice is compared to the skim ice that formed earlier this week. MAKE SURE to spud your way out if you do decide to go out this weekend.
Look for bays and areas protected from the wind to find the good ice. I walked out about 10 feet on a bay like this on Lake Alice the other day. The difference between then and now is I could see where the good ice (2 inches) was compared to it all being covered by snow now. I strongly recommend checking the ice before EVERY step. Take along some ice picks and fish with someone else if you can. Otherwise, cold temps are forecasted for this entire upcoming week, so things should be much more firmed up by next weekend. Be safe if you do venture out this weekend. Good luck and enjoy your Northwoods first ice time.

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Gone Fishin'

Got out on the ice for the first time this year before the snow came Saturday evening. The bay I was fishing on Lake Mohawksin had about three to four inches of ice, which was much better than a 1.5" I was finding in other places. Was able to ice two walleyes (15 and 13) using shiners on tip-ups before the heavy snow started to fall. We ended up with about 6 inches of wet, heavy snow here in the Tomahawk area, which could make things really sloppy on the ice for sometime. Will be keeping an eye on the ice and slush and report back before this weekend. Good luck and be safe to everyone heading out. Enjoy your Northwoods ice time.

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Gone Fishin'

Was out on the Spirit Flowage last night and have good news to report on ice conditions. The recent snowfall actually melted down and made more ice instead of creating a lot of slush. From what I've been told Nokomis and Mohawksin are also slush free right now. This is good news going forward since cold weather and no snow is forecasted for the next several days. Hopefully 2012 will be a slush-free season as the ice should be pretty thick by the time any significant snow falls again. The Spirit had about 3 inches of good ice. Anglers should still use caution in areas exposed to current and wind, but ice fishing should be in full swing by the time this weekend roles around.
The nice thing about early ice is you don't need to get deep to catch big walleyes. They will come up and cruise the shallows during low-light hours. If you can get to weed edges, wood, or near drop-offs the better, but often setting up in a four feet or so of water in a bay can also produce fish. I like to use bigger bait this time of year and will stick to shiners and suckers depending on the body of water I'm fishing.
Two times out this year I've iced three "keeper" walleyes. I suspect these numbers will go up a lot more once more ice allows me to get to better spots. This is the time of the year to get out and try for that big walleye. Remember to only keep what you need and put the rest back for seed.
Good luck to everyone heading out this week and coming weekend. Be safe, fish smart and enjoy your Northwoods ice time!

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Gone Fishin'

The rain has finally turned over to snow here in the Tomahawk area Thursday morning after almost completely erasing the snow base. Those heading out on the ice will want to have the ice creepers on their boots, as it looks pretty wet and slippery out there right now. Hopefully some colder weather forecasted for this weekend will help firm things up again.
Going to be fishing a few different bodies of water this weekend and will report back on how the bite was next week. Will be targeting a few different patterns that have worked very well in the past. On the Tomahawk area flowage I plan to fish that means looking for wood and using wax worms to catch crappie and big gills. These areas also produce walleyes later on in the evening jigging and using tip-ups. Another lake I plan to fish just north of town has clear water, which can make for some real fun sight fishing. I like to use two poles (one with a grub and another with a fathead) inside the portable shack. Even if the fish don't eat the minnow, it serves as a good attractant to bring in the fish that I can usually entice into eating the wax worm. These weedy bays are also a great place to set up for walleyes later in the evening.
Hopefully everything firms up before the weekend and we continue adding to the ice base. Would be nice to get some snow so the x-country and snowmobile trails open before the big holiday season. At least we have the ice to be thankful for. Good luck to everyone heading out this week. Be safe, have fun and enjoy your Northwoods ice time!

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Gone Fishin'

Experienced a very good panfish bite on a Tomahawk area flowage over this past week. Bluegills up to 10 1/2 inches and crappies ranging between 10 to 13 inches were caught. Friday, Saturday and Sunday morning all produced good numbers in about 12 feet of water in some wood in the channel. Jigging crappie minnows and grubs produced some fish. The tip-downs also worked very well set about a foot to two feet off the bottom.
Tried a clear, weedy lake just north of Tomahawk Saturday morning and had little success. Caught a few walleyes but the perch weren't very active. Along with crappies, caught three legal walleyes on tip-ups after going back to the flowage Saturday evening. The walleyes were caught on shiners.
Been hearing of some vehicles out on area lakes but will wait a little longer myself. The ice is actually in real good shape for pulling sleds and using ATVs. Had about 7 inches of ice where I was fishing and would like a little more before taking the vehicle out.
Should be another great week to get out on the ice. Wishing everyone a happy holiday. Good luck, have fun and enjoy your Northwoods ice time!

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Gone Fishin'

Temperatures are rebounding slowly after bottoming out at around 12 below here in the Tomahawk area this morning. Ice is continuing to build on area waters, and depths between eight inches to a foot of ice are being found. Conditions are still dicy in areas where there is current (a truck went through near Rock Island on Hwy. 107 this weekend), so some caution is still strongly encouraged. We also picked up about five inches of snow, so hopefully the x-country trails and snowmobile trails will opening here in Lincoln County sometime in the very near future.
Got the opportunity to get out and fish a small 30-acre lake in the Harrison Hills area this past weekend. What a unique experience we are fortunate to have in our own backyards. After a bumpy ride on an old logging trail we reached the secluded, undeveloped lake, and as usual, had the entire body of water to ourselves the entire day. Set up tip-ups and managed a few bass, but the real fun came catching big gills using electronics and light tackle. Some friends had located the big gills (9 inches plus) the day prior in 14 FOW over mud bottom. The lake's maximum depth is around 25 FOW. The day provided plenty of action as a lot of sorting had to be done between big fish. We ended up using bigger jigs tipped with waxies to avoid the smaller fish. Ended up keeping a few for a meal and putting the rest back for seed. Talk about a great way to bring in the New Year.
Try one of these small Lincoln County lakes sometime if your looking for something fun and off the beaten path to do. You just never know the new treasurer honey hole you might find. Happy New Year and good luck to everyone heading out this week and weekend. Have fun and enjoy your Northwoods ice time.

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Gone Fishin'

Hey Mrbrowns - where is "Rock Island" off 107?

Rock Island is down toward Merrill on Lake Alexander (near the bar on Hwy. 107). Never fished the area but often see trucks out there when driving by this time of year. I'm not sure if the vehicle that went through was over the channel, but I would strongly recommend continuing to use caution as these warm ups can cause ice depths to change rapidly on area flowages.
That being said, drove out on the Willow and another Tomahawk area flowage over this past weekend. Also drove out on a lake just north of town Saturday. Finding a good 10 to 12 inches of ice in places I've been fishing. Hopefully the cool down in the forecast over the next couple days will help firm things up going forward. Spoke to a number of other anglers who also saw little action and finicky fish this past weekend. Early morning proved the best bite with occasional periods of action seen throughout the day. Maybe it was the moon or the weather, but whatever it was seemed to turn off the perch and gills. Would see them on the electronics but could hardly buy a bite. Hopefully a return to seasonal weather for the upcoming weekend will help trigger the bite after a cold front passes through Wednesday into Thursday. I've been hearing of some nice sized walleyes being caught, but overall numbers have been down as of late from those I've been talking with. We were able to get into an alright crappie bite using tip-downs over deeper water this past weekend. Using crappie minnows and rosies set about two feet off the bottom.
Will be back out this upcoming weekend looking for the active bite. Good luck to everyone, be safe and enjoy your Northwoods ice time.

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Gone Fishin'

Looks like we'll be seeing a bit of a cool down and about 7 inches of additional snow on Tomahawk area lakes for this coming weekend.
Not sure if it will be enough to hinder getting around with trucks, but anglers will want to keep it in mind and pack a shovel because some drifting might create some trouble spots on the bigger waters. The good news is snowmobile trails are listed in excellent condition going into this weekend. On a semi related note, congrats to Tomahawk's Nick VanStrydonk for winning the World Championships in Eagle River last weekend, and congrats to Mike Lehman of Abror Vitae for his 3rd place finish in the semi pro champ division last Sunday. What an accomplishment for these two lifelong racers. It certainly is something we all can be proud of.
Going to be trying a bit of everything this coming weekend looking for a consistent bite. For me, action has slowed some on area flowages, so I'm probably going to target area lakes and mud flats in search of a perch bite that usually is pretty decent this time of year. Will be using wigglers and tip-ups with fathead minnows in the 20 foot depth range.
Over the past few weeks I have been picking up a few decent walleyes, but I wouldn't categorize what I've been seeing as a hot bite. This time of year I start using more large fatheads because fish seem to become more lethargic. Give it a try if they aren't interested in the shiners or sucker minnows.
Looks like it should be another great weekend to be out on the ice. Not sure if the Northern Lights will still be going on, but remember to keep an eye to the sky just in case. Good luck to everyone heading out. Have fun and enjoy your Northwoods ice time.

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Gone Fishin'

We'll have to see what this warm weather does to the snow, but as of last weekend slush was becoming a problem on lakes north of Tomahawk.
Fished the Spirit this past Saturday, and other than some drifting, conditions weren't too bad on the ice. Fishing was pretty slow as a result of strong winds and cool temps that were ushered in by a cold front. On Sunday fished a lake north of town and came across some heavy snow on the ice, which led to slush after we drilled our holes. Ended up putting some perch on the ice jigging deep mud flats and weeds, but overall, fishing was somewhat slow and we had to move from hole to hole to find active fish. Those heading out will want to keep the slush in mind, as we almost got stuck in a full-sized truck more than once. At the very least, anglers should be packing a good shovel until conditions improve.
I myself haven't been seeing that great of a walleye fishing bite, but a friend on the Wisconsin River near Tomahawk is still reporting catching limits of legal fish.
This Saturday, Feb. 4, is Alice in Winterland out on Lake Alice. Those looking for a lot of fun and a shot at some great prizes will want to stop out. Looks like it will be nice weather to spend the day out on the ice. Good luck to everyone heading out this week and weekend. Be safe, have fun and enjoy your Northwoods ice time.

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Gone Fishin'

From what I was told around 2,000 people attended the Alice in Winterland ice fishing contest on Lake Alice last weekend. This weekend Tomahawk Fishing Unlimited will be hosting it's first ever Family Fishing Contest Saturday, Feb. 11. I've attached some information on this weekend's contest, so take a look if you're going to be in the area and fishing this weekend and want to come on out and support a good cause. There's been just one change to the tournament, which is people will be able to register on Saturday until 1 p.m. Registration areas include Tomahawk BP, Aquatic Arts and the Happy Snapper. A lot of nice prizes including guns, augers and flashers are being raffled off Saturday evening, so stop on out at Road Lake Pub and Grill (The old Big Moose) on CTH S even if you don't plan on wetting a line.
As far as fishing this weekend Saturday and Sunday are forecasted to start out below zero, so afternoon and evening fishing will be the name of the game for anglers without ice shacks. Last weekend fishing a Tomahawk area flowage I was able to pick up some big bluegills jigging with waxies in the channel. I had to do a lot of hole hopping but the size of the fish made up for the extra work and somewhat slow bite. The tip-downs and tip-ups didn't produce much as the seasonably mild temps seemed to slow the crappie and walleye action down.
Good luck to everyone heading out this upcoming weekend. Stay warm, have fun and enjoy your Northwoods ice time.

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Gone Fishin'

Here we go again. With the weekend approaching another burst of cold air is expected to push into the area after the warmer weather experienced all week long leaves the area. With the colder temps comes the bluebird high-pressure skies that make for less than great fishing conditions.
My advice to walleye and panfish anglers is to have a couple of different options in mind. If fishing on the flowages remains slow this weekend move to a lake, as a pattern like mud flat perch, bluegills and walleyes might be found. Finding these fish can mean more work, but for those looking to catch more than pike during these high-pressure weekends it may be what it takes. Once you find fish drill plenty of holes in the area and move around as you're looking for active fish in an otherwise bunch of inactive fish.
On a side note. Thank you to all who came out and supported our first ever Tomahawk Fishing Unlimited Family Fishing Contest at Road Lake Pub and Grill this past weekend. Over 100 braved the wind and cold weather and took to a number of Northwoods lakes and flowages to compete Sept. 11. Look for photos and results in this Tuesday's Tomahawk Leader. Thanks to all the sponsors and support we received. Plans are already in the works for next year's contest. Just an FYI, our annual Kid's Summer Fishing Contest, which funds from this past weekend's contest will support, will be held this summer on Saturday, July 21. Mark it on the calendar to bring the kids out and have a good time for free this summer.
On Saturday, Feb. 25, the Somo Fish and Game Club will host it's annual winter fishing contest on Somo Lake. Those who have attended previously know how much fun this tourney is. Stop on out and support a good cause.
Good luck to everyone heading out this weekend. Remember to think lakes or even the iced over areas of the Wisconsin River south of town if the flowages aren't producing. Have fun and enjoy your Northwoods ice time.

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Gone Fishin'

Might want to get the fishing in early this weekend as forecasters are calling for snow and winds up to 40 mph by Sunday afternoon. So much for getting rid of the high-pressure, bluebird skies we've seen plenty of as of late.
Tried a small lake in the Harrison Hills this past weekend. Whether it was the high pressure or a lack of oxygen in the water or what, the fish seemed on the electronics to be lethargic and uninterested in whatever baits we used. Tried a number of depths and presentations and couldn't buy a bite. Relearned a lesson in remembering to pack light when walking into these lakes, as I thought the uphill trip out might be the end of me.
Fished a couple flowages using tip-downs and found smaller crappies to be the most active. Also picked up a few small walleyes on the tip-downs.
Hearing reports of others having good action. I don't often fish for pike, but from those I've talked with who do, it sounds like that bite has been hot all winter. Hopefully this active weather system this weekend will get the panfish and walleyes more active. Only two weekends left before the walleye season closes. Especially this time of year, I like using fatheads when putting tip-ups out before dark, since the finicky fish seem more inclined to hit a fathead than a larger shiner or sucker minnow. Good luck to everyone heading out this weekend. Have fun and hold onto your hats if giving it a shot Sunday. Hopefully the fishing will start to improve as we transition more toward spring. Be safe and enjoy your Northwoods water time.

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Gone Fishin'

Hopefully everyone got their shacks off before the big Leap Year Day dumping yesterday. Hearing snow totals from anywhere between 15 to 20 inches in the area. Suspect truck travel will be done for a while as people wait for roads to reopen on lakes. A lot of digging out still going on up here in the Northwoods. Great for the snowmobilers, but not so much for those looking to get out one last time before the game fish season closes for the winter. I'll post once I'm able to get back out again. Good luck to those heading out and enjoy your Northwoods ice time.

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Gone Fishin'

Been watching the Wisconsin River below Kings Dam open up further and further downstream here in Tomahawk over the past couple days. Reminds me of when I lived out on Lake Alice a few years back and we had a big late season snow storm like the one we had last week. It was also followed by warm weather and within days the river had opened up below the CTH A Bridge. It shocked me how quickly the ice went out, considering I had just cross country skied in the area only days before. Now I'm not suggesting all ice isn't safe in the area, especially lakes should be fine, but I would strongly remind people to consider where there's current the ice will be going out quickly.
I haven't been out since the storm, but from what I've seen and heard, it looks like there's a lot of slush and snow still on the ice. This looks like it's shaping up similar to last year, where the late ice season was over in a couple weeks. Its still pretty early to say, but we might be looking at getting the boats out a lot sooner than normal, if the warm weather forecasted holds.
Good luck to everyone heading out this week and coming weekend. Be safe, don't forget the shovel and enjoy your Northwoods ice time.

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Gone Fishin'

Just like that we went from driving our trucks out on the ice to pulling our boats behind them. The rivers have opened up quickly here in the Tomahawk area and anglers are starting to flock to the Wisconsin River to take advantage of spring walleye run. I haven't had the chance to get my boat out of storage yet, still waiting for a bit of snow to melt, but from what I've been heard they have been out below Pride Dam. I would suspect by this weekend boats will start putting in at the Deer Park Rd. boat landing off North Fourth Street as it is almost free of ice. Tomahawk also offers plenty of places to fish from shore for those without a boat. From Kings Dam (the season is closed on Lake Alice above) to Grandmother Dam and Grandfather Dam south on Hwy. 107 a number of locations can provide some pretty good early season action. The bait of choice is pretty simple, either a hook and sinker or 1/8 ounce jighead tipped with a fathead or a jig and twister are typically the baits of choice this time of year.
While a lot of people are leaving behind the ice in search of open water, there's still some ice fishing opportunities out there and the fishing can be some of the best of they year. Overcast and rainy days in the spring can make for great crappie action. Good time of the year to have the locator, as the fish can be suspended from a foot off the bottom to a couple feet below the ice when they are active. The big bluegills should start returning to the shallows soon. North shore boat landings will provide the best access on lakes, and I wouldn't advise going out on flowages at this time unless you know where you are going. Not saying there isn't safe ice on places like Nokomis, but current can really change ice conditions quickly and make things unsafe where they recently were.
What a great time to get out on the water or the ice one last time to enjoy all the Northwoods provides this time of year. Good luck to everyone heading out. Be safe, have fun and enjoy your Northwoods ice and water time.

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Gone Fishin'