Joel DeBoer

The leaves on the trees have disappeared, the water temperatures have continued to drop, and we've even had snow on the ground ' its official, winter is approaching fast! Plenty of good open water angling opportunities await fishermen in the greater Wausau area, but we're running on borrowed time.

Walleyes continue to move towards wintering areas, and although the bite is not fast and furious, anglers are finding good numbers of fish and scoring consistently by fishing slower than in weeks past. Live bait presentations have been tops during the chilly air and water temperatures with jig and minnow combinations or live bait rigs becoming a staple in local arsenals. Probe deep holes, channel sections, and river bends to find numbers of fish; pay close attention to your locator as the fish have been tight to bottom. Sucker minnows, fatheads, and chubs in the 3'-5' range have all been effective and should be worked in a slow but thorough fashion. Stinger hooks on jigs have been a good bet as bites have been shorter and more subtle of late.

Rightfully regarded as the king of freshwater, the heaviest muskies of the season in addition to some true trophy-class northern pike continue to wear the feedbag in our area. As with the walleyes, live bait continues to be an excellent choice. Large sucker minnows on quick-strike rigs are an excellent choice and will produce fish of both species. It's a good idea to run multiple lines, varying the set depth of each to search the water column more efficiently. Large jig heads tipped with sucker minnows are also working well and can be either cast or jigged vertically near deeper wood or rock structure. While live bait has been hot, both pike and muskies are still readily taking both deep-diving crankbaits and oversized rubber baits. With the artificial lures, more natural patterns such as perch and sucker patterns have been working the best.

A veritable fisherman's paradise, the North-Central Wisconsin region is also home to some fantastic hunting opportunities. With the rut in full swing, whitetail deer hunting is offering archers ample opportunity at this large game animal, including some true monster bucks. Small game hunting in the countless forests and fields of the area is a sure bet for plenty of sporting opportunities, while water fowl hunters continue to boast impressive harvests.

Fish Species: Musky, Pike, Walleye
Bait Used:
Tackle Used:
Method Used:
Water Depth:
Water Temperature:
Wind Direction:
Wind Speed:

Do you want to leave a comment? Login or register now to leave a comment.


No comments so far

Joel DeBoer

About The Author: Joel DeBoer

Company: Wisconsin Angling Adventures

Area Reporting: Central and Northern Wisconsin

Bio: Greetings and welcome to the Northwoods! My name is Joel DeBoer; I grew up fishing the waters of Central and Northern Wisconsin and enjoying the beauty of Wisconsin's outdoors - I can guarantee you will enjoy them as well! As owner of Wisconsin Angling Adventures, I'll work hard to keep you on the fish and show you a good time out on the water! Through countless days and nights on the water, I have worked hard to uncover local "hotspots" while prefecting the techniques necessary to produce trophy fish from them. I have been an active member of Muskies Inc. and Bill's Musky Club, and am responsible for numerous awards for muskies caught and released by my clients as well as myself. In addition to guiding, I am an active musky tournament fisherman, having multiple Top 10 finishes. Not only do I fish tournaments for muskies, but a variety of local tournaments for walleyes and bass. I am active on the internet - providing articles and fishing reports to over 15 different web sites, in addition to doing web-radio shows. I am a published outdoor author and educator, including my weekly column, "The Guides Corner" in the Everest Herald. I specialize in multi-media presentations and seminars on the vast aspects of musky fishing. Please feel free to email me, at ANY time. In addition, take an opportunity to visit my bio pages at the St. Croix Rod or VMC Hooks Pro-Staff pages as a further reference. I am thankful to the wonderful companies I am privileged to work with promotionally: Bait Rigs * DeLONG Lures * Ducktail Lures * Dunwright Tackle * Frabill * Mepps * Mister Twister * Mercury * Optima Batteries * Pure Fishing (Abu Garcia, Berkley, Stren) * Roberts Outdoors * St. Croix * VMC Hooks

715-297-7573
Click Here For Past Fishing Reports by Fishing Guide Joel DeBoer